Amanuensis Monday, 2016 August 29: J.P.McPherson's Diary, April 1 through June 30, 1855

Diary entries for April 1 through June 30, 1855

APRIL, 1855

James P. McPherson Diary,
Entries for April 1 through
April 28, 1855

 

1^st Sun. At W. Hendersons, J. McCaugheys & M. L. Curtis.

2^nd Mon. Hauling Straw from Morrisons – At Hendersons for waggon rack

3^rd Tues. At Town Meeting. Elected Town Clerk.

4^th Wed. Recd. Compendium of Census from Ben. C. Eastman. Recd letter from Wm Davidson, Rockford Ill. Hauling rails.

5^th Thurs. Qualified Messers McCord, North & Halverson. Walked to Poor House in the evening.

6^th Fri. At Madison with Messers Dow & Layton.

7^th Sat. DO DO Returned to Poor house.

8^th Sun. Returned home.

9^th Mon. Laying up fence. At Beats for Potatoes & wheat

10^th Tues. DO DO At Shumway and H. Lewis. Qualified Gilbert Oleson.

11^th Wed. DO DO

12^th Thurs. DO DO Took Mrs. Wallace affidavit. Raining – handled grubing hoe

13^th Fri. DO DO assisted by Mr. Morrison. Posted letters to A. Adamson, W. Davidson, G. .B. Smiith, J. P. Attwood, & Wm. Menzie.

14^th Sat. Ploughing forenoon. At Poor house afternoon.

15^th Sun. At Ivor Thorsons to see cows for Poor house.

16^th Mon. Ploughing. Bargained with Ivor Thorson for cows, agreeing to give him a yoke of steers and 7 dollars for 2 cows for poor house. Bot. Heifer calf for $4.

17^th Tues. I. Thorson Brot. Calf and took cows to P. house. Ploughing and making drag.

18^th Wed. Laying up fence, assisted forenoon by Mr. Morrison. Recd. letters from G. B. Smith & Judge Attwood. Working at drag afternoon.

19^th Thurs. Ploughing.

20^th Fri. PO PO Posted letter enclosing $2, to W. C. Bryant & Co.

21^st Sat. Making out tax lists, with Malone & Halverson.

22^nd Sun. At home. Paid Miles 13 cents for postage in advance on E. Post.

23^rd Mon. Ploughing. Qualified John I.. Berge for Justice of the Peace.

24^th Tues. Working at drag forenoon – Ploughing afternoon. Billy at Mt. Vernon.

25^th Wed. (“Sowed &” lined out //JGH) draging. Laying up fence.

26^th Thurs. Sowed & draging wheat

27^th Fri. DO DO Posted letter to L Ingalsby.

28^th Sat. DO DO

29^th Sun. At Miles & home.

30^th Mon. Sowing & draging wheat on breaking.

MAY, 1855

1^st Tues. DO DO At Poor house with J. Blowers.

2^nd Wed. Raining. Cut pants for Billy, Jim & Jabez.

3^rd Thurs. Sowing & draging wheat on breaking. Drew Mortgage for Nash.

4^th Fri. Recd. $20, from L.Ingalsby on Note, which paid to Mr. McCaughey. Posted letters to F. H. Firman & John Beath. Sowing wheat.

5^th Sat. Sowing & draging wheat.

6^th Sun. Sheep had a Buck Lamb. Helped Beard to pull his cow out of Stevensons marsh. At Housels in the afternoon.

7^th Mon. Sowing & draging wheat.

8^th Tues. DO DO forenoon. Ploughing afternoon.

9^th Wed. Ploughing. Planted Potatoes.

10^th Thurs. DO Planted Potatoes.

11^th Fri. DO (“At Beards for Potatoes” lined out //JGH) Wm. Cairncross and family arrived.

12^th Sat. PLoughing. At Beards for Potatoes.

13^th Sun. At Wm. Cairncross.

14^th Mon. Ploughing forenoon. Cleaning up grain afternoon.

15^th Tues. DO Afternoon. DO forenoon.

16^th Wed. Sowed oats. At Mass' Store forenoon. Recd letter from Wm. Davidson. W. Cairncross Ploughing for me.

17^th Thurs. Sowing oats. Measured D. Beat for coat. Visited by S. Lamont, W. Menzie, Yesterday visited by S. Shumway & W. Henderson. Planted Potatoes & Sowed onions.

18^th Fri. Sowing oats. Visited by Mrs. Wallace. Stewart Cairncross ploughing yesterday and today. Posted letter to F. H. Firman.

