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

October 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 September 1873 and November 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.

Wednesday, October 1, 1873: Fair. Picked our Peas. Finished Husking corn. Mother went to Hubard Stephen's. Mr. Hilton. I went to Hattie's. She here.

Thursday, October 2, 1873: Fair. Went to the Falls. Went to see Addie, to Nell's. Hubbard's to Mr. Hargraves to see Hannah. Got me a box of elastics, roll of ribbon.

Friday, October 3, 1873: Fair. Went with Hattie.

Saturday, October 4, 1873: Fair. Baked. Went to Hattie.

Sunday, October 5, 1873: Fair and Showers. Went to George Prescott's. Hattie and George Hilton here.

Monday, October 6, 1873: Fair but a Rainy evening.

Tuesday, October 7, 1873: Fair [crossed out]. Some cold. Very Rainy day.

Wednesday, October 8, 1873: Fair. Made ___ 3 Vests. Went to Hattie's.

Thursday, October 9, 1873: Fair. Made 3 vests. Went to Hattie's. Grand mother and Uncle Jacob up.

Friday, October 10, 1873: Fair. Went to Tom's. Father got me some of Cowell's cough syrup. Made 6 vests.

Saturday, October 11, 1873: Fair. Finished our vests. Went to Mr. Hilton's to Husking. Went to Hattie's to Enoch's.

Sunday, October 12, 1873: Fair. Read. Mother and Father went to Enoch's and Mr. Downes'. Aunt Lucy and Uncle S. came over.

Monday, October 13, 1873: Fair. Went to George Prescott's. to Hubbard Stevens' Aunt Lucy and Uncle went home. Washed.

Tuesday, October 14, 1873: Fair. Mary, Wessly [Wesley ?] and Bell and Say and Clara here Visiting. Caller, Hattie.

Wednesday, October 15, 1873: Fair. Went to Han [Hannah ?]; John S. Hersom's.

Thursday, October 16, 1873: Fair. Went to Mr. ? with Mother and Father. Uncle Jacob up. Mrs. Fox or Grammon here.

Friday, October 17, 1873: Fair. Went to SpringVale along of Mother and Sam, got me a writing book. Carlos and Hattie and Georgia here. Went to Mr. Stevens'.

Saturday, October 18, 1873: Cold. May Cowell died yesterday of Dropsy. Aged 5 years. [Ida marked this information in a scalloped box.] Callers, Hattie, ? Hilton and Carlos all here.

Sunday, October 19, 1873: Dull. Cloudy. May Cowell was buried today. Mrs. Sarah Ricker was up. Wrote to Everett and Aunt Lucy. Prepared for School.

Monday, October 20, 1873: Dull. School began in Rained very hard. Freeman Lowd is going to teach. We think we will like him.

Thursday, October 21, 1873. Dull. Went to School. Like our teacher.

Wednesday, October 22, 1873: Fair. Com. [Commissioner ?] in. a Mr. Garvin Jun.

Thursday, October 23, 1873: Fair. Went to School. Father went went a-___. Churned.

Friday, October 24, 1873: Bell Down. Fair. Got a Dispatch from Uncle Decker that Everett was very sick. Father and Mother went to Boston. Went to School in forenoon.

Saturday, October 25, 1873: Fair. Got a letter. Everett has got the Scarlet Fever. Grandmother came up today. Went to school in forenoon.

Sunday, October 26, 1873: Fair. Read a little. The girls down. Mr. Sam Pray here. Enoch and Mary in and Baby and Hattie.

Monday, October 27, 1873: Fair. Went to school. Grandmother ___. Father got home. Everett very Sick. He is to Uncle Decker's. Rainy.

Tuesday, October 28, 1873: Fair. Went to School.

Wednesday, October 29, 1873: Fair. Went to School.

Thursday, October 30, 1873: Fair. Went to School. Got a letter. Everett very sick.

Friday, October 31, 1873: Fair. Rainy. The girls down. Went to School. Got a letter from Mother. Everett very sick. Suffers much.

Saturday, November 1, 1873: Fair. Washed the Floor and Stairs. Baked. Went to Hattie's. She here.

Sunday, November 2, 1873: Fair. Read. Went to Aunt Martha's with Father. Mr. Hilton and George Sherman here.

Monday, November 3, 1873: Fair. Washed. Went to School.

Tuesday, November 4, 1873: Fair. I went to School. Grandmother ironed.

Wednesday, November 5, 1873: Fair. Went to School. I am very lonesome since mother went away.

