Month: December 1738

1738 December 1 (Friday).  Snowy Day.  Brother Samuel Breck went to Marlborough.  Mr. Tainter came and got up Wood for me.

1738 December 2 (Saturday).  Snow’d hard.  My wife grows more and more indispos’d.

1738 December 3 (Sunday).  Bright Day.  Mat. 9.14-17.  Ps. 119.5.  Mr. Bradish and Mr. Samuel Harrington din’d with us.  Lucy Forbush went home at Eve.

1738 December 4 (Monday).  Very Cold morning.  I rode over to Old Mr. Ward[1] and got his Daughter to come and Serve us.  Thence to Deacon Newtons and after that I went to Cambridge.  A troublesome cold Journey.  Sister Lydia[2] had been very ill but was recovering.

[1]Increase Ward, an original settler of Westborough.

[2]Lydia Champney, Parkman’s sister-in-law.

1738 December 5 (Tuesday).  Rain and cold.  Din’d at Father Champneys.  P.M. I rode to Boston.  Small Pox in Town, in several places.  Lodg’d at Brother Elias’s.[1]  N.B. Brother Samuel[2] had bargain’d for an Irish Lad of 15 years, with Captain Solomon Lombard — for £7.15, and he was lodg’d at Brother Elias’s till my Coming to Town.  The Boys Name was John Ridney, born in the county of Waterford in Ireland.

[1]Elias Parkman.

[2]Samuel Parkman of Boston.

1738 December 6 (Wednesday).  Din’d at Brother Elias’s.  P.M. at Brother Alexander’s.[1]  At Eve at Mr. Webbs[2] with Brother Elias.  My aged Mother still in a measure of Comfort.  D.G.

[1]Alexander Parkman of Boston.

[2]Reverend John Webb of Boston.

1738 December 7 (Thursday).  Mr. Checkley[1] on Amos 3.2 at public Lecture.  N.B. great Trouble occasion’d by my having an hat left me in the Pew which was not mine by (as I found the next Day) Mr. Daniel Lagg of Cambridge.  Din’d at Brother Samuels.  At Eve John consented to be bound and go up with me forthwith.  Whilst I was concern’d about the means and way of getting John up to Westborough Brother Hicks was at Brother Elias’s.  By various impediments we were hinder’d going over the Ferry till after  nine o’Clock at night, but they ferry’d over, Brother and John and my Self for 2/6. Rode to Cambridge.  Lodg’d John at the blue Anchor,[2] whilst Brother and I with our Horses were taken care of at Mr. Whittemore’s.[3]  N.B. Mr. Whittemore and wife and their sister Fisher from Boston not till after 12.  A Cold Night.

[1]Reverend Samuel Checkley (Harvard 1715), later minister of the Second Church of Boston, 1747-1768.  Sibley, VI, 74-78.

[2]An old tavern in Cambridge operated at this time by Joseph Bean.  Paige, Cambridge, pp. 225-226.

[3]Probably Deacon Samuel Whittemore of Cambridge.

1738 December 8 (Friday).  Finish’d the Indentures and binding of John.  Was at Colonel Goffs[1] for my Hatt.  At Brecks Chamber at College.  Sent John over to Father Champney’s and upon Brother Hicks’s mare I undertook my Journey home.  N.B. Colonel Fullam[2] at Mr. Woolson’s[3] Tavern.  Not home till very late and Cold and Spent.  N.B. In my absence a good Ewe (that which Mr. Ball[4] presented me at the Setting up my Flock) fell into the old House Cellar and dy’d there.

[1]Edmund Goffe (Harvard 1690) of Cambridge, onetime selectman and representative, who was commissioned colonel in 1724.  Sibley, IV, 57-60.

[2]Francis Fulham of Weston, Mass.  Bond, Watertown, p. 227.

[3]The Woolson family had operated a tavern in Watertown since 1686.  Bond, Watertown, pp. 668-669.

[4]Nathan Ball, an early settler.

1738 December 9 (Saturday).  Brother Hicks and John Ridney came up on my Horse.  A very Cold Day.  Jerusha Ward[1] went home.

[1]Daughter of Increase Ward of Westborough.

