Name/Title
Diary, Volume 12, 1799-1800Entry/Object ID
1874.150.9Scope and Content
Twelfth volume of the diary of Benjamin Simpson of Saco, 1781-1849. This volume covers the period July 29, 1799 through December 31, 1800. 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.
In July Simpson noted that Zebulon Libby had been burned by lightning. That month he was working laying bricks for Captain Storer, which continued into September. By late September, still working at Storer’s, Simpson was hewing, digging, and splitting rocks. By mid-October he had finished a second chimney for Storer, laid a hearth, and worked at night two days in a row. He spent the day laying bricks and plastering. The following week he was still working at Storer’s and noted that he had “worked three evenings for Captain Storer.” He mentioned smooth plastering and pointing windows. In November Simpson was still working at Storer’s house; it seems he was trying to complete the job before cold weather came. One week he worked three evenings after working all day. The third week of the month he worked 12 hour days for three days in a row. After a couple of weeks doing short-term projects for others, he returned to Storer’s house in December, plastering all night for several days in a row. On Friday, December 13, he noted “set up all night tend fires and plastering. Saturday he “came home pretty well tired.” He returned to work at Storer’s after Christmas.
In this volume Simpson begins to more frequently note where he was attending meeting and who the preachers were. On September 8, he went to a lecture at the school house, “preached by W. White.” On Sunday, November 5, he went to the falls to meeting “text 55-1st Isaiah, by the Rev’d Samuel Dean.” The following Thursday Simpson worked all day and attended a lecture in the evening on “Children Baptised.” On Sunday, January 5, 1800, “G. Washington funeral sermon delivered by the Rev’d Mr. Whitcomb.”
In late January Simpson began hauling spars, and continued to do so throughout February, a work pattern he continued to follow in succeeding years. By May he was back to masonry work. In June Simpson took two days off to go to Portland to attend District Court. That month he also started working for Colonel Cutts at Biddeford Pool, building an arch, laying bricks, and making mortar. He continued to work for Cutts in July.Dimensions
Height
5-1/2 inWidth
3-5/8 in