Creator

Purdy, Horace, 1835-1909

Title

Horace Purdy Journal, November 1860 Entry

Date

1860-11-01

Description

5pgs

Subject

Danbury (Conn.) -- History.

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

Boughton Family

Father Griswold

Gussie Purdy

Purdy Family

Sarah Boughton

Publisher

Western Connecticut State University

Abstract

NOVEMBER 01 – THURSDAY – No work in the shop. I spent most of the day helping Father Griswold gather his vegetables, viz, carrots parsnips and two kinds of turnips. I also dug up and tore out the raspberry briars at the west side of the north end of his yard which were overrunning his yard, after which, I dug carrots and parsnips for myself. It rained a little two or three times in the morning. The afternoon and evening were pleasant. I attended Prayer Meeting in the evening. Father Griswold gave me a bushel of large Snow White French Turnips.



NOVEMBER 08 – THURSDAY – Cool and pleasant. I have had work all day in the shop. We attended class in the evening. NOVEMBER 09 – FRIDAY – I have had work nearly all day in the shop. Mother Griswold’s pot of butter came today. I went to drill in the evening. There was not a quorum present, so we could do no business. NOVEMBER 10 – SATURDAY – No work in the shop. I called down there in the morning after which I did some marketing and came home. The day being stormy, I stayed in the house. I went up home just at dark to see Mother who has been sick. She is having another blister drawn on her back. I brought home a bottle of George’s new cider for Gussie. I went to market again in the evening. NOVEMBER 11 – SUNDAY – Stormy. My birthday. I am 26 years old. Another year of my life has flown. The past cannot be recalled. The future is with God. The present only is mine. But I trust that while I mediate over the year which is past and gone, the thoughts of my heart may do me good. I can well exclaim with the Psalmist, “Surely, goodness and mercy has followed me all the days of my life.” While I have many things to right in the past, I will trust in God for the future, knowing that He careth for me, and with the Lord at my side, no spiritual harm can befall me. Blessed Assurance! It is nearly six years since I yielded to the gentle influences of God’s spirit and cherished a hope in the world’s Redeemer. A hope both sure and steadfast; sure because it is founded on the Rock of Ages, steadfast because his word endureth forever. And now, praying for help, I commence another year. Brother Pegg preached this morning from Matthew 26:55. Sacrament in the PM. He preached a sermon to the young men in the evening. Subject, “Young Men in the Battle of Life.” Text, Proverbs 20, the first of the 29th verse. The sermon was a good one. He talked plainly to them before he took his text for desecrating the church by the use of tobacco, peanuts and chestnuts. He also disapproved in strong terms of an exhibition which was going on in Concert Hall at the same time, i.e., a panorama of the Life of Christ. It is a shame to the town to permit it and far more so for the proprietors of the Hall to consent to rent it on the Sabbath for the exhibition. His language may sound harsh to some people, but I think he did right; in fact, his duty as a Christian minister demanded it. NOVEMBER 12 – MONDAY – Town election. Republican majority of about 160. No work in the shop. William Wheeler came in with Father Griswold’s cider and mine while I was down to the courthouse, so he went away without getting his pay. I worked around home in the PM. We were too late to go to Teachers’ Meeting in the evening, so I went out in the evening over to John Boughton’s. NOVEMBER 13 – TUESDAY – No work in the shop. I went down in the morning and got my pay which the foreman, Mr. Fowler, drew for me yesterday - $7.00. I finished wheeling sand on the walk in front of my house, but I had to work long and late to accomplish it. After tea, I went over to George Rider’s for Father Griswold to get him to come with his team and work tomorrow. I went to market in the evening. NOVEMBER 14 – WEDNESDAY – Pleasant. I worked all day for Father Griswold in company with George Rider’s man with a team in getting out manure from Starr and Barnum’s shop and muck from the edge of the ditch in front of his house. I drew two loads of muck for myself for the garden. Gussie and myself took dinner over to her Father’s. I attended class in the evening. We had a good meeting. General Tom Thumb is in town and exhibited this afternoon and this evening to an immensely crowded house. NOVEMBER 15 – THURSDAY – No work in the shop. Mrs. B. Bradley and myself took Jacob Fry’s horse and team and rode up to the water works dam. It is completed and has been full but today it is no more than one quarter full. They let it into the pipes yesterday as far as the Main Street Bridge. I painted on my front fence in the PM. Gussie went at 3 o’clock to see Tom Thumb for the first time in his life. After tea, we went up to see Mother who is yet sick and then went to prayer meeting. NOVEMBER 16 – FRIDAY – No work in the shop. I came home and went to painting on my fence again. A retired preacher came along in the PM peddling plated silver ware for the Meriden Britannia Company. We bought a set of tea spoons for $1.50 and a sugar spoon for 50 cents. He threw in a mustard spoon worth 25 cents. I went to drill in the evening and mailed a letter to Uncle Lorenzo Burr to find the address of the proprietor of his clothes dryer (or patented clothes line). NOVEMBER 17 – SATURDAY – We rose rather late. A heavy frost this morning. John Rooney, the youngest apprentice in our shop, was sent after me to go to the shop this morning. I went and had work all day. When I came home at night, I drew off enough of my cider to fill my vinegar keg and then bunged up the barrel tight. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, who have been away, came home in the evening. The came in by invitation of mine and spent the evening. I brought home George’s account book from the Sunday School library and drew up the names anew. NOVEMBER 18 – SUNDAY – Stormy, rain all day. Mr. Peck, the 2nd Congregational minister, preached in the morning from Job 19:25. Brother Pegg preached in the PM from Luke 15:10. Mother Griswold came in while we were at the tea table and sat awhile. I wrote a letter to Father Griswold at New York about bringing home tow Certificates of Life Membership of the Parent Missionary Society for Clark Beers and myself. I attended church alone in the evening. Brother Pegg preached from 1st Kings 18:21. Subject, “Elijah on Mount Carmel.” A good sermon. NOVEMBER 19 – MONDAY – The weather has been varied today. Sunshine and very pleasant one moment and very cloudy with the appearance of rain the next. Some rain in the evening. Disbrow & Cosier brought me a half barrel of Brick Mountain Coal this morning to try before putting in my supply for the winter. I called and paid him on my way from work at night (as I have had work all day). We spent the evening over home with Mother Griswold, Fanny being away for the evening. NOVEMBER 20 – TUESDAY – I went to the shop in the morning, but there was no work. I came home and bottled up 12 bottles of cider. I went to the shop in the PM and got my money - $3.87. I then came home and commenced to shovel together the muck and manure which I had on my garden mixing it together to lie through the winter. I got my cabbages into the cellar. The express man brought a package of articles for Frank and Gussie bought in New York by Susan Watson for them. The operators on the water works finished up in our street today. They filled the ditch which has been opened up nearly 4 weeks, more or less. Gussie and Mother Griswold went up home in the evening. I went to the Post Office and then went up myself. When we came back, we found Father Griswold home. NOVEMBER 21 – WEDNESDAY – No work in the shop. I have had my coal put in my cellar today – 3 ½ tons. I transplanted a small maple tree this PM from my yard to the street in front of my house. I also transplanted and Isabella Grape Vine from Father Griswold’s yard to my own. I took the mustard seed from my barrel and put in three eggs. I took some manure from the pit and mixed with what muck I had left. I took up the fennel root from the garden, etc., etc., etc. Gussie went to the Sewing Society in the PM. We both went to class in the evening. It was pretty cold last night and has been cool today. NOVEMBER 22 – THURSDAY – No work in the shop. I bought 2 ½ dozen bottles to fill with cider. I have not felt well today. A headache and a heavy pain across my bowels. I went to market in the evening and attended prayer meeting. The ground froze quite hard last night for the first time. NOVEMBER 23 – FRIDAY – John Brush brought me 12 pounds of new corn meal in the morning. I had work in the shop until 10 o’clock. My cider bottles came in the PM. I washed them and then after I came home from drill in the evening, I bottled the cider. It was 12 o’clock when I retired. It rained a little until just at night when it commenced and rained very hard during the evening. NOVEMBER 24 - SATURDAY – I cleared off this morning. Windy all day. It began to freeze before night. Mother Griswold invited us over home to tea. Sarah Boughton and Abel and Harriet were there. Gussie went to Singing School in the evening with them. I stayed at home and bottled some cider for Mother Griswold. I have had work in the shop. NOVEMBER 25 – SUNDAY – Just before retiring last night, I went over and moved Fanny’s plants from the parlor to the sitting room and study for fear of the frost. Wed ate some walnuts and drank some cider before we came home. It was a very cold night. We kept a fire all night on account of the plants for the first time. We moved them also from the parlor to our sitting room this morning. I attended church alone in the morning. Brother Pegg preached from Matthew 3:11. Gussie came in the PM. Text Hebrews 6:19. We attended class in the evening. The day has been clear but cold. NOVEMBER 26 – MONDAY - I went to the shop in the morning and finished what work I had out. There being no more work, I came home, but stopped on the way to George Hull’s with Jacob Fry. He offered me a stove on credit. I nearly made up my mind to take one, but finally concluded not to as I had but little work and no money. It has not been quite so cold today. The weather indicates snow. I went into the street in the evening. I called at George Hull’s, the Post Office and then came home. NOVEMBER 27 - TUESDAY – Rain and the frost all out of the ground. I have had work in the shop. I stayed at home in the evening and helped Gussie paper covered boxes made to imitate ottomans. NOVEMBER 28 – WEDNESDAY – I went to the shop and finished off the work which I had out which took me until after dinner. I bought a box from Noah Hoyt to put my Dahlia roots in. Quite an excitement occurred in the PM between a brake man on the train and a clerk at Young’s Shop, the brakeman claiming that the clerk stole his hat and the clerk insisting that he bought the hat and paid for it. The brakeman chased him to the shop and by main strength walked and dragged him to the Depot where the conductor of the freight train took the hat and for a while both went bare-headed. I then left the scene, but I heard later that the crowd took the matter in hand and being convinced that the clerk owned the hat demanded it from the conductor and obtained it. I attended class in the evening alone. We had a good meeting. NOVEMBER 29 – THURSDAY – Thanksgiving Day. Pleasant. I read my paper until church time and then went. The services were held at the 1st Congregational Church. Sermon by our minister, Brother Pegg. Text, Psalm 100, 1st of the 4th verse. The sermon was good. We had dinner at Father Griswold’s. I did not go to meeting in the evening, but stayed at Father Griswold’s and had walnuts and cider. NOVEMBER 30 – FRIDAY – No work in the shop. Stormy. We went up home for dinner. I went to drill in the evening. There were but three there, so, we quit early.