1738 December 10 (Sunday).  Ps. 119.5, and p.m.  Repeated sermon 2 on Ps. 90.9 from Ps. 39.5.

1738 December 11 (Monday).  Patience Forbush[1] tarried last night that She might Serve us two or Three Days.  Mrs. Knowlton and Mrs. Whipple to visit my wife.  Mrs. Maynard and Cousen Winchester here also.  In the Evening her Husband came.  They tarried and Supp’d with us.

[1]Daughter of Deacon Jonathan Forbush of Westborough.

1738 December 12 (Tuesday).  Snow.  Ensign Maynard.

1738 December 13 (Wednesday).  Mr. Cushing[1] made me a kind visit.  Patience went home at night.

[1]Reverend Job Cushing of Shrewsbury.

1738 December 14 (Thursday).  I rode to Marlborough, Ebenezer[1] with me, to Colonel Woods’s[2] (who was gone to Charleston) to Mr. Butlers,[3] Mr. Tainters and Dr. Gotts.  At the last place was Mr. Samuel Cook and others.  We return’d home though late.

[1]Parkman’s oldest son, now eleven years old.

[2]Benjamin Woods.

[3]Peter Butler of Marlborough.

1738 December 15 (Friday).  Abiel Allen came p.m. to serve us.  Mr. Grout at Eve to consult upon the affair of getting wood.  Snowy Night.

1738 December 16 (Saturday).  My wife has not only Swell’d greatly in her Limbs but (besides her pregnancy) in her Body, and is exceeding full of Pain.  I sent Ebenezer to Marlborough to the Doctor’s.  A warmish, thawy Day.  Wind at Sundown.

1738 December 17 (Sunday).  Rom. 8.16 occasioned in part by the growing extravagance of Velvet and scarlet among people of low Rank.  P.M. repeated sermon on Ps. 119.9.  My wife very ill.  Public Prayers for her.  At night extream full of Pain, and continued all Night.  N.B. Mr. Eliezer Bellows[1] and Granny Forbush[2] din’d with us.  Exceeding Cold Night.

[1]Eleazer Bellows came to Westborough in the 1720’s. The Westborough Vital Records record the births of three daughters and one son to Eleazer and Sarah Bellows, August 18, 1728.  [Correction: That was the date on which the children were baptized, not born.  Westborough Church Records, 15.]

[2]Widow of Deacon Thomas Forbush who died in May 1738.

1738 December 18 (Monday).  The Morning Exeeding Cold.  Dr. Gott here.  Mrs. Knowlton and Mrs. Williams here to see my wife.  She continues Swell’d and full of Pain.

1738 December 19 (Tuesday).  Mr. Grout with a Team, and Mr. Samuel Harrington with his oxen to make up another Team with my oxen and Sled, Mr. Groe,[1] Mr. Tainter, Mr. Beriah Rice,[2] Mr. Jonathan Forbush, junior, Thomas Winchester, Edwards Whipple, Ephraim Whitney,[3] Samuel Rogers, Thomas Whitney, junior.  Mr. Aaron Forbush[4] came p.m. to Cut and sled me wood from the further side of the Hill.  N.B. One Mr. Daniel Damon of Leicester, who was born near Sydmouth in old England hear with Dears Leather.  Bought a skin and a Brass-Albany-Tobacco Box of him.  Brother Samuel Breck came up from Marlborough and lodg’d here.  With him came sister Gott[5] and Mrs. Bulah Bent,[6] and after them came Captain Williams.  These latter went down to Marlborough at Eve.  N.B. Mrs. Byles and Mrs. Bruce to visit my wife and at Eve Mrs. Susanna Forbush.[7]  A very Cold Night.

[1]Samuel Grow.

[2]Son of Thomas Rice, an original settler of Westborough.  Beriah lived in Westborough until about 1742 when he removed to Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

[3]Son of Nathaniel Whitney of Westborough.

[4]Eldest son of the late Deacon Thomas Forbush.

[5]Parkman’s sister-in-law, the wife of Dr. Benjamin Gott.

[6]Beulah was the daughter of Peter Bent of Westborough.

[7]Mrs. Aaron Forbush.

