Name/Title
Diary, Volume 18, 1813-1814Entry/Object ID
1874.150.15Scope and Content
Eighteenth volume of the diary of Benjamin Simpson of Saco, 1781-1849. This volume covers the period January 27, 1813 through June 30, 1814. 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. The date is listed at the top of each page, with individual entries (without dates) listed below. 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 but also was a skilled mason.
On Monday, March 22, 1813, Simpson attended town meeting and then spent several days notifying town officers. On Saturday, April 4 he rode around the upper part of town to notify people to come to the April meeting. On May 26 Simpson described in detail a hemlock log fence he was constructing between his land and that of John Berry. In early June, on Friday 4, he went to the falls with wool to card, had it rolled, and brought it home. On June 11 he went to Buxton to buy an anvil and vice for his son Ebenezer Simpson. Five days later he started building a chimney for Ebenezer. On Tuesday, August 3, Robert Cleaves died with the heat. In October his son George was back doing masonry work for John Cleaves. In November Simpson noted that he was stoning a cellar for himself; he continued that work into December.
In early January 1814 Mrs. Simpson was unwell for about a week. More illness came in March when Joshua was sick. His illness began on Saturday, March 19. On Sunday they sent for the doctor. Dr. Bacon came on Monday, and again on Tuesday. Simpson was still tending to him on Wednesday, March 23. In May Simpson noted that much damage had been done by a freshet. Tuesday, May 17: “great log jam against Col. Cutts’ bridge and the poor house… gave way and went over the falls destroying the causeway rocks …”. May 18: “bridge, 3 mills gone, one mill at the bar and 2-3 houses also gone.” In June the British ship "Bulwark" was in the Pool. On Thursday, June 16 it apparently captured one of Cutts’ ships, burned others, and took some things from the store; this was the attack when the "Hermoine" was burned. Two days later the ship left the Saco River and “T. Cutts ransomed his ship for 6000 dollars from the British.”