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Timothy Meigs Younglove Diary
Introduction, January 1841
Compiled by
8333 Pleasant Valley Road, Hammondsport, N.Y.
Great-Great Grandson of T. M. Younglove
Introduction 1841
This book I intend shall contain the daily occurrences of life as they
pass one day with another & such comments as I shall think proper to make
at the time undoubtedly will be very different upon the same subjects
for time varies my thoughts & reflections, but of what they will be I
can now tell only my intention. I find (or begin to find) that of myself
I know but little, for it would only be too much like myself to continue
this a few days or weeks & drop off & leave it & turn my mind (or rather
notion) to something else & in like manner leave that as soon as fairly
commenced.
Thus it is too apt to be with all mankind, ever seeking for some new
employment & ever grasping at something beyond their reach. Not but persisted
in but that all objects cannot be accomplished by the same individual
by a few days of attention to one & then turning to another. In this way
the most of men's lives taken up & it is one of the reasons why so few
men compared to the great mass become eminent.
When we look back on the great men of past days & carefully examining
their lives we will perceive that their eminence did not consist in all
things but generally in one thing to which they had turned their attention
for years. Eminence is what at present I neither look for or expect, but
comfort & happiness as nearly as the climate will admit is at present
my sole aim & the utmost bounds of my future expectation.
This book like many of the objects of life if attended to but a few days
& then thrown by would be of no value & would be no better than waste
paper but should it be continued through life & life be prolonged to the
appointed time, it would be pleasing to look back upon the daily occurrences
of life & see the drift of its current. It would be like living the time
over or at least bring back the past along & look at the doings of by-gone
days-----
Timothy M. Younglove was 26 years old in 1841.
January 1841
January 1st 1841
This has been an uncommonly stormy day & the snow has fallen about 18
inches & the sleighing was good before. I have made a gate & hung it between
the pump & south yard. This afternoon went to H'port for my trap but did
not get it. Paid Sam for 133 lbs beef which we let J. Larrowe have $5.32.
Sam showed me a letter which he received from John Sillyman for which
Sillyman might be, & possibly may be punished. No school today & the boys
are all at home. The present school is taught by James Monroe Gillett
who is only 19 & very well qualified at $16.50 per month & boarded.
2 Second
I went up the hill, snow very deep & no track made on the hill except
by Mrs Drake & she had done all of the foddering. Drake at Wm Bakers &
Ross & wife gone to Cameron. The snow about half thigh deep. Father &
Mother went to Bath. Sam & Lydia came here on their way to H'port & brot
me Sam's fox trap - In the afternoon went round the valley with Matilda,
Julia Ann & Cecelia Higgans, called at Amos Stones. Saw the old Capt.
who is almost helpless, cannot walk one step nor raise his right hand
& it is with the greatest difficulty that he can be understood but still
he is very much inclined to talk & laugh. He says 53 years ago this winter
was an excessive hard winter & he staid on the Cowniska & from the last
of December to the last of April never saw the face of a white man & lived
with the Indians the whole time. Called at Esq. Powers, came home & found
Asom Eddy & wife & Mariah Hoyt here. Glad to see them.
3 Third
Sabbath day quite cold & rather blowy. Eddy went home & Matilda & me
went as far as James Brundage tavern with them.
4 Fourth
Mon. Fixed for killing hogs, cold morning but pleasant thro the day.
Shot a crow out of barn door. Sleepy -- Let Mowers have two bush. ear
corn for Ross.
5 Fifth
Tues - Got up early killed seven hogs, cut them up & got done by sunset.
Jo Cook & Ross to help - very cold in forepart of day but more mild toward
night, prospect of a storm or thaw.
6 Sixth
Weds. Drew three loads of wood from the hill by John Daniels. Father
& Cornelius went to H'port.
7 Seventh
Thurs. Drew three loads of wood, Father went to Mr Dunnings & got Fanny
shod, sleighing all went off this day. Yesterday when I commenced drawing
wood the snow was half thigh deep & tonight it is almost all gone. Self,
Matilda, Julia Ann, Aunt Lizzy, Thomas & Cornelius went to Wm Bakers for
evening visit, got home ½ past 11 P.M. Rained some through the day. Left
Aunt Lizzy.
Jan. 8th-1841
Went to John Faulkner's sawmill & bot 566 feet of boards of Jacob Willhelm
at $5. Some cooler but continued to thaw until near night. This is the
day that the battle of New Orleans was fought by General Jackson.
9 Ninth
Sat. Gillet & myself went to Mr Lanning's Select School, very pleasant
school, boys spoke on the stage & all read composition. I bot Amos Haven's
flute for $2.50. Paid Jacob Larrowe the remainder ($2.68) of the $8.00
which he let me have last winter on account of my town a/c being put over.
Father went to Bath & got the large boiler for the stove. Thomas sawed
wood. Rather cool.
10 Tenth
Sabbath - Went with Matilda to H'port & she had a tooth drawn. After
noon went up to see James M. Brundage about making a report to the Commissioners
of common schools. Warm & thawed some.
11 Eleventh
Monday - I set up a sheeprack & I think the best kind we ever had. Father
a tung in the Alvah sleigh. Warm with frequent showers through the day.
12 Twelfth
Tuesday - Finished my sheeprack & began another. Father finished his
sleigh tung. Untoped the fifth stack of hay. Quite warm all day. Just
finished reading the reports of the Secretaries of Treasury, War & Navy.
Very able.
13 Thirteenth
Wed. - Went to H'port for pepper, stuffed sausages - set fox trap. Father
went up the hill. Rather warm snowed all day slow from N.E. Thaw some.
