The Life Of George Holcomb – George Begins Making Liquor

by Alex Brooks The previous episode ended in mid-October of 1815. During the next six weeks, George gathers a lot of apples and makes cider, applesauce and “cider cheese” and makes trips to Albany to sell all these products. During this time the Still House is finished, mostly by the work of his cousin Sylvester. [...]

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The Life Of George Holcomb – 1815 – A Year of Ill-Health

by Alex Brooks As spring comes on in 1815, the 23 year old George is developing some commercial schemes, but is greatly hampered by ill-health. After spending three days in early March pruning his apple trees, he finds himself “lame with a boil” and is unable to get much work done for the next week. [...]

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The Life Of George Holcomb – A Dispute With Brother Sylvester

by Alex Brooks On January 17, 1815, George attended a town meeting “to make resolves against the conscripts law,” as he was apparently not the only one opposed to the draft. But the danger was past by then, as the peace treaty had been signed in Ghent three weeks earlier.

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The Life Of George Holcomb – George Begins His Life’s Work

by Alex Brooks When the last episode ended, Holcomb had just returned on November 17, 1813, from a year’s journey to Eastern Massachusetts, his first extended time away from home. His father had asked him to come home to take over the family farm. Holcomb left originally to escape the draft, but having secured a [...]

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The Life Of George Holcomb – A Summer As A Hired Laborer

In the last episode, George bargained with his uncle Levi Pease about his wages, and Pease assured George he would be satisfied. But George was not happy with the reckoning: “when we brought in our accounts, mine was only 55 dollars, for he would not allow me for what I did in September last, he [...]

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The Life Of George Holcomb – Life At Uncle Levi Pease’ Farm

by Alex Brooks When the last chapter ended, Holcomb had just left home to avoid the draft after the outbreak of the war of 1812.  He is now living and working on the farm of his uncle Levi Pease in Shrewsbury, Mass., outside of Boston.  It is his first extended period away from Stephentown. Through [...]

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The Life Of George Holcomb – War Comes To Stephentown

September 1, 1812: Tuesday in the afternoon I rode with Lyman Spring to Abner Bull’s to a meeting that this town had, to know the minds of the people, whether they are for war or not – we called to Nilses.

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The Life Of George Holcomb – Military Service

George’s first military service, was a military training event for two days in the fall of 1809, when he was 18. He trained again on Monday, September 3, but the following Saturday he went up to Captain Bull’s to see if he could help “clear me from training.” Two days later he went to Dr. [...]

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The Life Of George Holcomb – Injury & Illness

Working on a farm in 1810 is a hard life, subject to accidents and illness with limited medical remedies available. George is 20 years old at this time. August, 24, 1811: Saturday I helped draw a load of wood, mowed weeds, cut and laid up cider cheese. A horse stepped on my instep and cut [...]

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The Life Of George Holcomb

with comments by Alex Brooks At the age of 16 the short entries of his first few years begin to get a little more lengthy and complicated. His main subject, at first, for these longer entries, was various financial transactions that he engaged in. In October 1810 he went on a trip to sell onions [...]

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