2016 February 29: Amanuensis Monday: J.P.McPherson's Diary, April 1 through June 30,1852

Diary entries for April 1 through June 30, 1852

April, 1852

1^st Thurs. At store with butter and eggs. Still cold.

2^nd Fri. Writing. At Mr Lesters for lumber.

3^rd Sat. At Madison with Messers. Lester & Anderson. Snow began to fall after dark.

4^th Sun. Still snowing a little.

5^th Mon. Writing out annual report of Town Board, etc.

6^th Tues. At Town Meeting. Elected Town Clerk & Assessor.

7^th Wed. Writing out minutes of Town Meeting. Recording bonds. Pig litters, etc.

8^th Thurs. Hauling my stable logs – Mr Jackman and team.

9^th Fri. Splitting rails. Posted letter to John Mitchell.

10^th Sat. Storming.

11^th Sun. At Mr. Lesters.

12^th Mon. Working on school house.

13^th Tues. Making rails – laying floor, gathering willows, etc.

14^th Wed. Hauled load of straw from Mr Lesters. At Mr Patons P.M. Commenced to make basket for Mr. Jackman.

15^th Thurs. Wrote to Clerks of Circuit Court and County. Finished basket.

16^th Fri. Posted the above letters and one to Ann Adamson. Raining forenoon. Lost clock key - At Mr Lesters for augur. B.B.

17^th Sat. Altering coat for James Stewart Junr. – to be paid for in carpenter work.

18^th Sun. Recd from A Paton $15. At home all day.

19^th Mon. Making rails.

20^th Tues. DO DO

21^st Wed. DO DO forenoon; laying garden fence afternoon.

22^nd Thurs. Fixing fence and digging garden.

23^rd Fri. Making out road tax lists.

24^th Sat. DO with Supervisors.

25^th Sun. At Messers Anderson & Jackmans.

26^th Mon. Making out road tax lists and notices. Sowed peas and salad.

27^th Tues. Sowed Carrots and Tomatoes. At store afternoon.

28^th Wed. Sowed Beets, Vegetable oysters & Rhubarb. At Messers Lesters and Bairds afternoon. Ground my axe on Mr. Miles grind stone.

29^th Thurs. Chopping. Made small basket for Mr Lamonts boys.

30^th Fri. Raining. Made clothes basket.

May, 1852

1^st Sat. Splitting rails.

2^nd Sun. At Meeting forenoon. At Messers Beat & Menzies afternoon.

3^rd Mon. Making rails.

4^th Tues. Made a few rails – quit on account of pain in my back.

5^th Wed. Made stair.

6^th Thurs. Raining. Back still painful.

7^th Fri. Making rails. Posted letter to Carpenter & Tunney.

8^th Sat. DO DO forenoon. At Mt. Vernon with Mr. T. Thomson afternoon. School District letters.

9^th Sun. At Messers Anderson and Olegs forenoon. At Meeting.

10^th Mon. At Meeting of District Board in the morning. Chopping the rest of the day.

11^th Tues. Making rails.

12^th Wed. At Britz mill at meeting of highway Commission. Recd letter from John Mitchell. Sowed Onion seed.

13^th Thurs. Sowed Onions and Parsnips at Mr. Lesters. Sowed Radishes and planted Beans at home. Showers during the forenoon, heavy rain afternoon & evening.

14^th Fri. Posted a letter to Alex Cairncross, Pittsburgh. Raining at intervals during the day. Chopping.

15^th Sat. Making rails.

16^th Sun. At Messers Henderson & Jackmans – got very cold towards evening.

17^th Mon. Morning very cold; cool all day. Making blocks.

18^th Tues. Planting corn for Mr. Lester. Frost in the morning – raining at intervals during the forenoon, towards evening a heavy cold rain.

19^th Wed. Frost in the morning, a little hail fell; getting warmer. Self with Mr. Andersons team and Mr Lester with his team, hauling rails. Aurora Borealis very bright.

20^th Thurs. Laying up fence. Weather clear & a little warmer. Aurora Borealis very bright in the Northern heavens.

21^st Fri. Laying up fence.

22^nd Sat. Making rails and charing for breaking. Mary at Store. Received one bushel of Potatoes from David Beat.

23^rd Sun. At John Edis, Wm. Jackmans & WM Hendersons.

24^th Mon. Mr. Lester and Self hauling rails forenoon. Breakers began work about 10 A.M. Self hauling rails afternoon.

25^th Tues. Mr. Jackman and Self making fence blocks.

