Wednesday, January 30, 2019

August Entries in the 1873 Diary of Ida Isadore Reynolds (1860-1946) of Acton, Maine; Future Wife of John Jotham Shapleigh (1856-1923)


August entries in the 1873 diary of Ida Isadore Reynolds (1860-1946) of Acton, Maine.  Ida would marry John Jotham Shapleigh (1856-1923) in 1881.

Links to the months of July 1873 and September 1873 appear here and at the end of this post.

This diary is one of three known: 1873, 1874 and 1876.  If a reader knows of the existence of any other diaries of Ida, please contact me.

Shown below are images and transcriptions of the entries and a description of the people mentioned, in order of appearance, first time only.  Your comments noting errors and sharing information are requested.

See an overview post for a description of Ida's 1873, 1874 and 1876 diaries, which also contains combined alphabetical lists of surnames and people, with descriptive information where known.

Ida was the  daughter of Jonathan Prescott Reynolds (1820-1899) and Rachel E. (Tupper) Reynolds (1833-1923), who were natives of Maine and Nova Scotia, respectively.  

Other members of the Reynolds household, at times, were Ida's older brother Edward Everett Reynolds (1855-1945) and a Samuel/Sam/Sammy, presumably Ida's maternal cousin Samuel Muir Francis (1858-1928), son of Dr. Daniel Francis (1810-1867) and Christie Ann (Tupper) Francis (-1893).

In 1881 Ida married John Jotham Shapleigh (1856-1923), a native of Lebanon, Maine.  After the death of their son Ernest in 1882, they moved to Rochester, New Hampshire, where they had a daughter Doris, born in 1898.

As you can see from the images below, Ida's physical address in 1873 was Acton, Maine, but the family received the mail through the North Lebanon, Maine, Post Office.


J. P. Reynolds farm along the southern border of Acton, Maine; with Lebanon, Maine, to the south; from an 1872 map of Acton, Maine, held by the Digital Maine Repository

Following the images and transcriptions below is a list of the people mentioned, in order of appearance, only once, as some are mentioned multiple times.


Sunday, July 27, 1873:  Rainy. Read. Father went to Aunt Martha's.

 Monday, July 28, 1873:  Fair. Clara here. We up to Clara's. ___ made 7 vests. Washed.

 Tuesday, July 29, 1873:  Showers. Went to Clara's to get my music lesson. Made [?] vests. Ironed. Baked.

 Wednesday, July 30, 1873:  Fair. Made 7 Vests.

 Thursday, July 31, 1873:  Fair.   Read a very little; made 4 vests. Went to Clara's.  Orie got home. Everett has been (12) weeks in Eastman's Business College.

 Friday, August 1, 1873:  Showers. Made 4 Vests.  Hattie here and Georgia Hilton.

Saturday, August 2, 1873:  Fair. Baked. Went to Clara's.

 Sunday, August 3, 1873:  Fair. Went to Lebanon to Meeting. It rained in afternoon. ___ [a thunderstorm ?]

 Monday, August 4, 1873:  Fair. Washed, Ironed. Went to Clara's to get my music lesson.

 Tuesday, August 5, 1873:  Fair. Took my music lesson. I have now taken (7). Mr. Fisk here. Went to Clara's and Hattie's. They here. Made 4 vests.

 Wednesday, August 6, 1873:  Cloudy. Mr. ____ here. ____ went to Hattie's and Clara's.

 Thursday, August 7, 1873:  Fair. Worked on vests.  Uncle Decker and Aunt Joanna and Grandmother called up. 

Friday, August 8, 1873:  Fair. Mr. Wilks [Weeks] here; took 36 vests.

 Saturday, August 9, 1873:  Fair. Went to ________Baked. Made 4 vests

 Sunday, August 10, 1873:  Fair. Read.

 Monday, August 11, 1873:  Fair. Washed; went to Clara's. Mother ____Boston and to Aunt Martha's

 Tuesday, August 12, 1873:  Fair. Up to Clara's.  Mr. Fisk here, have taken 8 lessons. Went to Hattie's. She here and to Clara's.  _____________

 Wednesday, August 13, 1873:  Cloudy. Uncle Decker and Aunt Joanna and Aunt Martha and Uncle Jacob up. Clara was here. Made 9 Vests.

Thursday, August 14, 1873:  Rainy. Started a Vest. Jacob Stevens  A.M. Down to Hattie's.  Uncle Decker and Grandmother and Aunt Joanna up ___ 

 Friday, August 15, 1873:  Fair. Went to Clara. Made 4 vests.

 Saturday, August 16, 1873:  Fair. Uncle Decker and Uncle Jacob and Walter up. Went to Aunt Martha's.

 Sunday, August 17, 1873:  Fair. Down to Aunt Martha. Joel and Em and Cora over

 Monday, August 18, 1873:  Fair and ___. Walter and Uncle Decker came up. Mother went down there. Went to Clara's.

 Tuesday, August 19, 1873:  Foggy. Went to Clara's. Mother got home. Uncle Decker and Aunt Martha and Aunt Joanna came up with her at night.

Wednesday, August 20, 1873:  Fair. Went to Clara's. Mr. Fisk and his Daughter Called. Took my Music Lesson.

 Thursday, August 21, 1873:  Dull. Baked. Elmira and Orie and Wal Shaplie here. Eliza, Marranda and Frank Wenchel here and Clara. 

 Friday, August 22, 1873:  Fair. Worked. Began a quilt. It will have 999 squares in it when it is done.  No two alike.

 Saturday, August 23, 1873:  Fair. Mother and Father went to the Falls. Addie Moore came up with them.  Went to Hattie's.  Clara, Mary Sherman

 Sunday, August 24, 1873:  Fair. Read. Charlie Prescott here. Stayed all night. Addie here. 

 Monday, August 25, 1873:  Fair. Washed. Ironed.

 Tuesday, August 26, 1873:  Fair. Mr. Fisk here; went to Clara's. Took my 10 music lesson. Paid hinm 80 cts. Aunt Lucy ___. Everett home.

 Wednesday, August 27, 1873:  Fair. Made 4 Vests.

 Thursday, August 28, 1873:  Fair. Made 2 Vests. Went a-blackberrying.

 Friday, August 29, 1873:  Fair. Everett very sick. Made 2 vests.

 Saturday, August 30, 1873:  Fair. Addie went home.  Everett better.

 Sunday, August 31, 1873:  Fair. Everett better. Read. Hattie, Charlie Prescott, Charlie here. Went to Clara's, Hattie's.


People mentioned in order, first time only.  Readers are requested to provide more information.

If you have corrections to anything above or information to share on any of the people mentioned, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Advance to September 1873 or return to July 1873.

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