Name/Title
Diary, Volume 1, 1781-1784Entry/Object ID
1874.150.29Scope and Content
First volume of the diary of Benjamin Simpson of Saco, 1781-1849. This volume covers the period December 1, 1781 through March 31, 1784. It is handwritten in ink on rag paper with a handsewn binding; it is now housed in a modern paper cover. 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.
The pages that cover October and November 1781 were incorrectly bound into volume 2.
Simpson spent most of the end of 1781 engaged in masonry work. The winter months of January and February 1782 were spent mostly in hauling logs, which is typical of his activities during those months in following years. Beginning in March 1782, Simpson mentions visiting Burch frequently. This apparently referred to Burch or Burch Hill, the home of Ebenezer Simpson either in or near York; Ebenezer Simpson was the father of Mercy, who married Benjamin in 1782. Benjamin was building his own house and there are many mentions of such work in 1782. In March he was hauling bricks. In April he was digging and stoning the cellar, sometimes with help but often alone. May-June was spent in planting. By July, Simpson had returned to working on his house, and he continued to do so into November. On December 5, Benjamin Simpson wed his wife Mercy. The preceding days detail preparations for the wedding.
Early 1783 was a busy time, with the young couple traveling to York several times to visit their parents. Benjamin worked on his barn as well as making many shingles and a bedstead. At the end of February, he mentioned that his mother was ill "Mother Taken Delirious this Month." On March 1, he recorded "Saw Mother Bereaved of Natural Sence." The year 1783 mostly followed the pattern of the year before, with many planting and other farm tasks occupying most of May and June, with a return to more masonry work in July. Tragedy hit the family in December. Simpson did not mention in the diary that his wife was pregnant or that she had given birth, but on December 11 he wrote "Child Dead by the Walls" and on December 12, "buried my first Child." He did not mention it, but the child was a son.Dimensions
Height
9-3/8 inWidth
7-5/8 in