26^th Wed. At Mr. Andersons raising.

27^th Thurs. Mr. Lamont hauled rails all day – Mr. Lester hauled rails forenoon.

28^th Fri. Posted letter to Register of Land office M. P. sig 50¢ Planted Corn and Beans on breaking.

29^th Sat. Laying up fence assisted by Mr. Jackman.

30^th Sun. At home. Mary at Messers Leslies Browns & Hendersons nine mounds.

31^st Mon. Planted Corn. (last part of entry cut off; entry continued on next page //JGH) of rain. The corn planted a fortnight ago has nearly all rotted, supposed owing to the cold weather for some days succeeding the planting, and bad seed.

June, 1852

1^st Tues. At Madison with John Edi, Jas Edi, Swr Jackman, Mr. & Mrs. Henderson and Billy (J.P.McP's oldest son //JGH). Received assessment roll. Had a conversation with Mr. Bird. Weather very warm – at sunset storm of thunder, lightening and rain came up from the North, which continued several hours.

2^nd Wed. This morning the crops looked refreshed by the showers of last night. Still cloudy and warm. Received Town plat from Land office. Planting Corn. Storm of thunder, lightening and rain in the evening. Sowed peas.

3^rd Thurs. Fixing fence. Planted Water and Mush Melons, Squash, Cucumbers, Pomegranates, Tomatoes, Peas and Corn. Weather clear and cool.

4^th Fri. Posted letter enclosing Certificates of Hendersons and Andersons land to Land office. Recd 18 lbs flour from Mrs C. Morigh. Laying up fence.

5^th Sat. Laying up fence. Planted Beans & Rice Corn.

^6th Sun. Visited by Messers M. Brown, J. Stevenson and G. Davidson. At meeting afternoon – at Mr. Larsons in the evening, during a brief storm of large hail stones and rain.

7^th Mon. Making fence blocks – Measured Mr. Jackmans breaking. Transplanted Greens and Salad. Mary planting Corn.

8^th Tues. Very cool in the morning. Sowed Peas and planted Potatoes and broad Beans. Messers Childs & Henderson met at my house on the closing of a road by Mr. R Blackburn.

9^th Wed. The morning very cold for the season – Planted Potatoes.

10^th Thurs. Staking fence.

11^th Fri. Working on the road.

12^th Sat. DO DO for Mr. Stevenson.

13^th Sun. Visited by Messers. McCaugheys, Brown, Jackman & Mrs. Jackman. Also by Dr. James Sutherland of Edinburgh, who came out as Surgeon of a Ship to New Orleans from hence he came up the Mississippi to see the Western Country. On informing him of the free land (office, struck out) bill, he expressed an anxious wish to settle in this neighborhood. Took him to see the N.E. ¼ of Sec. 35, which he determined to settle upon.

14^th Mon. Planted white and colored beans & corn. At Mr. Menzies for oats. Went with Dr. Sutherland to the above named land, where he cut down a tree and made claim to the ¼ Sec.

15^th Tues. Dr. Sutherland left for the East. Planted Corn. Wrote notices of road meeting (Hendersons).

16^th Wed. At laying out road by Connors and Mr. Browns. Received Hendersons and Andersons land Patents and 1^st No. of “Argus and Democrat.” A little rain fell towards evening.

17^th Thurs. Planting Corn and staking fence.

18^th Fri. Staking fence.

19^th Sat. A thunderstorm during the night – some rain fell. This morning the sun out bright and warm. Laying up fence.

20^th Sun. At meeting in Verona. Wm. Cairncross arrived by Cincinati.

21^st Mon. Made out school register and order for payment of $12, to teacher. Had visit from Dr. Sutherland.

22^nd Tues. With Mr. Cairncross at his land and (something lined out //JGH) at Barnett Brinks. Commenced assessing.

23^rd Wed. Assessing in N.C. part of Town.

24^th Thurs. DO in N. part of Town.

25^th Fri. Posted letter to A. A. Bird, enclosing note to Brown and Carpenter. Assessing around town part of the day. Wm Cairncross sent his warrant to M. Point.

26^th Sat. Assessing in N.W. part of the town.

27^th Sun. At Mr. Britz with "Nan” to Bull. Had a visit from Mrs. Henderson.

(Monday entry for June 28^th cut off from photocopy //JGH)

29^th Tues Digging well assisted by W Cairncross.

30^th Wed. Assessing in Center of the town. Recd letter from A. A. Bird. W Cairncross received Certificate of Land.  

End of entries for April 1, 1852 thrugh June 30, 1852

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