HomeMy WebLinkAbout1867 - 1869 Asahel Lovell Harvey
Asahel Lovell Harvey’s diariesAsahel Lovell Harvey. He was born in the Town of Enfield in 1819. He was the son of Joseph Harvey who was came to the Enfield area in 1808. Joseph’s wife
was Hannah Lovell and they settled permanently in Enfield in 1817. Asahel married Jane Ann Mack and they had one daughter Hannah Alice. At the time of the writing of the diary they
lived on the farm that was the Marshall farm for many years and now is "City Lights Antiques" located on Mecklenburg Road just outside of the Ithaca city limits west towards Enfield.
The diaries tell of the comings and goings of life on the west hill and Enfield and Ithaca. Of course he travels to Jacksonville, Mecklenburg, Searsburg and Trumansburg. During this
time the war between the states (civil war) was raging. Listed in the military records 4 Harvey family members were involved in the civil war.
His diaries start in 1864, mostly folks in the Towns of Ithaca (West Hill), Enfield, Mecklenburg, Searsburg and Jacksonville area) Asahel’s farm was on the Mecklenburg Rd., where there
is a B&B now (City Lights antiques). He had just finished building his house and in fact was putting on the final items, like banister and window sills and some painting and papering
in 1864. I have also included interesting items, which you can erase if you wish. He goes down to the “Gulf” each December to get reeds to cane.
If this is too much info, let me know and I will only list the deaths (and marriages)
Karen Dickson
1864
Jan 19 - married Elizabeth Wallenbeck
March 9 - Wells Fish married Margaret Theall (sister to Asahel’s brother, Robert’s wife, Mary Jane)
April 16 - James’s little girl died (Flora M. Harvey, Asahel’s niece) (there is a measle outbreak and maybe that was the cause)
April 22 - George King
(June 7th, is interesting as he writes that the Gypsey’s camped down on the corner (Mecklenburg and Sheffield Rds) and the next day he orders them away. They went west. Went looking
for cows, they got none.)
Aug 7 - Uncle David Purdy died (several others sick)(not sure how he is “Uncle”)
Oct 5 - Michael (Welch) buried one of his children. (works for Asahel and is a near neighbor)
Oct 17 - Father died (Joseph Harvey), he is buried in Harvey cem. on 19th.
Nov 8 - voted for Abraham Lincoln, who is reelected President.
1865
Jan 9 - John Henry Howland died in Washington, (had consumption, in Civil Warl, buried Hayts cem.) (Asahel goes to town and gets his body off train on the 12th, funeral was on the 14th
Jan 21 - Mrs Lanning died (Nancy H. Smith, Mrs Elias) (she had had a “shock of palsy on the 14th) (Elias’s father, Benjamin Lanning, who came up from NJ abt same time as the Harveys)
Feb 9 - (snowed so hard and blew that the Stage (Catskill to Bath) came up as far as his farm twice and had to turn around. "Roads blocked up bad, northwest wind”
Feb 16 - his horse, Charley so sick that he had to get Mr. Collin’s to doctor him. Here is the recipe for Kidney Affiction - 4qts wheat brand, teaspoon of saltpetre, tablespoon of Sulphur
and tablespoon of raisins. Application on his loin - Wormwood, vinegar and whiskey”. Paid $1.45 for whiskey, petre and raisins.
Feb 17- flooding in town. Water very high in Inlet.
April 9 - His brother, Moses and his wife Ellen (Van Marter) “got” baby, Cora.
April 15 - he heard Lincoln had been shot and Seward stabbed. Went to town on foot to hear all the news.
August 27 - funeral of Gerald Lanning.
August, during this time there is herds of cows, being put into Asahel’s pastures at night. Some as large as 240, which Asahel is paid rent for. Also they offer rooms to these drivers,
for abt $1.25 a night. Sometimes Asahel helps them drive them through Ithaca, which he is also paid for.
August 29 - goes to Frank Saylor’s funeral (Sarephla, son of Samuel and Lydia Woolley Paine Saylor. Lydia is dau of Ira and Hannah Harvey Paine) (he was 23 & is buried in Mecklenburg
cem.)
Dec 3 - went to Deacon Hayts funeral. (Charles Hayt?)
Dec 21 - Titus and Bostwick fountry burned last night.
Dec 25 - drove hog to woods (for the winter)
1866
Jan 7 - 9 very cold, temp 14 degrees below. Asahel has some sheep die.
Feb 16 - sold a farm to Titus and Bostwick (not sure whose, but may be his father’s, for $3, 538.13. He put most of money in Tompkins Co. bank. Then draws it out and divides the Estate
money between his 7 siblings, each getting $424.09
Feb 27 - his sister, Hannah’s husband Myron Sexton sells his farm to John Van Dorn on Mecklenburg Rd and moves down across the road from Asahel.
March 12 - Asahel and his siblings divide up the division of household stuff of his mother’s.
March 24 - Benjamin Hungerford buys his sheep for .99c a lb., pd $493.00.
April 7 - Went to Newfield to Gadley’s mill. Bought 2 "thousandful" of Hemlock to be delivered.
April 10 - he helps his brother, Robert move from Enfield down to Ithaca to run a meat market.
May 18 - he is buying 365 ft of oak lumber from Grey’s mill, borrows 344 ft of pine from John Van Dorn to put up a fence with rails along his property and around his garden. Some of
it you can see today as you drive by.
June 4 - Asahel’s brother, Moses “raises” his house.
June 6 - Deacon Genung died at 8 p.m. Funeral on the 8th at 10 a.m. Buried Hayts cem.
