Dec 11 – Pleasant morning Mercury 3 below zero. Got a dispatch from George that Willie[99] was dead.
Dec 12 – Susan and Willie buried to day.[100] George and Marion came home _____.
Dec 13 – Went over to warsaw saw Robers snow. Went to Pearlcrrk[101] saw T. Miller, Chancy Pond, then went on, saw Frank Clow. Went down to George Starrs[102] stayed all night. Went down past the Cruttenden home.
Dec 14 – Went over to Jasper Starrs saw aunt Polly. Went and see Mrs Crosman then went and saw Wm Crosman. Took dinner with him then went over to the old home then to Pavilion. Went to Mr Nobles found them all right then went over to Perry, got there 7 PM all right.
Dec 15 – Cool morning. Not very well hard headache in forenoon. Helped Screen Beans in afternoon. Quite cold. Man building stairs in bean House.
Dec 16 – Washed in forenoon. Very blustrous mercury 4 Abz in morning, very bad day. Cars no run, 4 below in afternoon and Evening.
Dec 17 – At Tomlinson House. At zero in morning. Folks all gone to church. Fine snow falling, are full frost.
Dec 18 – Screened Beans. Very blustrous. All at home. Mercury at zero in morning. Cold night. Cars could not get through. Mail went through on sleigh.
Dec 19 – Very blustring, mercury 12 Abz in morning, snow flying. At home all day. Made cloths stick. George Brown died to day.
Dec 20 – Not so cold. Went into mill. Repaired Mrs Jones door. Mr Rice came here. Went to Pavilion in afternoon. Stayed to Mr Nobles all night. Found them all well. George Brown buried.
Dec 21 – Went down to Crosmans shop. Saw sam. Called on Clarrissa Starr. Went into Burying ground. Went down to Mr Snows stayed all night. Saw Mary, Mr and Mrs Snow and Mrs How &c. Saw Dr Sprague.[103]
Dec 22 – Went down to Emeline Bradleys, saw her family, found them well. Called on Wm Bradley. Saw Esther Hill, called on Mr Gillmore, Mrs Syntha Sprague.[104] Left Mr Nobles about three P.M. for Perry, got there half past five P.M. Saw the Engine.
Dec 23 – Washing day. All well. Not as cold as some other Satur.[105] At home all day not much going on. Frank and Nell at church fixing for concert.
Dec 24 – Got present handkerchief. At home all day. Cold day. Went to Christmas Eve in Perry. Had a nice time. Concert went of firstrate. Heard the big Organ.
Dec 25 – Fine day, cloudy, not very cold. Nell gone to Rochester to see her chap.[106] George went to Leroy. Mrs Crack and Lizzy here to dinner spent the Evening.
Dec 26 – Very fine day. Frank and I Screened beans in forenoon.
Dec 27 – At home. Went up to bean house worked some. Went to see Mrs Cady and Mrs Scranton and Louisa in Evening, Mr Lewis. All well.
Dec 28 – Helped put the new Safe in the mill in fore noon. Nice one, weight 4000, cost $230 less than half price. Marion and I went over to Gainesville to Charles Browns, saw Lucinda. Found them well as usual.
Dec 29 – At Tomlinson house. Very blustrous. Worked in bean house Screened beans. Went to see the Wabinoes in Evening. Had a good show. A very stormy night, worse than they often see, snow just piled up.
Dec 30 – Washing. Very rough day. No getting out. As rough a storm as they see on the mountains of the west. At home all day, to stormy to be out.
Dec 31 – Very blustrous. No church to day. Mr Crane came in in the forenoon.
