Tuesday, January 31, 1843: Today Mr. Van Scott took his wagon and carried me to one old Mr Bristol’s to look at some young horses that he has for sale, but I did not buy any. Said Van Scott carried me to Canaan Corners and from there I walked home, quite rainy all the way.
Wednesday, February 1: Today a snow storm. Aaron B. Chapman is helping us at all kinds of work that I want done for his board. He works two days out of each week.
Thursday: Today I reckoned with said Aaron B. Chapman and found due me one day and a half work. The ox sled and one horse sled and nearly making the roller and in mending shoes and other small jobs all reckoned and today I bargained with him to make me a horse sled and called it four days works, and towards night I walked over to Philander Carpenter’s to try to buy his gray colt, but could not but it only fifty dollars and I did not bargain with him. I wanted said colt to match one that I gave my note of forty five dollars on interest to James M. Glass on this morning and took said mare colt home. Said colt came in three years old this spring. I went and bargained with said Glass at his house on last evening for said colt. On this evening I shelled corn.
Friday: On this forenoon I took my one horse sled and rode over to Newton Goold’s and my son John rode my gray colt and he had one that would match mine but would not sell his colt and John returned home with mine. I went to Mr Jones the blacksmith and had a shoe put on my horse and two link to log chains and two links trace chains and two guggeons and four plates to a roller, the whole job he charged was seventy five cts and he agreed to take his pay in onions and apples.
Saturday: Today I helped hew out horse sled beams and today we took the ox team and drew a large oak log from off the hill and I butted it and pealed it for a saw log. Today Charlotte E. connected to the chapel Church what is called Unitarians but call themselves Christians. My wife health better excepting her cough that comes bad.
Sunday: Today a snow storm.
Monday: Today I took my one horse pung and carried four bushels of oats to Gay’s and Madison’s store in Lebanon and sold them for one dollar in trade. On the way home I called to Ezra D. Sackett’s to get some medicine that Mrs. Sackett had prepared for my wife. It was sent by Nathan Sackett to my wife and I returned home. Today quite blustering.
Thursday: This afternoon Mr. Rufus Withee and wife and daughter came and stayed with us. Tonight I paid said Withee one hundred and fifty dollars and gave a new note of one hundred and fifty dollars dated from the 20th Oct last and the interest that was due was twenty four dollars. I gave a due bill on interest. On this evening all of my children went to Lebanon Springs to Mr. Whittaker’s lecturing and debating meeting.
Friday: This forenoon I took my pung and carried Mr. Jones one bushel onions at 63 cts and one half bushel of apples at 37 cts per. He charged me 50 cts for making a strap bolt and key and staple for whiffletree to a new horse sled and a bolt and nut and two iron braces for the same.
Saturday: I oiled harness and chopped wood to the door. We harnessed our gray colt for the first time, first alone before a pung and then on side the old horse before a sled. Russel Palmer worked half a day for me mending shoes and harness. Today my son John F. took the pung and carried Nathan Sackett’s wife and child to the top Hancock Mountain to what is called Broad’s old stand tavern where one Mr. Barker keeps tavern and said Sackett agrees to chop one day to pay me.