Our family is fortunate that Amos Gorrell kept a yearly diary, at least from 1861 through 1872. Those are the years that we have transcribed. The early diaries are of his time during the Civil War, though 1862 & 1863 are missing. He might have lost them sometime in battle.
They picked up again in 1864 and continue yearly through 1872. Like many farmer diaries, they are full of weather observations, purchase and sales figures, and the work he did on his farm or a neighbor’s farm. When I share entries during a talk I give about researching our farming ancestors, I point out that these need to be read over a period of time to get an understanding of their life.
However, today, I shall share a few entries from 1866. I have not read these in a long while and I might pick up something I hadn’t realized earlier. That’s a good thing. Read diaries more than once. You’ll notice different things at different readings.
These diaries I'm working from are transcribed. The originals were given away to grandchildren after he died and my father-in-law received two from his father. The transcripts of all the diaries were shared with all of the families.
Diary Excerpts
After he and wife, Elizabeth, who he calls Libby, were
married, they moved to Missouri. I don’t think he had a destination in mind,
only to get away from Ohio. Most of the entries below are paraphrased except where quoted.
March 10. He arrived in California, Missouri, on the Pacific Railroad.
March 13. They traveled to Tipton, twelve miles further west.
March 14. Amos arranged board with the Ross family, paying $3 per week. It was raining when they left the hotel and he bought an umbrella for $2.25 and paid a man $1 to haul them to the Ross’s place two miles north. There, he borrowed a horse to search for a house. It is not a good day. He wrote:
“Go to Mr. Downings near Bell Air but he is supplied, go from there across to Green Tuckers to get work and a place but he is supplied also. Come from there to Mr. Harnus, and stay all night. He charges me nothing for my nights lodging. Have rode about 30 miles today but get no place. H. offers me a small house in ill repair $20.00 per month.”
March 16. He again searched for a place. He left Mr. Harneds to go to Mr. Ross, stopped at Mr. Gardens, "he makes me a conditional offer." He ate dinner at Mr. Rosses and then went to Tipton and Mr. Hutchinson’s place. He wrote to Mr. Mogoffin who wanted a hand, so went from along the Lebanon road to the Widow Ellis’s and stayed all night. He walked 10 miles that day.
March 17. "Weather Cloudy at interval and cool. I pay 75 cts for my knights lodging, & continue on in search of a place. Go via Lebonon Green Walkers Taylors near mt. Vernon, & back to Mr. Rosses. Walk about 35 ms but find no place. Get to Mr. Rosses about dark & eat Supper there."
March 18. It was the Sabbath, so he stayed at the Ross place all day.
March 19. Amos rode the train to California to pick up his boxes and returned on the train to Tipton. From there, he went to Syracuse in Morgan County to see Mr. Logan about a job on the railroad and was offered a foreman job. He went to Mr. Hutchinson’s, staying all night. He offered Amos $25 per month, provided his other hands don’t come on. Amos heard nothing from Mr. Mogoffin.
March 20. He went to the Ross place, then up to Steven’s Fork to look for a house, than back the Rosses.
March 21. He stayed with the Rosses until evening, going into Tipton for the mail, which was none.
March 22. He went to Hutchinson’s and agreed to work for him, $25 per month, he to find Amos a house with a garden and cow or cow pasture. He then went back via Syracuse and Tipton to examine furniture and returned to the Rosses, "have walked about 15 miles today."
March 23. While still at the Rosses, he went to Round Hill in the morning to get dishes, tin ware, coffee and sugar, costing $15.05. Then in Tipton, got his furniture, a bedstead for $10, double lounge $10, table $11.50, chairs $11, safe $11, and for a $1 each: bucket, brass kettle. Mr. Ross hauled the furniture to his house.
March 24. They moved to Hutchinson’s place, with Peter Ross moving them using his ox team. He paid Ross $10.50 for his board and moving them. After dinner at Hutchinsons, he went to Syracuse to buy a stove for $40, a pipe, tub, spoon, and tin cups for $7.15, a sack of flour $6.25, and other things for $2. He hauled the stove over and fixed it so they could stay over Sunday.
March 25. The Sabbath, stayed home all day and wrote a letter home for his wife.
By now, they were settled in their house, he, his wife, Libby, and her son, May. His entries were shorter, with smaller errands, though each entry all began with that day’s weather. It had been either clouding and cool, or clear and cool. Some days it was clear and pleasant. Image walking all those miles with cool, cloudy, or rainy weather. I guess that umbrella came in handy.
Though I did not write about one day in Amos’s life, these ten days of his life showed how hectic it was trying to find a place for his family to live and a place to find work. The first weeks in the new house, he mostly worked on the place. About two weeks later, he started working for Mr. Hutchinson.
#52Ancestors: Week 31 – A Day in the Life
This is my ninth year working on this year-long prompt,
hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/)
at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs,
either Mam-ma’s
Southern Family or My
Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors
in new and exciting ways.
How lucky you are to have a family diary. I'd even trade some of my precious vintage photos for one from one of my ancestors!
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