Horace Purdy Journal, November 1862 Entry

Creator

Purdy, Horace, 1835-1909

Title

Horace Purdy Journal, November 1862 Entry

Date

1862-11

Description

6pgs

Subject

Danbury (Conn.) -- History.

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal Narratives.

5th Connecticut Regiment

Abel Wheeler

Allen McDonald

Bell Purdy

Benedict and Nichols

Bennetts Store

Boughton Family

Brother Crawford

Charles Crosby (constable)

Charles Mills

Charles Stevens

Connecticut Military Units - Civil War

David Mills

Dr. Bulkeley

Elizabeth Mead

Father Griswold

Frank Boughton

Frank Butler

Frederick MD

Hoyt Family

John Bouton

Joseph Young

Long Island

Lounsbury's Shoe Store

Mary Purdy

Mother Griswold

Mrs. Mary Stone?

Mrs. O.H. Swift

New Haven (Conn.)

New York Tribune

O. H. Swift

Republican Party

Sherman Disbrow

Swift's News Office

William Witherspoon

Publisher

Western Connecticut State University

Abstract

11/1 Worked all day and as long as I could see at night. I stopped at Lounsbury's and brought home George's boots which I intend to send as soon as he writes for them. I also bought myself a new pair of rubber boots, $4.00. He is to trust me until next week for the pay. Mr. Swift called this AM to look at my upper rooms to rent them. Sunday School Teachers meeting and I being Secretary had to attend. I carried about 8 qts. of cider to the shop today to drink with my dinner and treat the boys with. 11/2 Attend church in the morning and came home after Sunday School so Gussie could attend in the PM. Eddie has a severe cold, is very hoarse and has a cough. We are afraid of the whooping cough. Mother Griswold fears it is the croup. Gusse went over to see Frank and I was up to Mother G's after tea. Bell came down and just before meeting time Mother and Father came. Mother brought a letter she had written to George to put in with mine which I wrote this PM and evening. Gussie went to meeting and mailed my letter to George. 11/3 Monday. Took my watch to the jeweler's this morning. Pay day. I called at Lounsbury's on my way home and paid Charles Crosby for the boots I bought on Saturday. Dr. Bulkely came to see Eddy in the PM and instead of croup pronounced it inflamation of the lungs. After tea, Alex Price came over for our clothes for his wife to wash tomorrow. I received a letter from George in the evening and he said they were under marching orders to join Legel's division at Centreville. He said it was reported that fighting has been going on at Harper's Ferry for 3 days and that a battle was in progress at Centreville at the time of his writing on Saturday. 11/4 We were up all night with Eddy who has the inflamation of the lungs. We were stinted a work, I only had 2 dozen, $1.50. I wrote a letter before breakfast to George and mailed it. In the PM I took up a Rhode Island Greening tree for Mr. Witherspoon and then took up my crab apple tree in front of the house and set it in place of the one Mr. Witherspoon took. He gave me 75 cents for it. I took up my Dahlias before tea and in the evening I went to the post office. 11/5 Worked in the shop all day as usual. Had a letter from Cousin Charles Mills, steward of the Jail St. Hospital, Frederick MD. Attended class in the evening 11/6 Gussie read a letter from Edwin's wife Eliza in Ohio. I got a box from Lounsbury's and put up a pair of boots, letter paper, 2 packages of envelopes, a can of butter from Mother, a knife and fork, 3 large Douchess de Angeleau pears and filled up with Spitzenburg apples. Eddie being much worse, I went for Dr. Bulkely a little past 11 o'clock. Father Griswold came down and Fanny also. 11/7 Up a good part of the night with Eddy. Our first snow storm began around 9 o'clock and continued all day. I bought of Jo Young a pair of rubbers for 50 cents. Baby much better this evening. I wrote a letter to George in the morning and sent the box by express. I went to market in the evening and sent a letter to George with the Danbury Times. 11/8 Fanny sat up with Eddie last night and he is much better today. Limited in the work at the shop again today. Mrs. Swift came over to look at our rooms before tea. I went to market, the post office, and Republican Caucus in the evening. Had my watch cleaned and repaired at Robinson's and brought it home in the evening. 11/9 Snow and rain all day and very bad walking. I went to meeting all day and Gussie did not attend on account of the weather. Meeting was in the basement, Sunday School prayer meeting at noon, Sacrament in the afternoon. I wrote a letter to George and one to Cousin Charlie Mills in the evening and mailed them but did not go to meeting. I started for work and met Mr. Swift at the post office and he told me they would take my upper rooms and wanted to clean them today. Since it was our town election and I would break the day to vote I concluded to take the whole day and get some work done at home which was necessary before our tenants moved in. I carried the bundle which I had for Abel up to Bennett's store for Mrs. Barry to take to him this PM to the camp in New Haven. I returned home and hired Mrs. Stone, our neighbor, to clean the rooms for Mr. Swift as I had agreed to pay half the bill for the cleaning. I went down to vote, put some new springs in the windows where the old ones had broken, made a new coal bin in the cellar and shifted some coal into it from a bin designed for Mr. Swift. Received letters from George at noon and at night. I engaged one of the Harvey's to come and paint for me tomorrow. I went to the Teachers Meeting in the evening, came home and copied the minutes and wrote to George. 