Memoranda
Occidental = western quarter of the hemisphere
Oriental = Eastern part of hemisphere
Hesperian
Western home
Farm Ballads
Farm Legends
By
Will Carleton[107]
Whittiers Poems
Macleans
Manual of the
Antiquity of man
Tomlinson made 4700 bbls cider 3000 on hand December 1st 1876. 40 cts pr Barrel for making. Sold 1700 bbls vinegar since January 76 ¢7 pr cask
One tank 16 feet high x 16 feet Bottom 600 bbls 3 thousand bushels apples made into cider
Hercules 325 feett long 97 feet circumference
Cars leave Perry 9.15 AM Leve 2.45 PM
Arrive 11.30 AM
Arrive 5.30 PM
Holloways Pills for Kidney Diseased ointment rubed on
Esther Allen Died [108]
August 3rd 1834 Ae 90 yrs
Abiah Sprague Died [109]
April 13 1841 Ae 77 yrs
James Sprague Died [110]
Oct 9th 1849 Ae 82 yrs
Dan Sprague Died [111]
March 31 1859 Ae 58 yrs
Elsie Smith Died [112]
April 7th 1841 Ae 27 yrs
Eunice Cruttenden Died [113]
July 1 1847 Ae 74
Jairus Cruttenden Died [114]
June 22d 1843 Ae 69 yrs
A. E. Cruttenden Died [115]
January 28th 1845 Ae
James Sprague Jr Died [116]
March 30th 1857
Ae 58 yrs
Ben Vail Died [117]
Sept 16 1834 Ae 29 yrs
——-
[99] William Tomlinson Sprague, the two-year-old son of George & Susan (Tomlinson) Sprague
[100] FindAGrave.com shows that both Susan and Willie are buried in Pearl Creek Cemetery, Pearl Creek, New York
[101] Pearl Creek, New York
[102] George Noah Starr was the half-brother of Alfleda (Starr) Keith (see February 2nd entry). George lived in Pavilion, Genesee County, New York
[103] Believe he is referring to Dr. William Bishop Sprague, a cousin of his second wife, Jerusha (Crittenden) Keith
[104] Believe his is referring to Cynthia (Bishop) Sprague, a cousin of his second wife, Jerusha (Crittenden) Keith, and the mother of Dr. William Bishop Sprague
[105] Saturday
[106] Nellie Tomlinson married Walter Gillett on April 10, 1878 so assume this is who Luke is referring to
[107] According to Wikipedia.com, William McKendree Carleton (October 21, 1845 – December 18, 1912) was an American poet from Michigan. Carleton’s poems were most often about his rural life. It also noted that with the Public Act 51 of 1919, the Michigan legislature required teachers to teach at least one of his poems to their students, and October 21 was officially named as Will Carleton Day in Michigan. Schools in Michigan named for him include Will Carleton Academy in Hillsdale, and Will Carleton Middle School in Sterling Heights. A section of the M-99 in Hillsdale is dubbed Will Carleton Road. The village of Carleton in Monroe County, Michigan, is named for him, and the road on Carleton’s northern border, separating Monroe and Wayne counties, is Will Carleton Road
[108] FindAGrave.com confirms that Esther (Hutchinson) Sprague Allen died August 3, 1834 and is buried in Pavilion Cemetery, Pavilion, New York. Esther was the wife of William Sprague
[109] FindAGrave.com confirms that Abiah (Carpenter) Sprague, the wife of “Capt” James Sprague, died and is buried in Pavilion Cemetery, Pavilion, New York
[110] FindAGrave.com confirms that “Capt” James Sprague died October 9, 1849 and is buried in Pavilion Cemetery, Pavilion, New York. James was the son of William & Esther (Hutchinson) Sprague
[111] FindAGrave.com confirms that Dan Sprague died March 31, 1859 and is buried in Pavilion Cemetery, Pavilion, New York. Dan was the son of Capt. James & Abiah (Carpenter) Sprague, and the husband of Mary (Collins) Sprague
[112] FindAGrave.com confirms that Elsie (Crittenden) Smith died April 7, 1841 and is buried in Pavilion Cemetery, Pavilion, New York. Elsie was the daughter of Jairus & Eunice (Sprague) Cruttenden, and the wife of Homer B. Smith
[113] FindAGrave.com confirms that Eunice (Sprague) Cruttenden died July 1, 1847 and is buried in Pavilion Cemetery, Pavilion, New York. Eunice was the daughter of William & Esther (Hutchinson) Sprague and the mother of Luke’s second wife, Jerusha (Crittenden) Keith
[114] FindAGrave.com confirms that Jairus Cruttenden died June 22, 1843 and is buried in Pavilion Cemetery, Pavilion, New York. Jairus was the husband of Eunice, and the father of Luke’s second wife, Jerusha
[115] Unable to find any information on this person
[116] FindAGrave.com confirms that James Sprague Jr. died March 30, 1857 and is buried in Pavilion Cemetery, Pavilion, New York. James was the son of Capt. James & Abiah (Carpenter) Sprague, and the husband of Luke’s sister, Martha “Patty” (Keith) Sprague
[117] FindAGrave.com confirms that Benjamin Vail died September 16, 1834 at the age of 29 and is buried in Pavilion Cemetery, Pavilion, New York. He was the husband of Mary (Derby) Vail, but any relationship to Luke is unknown at this time
Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 