George Searches In Vain For Shoemaker Bobs
by George Holcomb
• Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Monday, February 26, 1844: I rode up to see the new school house near Hosea Brown’s store. There I met the other two trustees Joshua B. Maxon and Silvenas Carpenter to take a view for to make up our minds for a plan to build a school house.
Wednesday: On this morning I took the cutter and carried Sarah to school and fetched home a barrel of ashes from the school house, and I called with Charlotte to Mr. Prentice Johnson’s and she reckoned with Mrs. Johnson and paid her for doctoring, which was one dol 63 cts and the sixty three cts he credited for his making cider at my mill. I rode over to Ezra D. Sackett’s and got his powder for my wife to take. They are prepared from a recipe in a newspaper. I rode over after Sarah to the school house and fetched her home. On this evening Mr. Prentice Johnson and wife visited us.
Thursday: Today I chopped and drew a load of wood from my Rodgers swamp and today two Mr. Carpenters, George and William and their sister Lydia and Louisa Little came on a visit from Pittstown or Raymertown, they all went to singing school with my children to Hancock Village and returned to my home and stayed.
Friday, March 1: On this evening our friends from Pittstown returned home. This afternoon I went in pursuit of shoemaker bobs on the hills for my wife to smoke for her cough but did not get any.
Saturday: Today I took my cutter and rode to Lebanon to Moses Tilden’s Store and I reckoned with him and reckoned the account of his Father’s in and the balance due me was two dollars and eight cents. Today I jumped accounts with Doctor Henry Dwight Right. He had an addition to his account what it was on last Saturday, today $71.50, he only was willing to credit me $24, and I gave my note on demand for 47 dol. On this evening a company of 20 in a four horse team from Lebanon Springs visited to my house.