Friday, June 19, 1835: Today Peter Surdam used my horse and wagon and then my horse, his wife was quite sick. Tonight a hard rain and a high water which did much damage. today Miss Clark our school teacher began to board with us.
Monday: Today Mr. Lot Swan put Mr. Simon Cranston’s horse stud to my two mares and the bargain is if they have colts I am to pay one dollar a colt, and if no colt, nothing to pay.
Tuesday: I worked on the highway with my team and plow. Today Mr. James Adams Jnr fetched his wife here on a visit and he went to the Shakers to mill. When he returned he took tea with my family. I was on the highway.
Saturday June 27: Today my wife took the wagon and rode to Hancock and Betsey Ham with her. My wife carried about eight pounds butter to Wm Hadsell’s store and traded it and she went to Wm Lapum’s and had a bottle of blacking charged 17 cts and a peck of lime charged to Charles Taylor’s, ten cts, and then she carried cousin Betsey to Squ Sylvester Howard’s and left her and then came to HL Platt’s mill and got our grist of rye that I sent by Peter Surdam last week on Friday and was ground that day, before the dam broke in the freshet at night.
Monday: We kept an essence peddler, we charged him 25 cts for it was agreed on.
Saturday, July 4: Today I went to the celebration of Independence on Pool Hill in Lebanon at Joseph Lord’s, an oration by Mr. Bush from Lenox at the Baptist meeting house and a prayer by Elder Lands and the Declaration of Independence read by young Doc King. I went with my covered wagon and carried my children, all but George P and Sarah. I put my team into Mr. Clark’s stable and paid six cts and I paid four cts at his bar for drink and I paid three cts at Wm Gay’s bar for drink and I paid fifty cts at said Lord’s for my dinner and I gave fifty cts for powder and I handed Lee Chapman fifty cts to buy cake for my children. Today a hard shower and hail that did damage in some places.