19^th Sat. Finished draging oats. S. Cairncross finished ploughing before noon. At Lamonts with grist and at Beats for potatoes.

20^th Sun. At Home.

21^st Mon. Draging & Planting corn & Potatoes.

22^nd Tues. DO DO

23^rd Wed. Planting corn forenoon. Made out road notices for Mr. McLean. Visited by Mr. & Mrs. Picket, afternoon.

24^th Thurs. Planting corn.

25^th Fri. Planting Potatoes. Sowed carrots, Beats, Parsnips & Peas.

26^th Sat. Draging and Planting Potatoes on new breaking east of wheat.

27^th Sun. At Oleys & Lamonts.

28^th Mon. At Madison, with Lamonts, Cairncross & J. Edi. Billy took Jim Blowers to the Poor House.

29^th Tues. Planting Potatoes. Sowed Peas. Got home grist. (“30^th Wed. Sheared Sheep.” lined out //JGH) Recd. Notice of Stray horses from A. Malone. Mary at Morrisons P.M.

30^th Wed. Sheared 5 sheep. Sowed Salad – planted Melons yesterday.

31^st Thurs. Helping W. Cairncross to lay up brush fence.

JUNE, 1855

1^st Fri. At the Valley House, Cross Plains. Raining all day. Stopt all night with T Blackburn. Commenced to take Census. Posted letters to L. Ingalsby and Land office.

2^nd Sat. At Valley House with Messers Douglas & Wright. Took Cnsus in N.E. quarter of town.

3^rd Sun. At home. Visited by Messers Connor & McCaughey and Mr____. ( (JPMcPherson’s line //JGH)

4^th Mon. Fixing fence. Sheared 4 Sheep.

5^th Tues. Fixing fence. Cut vest for Geo. Searle. Drew Mortgage for J. Bunnell. Planted top onions. Visited by Mrs. Morrison & Blake.

6^th Wed. Planted Beans and Cucumbers & Set out Cabbage. Recd Town Plat from Land Office.

7^th Thurs. Clearing for breakings & fixing fence. Girded trees.

8^th Fri. At Madison. Making report to County Judge of proceedings on claims against estate of R Wright.

9^th Sat. Planting beans and clearing for breaking.

10^th Sun. Visited by Mr. & Mrs. Brown. Married Robert Craig and Mrs. Wallace. Went to home with the party to Mr. Craigs.

11^th Mon. John Oley commenced to break for me. Self and boys clearing for breaking

12^th Tues. DO DO Visited by L. Ingalsby.

13^th Wed. John Oley finished breaking afternoon.

14^th Thurs. Making coat for D. Beat. Visited by Mr. North and Ivor Thorson. Boys planting corn on the sod. Paid Mrs,. McCoughey $57.

15^th Fri. Sewing. Boys planting corn. Posted letters to Argus, Patriot & Journal, Madison.

16^th Sat. Finished D. Beats Coat. Boys planting corn. Visited by Wm. Beard & Messers Thomas & Miles.

17^th Sun. Mr. Beat got his coat. At Mr. Miles.

18^th Mon. At Mount Vernon. Took census of Village.

19^th Tues. At Wista with Evor Thorson. Stopt at E. Terrys

20^th Wed. At Ole Andersons with Evor Thorson. Demanded E. T.s boy, which O.A. refused to give up except upon payment of $900, or $150 per year for his support. Rode to Shullsburgh and engaged L. P. Higbee, Esq., to Sue out writ of Habeaus Corpus. Received letter from H & R. Radcliff.

21^st Thurs. Obtained a writ of Habias Corpus which I served on O. Anderson. Stopt all night in Wista.

22^nd Fri. Rode to Shullsburgh. Returned & answer to writ of Habias Corpus made before Judge Marvin, who adjourned the case 2 weeks. Rode to Wista where me stopt all night.

23^rd Sat. Returned home.

24^th Sun. At home. Visited by Mrs. Morrison & daughters.

25^th Mon. Working on the road.

26^th Tues. Hoeing corn. At Mass's Store

27^th Wed. DO DO & weeding garden.

28^th Thurs. At E. Thorsons, Guston Thomsons, & T. Bentleys taking census and Subpoening witnesses.

29^th Fri. Posted letters to R. Radcliff. Hoeing corn.

30^th Sat. Hoeing corn forenoon – At M. L. Curtis' afternoon.

End of diary entries for April 1 through  
June 30, 1855

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