Name/Title
Diary, Volume 3, 1786-1789Entry/Object ID
1874.150.31Scope and Content
Third volume of the diary of Benjamin Simpson of Saco, 1781-1849. This volume covers the period October 1, 1786 through May 31, 1789. It is handwritten in ink on rag paper with a handsewn binding; it is now housed in a modern paper cover. Most of the entries are a single line. At the top of each page is the heading in fancy script, the number of days in the month, and the year. Individual entries are a single line of text with the weather for the day at the end on the right-hand margin. The days of the week are not indicated. Simpson noted his major task of the day and the weather. His entries reflect the seasonal nature of the work of a man who owned a farm.
As usual, Simpson spent most of October and November doing masonry work for others, such as Ebenezer Dennet in October and Col. Cutts in November. On December 10, he noted "This day my Mother died at York." A few weeks later, on December 23, he wrote "child sick," presumably his son George. In February his wife was injured by being thrown out of the sleigh when coming back from York (February 22) and on February 26 Simpson reported that he had "found porcupine, dog got full of his quills." The bears were back in May 1787. Simpson apparently was skilled not only in laying bricks, but also in making them. In late June Simson "fixt" a brick yard for Libbey. He struck bricks for the Libbys in late June and early July. On July 7 he "made a mold and struck Bricks for Libby." In August he did the same for J. Foss, "setting a brick Kiln" and burning bricks for him. Although a mason, Simpson occasionally did wood working for others. On March 24, 1788, he "made coffen for Ephraim Bryant's child" and on March 25, "made coffen bigger, went to funeral." In September 1788, Simpson started underpinning a meeting house; in November he was plastering the meeting house, including smooth plastering, and said that on November 25 he had "finished for this season." On October 25, his wife gave birth to another son, "Joshua Simpson was born at sunrise." Simpson ended the year 1788 working on his barn again, laying a floor, making a partition, and a door for the barn.Dimensions
Height
9-3/8 inWidth
7-7/8 in