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

Mother - Rachel E. (Tupper) Reynolds (1833-1923)
Hubbard Stevens - Hubbard Stevens (1805-1882), husband of Harriet C. (Brackett) Stevens (1808-1883)
Mr. Hilton - presumably Andrew Hilton (1810-1873), husband of Eliza Ann (Paul) Hilton (1816-1891); Andrew would die in December of 1873 while traveling to Middleton, New Hampshire, where his brother James had just died.
Hattie - Harriet Eldora Sherman (1859-1937), "Hattie", daughter of Thomas Sherman (1823-1893) and Abigail Elizabeth (Fox) Sherman (1822-1877), "Abbie"
Addie - perhaps Addie Moore
Nell - possibly Nellie Josephine Hilton (1861-1883), who would marry William T. Bradford
"Mr. Hargraves to see Hannah" - Hannah may have been Hannah Francis (1854-1923), daughter of Dr. Daniel Francis (1810-1867) and Christie Ann (Tupper) Francis (-1893), who was a sister to Ida's mother Rachel E. (Tupper) Reynolds (1833-1923); also known as Annie; she would marry James Alexander Buchanan (1850-1906).
George Prescott - George Prescott - presumably George Washington Prescott (1815-1886), husband of Eliza G. (Brackett) Prescott (1817-1898); parents of several of Ida's friends
George Hilton - perhaps Ida meant her friend Georgia A. Hilton (1864-1926) or a George Hilton
Grandmother and Uncle Jacob - Ann (Worster or Worcester) Reynolds or Runnells (1793-1884) and her youngest child, Jacob Pickering Reynolds (1838-1914)
Tom - presumably Thomas Sherman (1823-1893), husband of Abigail Elizabeth (Fox) Sherman (1822-1877) and father of Ida's friend Harriet Eldora Sherman (1859-1937), "Hattie"
Father - Jonathan Prescott Reynolds (1820-1899)
Enoch - Enoch Piper Sherman (1836-1922), husband of Mary (Ricker) Sherman (1837-1889)
Mr. Downs
Aunt Lucy and Uncle Sawyer - Ida's maternal aunt Lucy Jane (Tupper) Sawyer (1837-1880) and Rev. Seth Sawyer (1808-1892)
Mary
Wessly - Wesley?
Bell - Mary Isabelle Prescott (1854-1832), daughter of George Washington Prescott (1815-1886) and Eliza G. (Brackett) Prescott (1817-1898)
Say - Sadie Noyes Prescott (1857-1879), daughter of George Washington Prescott (1815-1886) and Eliza G. (Brackett) Prescott (1817-1898) and future wife of Charles Albert Hilton (1856-1937)
Clara - Clara Georgietta Prescott (1860-1921), future wife of Luther Drew Hilton (1858-1894)
John S. Hersom - presumably John S. Hersom (1834-1903), husband of Martha A. (Jones) Hersom (1845-1912)
Mrs. Fox
Grammon
Sam - Samuel Muir Francis (1858-1928), son of Dr. Daniel Francis (1810-1867) and wife Christie Ann (Tupper) Francis (-1893), who was a sister to Ida's mother Rachel E. (Tupper) Reynolds (1833-1923). Samuel may have been the Sam or Sammy mentioned often in Ida's notebook and apparently living with the family at times.
Carlos - Carlos Walter Sherman (1869-1943), son of Enoch Piper Sherman (1836-1922) and second wife Mary (Ricker) Sherman (1837-1889)
Georgia - Georgia A. Hilton (1864-1926), daughter of Andrew F. Hilton (1836-1894) and Emeline A. (Hersom) Hilton (1838-1884), "Emma" [Note: FindaGrave Memorial shows Andrew's middle initial as E.]
Mr. Stevens - possibly Hubbard Stevens (1805-1882), husband of Harriet C. (Brackett) Stevens (1808-1883)
Lucy May Cowell (1866-1873), daughter of Edmond Eustace Cowell (1825-1899) and Elizabeth Jane (Chamberlain) Cowell (1830-1923), "Jane".
Mrs. Sarah Ricker - presumably Sarah E. (Guptill) Ricker (1834-1913), widow of Clinton Ricker (1831-1868) and mother of Clinton Atwood Ricker (1856-1926)
Everett - Ida's brother Edward Everett Reynolds (1855-1945)
Freeman Lowd - Freeman H. Lowd (1853-1933), Ida's teacher; musician; future minister
Mr. Garvin, Jr. - presumably a school commissioner, superintendent or agent
Bell - either Mary Isabelle Prescott (1854-1932) or her sister-in-law Isabelle G. (Churchill) Prescott (1845-1923)
Uncle Decker - Nathaniel Curtis Decker (1828-1888), husband of Ida's paternal aunt Joanna Farnham (Reynolds) Decker (1825-1909)
Mr. Sam Pray - perhaps Samuel Pray (abt 1800-1880) of Lebanon, Maine, husband of Esther Elizabeth (Hersom) Pray (1803-1870)
Enoch, Mary and baby - presumably Enoch Piper Sherman (1836-1922), Mary (Ricker) Sherman (1837-1889) and their baby John Linwood Sherman (1872-1931)
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)
George Sherman - presumably George A. Sherman (1860-), son of Enoch Piper Sherman (1836-1922) and first wife Jane (Guptill) Sherman (1832-1861)