July 7 - Dennis McNair commenced laying a stone wall. He is paying him $20. a month
Dec 25 - went to town in evening to Dutch church to see Chistmas tree. (his grandparents were Quakers)
Dec 31 - Joseph Rolfe died at 11p.m. last night.
1867Jan 16-22 Big snow storm. Roads all filled up. No travel. Biggest snow drifts ever. Shoveled out road.Feb 2 - Went to Mr. Brugaro’s funeralFeb 6 - went through the Clock factory
(Ithaca?)Feb 8 - took Mrs. Larrison to Enfield to bury her.Feb 24 - Squire John Fish buried today. (this is the Squire John Fish that is giving me such fits, as I find a John R. Fish
still alive on the 1870 census. My John R. Fish is married to Charlotte Harvey and she is buried in Harvey cem. )March 3 - Mrs. Daniel Thatcher buried today. (Mrs. David, who settled
Kennedy’s Corners) She and her husband are buried in Rolfe cem. Eunice died on Feb 28th.May 5 - (heavy wind come up from the south and rained all day 6 -9th. There was terrible flooding
in town. Water 2 feet deep west side of inlet. Continued to rain the rest of the month)June - they are still plowing. Just starting to plant garden.June 17 - they laid wall in front
of house.June 24 - Horace Miller from Mecklenburg started painting his house and blinds. (for the 1st time?) Got the paint from Treman Bros. Nov 19 - Asahel’s daughter, Hannah was married
at home at 8 pm. 36 attened the wedding. She married Andrew J. Howland, neighbor and son of Stephen and Sally (Korts) Howland.Dec 15 - Heard Frank Rolfe was dead. Andrew and Hannah
went up. (son of Chester and Matilda (Kirkendall) Rolfe)1868Jan 1, Fire in town. Taylor and Heath’s store, at 2 a.m.Jan 2 - Went to Enfield with sleigh. Sleighs fly along.Jan 6 - Heard
J. B. Korts is dead. (Jonathan B. His wife, Mary is sister to Stephen B. Howland (who is also married to a Korts (Sarah Ann). They live just up the Mecklenburg Rd from Asahel.Jan 8
- Heard Jeminea Van Black is deadFeb 9-18 - big snow storm, no travel. Shoveled out road each dayFeb 25 - still snowing bad. Stage went up the road a ways, but came back down.Feb 27-29
- still snowing, wind out of the south. Piled up roads bad. Roads all blowed full. Not one team past our house today.March 1 - Blizzard!March 2-3 - no travel on roads. Only 2 sleighs
went by.(snowed almost every day in March, only sleighs going by)March 30,31 - laid flagstone in cellar.April 6 - water limed cellar bottom.April 18 - his neice, Lina Sexton is sick
with diptheria.June 3 - Bill VamDorn starts building Asahel a smoke house.June 16 - Very heavy thunder storm. Lightning struck John Vann’s house.August 17 - Asahel’s birthday. He and
Andrew stake out foundation for a barn.August 25 - got a load of lumber from Bostwick and Titus.Sept 11 - Heard Aunt Hetty (Griffin) Lovell (Mrs Aaron) was dead. Also Mrs. Daniel Bailey
and Mr. Sears.Sept 12 - Went to Aunt Hetty’s funeral to Baptist church in Center.Sept 13 - Went to Mariah's (Mrs Daniel Bailey) funeral at 2:15 in Enfield.Oct 1-9 - built a hog pen with
his brother, Silas and Andrew Howland. Will Van Dorn also helped.Oct 23 - went to town to a mass meeting. Big crowd.Nov 2 - was subpena to be witness for William Martin in Trumansburg.
Went on the 6th.Nov 19 - finishing putting on roof of smoke house. Will Van Dorn helped with the cornice.Nov 25 -Dec 2 - Asahel and Jane go to Perry by train to visit family that live
there.(his Aunt Betsy,who is sister to his father. She married Thomas A. Toan and they live in Perry, NY.Dec 3-7 - They go to Lockport to visit Jane’s brothers, Erastus Spaulding and
Holmes Hutchinson Mack and their family. Also Asahel’s Uncle Moses Lovell and his family.Dec 22 - Stephen Kort is married in evening to Catherine Baker. He is son of Jonathan and Mary
(Howland) Korts.1869Jan 8 - Mary “Maty” Slauson died. Jane, Asahel’s wife, had gone down to ithaca to “sit up” with her on the 6th. Her funeral was on the 10th at the Baptist church
in town. Asahel’s father’s sister, Mary, married John Slauson. Can’t find their graves to verify.Jan 16 - went to Enfield to Beardsley’s singing school.March 30 - John W. Korts dies.
Funeral in Town on April 1st. (He is brother to Stephen B. Howland’s wife, Sally.)August 11 - Went to Mr. Stout’s funeral forenoon, 10 o’clock. This would be Joseph, who died on the
10th, he was 37yrs. Son of Joseph and Mariah P. (Kelly) Stout of Jacksonville, NY. Not married.August 18 - Asahel has a hired man working for him all summer; John Plunket. His wife
comes looking for him. Asahel finally pays her John’s wages at her “order”.Sept 11 - thru end of Sept. different drovers put sheep and cattle in his pasture for the night. (83 head
cattle, 77 sheep, 130 cattle, 107 cattle, 112 cattle, etc ) Asahel gets some much money a head. He also provides room and board for the drovers.Nov 29 - Eber Lovell dies in Trumansburg.
He was married to Elizabeth McLallen, sister to Henry McLallen.Dec 18 - Ann Lanning dies. She was dau of Elias and Nancy (Smith) Lanning.Dec 18 - Frank Harvey dies. She is dau of
Reuben and Mary Ann (Wager) Harvey. She was Frances Olivia Harvey, 22ys and buried in Ithaca City cem.