December 6, 1736

1736 December 6 (Monday).  Pleasant morning.  I undertook a Journey to Cambridge.  On the way I called at Mr. Joslins — and at Mr. Belknaps, whose wife had long laboured under great Disorders, by Fits, etc.: There I marryed Eleazer Ward to Tabitha Newton, and then proceeded upon my Journey to Framingham where I stopped to have a Couple of Shooes made and put on my Horse’s hind feet and then, at Dark, continued my Journey to Waterton.  Stopped at Mr. George Cuttings — Thence to F. Champneys before they went to Bed.  N.B. Mrs. Suse Champney here.

December 8, 1736

1736 December 8 (Wednesday).  Rose early and Set out with Design to go to Salem to the Ordination of Mr. John Sparhawk,[1] but I found it so exceeding Cold, and so rough, hard riding that I diverted to Charleston Ferry.  N.B. Capt. Clark[2] of Framingham I carryed in to Brother Elias’s to Breakfast with us.  Visited Mr. Pierpont late p.m.  Mrs. Hannah Breck got down below.  The Ladies tarried in the room but a little while, but left Mr. P______t and I to Smoke our Pipes together.  I took leave of him without making further trouble about them.  He asked me to dine with him next Day, but I declined engaging my Self, and repaired to Mr. Coopers and thence to Brother Elias’s where I Supped and had Mr. Charles Coffin and his wife.  Lodged there.


[1]John Sparhawk (1713-1755), Harvard 1731.  SHG, 9:100-06.

[2]Thomas Clark (1704-1775).  John Clark, Records of the Descendants of Hugh Clark, of Watertown, Mass. 1640-1866 (Boston: Printed for the Author, 1866), 22-23, 31.

December 9, 1736

1736 December 9 (Thursday).  Last night Exceeding Cold — and to Day.  Mr. Byles[1] Lecture on Ps. 42.2.  I dined at Mr. Chauncy’s,[2] as did Mr. Benjamin Gerrish.[3]  Visited Brother Alexander.  At Eve to Cambridge.  N.B. Mrs. Suse and Sister Lydia to Boston to Day notwithstanding the Cold.


[1]Mather Byles (1707-1788), Harvard 1725, minister of Boston’s Hollis Street Church, 1732-1776.  SHG, 7:464-93.

[2]Charles Chauncy (1705-1787), Harvard 1721, minister of Boston’s First Church, 1727-1787.  SHG, 6:439-67.

[3]Benjamin Gerrish (1714-1752), Harvard 1733.  SHG, 9:297-98.

December 12, 1736

1736 December 12 (Sunday).  On Act. 26.28 and Phil. 1.21.  Fowl w. Snow etc.  Mr. Joseph Thurston dined with me.  At Eve Dr. Joshua Wheat[1] here.


[1]This is Parkman’s only reference to Joshua Wheat.  Wheat was warned out of Needham, Worcester, and Westborough.  See George Kuhn Clark, History of Needham, Massachusetts, 1711-1911… (Cambridge: Privately Printed at the University Press, 1912), 560; Franklin P. Rice, ed., Records of the Court of General Sessions of the Peace for the County of Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1731 to 1737 (Worcester: Worcester Society of Antiquity, 1882), 132, 182.

December 13, 1736

1736 December 13 (Monday).  Mr. Joslin with a Team, Neighbour Chamberlain, Neighbour Jonathan Bellows, Jonas Warrin,[1] Silas Brigham[2] with a Team, and Levi Brigham[3] came and got to the Door 23 or 24 Turns of Wood.


[1]Jonas, son of Daniel and Rebeakah Warrin, b. Nov. 16, 1717 (WVR, 100).

[2]Silas and Mindwell Brigham were admitted to the Westborough church, July 11, 1736 (WCR, 43).

[3]Levi, son of David and Mary Brigham, b. Aug. 21, 1716 (MVR, 41).

December 15, 1736

1736 December 15 (Wednesday).  Very rainy Day.  The Ground exceeding full of Water.  Mr. S. Harrington[1] brought the Blocks of the Takle from John Ferguson which he had brought from my Brother Elias of Boston, in order to hoise my Pump.


[1]When Samuel Harrington’s daughter Thankful was baptized, June 24, 1730, the church records noted that he had owned the covenant at Weston (WCR, 23-24).

