Author: Anthony Vaver

1738 November 23 (Thursday).  Thanksgiving. Heb. 13.15.16.  Neighbour Joseph Green Supp’d with us.  A very Cold Day.

1738 November 24 (Friday).  Ensign Maynard and I reckon’d and settled accounts.  Deacon Newton here at Evening.

1738 November 25 (Saturday).  Cold season. Dr. Gott[1] here.  My Wife has for some time had her Limbs exceedingly swelling insomuch that she can’t well go about.

[1]Benjamin Gott, the physician of Marlborough, Parkman’s brother-in-law.

1738 November 26 (Sunday).  Sacrament.  Matth. 22.12.  Ps. 74.17.  Very cold.  3 Deacons and Neighbour Thomas Bruce din’d with us.  P.M. Snow.

1738 November 27 (Monday).  Out of wood, except very great Loggs.  Stephen Maynard at my desire brought a Load.  Town Meeting the 4th Time about a Meeting House or repairing the old one, or Dividing the Town.  N.B. 23 votes out of 47 for the first.  Mr. Tainter[1] alone my Butcher in killing the old Cow.  Weight 327, Tallow 42, Hide 50.  Sold the hide to Captain Eager for 25 Shillings.  I was at Ensign Maynards in the Eve.  N.B. Lucy Forbush came to work for us.

[1]Deacon Simon Tainter.

1738 November 28 (Tuesday).  Snow’d.  Mr. Taynter and his wife here cutting up and Salting down my Beef.  At Mr. Cornelius Cooks.[1]  Evening at Deacon Newtons.[2]

[1]The blacksmith of Westborough.

[2]Josiah Newton

1738 November 29 (Wednesday).  Mrs. Dorothy Rice[1] here.  We rode over to see sister Hicks.  We supp’d there.  Brother Samuel Breck[2] came up to see us, and tarried.

[1]Wife of Seth Rice, son of Edmund Rice, an original settler of Westborough.

[2]Parkman’s brother-in-law, the son of the late Reverend Robert Breck of Marlborough.

1738 November 30 (Thursday).  Read Andrew Marvels[1] Rehearsal transpos’d.[2]  Evening made up accounts with Mr. Hezekiah How.  N.B. Mr. Ebenezer Johnson of Southborough and others here.

[1]Andrew Marvell (1621-1678), an English poet and satirist.

[2]The Rehearsal Transpros’d, or Animadversions upon a late book intituled ‘A Preface showing what Grounds there are of Fears and Jealousies of Popery’ (1672).

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.