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 a hole in by foot and lamed me bad.
Monday: I was not able to do nothing, my foot is so lame.
On Tuesday he went to his friend’s house and got “shew make bark’ to put on his foot. On Thursday he started working again.
November 30: Saturday I did nothing, for I had sore hands with boils and swelling on them.
He continued to be troubled by the problem with his hands for several months:
December 13: Friday I went to the pool to wash my hands in the pool water for the salt rume.
December 19: Thursday I was unwell with boiles on my hands.
December 24: Tuesday I was unwell with boiles and my hands with salt rume.
December 30: Monday I did nothing but help shake goose pen on account of my hands.
All the rest of that week he did not work either, until Saturday when he went to the pool again to try to relieve the hands. The pool on Pool Hill, just across the valley from his farm, was reputed to have healing properties. The affliction to his hands must have continued at least through most of January, for he missed another whole day of work on the 13th due to the hands. On Jan. 29, a new problem:
January 29, 1812: Wednesday I chopped and drew wood. I cut my ankle joint a chopping to the door. The ax glanced my foot.
He did no more work that week because he was lame with his cut ankle. By February 12 his ankle must have been a lot better, for he went to Troy to sell a load of turkeys.
March 8, 1812: Sunday, this evening Doc King called in to see me and left some medicine for me on account of my blood being out of order and bad humor in my hands.
Monday: I continued unwell
Tues: Doc King came and bled me.
The rest of the week he continued to be gravely ill.
Saturday I growed weak and painful at my head and throat and mouth. At night Sylvester went to Doc King’s and got some phthisic and it released the pain in my stomach for that night.
Sunday the Doc came and bled me.
Monday I was weak a being bled in the after part of the day I was in a good deal of pain at my stomack and head.
He continued to be ill for the rest of March and all the way through April. He took many different medicines brought to him by Doc King including, in late March, mercury. He started working again in early May. He may not yet have been entirely well, however:
May 22, 1812: Friday I went after roots in the woods to make a beer for my blood is out of order.