Wednesday, February 6, 2019

April Entries in the 1874 Diary of Ida Isadore Reynolds (1860-1946) of Acton, Maine; future Wife of John Jotham Shapleigh (1856-1923)


April entries in the 1874 diary of Ida Isadore Reynolds (1860-1946) of Acton, Maine.  Ida would marry John Jotham Shapleigh (1856-1923) in 1881. 

This post also includes the pages in the back of the diary, including memoranda, cash account and notes, which list what Ida considered the most important events of the year.

Links to the months of March 1874 and May 1874 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.

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.

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.

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.


Although Ida's home was in Acton, Maine, it was on the border of Lebanon, Maine.  As you can see from the image shown below, from Ida's 1873 diary, the Reynolds family got their mail through the North Lebanon, Maine, Post Office.



Below, the 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.

Click on any image to enlarge it.


Tuesday, March 31, 1874: Fair though some Cloudy. Father went over to Aunt Lucy's along of Andrew F. Uncle Sawyer very Sick. Fear he won't live. I had the earache very bad last night. Got a letter for Everett from Mr. Rollins [?]. Wants him to come this week. Clara came __. Ezekiel Prescott came in.


Wednesday, April 1, 1874:  Cloudy. I ironed, darned the stockings, went to Abbie's. Started a ketchall. Sammy and I went up with some others to Jonathan P [presumably Jonathan Prescott].


Thursday, April 2, 1874:  Fair. I finished my ketchall, went to Abbie's. I went down to Mr. Wentworth's to Prayer Meeting. I began to be a Christian. I hope I spoke in meeting. Sadie and I are ever to be friends now she has professed religion about three weeks ago.


Friday, April 3, 1874:  Fair. I am fourteen years old today. I went up to Sadie's to spend the afternoon, had a very nice time. Had an invitation to go. Called into Sadie's. Sadie, Clara, Joanna Stevens and I went down to Abbie's in the evening.  Uncle Jacob came up.


Saturday, April 4, 1874:  Fair and very cold. I baked, knit and sewed a little. Hattie came up. Their camp took fire, burned quite a lot.  I went down to Hattie's and stayed all night.  Got a letter from Everett. Uncle S better, a letter came here for Everett from Aunt Martha from Boston.


Sunday, April 5, 1874:  Fair and Cold. I read. Sung a little. Uncle Jacob came up. Samuel went down to Lebanon to meeting, text was Hebrews 2.1, good sermon, he said.


Monday, April 6, 1874: Fair. Mother and Everett came home. Mother churned. Everett took his trunk over with him. Uncle Sawyer some better. Aunt Lucy very sick. Neuralgia in her head and eyes.  Got Twenty three Pails of sap. Sammy went up to George Prescott's. I went up to Jacob Stevens' in the evening.


Tuesday, April 7, 1874: Fair. I fixed my quilt some. Got a little sap, don't know how much. Georgia Hilton and Clara Prescott, Joanna Stevens and Etta Shapleigh here. Everett went to Boston, I suppose from Aunt Lucy's. Georgia and I went down to the camp. I wrote to Addie Moore.


Wednesday, April 8, 1874:  Cloudy. I done some examples in the National Arithmetic. Am to lazy to do much else.  I went down to Abbie Sherman's, and I went in to Jake's and George Prescott's. Sadie and Clara and Joanna Stevens went down in the Sap woods to Visit the woods and campfire.


Thursday, April 9, 1874:  Fair. I went down to Thomas Sherman's to prayer meeting. We had a very nice meeting. There is Eight - started on the Christian Journey. Sammy, Ezekiel and Georgie Sherman stayed here last night.



Friday, April 10, 1874:  Snow. I read in the testament and wrote some pieces of poetry off.


Saturday, April 11, 1874:  Fair in the forenoon and Snow in the afternoon. Father went down to the corner. I got a letter from Everett working for Mr. J. A. Rollins. $8 till he gets used to it, then $10.  
Frank Carlis [Carlisle] and Walter in. Sammy and I went down to Tom's in the morning, had a nice time, they said I behaved the best there. Frank said so.

