Scott County, Indiana
Genealogy
and History
Used with Permission
JANUARY 1861
TUESDAY JANUARY 1, 1861
We enter the New Year all well and thankful. Beautiful, beautiful morning. May this prove to be our happiest year of our lives and our happiest increase as long as we live on this earth. Mrs. Griffith sends my stocking home--gets some meat and lard. The bad boys turned the teacher out of school. Teacher takes him to the mill and ducks him.JANUARY 4, 1861
Mrs. Griffith's comes and doubles and twists stocking yarn. James gathers corn. I get dinner then knit. Sabina Morrison comes for missionary money. Some clouds to day. Thaws some--getting quite cold this evening.JANUARY 5, 1861
Looks like snow. Cloudy all around. James and Marion hauls corn. I go to mother's for the candle moulds--then home--darn stockings.THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 186l
Cold and looks like snow. Sabina Morrison comes and warps for me. I pay her 25c. There is a spelling to night. The boys goes.End of page 46
FEBRUARY 1861
FEBRUARY 2, 1861
Our new advocate comes to day--fine indeed--double sheeted.FEBRUARY 9, 1861
Marion and Melville go to school--the last day of school as it happened by poverty. Eggs--7c, butter--10c, pork--6c per ham. We have plenty to eat now days.FEBRUARY 10, 1861
We have plenty of sassafras.FEBRUARY 11, 1861
The children boiled sugar water.FEBRUARY 13, 1861
Sew on Marions pink shirt then fix mother a cap and make some syrup for coughs.FEBRUARY 28, 1861
Abraham Lincoln takes his seat in the white house next Monday the 4th of March. That's all right I am sure. Right sick but knit some. Snow falls thick and fast like feathers falling. Mother comes and neighbors comes to help James make rails. The babe is so cross. I have to take pills and salts and bitter all the time. I will never be well again--better some days then worse and not able to work.[NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING THREE ARE OUT OF CHRONO ORDER IN MY ORIGINAL COPY]
FEBRUARY 8, 1861
The world is full of war. The Democrats and Republicans bite and devour. 1 think the Dem. bite the most and Rep. devour the most, don't you? War?!War!! news all the time. What we will come to I don't know.SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1861 [Sunday apparently wasn't the 7th.]
Pleasant morning. Still snowing. I love to see the snow although I am not able to go to meeting--Mother, John, Marion, Maria J., Mary and Tilda Foster and James all go to the meeting. I stay at home at my old trade minding children if it kills me. I have that sort of work to tend to. Cook and read the news view the clouds, listen to the hens cackling--my mind in prison walls. No more any good to do.End of page 47
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1861
Six weeks since I have been anywhere. We have chicken for dinner. James takes me to mother's on the sled. I am 33 to day. Yes--nine children--here are their names. Oliver Wm.--gone to rest from troubles. I long to be there too but I must suffer on till my Deliverer comes to take me home. Marion McKinley, Abner Sinclair, Maria Jane, George Finley, Freeman Dailey, James Carvossa, Melvil1e Young, Charles LincolnMARCH 1861
James and self sick most of the time--up one day and down the next. Mother and neighbors help with the quilting.SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1861 [March 23 was a Saturday]
James birthday--this is the day to have chicken. James is 38 years old to day and just as good as honey. I am sick and worse than sick.SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 1861
I have to stay in bed. James minds the baby.MARCH 29, 1861
James makes me an ash hopper and puts up the ashes to make soap.MARCH 30, 1861
The papsrs are filled with war news but we are glad that traitors are few as they are. There is no need of any. God will help the right and that right soon.MARCH 31, 1861
War, war! in every direction, Thats the news-terrible news. What we are all coming to is more than I can tell. The devil is sure of his portion. Lord remember us all.