January 31 through February 3, 1886

As always, click on the picture to enlarge for easier reading of original. Feel free to contact me with corrections, additional information, or comments. Click on the map link to the right of this entry to see more about where places are.

Sunday is a full day of church... looks like they go to their regular church, then go to Methodist meeting in the afternoon, stay for some sort of class, and to to prayer meeting in the evening. I'm not sure where the Methodist's meet. Dad said something about another church there in Ingleside? They go to visit Aunt Catherine Weld between the Methodist Meeting and the evening prayer meeting.

Monday Henry fixes the harness and harnesses the horses to go the George Pulver's to visit... they don't go until Tuesday, so I'm thinking it was a process of making sure the harness was in good shape for a longer than usual trip? Eber Weld and wife stop by. Eber goes on the Bloods and returns. His wife stays to visit, and they all visit into the evening on his return. The children have colds.

Tuesday, Sarah and Henry go to visit the Pulver family (George and Belle) -- about 2 hours away by the "new road" - a much shorter route Henry notes. They stay overnight, and return home the next day a bit after noon. The kids still have bad colds.... note there are "kids" ranging in age from 3 to 22, so they aren't being irresponsible in leaving overnight. Omar is back from Mansfield, PA. Everyone there is well, and Uncle Robert (Henry's older brother) got baptized on Sunday. (Note: The family's Christian faith would have made this baptism -fairly late in life - a pretty big deal... maybe Omar went to Mansfield specifically for the baptism?)

Note that Mansfield is about 75 miles away - quite a trip by horse! One reference suggests about 25 miles per day as an average distance traveled by horseback? Another suggests 15-25 miles per day. Omar must have pushed it since he was in church in Mansfield area on Sunday morning and got home Tuesday night. I wonder who he stayed with along the way - Sunday and Monday nights?? Definitely no Motel 6 along the way, though there might have been small Inns or boarding houses, or taverns with rooms to let and a place to stable the horse? Maybe he just slept under a tree?

January 27 through 30, 1886

As always, click on the picture to enlarge for easier reading of original. Feel free to contact me with corrections, additional information, or comments. NEW --- I've added a map link that will help you see where things are in the neighborhood where this story takes place. Click on the Map link to the right of the title of each page. Zoom out to see where Naples is located in New York State. Zoom in to see Ingleside and exactly where the Grange Hall, and the Church were. I'll add pictures and more locations as I can.

On Wednesday Henry finishes up some steps in preserving the meat prepared last week, including "pickling". Pickling is not a vinegar process like we do with cucumbers, but involves, salt, sugar, salt petre, and water to cover the meat. Click here for a civil war era recipe that is probably similar to what Henry would have done.

Henry also cuts a board for a wagon seat. This may have involved cutting a board from a section of log? I'm pretty sure they didn't just buy lumber the way we do now. Waddamus came to visit at night. No idea who this is? Not sure if this is a first name or a last name? Henry usually uses full names or at least initials. Henry still has a lame shoulder - several days now.

Thursday, Sarah is still working on Jen's dress. With all the day to day activity of feeding and caring for 13 people with no "modern conveniences", there probably isn't a lot of extra time in the day for projects like this? Henry is working on the seat still - for the lumber wagon. Omar harnesses up the horses to go to prayer meeting (Thursday nights), but they don't go because of heavy rain. Grange meetings are Saturday night.

Friday the weather cools off again, but there isn't much snow for using the sleigh. Sarah finishes Jen's dress!

Saturday they draw manure.... a process of hauling manure from the cows, horses, and pigs out to the fields and spreading it around. They go to Christian Fellowship Meeting in the afternoon, and draw a load of firewood to the woodhouse at night. Cutting, gathering and storing firewood is a big winter time activity. There aren't crops to tend to, and the trees will dry much better when cut in the winter when they aren't growing, and there is a much lower moisture content.