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

March 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 February 1873 and April 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.

Thursday, February 27, 1873: Snowy. Uncle Seth went to the Village. Finished my collar. Studied Music. Washed. Aunty no better.

Friday, February 28, 1873: Warm. Snowed in morning a little. Ironed. Studied Music. Wrote to Everett. Aunty no better.

Saturday, March 1, 1873:  Fair. Studied Music. Read.

Sunday, March 2, 1873:  Fair. Read. Played. Caller, Mr. Young to get Uncle Seth to Preach a funeral sermon. Aunty no better. got a sour stomach.

Monday, March 3, 1873:  Stormy. Read. Played. Made tatting.

Tuesday, March 4, 1873:  Fair. Uncle Sawyer went to the Village, got a letter from Mother. Edward & Addie. Aunt Lucy put in her rug.

Wednesday, March 5, 1873:  Fair. Aunt Lucy sits up with Mrs. Pike. Uncle Sawyer & I went to Mr. Smith Pike's.

Thursday, March 6, 1873:  Fair. Mr. Colormy for Dinner.  Went to Mary Penny's. Uncle Sawyer went to the Village.

Friday, March 7, 1873:  Fair. Uncle Sawyer went to the Village. Knit. Studied Music.

Saturday, March 8, 1873: Fair. Read. Knit. Played. Aunt Lucy hooked on her Rug.

Sunday, March 9, 1873: Fair. Read. Went to Church to Union Village. Rev. Mr. Higgins Preached.

Monday, March 10, 1873: Snowy. Read. Played. Had a bad headache. A Mr. C. H. Leighton and Miss L. A. Drew to be married. 

Tuesday, March 11, 1873:  Snowed. Went to Mr. Smith Pike's to make Molasses Candy and Corn Balls.

Wednesday, March 12, 1873: Fair. Had a very bad Pain in side. Aunt finished her rug. Uncle went to Village.

Thursday, March 13, 1873: Fair. Finished my stocking. Uncle & Aunt went to Village & to Mary Penney's.

Friday, March 14, 1873: Fair. Uncle Sawyer went to Alton. in Evening Mrs. Place & Mrs. Cook's.

Saturday, March 15, 1873:  Snowy. Went with Aunt Lucy to Mrs. Penney's and Mrs. Cook. Uncle Sawyer got home.

Sunday, March 16, 1873:  Fair. Read. Aunt Lucy not well.

Monday, March 17, 1873: Stormed. Wrote to Mother. Read. Made tatting. Played.

Tuesday, March 18, 1873: Fair. Played. Company, Misses Mary Penney, Mary Cook and Mat? Caller, Smith Cook & Mark Penny [Penney ?]

Wednesday, March 19, 1873: Dull. Played. Aunt Lucy washed. Churned. Company, Mr. and Mrs. Horn.

Thursday, March 20, 1873:  Stormy. Made tatting.  Played. Uncle Sawyer went to the Village. Got a letter from Mother.

Friday, March 21, 1873:  Stormy. Played. Made tatting. Started a color [collar ?]

Saturday, March 22, 1873:  Squally. Made tatting. Aunt Lucy baked. Went to sit up to Mr. Pike's. Went to Village with Uncle Sawyer.

Sunday, March 23, 1873:  Fair. Aunt Lucy got home. Read. Played a little.

Monday, March 24, 1873: Very Blustering. Caller, Mr. Samuel Young. Studied Music.

Tuesday, March 25, 1873: Cool. Made tatting. Played.

Wednesday, March 26, 1873: Hailed in afternoon. Uncle Sawyer was to the Village.

Thursday, March 27, 1873: Blustering.  Played. Made a yard of crothing [crocheting ?]. Got a letter from Edward E. Reynolds [Ida's brother]. Caller, Mr. ___ [Ida left it blank]

Friday, March 28, 1873: [Ida transposed her entries for March 28 and 29. What shows is an entry for Saturday; what I've transcribed shows what she meant to enter for Friday.]
Fair, went to the Village.  Got a spool of Cotton.  Paid 7 cts.  Went to Mr. Chas C? [possibly Charles Cook].  for Friday.

Saturday, March 29, 1873: [Ida transposed her entries for March 28 and 29.  What shows is an entry for Friday; what I've transcribed shows what she meant to enter for Saturday.] Dull or Very Rainy. Uncle Sawyer finished shelling corn. Aunt finished her rug.