Sunday, April 12, 1874:  Fair and cold. Wind blows very cold.  I stayed down with Hattie last night, came home this morning. Sammy went to Meeting down to Lebanon. Text was in 1 Corinthians. Second Chapter and Second  Verse. Andrew Hilton came in and spent the day.


Monday, April 12, 1874:  Fair. Washed out quite a lot of clothes. Swept up Stairs and down.  Washed the floors and went down in the woods down to Tom's and Hattie came up here. Went up to Sadie in the evening. Went down to Hattie's and Stayed all night.  Frank Carlisle went home.




Tuesday, April 14, 1874:  Fair. Mother came home. Daniel B. Jones [or David B. Jones] came over to fetch her over. Went to Hattie's after the mail.


Wednesday, April 15, 1874: Fair. Bell Prescott came home. I went up to George Prescott's of an errand. Started a quilt.



Thursday, April 16, 1874:  Fair and cold. Fast Day. I worked on my quilt. I and Mother and Sammy went up to Mr. Stevens' to Prayer Meeting. Went down to Tom's.


Friday, April 17, 1874:  Fair in forenoon; snow in afternoon. Mother washed and went up to Enoch's and over to Mr. Lewis Downs', Ida Bickford and Nell came up from Portland. Nellie J. Hilton, No. 78 York St., Portland, Maine.




Saturday, April 18, 1874:  Fair and very well. Went down to Tom's after the mail. Baked. I knit a little.


Sunday, April 19, 1874:  Fair. I read. Eliza Prescott broke her wrist. Dr. Scruton broke her wrist. Ida Bickford and Nell and Georgia Hilton came down. Stayed to supper. Nell is going to stay all night. Andrew F. came down.




Monday, April 20, 1874:  Snow. I knit. Worked on most everything.

Tuesday, April 21, 1874:  Fair. Very bad traveling.  Eliza's arm very Painful. Hattie came up here. I went down there. Clara there. Nell and Ida went home.



Wednesday, April 22, 1874:  Fair. Pretty bad traveling. Made some ___ [biscuits ?]. Went up to Mr. Stevens. I sewed and knit.  Sammy and I went up to George Prescott's in the evening. Mother is not very well. Dr. Scruton came over to George Prescott's yesterday.


Thursday, April 23, 1874:  Fair in the forenoon. Snowed in afternoon. Very bad traveling. I knit, sewed on my 999 quilt some.


Friday, April 24, 1874:  Cloudy. I knit and sewed some, darned my stockings.  C. Lovering here with dry goods. Clara P here for the mail.


Saturday, April 25, 1874:  Fair. I knit. Mother went up to Mr. Hilton. Took dinner up there. Sammy and Lute went down to Frank Lord's. Lute took dinner here.  I went down to Hattie's. She came up here and spent the evening. wanted her to stay all night.  Began to Snow very hard in the evening.  Got a letter from Everett, Hannah and Aunt Lucy.


Sunday, April 26, 1874:  Very Windy and Snowing very fast. Seems like midwinter.
I read. Walter came in to hear from Everett. Mother very well for her.  I thank you Father in Heaven for giving us good health and so good a home as he has, for he had no place to Lay his head.

Monday, April 27, 1874:  Fair. Very muddy. I finished my Stocking. Andrew F. Hilton came in here, and Luther and Ezekiel.  Mother Washed and Ironed.  Sammy went up to Jacob Stevens', and spent the evening with Joanna.  Father went up to Mrs. Hilton's.




Tuesday, April 28, 1874:  Snow. Most dreadful cold. I knit, sewed Some on my quilt.


Wednesday, April 29, 1874:  Snow, very cold. I knit. Sewed some on my quilt.  I have got 792 squares if none are too Small. Mother knitting double mittens.





Thursday, April 30, 1874:  Very Cold, never known such a time.  I knit. Started a mitten. Went to Hattie's and stayed all night. Joanna Stevens here.


Friday, May 1, 1874:  Fair. Snow went away very fast. I knit a mitten and finished that one.  Mrs. Boston here and took dinner. Hattie here in the evening. Hiram Burrows here.





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 May 1874 or return to March 1874.

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