14 Fourteenth
Thursday January - Went to Oak hill to see Thomas Blain to settle the
old a/c between him & Father. Blain fell in debt over $43.00 interest
and all. Took Blain's note. Matilda went to James Hillermans & staid while
I was gone, came back went to Mr. Hosmares donation party. Matilda had
the sick headache & came home early, found Wm Baker & wife here for evening
visit.
15 Fifthteenth
Frid - Went to Greeks for a load of wood & then up by J. Daniels for
a load then to H'port. Got my fox trap from F. Whites shop a new spring
3/. Sent for yearly Rough Hewer & Argus $2.00 - visited at Wm Randall
- Matilda & Julia Ann with me, Martin Rose & wife there. Julia staid at
S.A.Aulls with Sophiah. Weather warm & sleighing gone.
16 Sat
Worked on sheeprack in forenoon, afternoon went up to J.M.Gillet's school.
Mr Hill, Lonnings, Pulling & Wm Baker there. Hill & me worked Algebra
Problem:
A & B can do a piece of work in four days. B & C can do a piece of
work in six days. A & C can do a piece of work in five days.
Let X = the No. of days which A. would do it; Y = the No. of days which
B would do it; & Z = the No. of days which C. would do it.
Then 1/x would be what part A would do in one day; 1/y would be what
part B would do in one day.
A & B in 4 days consequently ¼ in one day
then we have the equation 1/x + 1/y =__
& B & C 6 days 1/6 in one day 1/y + 1/z = 1/6
& A & C 5 days 1/5 in one day 1/x + 1/z = 1/5
add the equations 2/x + 2y + 2/z = 1/4 +1/5 + 1/6 = 37/67 divide the
equations by two x+y+z = 37/120 = what part in days work 37/120 : 1::120/120
= 3 9/37 A B & C can do it 3 9/37 days.
Gillett's school came off with much credit to themselves & teacher Gillett.
Hill, Lanning & Pulling took tea with us after school - warm.
17 Seventeenth
Sabbath - Stayed at home in the forenoon & went to Wm Bostwicks meeting
in afternoon. Gillette here over night, warm & some rainy.
18 Eighteenth
Mond - Threshed a flooring of spring wheat. Father went to H'Port got
the wood saw whet - I set my trap for a fox. Went to Wm Bostwick's donation
party, Matilda & Julia went with me. A goodly number there & the evening
pass agreeably. Sam came down for Doc Pulling & Wm Baker. Frank sick at
his house. The weather today & especially this evening is excessively
cold.-
19 Nineteenth
Tues - Threshed two floorings of wheat & finished. My trap was sprung
but I did not set it properly & the covering choked it consequently the
fox made his escape. Set my own and Sam's old spike. Wm Boyd here, continued
cold & prospect of snow.
20 Weds
Went to H'port in forenoon, come home & found David Divine here brot
Matilda's money from Holden $103.05. Went up to Saml & found Frank Baker
there pretty sick. Set up all night.
21 Thurs
Came home in morning, snow pretty fast, went over the valley told Eunice
that Frank is better. Worked some on a sheeprack. Let Sam Greek have two
bush. of buckwheat. Made ½ bbl. of sourcrout.
22 Friday
Went up to Greeks took up his grist & a pig. Brot home a load of poles.
Went up to Drakes, got the last of the oats & peas & the fanning mill
- let Waterous have 5 bush. apples for $2.50. Father & Mother went up
to Evalines. Good sleighing.
23 Sat
Got up last night or rather at ¼ past 12 o'clock this morning, went to
H'port & got Doc Pulling to pull a tooth. Went to mill with 1½ bush. of
corn. Got a load of wood from the hill by John Daniels. Went to H'port
this afternoon. Charles Losie dropt down dead a little before I got down.
Julia, Bet Moore & S.A.Aulls & self went into Mr Fielding's room saw his
paintings. Alden Luther came here from Prattsburg went with him & Gillette
over to Wm Bakers to let them know that Frank is better.
24 Sunday
Alden & me went to my fox trap, found trap sprung & a bone of a skunks
leg in it, followed his track, found him soon, called Cornelius & the
gun, I shot him. Went to Post Office. Father not home & weather rather
warm.
25 Monday
Went up and got Mrs Boothe to wash. Went to H'port, saw Pulling & Church
examine the body of Charles Losie, found his death caused by the rupture
of the main artery near the heart. Broke a cutter fill, came home & found
Father & Mother just arrived. Gillett, Julia & self went up to John Daniels
for an evening visit. Myra quite unwell & Matilda could not go. Found
Uncle Benj. Eaton there who told us many a good story about the first
settlement of this Co. In the 1790 the first member of Assembly went from
this Co then Ontario - The only town organized was at Painted Post & as
it took three supervisors to sign a certificate of election, they elected
all of them in Painted Post & two of them at the election when the member
was elected.
26 Tues.
Father & me went over into the woods by Otis Read's to see about getting
some saw logs, brot home 45 rails from Vinings hollow. Doc Chissom came
here in waggon. Myra quite unwell. Warm.
27 Weds
Went up to Drakes & brot home the sheep. Father went to H'port & brot
the new whiffletrees. Myra unwell. Warm.
28 Thur
Raked off the barn floor & caved up the wheat, worked on sheep rack.
Father went over to Wheeler lot. Myra sick - Mary Quick here. The weather
quite warm & pleasant no snow.
29 Frid
Father & me cleaned the spring wheat that grew on the flat 9 bush. from
½ bush seed. Myra better - snow.
30 Sat
Went into the Angel valley to draw saw logs, drew two to Angels mill
& one part way to Clarks. Broke a sleigh shoe. Myra worse. Pretty cold.
31 Sabbath
Home all day. Gillett here, went in evening to hear Weasnet & he did
not come. Stoped by Iras found him sick pleurisy - Warm.
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