Sunday, March 30, 1873:  Very Windy.  Read.  Played on Organ.

Ida's parents have come to take her home to Acton, Maine, after a lengthy stay with her Aunt Lucy Jane (Tupper) Sawyer (1837-1880) and Uncle Seth Sawyer (1808-1892) at Milton Mills, New Hampshire.

Monday, March 31, 1873:  Snowed.  Father & Mother came over after me.  Came home.

Tuesday, April 1, 1873.  Fair.  Made 4 vests.  Sapped ? trees, get 10 Pails.  Went to Clara's and Mrs. Boston's.  She is sick.  Mother got a bite in her nose.

Wednesday, April 2, 1873:  Rainy.  Made 6 Vests.  Father went to Aunt Martha's.  She had gone to Boston.

Thursday, April 3, 1873:  Fair.  My birthday.  Got a dress.  Washed.  Churned.  Made Cheese.  I made 3 Beds.  Sugared off.  Got 1 1/2 pails sap.  Sapped 18 trees; 18 pails.


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

• Uncle Seth and Aunty - Rev. Seth Sawyer (1808-1892) and Lucy Jane (Tupper) Sawyer (1837-1880), who was the younger sister of Ida's mother Rachel E. (Tupper) Sawyer (1833-1923)
• Everett - Edward Everett Reynolds (1855-1945), Ida's brother
• Mr. Young - perhaps Rev. Samuel Young
• Mother - Rachel E. (Tupper) Reynolds (1833-1923)
• Edward - Edward Francis (1850-1931), Ida's maternal cousin; son of Dr. Daniel Francis (1810-1867) and Christie Ann (Tupper) Francis (-1893)
• Addie 
• Mrs. Pike, perhaps Drusilla (Hodge) Pike (1825-1912), wife of Ebenezer Smith Pike (1812-1890) of Middleton, New Hampshire
• Mr. Smith Pike - perhaps Ebenezer Smith Pike (1812-1890) of Middleton, New Hampshire, husband of Drusilla (Hodge) Pike (1825-1912)
• Mary Penny - perhaps Mary Elizabeth Penny or Penney (1859-1894), future wife of William F. Hanson
• Rev. Higgins - perhaps Rev. Josiah B. Higgins (1830-1878)
• Mr. C. H. Leighton and Miss L. A. Drew to be married. They were Charles Henry Leighton (1842-1925), son of Varnum H. Leighton, and Lucy Ann Drew (1852-1938), daughter of Thomas Drew and Sarah (Bryant) Drew. They married at Middleton, New Hampshire on March 10, 1873. 
• Mrs. Place - presumably of the Milton, New Hampshire, area
• Mrs. Cook - presumably of the Milton, New Hampshire, area
• Mrs. Penney or Penny - presumably of the Milton, New Hampshire, area; perhaps Mary A. (Pinder) Penny, mother of Mary Elizabeth Penny (1859-1894)
• Mary Cook - perhaps Mary E. (Horne) Cook (-1913) of the Milton, New Hampshire, area
• Mat
• Mark Penny - perhaps Mark B. Penny (1854-) of Milton, New Hampshire
• Mr. and Mrs. Horn - presumably of the Milton, New Hampshire, area
• Mr. Pike - perhaps Ebenezer Smith Pike (1812-1890) of Middleton, New Hampshire
• Mr. Samuel Young - presumably a clergyman or lay reader
• Charles Cook - presumably of the Milton, New Hampshire, area
• Clara - Clara Georgietta Prescott (1860-1921), daughter of George Washington Prescott (1815-1886) and Eliza G. (Brackett) Prescott (1817-1898) and future wife of Luther Drew Hilton (1858-1894)
• Mrs. Boston - presumably Sabina Emily (Runnels) Boston (1841-1914), wife of Gorham Parks Boston (1839-1910)
• Aunt Martha - Martha Ann (Reynolds) Hersom (1817-1879), widow of Lucius Hersom (1809-1867) and future wife of John Hanson; Martha was the older sister of Ida's father Jonathan Prescott Reynolds (1820-1899)

Again, if you have corrections and/or additional information on any of the people mentioned, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Advance to April 1873 or return to February 1873