1738 December 20 (Wednesday).  Very Cold and windy.  Brother Samuel rode away upon his Journey to Springfield.

1738 December 21 (Thursday).  The Cold Somewhat abated.  Sister Hicks here.

1738 December 22 (Friday).  Snow.  The Boys Sledding up the remainder of the wood which was cut on the 19.

1738 December 23 (Saturday).  Cold.  Sledding again.  N.B. My wife in much Trouble by Headach last night.

1738 December 24 (Sunday).  Rom. 8.6.  P.M. Snow.  Storm’d hard at Evening and very Cold.  N.B. very few at meeting.  My wife’s Headach extreme.

1738 December 25 (Monday).  Moderate, pleasant, bright morning.  Neighbour Oak came with a Team, neighbour Jacob Rice,[1] Jonathan Maynard,[2] John Oake and Lieutenant Holloways men came to get wood.  Fitted up our Team to go with them but after 4 Turns our sled was crush’d down.  It rain’d when they came to Dinner and the rain preval’d So as to prevent their going for any more.

[1]Son of Jacob Rice of Marlborough. Jacob and his wife were admitted to the Westborough church in Dec. 1731.

[2]Son of David Maynard.

1738 December 27 (Wednesday).  In the morning the Women Scattered away to their several Homes except Mrs. Forbush who did not leave us.  At Eve Deacon Forbush and Mr. John Pannell here.  N.B. My Two Youngest Cattle and one of my Oxen not well.  We cut off a part of the Tails.  Mr. Tainter here to mend the sled.  At night it grew exceeding Cold.

1738 December 28 (Thursday).  At about 4 in the morning Mrs. Forbush call’d me up with great earnestness to gather some women together.  It was very Cold, and I ran on foot to sister Hicks and to old Mrs. Knowlton — sent to Mrs. Maynard and rode to Mrs. Byles, all which came together by Daybreak.  We were in the Article of Distress.  About Seven o’Clock my Fourth Daughter was born.  An exceeding Small Child and great doubt whether it would continue alive.  But my wife in a good State, through the wondrous Goodness and Mercy of God.  A Cold Day.  Sent Ebenezer Maynard to Dr. Gotts, and to call Mrs. Mary Sherman[1] to Nurse.  N.B. Sear’d the Ox which continued bleeding.  N.B. Suse Cutting,[2] being married to John Rogers, as I concluded, is come up to dwell at Neighbour Rogers’s.  Nurse watch’d.

[1]Mrs. John Sherman of Marlborough.

[2]John Rogers of Westborough married Susanna Cuttin in Watertown Dec. 26, 1738.

1738 December 29 (Friday).  Mrs. Forbush carried home by Ebenezer.  N.B. Mrs. Tainter here to discourse with me upon the Offence I had manifested at her Daughters being the Introducers of Velvet whoods among young persons of low Rank in the Congregation and she in a Christian manner Submitted and ask’d forgiveness inasmuch as She had been the Author of it.  Martha Maynard[1] watch’d.

[1]Daughter of David Maynard of Marlborough.

1738 December 30 (Saturday).  My wife in great Pain.  Mrs. Maynard here.  At Evening my wife exceedingly pained under her Breasts — thought to be the Coming of her milk.  Molly Lee and the Nurse watch’d.

1738 December 31 (Sunday).  Cold, p.m. Snowy.  Concluded the Year with Rev. 20.12 and Discourse before the Baptism of my Daughter Elizabeth God hath Sworn on Mal. 3.17.  My Wife Easier to Day.  Rebecca Hicks[1] watch’d.  As I have renewed my Engagement unto God and given up my Self and mine to Him, So, on the other Hand, God himself hath Sworn that they that Fear Him Shall be His in the Day that He will make up his Jewells.  And O that We might be of that number!  And that this Dear Infant in particular may be a rich Jewell in the Cabinet of God!  In finishing the Year God enable me to have a reallizing thought of the finishing of all Things, and that Great Day of the Eternal Doom for all both Small and Great, that I may be found ready for it whenever it Shall break forth!

[1]Mrs. John Hicks, Parkman’s sister-in-law.