June.–A lot of us went down to Sucker Brook this afternoon. Abbie Clark was one and she told us some games to play sitting down on the grass. We played “Simon says thumbs up” and then we pulled the leaves off from daisies and said, “Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, Doctor, lawyer, merchant, [...]

April.–Anna wanted me to help her write a composition last night, and we decided to write on “Old Journals,” so we got hers and mine both out and made selections and then she copied them. When we were on our way to school this morning we met Mr E. M. Morse and Anna asked him [...]

March 1.–Our hired man has started a hot bed and we went down behind the barn to see it. Grandfather said he was up at 6 o’clock and walked up as far as Mr Greig’s lions and back again for exercise before breakfast. He seems to have the bloom of youth on his face as [...]

February.–Anna has been teasing me all the morning about a verse which John Albert Granger Barker wrote in my album. He has a most fascinating lisp when he talks, so she says this is the way the verse reads : “Beauty of perthon, ith thertainly chawming Beauty of feachure, by no meanth alawming But give [...]

January, 1859.–Mr Woodruff came to see Grandfather to ask him if we could attend his singing school. He is going to have it one evening each week in the chapel of our church. Quite a lot of the boys and girls are going, so we were glad when Grandfather gave his consent. Mr Woodruff wants [...]

September.–I read in a New York paper to-day that Hon. George Peabody, of England, presented Cyrus W. Field with a solid silver tea service of twelve pieces, which cost $4,000. The pieces bear likenesses of Mr Peabody and Mr Field, with the coat of arms of the Field family. The epergne is supported by a [...]

Sunday.–Rev. Henry Ward Beecher is staying at Judge Taylor’s and came with them to church to-day. Everybody knew that he was here and thought he would preach and the church was packed full. When he came in he went right to Judge Taylor’s pew and sat with him and did not preach at all, but [...]

August 17.–There was a celebration in town to-day because the Queen’s message was received on the Atlantic cable. Guns were fired and church bells rung and flags were waving everywhere. In the evening there was a torchlight procession and the town was all lighted up except Gibson Street. Allie Antes died this morning, so the [...]

Sunday, July 4, 1858.–This is Communion Sunday and quite a number united with the church on profession of their faith. Mr Gideon Granger was one of them. Grandmother says that she has known him always and his father and mother, and she thinks he is like John, the beloved disciple. I think that any one [...]

June.–Cyrus W. Field called at our house to-day. He is making a trip through the States and stopped here a few hours because Grandmother is his aunt. He made her a present of a piece of the Atlantic cable about six inches long, which he had mounted for her. It is a very nice souvenir. [...]

May 1858.–Several of us girls went up into the top of the new Court House to-day as far as the workmen would allow us. We got a splendid view of the lake and of all the country round. Abbie Clarke climbed up on a beam and recited part of Alexander Selkirk’s soliloquy: “I’m monarch of [...]

March.–There is a great deal said about spirits nowadays and a lot of us girls went into one of the recitation rooms after school to-night and had a spiritual seance. We sat around Mr Chubbuck’s table and put our hands on it and it moved around and stood on two legs and sometimes on one. [...]

February 24, 1858.–The boarders at the Seminary had some tableaux last evening and invited a great many from the village. They were splendid. Mr Chubbuck was in nearly all of them. The most beautiful one was Abraham offering up Isaac. Mr Chubbuck was Abraham and Sarah Ripley was Isaac. After the tableaux they acted a [...]

Christmas.–Grandfather and Grandmother do not care much about making Christmas presents. They say, when they were young no one observed Christmas or New Years, but they always kept Thanksgiving day. Our cousins, the Fields and Carrs, gave us several presents and Uncle Edward sent us a basket full from New York by express. Aunt Ann [...]

September 1.–Anna and I have been in Litchfield, Conn., at Father’s school for boys. It is kept in the old Beecher house, where Dr Lyman Beecher lived. We went up into the attic, which is light and airy, where they say he used to write his famous sermons. James is one of the teachers and [...]

August 8.–Grandfather has given me his whole set of Waverley novels and his whole set of Shakespeare’s plays, and has ordered Mr Jahn, the cabinetmaker, to make me a black walnut bookcase, with glass doors and three deep drawers underneath, with brass handles. He is so good. Anna says perhaps he thinks I am going [...]

Friday, July.–I have not kept a journal for two weeks because we have been away visiting. Anna and I had an invitation to go to Utica to visit Rev. and Mrs Brandigee. He is rector of Grace Episcopal church there and his wife used to belong to Father’s church in Morristown, N.J. Her name was [...]

June 2.–Abbie Clark wrote such a nice piece in my album to-day I am going to write it in my journal. Grandfather says he likes the sentiment as well as any in my book. This is it: “It has been said that the friendship of some people is like our shadow, keeping close by us [...]

May 9.–Miss Lizzie Bull came for me to go botanising with her this morning and we were gone from 9 till 12, and went clear up to the orphan asylum. I am afraid I am not a born botanist, for all the time she was analysing the flowers and telling me about the corona and [...]

April.–Grandfather gave us 10 cents each this morning for learning the 46th Psalm and has promised us $1 each for reading the Bible through in a year. We were going to any way. Some of the girls say they should think we would be afraid of Grandfather, he is so sober, but we are not [...]

March 6.–Anna and her set will have to square accounts with Mr Richards to-morrow, for nine of them ran away from school this afternoon, Alice Jewett, Louisa Field, Sarah Antes, Hattie Paddock, Helen Coy, Jennie Ruckel, Frankie Younglove, Emma Wheeler and Anna. They went out to Mr Sackett’s, where they are making maple sugar. Mr [...]

January 8.–Anna and Alice Jewett caught a ride down to the lake this afternoon on a bob-sleigh, and then caught a ride back on a load of frozen pigs. In jumping off, Anna tore her flannel petticoat from the band down. I did not enjoy the situation as much as Anna, because I had to [...]

Saturday, December 20.–Lillie Reeve and her brother, Charlie, have come from Texas to live. He goes to the Academy and she boards with Miss Antoinette Pierson, Miss Pierson invited me up to spend the afternoon and take tea with her and I went and had a very nice time. She told me about their camp [...]

Thanksgiving Day.–We all went to church and Dr Daggett’s text was : “He hath not dealt so with any nation.” Aunt Glorianna and her children were here and Uncle Field and all their family and Dr Carr and all his family. There were about sixteen of us in all and we children had a table [...]