Monday, February 11, 2019

March Entries in the 1876 Diary of Ida Isadore Reynolds (1860-1946) of Acton, Maine; future wife of John Jotham Shapleigh (1856-1923)


March entries in the 1876 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 1876 and February 1876 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.


Monday, February 28, 1876:  Snow. Went to school. Got along well.  I hope it will not storm tomorrow night. I want to go to George Prescott's.

 Tuesday, February 29, 1876:  Fair. Went to school. Went to George P's to a candy pull & had a nice time. There was George S., Lute H, Charlie H, Walter S, Ezekiel P., Hattie and Elmer Brackett there. Had a good time as I said before.

 Wednesday, March 1, 1876:  Fair. Went to school. Went in to George P. and they give me some molasses candy.

 Thursday, March 2, 1876:  Fair. Went to school. Got along well. I suppose it will close before long.

Friday, March 3, 1876:  Fair. School finished. I feel real bad; wanted it to keep longer so I could finish Algebra and Rhetoric. "Did not know it was going to finish so soon.

 Saturday, March 4, 1876:  Fair. Wrote down Algebra examples. Went to Enoch's a few minutes. Aunt May and Carl here. Went to Hattie's.  John Hilton and Walter Wentworth came there. He called here, but I was down there so he came down.

 Sunday, March 5, 1876:  Fair. Read. Mrs. E Hilton came here. Hattie came up a little while in the afternoon. I went down there a while.

 Monday, March 6, 1876:  Fair. Washed and Ironed. I feel pretty tired tonight.  Hattie came up. Studied Algebra. Lotte came down.

Tuesday, March 7, 1876:  Fair and very warm for the season.  Mother rode to Mrs. Hilton's and spent most of the day.  Hattie stayed with me. Made a lamp mat. Went to Hattie's in the evening. Studied. Got a letter from Everett. Hannah and Mr. H-g.

 Wednesday, March 8, 1876:  Fog and rain. Snow is nearly gone. That is in the road. Made a lamp mat.
Augustus Fox's store was burned last night about ten o'clock.

 Thursday, March 9, 1876:  Fair. Set examples down. Hattie came in; we went to Mr. Stevens' to prayer meeting.  Hattie went in to Mr. Prescott's for an errand.

 Friday, March 10, 1876:  Cloudy. Wrote examples down. Have got them nearly done.

Saturday, March 11, 1876:  Cloudy. We baked. Cleaned the chamber. Georgia Hilton came down. Charlie brought Lute's pants down for Mother to fix.  Went to Hattie's after the mail.  Georgia said that Fox's store was insured $4000.

 Sunday, March 12, 1876:  Cloudy. Read.

 On March 13, 1876, Ida went for an extended visit with her maternal aunt Lucy Jane (Tupper) Sawyer (1837-1880) and husband Rev. Seth Sawyer (1808-1892) at Milton Mills, New Hampshire.  Ida returned home on March 24, 1876 with Mr. Prescott, perhaps Sewell W. Prescott (1828-1891)

 Monday, March 13, 1876:  Foggy and Rain. Town Meeting day in Maine.  I went up to the Mills; took the "stage" and went to Aunt Lucy's.

 Tuesday, March 14, 1876:  Fair and Cold. Town Meeting day in New Hampshire.  Smith Cook came in.  Uncle Sawyer Superintendent School Comm of Middleton [New Hampshire]

Wednesday, March 15, 1876:  Pretty cold. Read. Played.

 Thursday, March 16, 1876:  Fair. Played. Read. Albert Moore, Clara Jenness, Ida Sanborn, Lilly [definitely looks like Lilly here, but in a later entry about a sing, Ida mentions a Tilly.] and Mark Penny, Mary Cook and Smith came up and had a sing.  Began to snow.

 Friday, March 17, 1876:  Snow. Cold and windy. Played and Read.

 Saturday, March 18, 1876:  Cold and Blustering. Read. Played. Helped Aunt Lucy bake.

Sunday, March 19, 1876:  Cold and Blustering. Read.

 Monday, March 20, 1876:  Fair. Aunt Lucy churned.  I read and Played.  As usual.

 Tuesday, March 21, 1876:  Very blustering and cold.  Bad traveling.  Played. Read.

 Wednesday, March 22, 1876:  Fair. Played. Read.

Thursday, March 23, 1876:  Fair. Played some.  Albert, May and Jennie Moore, Smith, Mary and Tilly Cook came up to have a sing.  Tilly invited me down to spend the afternoon.

 Ida had been visiting with her maternal aunt Lucy Jane (Tupper) Sawyer (1837-1880) and uncle Rev. Seth Sawyer (1808-1892) since March 13, 1876.  She returned home on March 24, 1876.

 Friday, March 24, 1876:  Fair. Mr. Sewell Prescott and wife came over. I went to Henry Cook's. Smith took us home.  Played dominoes. Till and I beat Mary Moore and May Cook one game out of four. I came home with Mr. Prescott. Did not charge me anything.

 Saturday, March 25, 1876:  Snow. Done a lot of examples.

 Sunday, March 26, 1876:  Fog and rain. Fair in afternoon. Read.

Monday, March 27, 1876:  Fair. Washed. Had a few of the "Young Folks" in in the evening.

 Tuesday, March 28, 1876:  Fair. Ironed. Father butchered. Sewell Prescott helped him.

 Wednesday, March 29, 1876:   Fog and Rain in A.M. Pleasant in P.M. Hattie came up. Got a very bad cold.

 Thursday, March 30, 1876:  Squally. I am not much better of my cold. Sugared off, had 40 small cakes and two large ones. Wrote in my Book-keeping.  John Furnald called here for money for Mr. Lord.

Friday, March 31, 1876:  Fair. Sewed. Read

 Saturday, April 1, 1876:  Fair.  Hattie came up.  Baked.

 Sunday, April 2, 1876:  Fair. Read.

 Monday, April 3, 1876:  Fair.  My Birth day, Am sixteen years old.  Washed some.  Was to Hattie's.

Ida mentioned people in the area of her hometown, Acton, Maine, and in the Milton, New Hampshire area, as she visited from March 13, 1876 to March 24, 1874 with her maternal aunt Lucy Jane (Tupper) Sawyer (1837-1880) and Lucy's husband Rev. Seth Sawyer (1808-1892) at Milton Mills, New Hampshire.

 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 April 1876 or return to February 1876.
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