Following is the set of footnotes associated with research of the transcription of the September 1857 diary entries by Lorette Shepard & John Hamilton. These footnotes are also interspersed and embedded within the transcription.
- Mr. Moore ♢ John Moore (1784-1857) John Moore was a widower, his wife Clarissa Sparks died in 1850. They lived on Shepard Road across from Lorette’s parents farm. John once owned Sparks Iron Works which he moved to Batavia from Massachusetts. Clarissa had eleven children, all still alive in 1857. They are both buried in Old Batavia Cemetery.
- Elder Fillmore ♢ This may have been Glezen Fillmore of Clarence who was 68 years old. He was an itinerant Methodist circuit preacher until the Fall of 1858. Or it may have been Isaac Otis Fillmore, who became the first pastor of the newly built Presbyterian church in Batavia.
- balloon ♢ The balloon ascension was saved for the last day of the Genesee County Fair; however it had been cancelled early in the day due to the inability to inflate the balloon. That year Chester E. Orcutt of Batavia was President of the Genesee County Agricultural Society and Nelson Parker and Leander Douglass of Stafford were Vice Presidents, Thomas Yates of Batavia was Secretary, and Henry T. Cross of Batavia was Treasurer. Representatives on the Town Committee were: Alexander - A. North, Batavia - Gad Worthington, Bethany - Charles Kendall, Stafford - T. J. Leonard, Darien - Walter Hyde, Elba - Henry Monell, Pembroke - G. W. Wright, LeRoy - B. F. Cash, Byron - Weaton Miller, Bergen - Samuel Richmond, Oakfield - Clitus Wolcott, and Alabama - Wm. McComber.
- Mr. Woodard & Mr. Leonard ♢ Ira Leonard, spouse of Maria Shepard, was an attorney in Batavia, and was with Hon. N. A. Woodward that day.
- funeral ♢ Adeline M. Brown married Carlos West son of Warren West and Sarah Richmond of Putnam Settlement around 1848. In 1850 they lived with her parents, Edward and Almira Brown in Alexander. Adeline’s first child Flora died three months after her birth in 1849, and her second child Irving died less than one year old in 1851. Adeline died just five days after giving birth to her third child, Ira J. West; he died thirteen days later. They are all buried in Putnam Cemetery.
- Plato farm ♢ John F. Plato (1802-1870) owned land on Creek Road, Batavia but lived on Clinton Street in the Village.
- Mrs. Julia Patterson ♢ Julia Powers Patterson (1823-1914) She was a daughter of the infamous Batavia Olive Branch Mason, Blanchard Powers (1769-1849), who was indicted for participation in the mysterious disappearance of William Morgan in 1826 but also awarded a medal for his long service of the order. He had four wives and 23 children. Julia’s mother was Ruth Hayes (1790-1829) wife number 3. Blanchard married wife number 4 a month later, Louisa Chadwick who was still alive in in Batavia in 1857. Julia was married to William Patterson (1820-1852) and had three children with him, Mary, Ruthann, and Cathren. In 1854 she married John Ferris of Batavia and had two children, Albertine in 1858 and Caroline in 1860.
- school house ♢ Asahel Shepard lived on Francis Road next to Batavia-Bethany School House No. 6.
- little girl ♢ Adell Shepard, youngest child of Asahel and Sarah Bartlett Shepard, would have been 18 months old.
- George Shepard ♢ George Asahel Shepard was the oldest child of Asahel Shepard, aged 23.
- Billy Green’s ♢ William Green (1794-1865), a bachelor, lived with his unmarried sister Jerusha Green (1797-1882) on Ellicott Street Road near Shepard Road. He was also a brother of Shubael Green (1799-1874).
- Ordelia Shepard ♢ First cousins, Helen Shepard Showerman 20 and daughter of Asahel Shepard, and Ordelia 15, a daughter of James Shepard.
- Elders Perry ♢ Rev Perry was the Pastor of the West Bethany Free Will Baptist Church on and off from 1852-1857.
- Oliver Johnson ♢ Rev. Oliver Johnson (1809-1881) lived in Bethany. He was a son of seven children born to Isaac Johnson and Ruth Baldwin Brown, and a descendant of the West Bethany Brown family. Oliver received his license to preach in 1837 and married Louisa Francis about 1830 and they had seven children by 1856.
- Mr. Horace Walker ♢ Horace E Walker (1834-1886) was a teacher and oldest son of Obadiah Walker (1794-1885) and Apphia Ewell (1806-1875) of Bethany.
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