December 16, 1736

1736 December 16 (Thursday).  Good Weather.  It has been So great a Thaw that the Earth is very open again.  David finished a new Box for my Books.  P.M. he wrought for Neighbour William Rogers junior.[1]  At Evening Jotham Maynard, David Batherick and Deborah Ward in a Contest.  N.B. Sent my Horse by Mr. Tainter to Waterton for Lydia Cutting.  At Night it grew very Cold.


[1]William, son of William and Mercy Rogers.

December 18, 1736

1736 December 18 (Saturday).  Exceeding Cold.  Turned my Thoughts upon the Season.  Read (or rather run through) Dr. C. Mathers Winter Meditations.[1]  Windy and Sharp Cold still.  David himself.


[1]Cotton Mather, Winter Meditations: Directions How to Employ the Leisure of the Winter for the Glory of God, Accompanied with Reflections as Well History as Theological, Not Olny upon the Circumstances of Winter, but also upon the Notable Works of God, both in Creation and Providence…. (Boston: Printed and sold by Benj. Harris, 1693).

December 21, 1736

1736 December 21 (Tuesday).  Fine Day, though somewhat windy.  Hoised the upper part of the Pump out of the Well.  The Hands were old Mr. Maynard, Mr. Joseph Green, Mr. Whipple, Brother Hicks, Ebenezer Maynard,[1] Benjamin How, with David.  The Hands were so few that it rose Slow and it hung So long upon a strain that no sooner was it out of the well than Someone Discovered the lower hook to Straiten, and as Soon as they got away from under it, the Pierce fell; a Singular Mercy of God that it was so Seasonably discovered that they were Delivered from Hurt by its falling.  Mr. Tainter and Lydia Cutting came.


[1]Ebenezer, son of David and Hannah Mainord, b. May 18, 1716 (MVR, 125).

December 22, 1736

1736 December 22 (Wednesday).  Lydia Cutting began the Care and Work of my Family.  Fine Morning, but afterwards inclement, Squawlly, Snow, [rainy?] etc.  Visited Mr. Thomlins Sick Child, and another at Mr. Jedidiah How’s.  Benjamin How, in trying to draw up the Box out of the lower piece of the Pump, which yet remained in the Well, drew out the Staple out of that Box also.

December 25, 1736

1736 December 25 (Saturday).  M [blank] Potter of Leicester (a Quaker) here.  I delivered him the works of Mr. William Dell[1] which I had borrowed some time since of Lieutenant Baker.  And I lent him five Discourses by the Author of the snake in the Grass.[2]


[1]Possibly William Dell (c. 1607-1669), Several sermons and discourses of William Dell Minister of the Gospel (London: Printed [by R. White] for [Hen. Cripps, Lod. Lloyd and] Giles Calvert, at the sign of the Black-Spread-Eagle, at the West-end of Pauls towards Ludgate, [1652 [i.e. 1651]).

[2]Charles Leslie, Five discourses by the author of The snake in the grass viz. On water baptism, episcopacy, primitive heresie of the Quakers, reflections on the Quakers, a brief account of the Socinian trinity ; to which is added a preface to the whole (London: Printed for C. Boone, W. Keblewhite, and G. Strahan, 1700).

December 27, 1736

1736 December 27 (Monday).  Benjamin How having been to Mr. Cook’s and got the Pump Boxes refitted a Number of Hands came together to help me raise the Pump again and let it down anew into the Well.  Mr. Green our Chief Hand at the Ropes, and Benjamin How at the Pump — but we were so unhappy that just when the Pump was pointed down into the Well, a [Becket?] of one of the Blocks broke and the Pump fell down by the lower Piece, broke a Chain in the Fall (which went to the Bottom) but very happily it did not so jamm against the other Piece as to fasten there.  This mis-hap broke us off for this Day — but my Neighbours appointed to come at 12 the Next Day and raise it out again and try further.  Visited Stephen Fay (who was very ill) at Evening.  Fine morn.  Cold p.m.

December 28, 1736

1736 December 28 (Tuesday).  I rode over to Mr. Russells a.m. about some Pork.  Fine morn.  Cold p.m.  P.M. the Neighbours came together again to hoise out my Pump.  We hoised it out and found that the hoop at the Bottom was beat off and gone; and the Bottom so bruised and split that it would need considerable work to fitt it again; but especially the former Hoop being gone to the Bottom of the Well and a New one to be made, no more could be done to Day.  They therefore adjourned once More.  N.B. Jemima Lee here upon a Controversie with Deborah.  Cold Season yet.