11/11 My birth day, 28 years old. I have had the headache but worked notwithstanding in the shop. Harvey painted the two rooms upstairs which Mr. Swift has hired. After tea I finished my letter to George and enclosed $1.15 of the new postage currency for him as he requested. Cousin Frank Boughton has a fine baby boy this morning, weight 8 1/4 lbs, In my letter to George I told him to tell John that he had a boy at home. 11/12 Mother went to Cousin Frank's to see the baby, called on us then went to class. We lent her a lantern and umbrella. I went to the post office in the evening and mailed a Danbury Times to George. 11/13 Worked as usual in the shop. Received pamphlet from Charles Mills of the 1st Minnesota Regiment containing the correspondence between Gen. Ramsey of Minnesota and Maj. Gen. H. L. Sanford, U. S. Minister resident at the Court of Brussels on the occassion of the presentation of a battery of steel guns to the 1st Regiment Minnesota Volunteers. I went to the post office this evening and walked with Mr. Swift and called at the boarding place (Mrs. Hurds) to see (at his request) what furniture he had to put in our rooms when he moves in. 11/14 Worked as usual in the shop. A prayer meeting up to Father Griswold's. I went to market and to Mr. Swifts office to tell him we had concluded to let him have our 3 rooms. I cleared out the small room, bedstead, washstand, carpet after 9 o'clock at night. 11/15 Mr. Swift had a load of wood delivered this afternoon, and I borrowed Mr. Baxter's wheel barrow and wheeled it up to the wood house as I was afraid to leave it in the street over Sunday for fear of it being stolen. I went to the post office and got a letter for Mother from Harriet, I believe. I came home and split wood and piled it up in the woodhouse until 11 o'clock. I received by the morning mail a letter from David Mills written for himself and Charles from Frederick MD. 11/16 Coldest we have yet had last night and today. I went to church in the morning and Brother Crawford preached. After Sunday School I came home and Bell came with me and stayed in the PM and Gussie attended in the afternoon.I wrote a letter to David Mills, 5th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers now at Frederick MD. It was a joint letter to him and Charles. I also wrote to George and enclosed paper, envelope and stamp to have him write me. I went to meeting in the evening and mailed them. Gussi wrote to Harriet in answer to one I received and Mother enclosed one also to her with Gussie. 11/17 On my way to the shop I mailed the letter to Harriet but was too late for the morning mail. I worked as long as I could see at the shop. Mr. Swift had an Irish man in my wood house all day to saw up the wood which he sent ahead. He did not move today on account of the weather. I went to market in the evening and to a special Hatters Meeting to take in the case of Willam Banks as he requests a card. It was refused. Mr. Swift walked up by the light of my lantern with me and I came across Mrs Hurd's garden to get home. 11/18 After I came from the shop and before tea I got in my cabbages and kohlrabi. I ordered 8 more cart de visite at Couch's, 6 of wife and baby and 2 of myself. I went to market in the evening and called and paid Mary J. Hoyt for millinery work for wife and baby, $4.31. I bought a kit of Maine Mackeral at Benedict and Nichols and took a letter from the Post Office for Harriet from Abel. His regiment is now in camp near Jamaica, Long Island. 11/19 Worked all day in the shop but accomplished little. Received a letter at noon from George. He was when he wrote on the 12th at Thoroughfare Gap but expected to move again the next day. After tea I answered it and enclosed a watch key for him as he wished and $1.70 in Government Postage Currency. I also sent the Danbury Times, and a Harpers Weekly with a map of Manasses, the Blue Ridge, Thoroughfare Gap and its vicinity as he wished. I did not attend class on account of writing the letter. Gussie received a letter from her friend Elizabeth Mead and I one from Harriet in the evening. Gussie's had Mrs. Mead's cart de visite enclosed. 