Tuesday, January 29, 2019

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


May 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 April 1873 and June 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.


Monday, April 28, 1873:  Fair. Marked Edward's clothes. Knit a little. Mother washed. Caller, Georgie Sherman, Mr. Hilton.

Tuesday, April 29, 1873:  Fair. Knit. Went to Mr. Prescott's. ___ Read.

Wednesday, April 30, 1873:  Fair. Clinton & Sarah Ricker was up, stayed all day. Clara here.  Knit, finished my stocking. Went to Mr. Hilton's, ____ Stevens [with Everett - which is written at top of entry of Thursday, May 1, 1873]

Thursday, May 1, 1873:  Fair. Nell & Georgia here. We went to Mary Downes. Edward & Mother fixed our flower bed. May gave me a pink [pansy ?].  balsam, [Jerusalem sp ?] cherry tree.

Friday, May 2, 1873: Cloudy.  Mr. Weeks was here with vests. Mr. Cottle here with Tin [trim ?]. Got 32 vests. Father went to Corner. Made Mother an apron.

Saturday, May 3, 1873:  Snowed. Mother made Moses Cowell's pants. Mr. Hilton here. Edward did not go away.



Sunday, May 4, 1873:  Fair. Read. Callers: Hattie, Mr. Hilton. Zeke went after mail to Mr. Steavens  & Mr. P., Charles A. Hilton here.

Monday, May 5, 1873:  Fair. Everett went to Boston. Father went to Depot. I went to Mrs. Boston's.  Caller: Hattie, John S. We made 4 vests.

Tuesday, May 6, 1873:  Fair. Made 4 vests.

Wednesday, May 7, 1873:  Fair. Made 4 Vests. 

Thursday, May 8, 1873:  Fair. Made 6 vests. Hattie here. Got Letter and Picture from Everett.

Friday, May 9, 1873:  Rainy. Made 6 vests. Mr. Hilton here.  Nell & Georgia here.



Saturday, May 10, 1873:  Rained. Made 8 vests. made 32 this week. Went to Mrs. Boston's and Clara, Mr. Hilton here.

Sunday, May 11, 1873:  Dull. Read. Went to Clara's.

Monday, May 12, 1873:  Fair. Began Cleaning house. Moved  __ upstairs, went to Hattie's. Mrs. Hilton here. Jo Walenford. Mother went ____.

Tuesday, May 13, 1873:  Cloudy. Cleaned up house. Father went to Aunt Martha's.  Mr. Sam Pray here to dinner.

Wednesday, May 14, 1873:  Fair. Went to Mrs. Boston's, to Clara's.

Thursday, May 15, 1873:  Fair. Went to Aunt Martha's, to Aunt Sarah's.  Bell & baby here.



Friday, May 16, 1873:  Fair. Mother came down to Aunt Martha. We came home.

Saturday, May 17, 1873:  Windy.  Planted corn, beans.

Sunday, May 18, 1873:  Dull. Hailed a little. Read.

Monday, May 19, 1873:  Fair. Mother went with Mrs. Hersom to the Falls. I went to Mrs. Boston's. Mr. Stevens, Prescott. Hannah sent me a Necktie. Cost $1.00.

Tuesday, May 20, 1873:  Fair. Made 6 vests.  Mother got me some cardboard, a flower pot. Hannah sent me a piece of every dress she made since she's been away.

Wednesday, May 21, 1873:  Fair. Made 6 vests.



Thursday, May 22, 1873:  Rainy. Made 8 vests. Hattie here.  Mr. Hilton.

Friday, May 23, 1873:  Fair. Washed. Made 4 vests. An old straggler called for Cider, did not give him any.

Saturday, May 24, 1873:  Fair. Went down in John S's morn and with Father and Sammy picked 15 bushels cappers [capers ?] and Mr. Weeks, Miss Ra? [Raines ?]. Got vests or ___

Sunday, May 25, 1873:  ____. Fair. Read. Wrote to Everett. Old Crazy Straggler went by.

Monday, May 26, 1873:  Fair. Mother went to Great Falls. I went to Bell's, to Lottie's to Laurie's. Nell here & Georgia & Hattie. Father worked for John S. Hersom. Straggler went by.

Tuesday, May 27, 1873:  Fair. Mother painted the floor.  ___ held out 11-3/4 Bushels. Straggler round house in the evening. Mother went into Lock's.



 Wednesday, May 28, 1873:  Fair. Mother painted the floor over the second time.  got a letter from Edward.

Thursday, May 29, 1873:  Fair. Made 4 Vests

Friday, May 30, 1873:  Fair.  Made most 8 Vests. Went to Mrs. Boston's.  Mary & Carlos here. 

Saturday, May 31, 1873: Fair. Aunt Lucy & Rev. S. came over.  Went to Mrs. Boston's & Clara's. Hattie here.

Sunday, June 1, 1873:  Fair. Read

Monday, June 2, 1873:  Fair. Made 4 vests

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 June 1873 or return to April 1873


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