11/20 I bought 3 gals. of kerosene for 8 cents a gal. at Noah Hoyt's. I came home for dinner and after prepared my coal bin in the cellar for my winter's coal. After dinner I took down our large cord beadstead in our bedroom to have it changed into a slat beadstead. We put up the 3/4 bed in its place. I went to Charles G. Stevens in the evening and got a piece of blue flannel for mending and something for pockets for George as he requested. Postage cost 18 cents. I brought a letter from the post office for Harriet from Abel. 11/21 Worked all day in the shop as usual. Received a letter from George in the morning mail. His regiment, the 17th are or were at Hopeville Gap near Thoroughfare Gap on the Manassas Rail Road, Virginia. His health is good and he is growing fat. I answered his letter in the evening and enclosed $2.00 postage stamp currency. I also put in gratis 4 postage stamps and mailed it and a New York Tribune in the evening. I did this at Swift's News Office, after which he closed up and we walked up together by the light of my lantern. He did not move in today as intended on account of the stormy weather. 11/22 After dinner I left the shop and went to the Savings Bank and drew $15.00 of George's savings to pay his debts as he requested. He requested me to draw out $10.00, but his debts amounted to $14.00 so I drew $15.00. I paid for his boots at Lounsbury's and his paper bill at Mr. O H. Swifts. I returned to the shop and worked until night. Gussie went up to Louisa Barnum's today with Cousin Mary Purdy. Father, Mother and Bell were at our house to tea and Mother Griswold came in the evening too. I went to market and bought a skein of woolen yarn and left it at Lounsbury's Shoe Store for his mother to knit a pair of soldiers mittens for George. 11/23 I went to church in the forenoon and came home after Sunday School so Gussie could attend in the PM. After tea I wrote to George. Mother and Bell came over before evening meeting and Bell stayed with me while Mother and Gussie went to meeting. 11/24 After breakfast, I took our washing over to Mrs. Stone to be washed. Worked as usual in the shop. I took John W. Bassing on [turn] in the PM he was shopped. Our winter's butter came to Father Griswold's today, 33 lbs at 25 cents per pound. After tea I took our old cord bedstead on a wheel barrow up to Reed's Cabinets Rooms to be altered over for a slat bed and to go together with keys. I went to the post office after I returned home with the barrow. 11/25 Mr. Swift moved into my upper rooms today. Sherman Disbrow brought more Lackawanna Coal. I got a letter this evening from David and Charles Mills in Frederick MD. Charlie is Steward in the Jail St. Hospital and David is there doing provost guard duty with his regiment. I helped Mr. Swift bring up some tin ware after he closed up his office in the evening. 11/26 I worked all day in the shop. In the evening I went up to Reed's Cabinet Ware Rooms to see if our beadstead was repaired. I was and varnished but not dry. I received a letter from George by the evening mail. 11/27 Thanksgiving Day. The shop is closed and I worked around home. I got some apples down from Father Griswold's cellar and some turnips from his lot in the forenoon. After noon, Father helped me alter 2 kittens, one for Father Griswold and one for myself. Father, Mother and Bell and Aunt Louisa met with us at Father Griswold's for dinner. We had a good time. After dinner I went over to Mr. McDonald's orchard and there with Theodore and Frank Butler shot a targets with pistols, Frank Butler's and mine. Our bedstead came from the Cabinet Makers and just before night we set it up in the parlor. In the evening I went to the post office and mailed a letter to George and took one from the post office for Gussie from Harriet. Our folks spent the evening with us up to Father Griswold's. 11/28 I worked in the shop until 2 o'clock and then went up home where Gussie had gone to eat another Thanksgiving dinner. We fininshed the day and spent part of the evening there. After returning home with Gussie and Eddy I went to the post office and the market and brought home a 9 1/2 lbs. turkey. 11/29 Snow in the evening. I worked as long as I could see in the shop. Eddie sick, his bowels troubling him because of the change in food. We have commenced to wean him. I called to see Dr. Bulkely about him in the evening. A meeting of the returned volunteers and any home on furlough was intended at Concert Hall to make arrangements about attending the Baptist Church tomorrow moring to hear a discourse on the death of Capt. [Avery] Demming who was killed in the Battle before Richmond during Gen. McClellan's campaign in the Penninsula. But because of the storm few came and nothing was done. I walked up home with Mr. Swift. 11/30 Fanny stayed at our home with Eddy last night as she has for the last 2 nights while we went up to her home to get away from Eddy as we are weaning him and Fanny has undertaken the job at night. I went up to the Baptist Church this morning to hear a discourse, funeral sermon, preached on the death of Capt. Demming who was wounded at the battle of Charles CIty Cross Roads during the days of fighting near Richmond VA last July. He had his leg amputated and died of his wounds in Richmond. The discourse was a good one and highly interesting. After Sunday School in our own Church I came home and Gussie went in the PM. Mother and Bell called on their way to meeting in the evening and Mother mailed my letter to George on the way. I wrote also to David and Charles Mills.