Year: 1864

trOuuen DY SuoW-shoes as U Ucar up tne


children. Esq Taylor, who with his


wife and two small children, who moved


on with me, had gone on the day before.


We were the first families in Wocott; in


Hyde Park there had two families win


tered the year before. To the east of us


it was eighteen miles to inhabitants, and


and no road but marked trees to the south


about 20, where there was infant settle


ments, but no communication with US


and to the north, it was almost indefinite


or to the regions of Canada. ""


81 had now got to the end Of my


journey, and | may say almost to the end


of my property, for had not a mouthful


of meat or kernel of grain for my fami-


ly, nor had | cent of money to buy


with, or property that l could apply to


that purpose. | however had the good


luck to catch saple. The skin carried


fifty miles, and exchanged for half bush


el of wheat, and backed it home We


had now lived three weeks without bread,


though in the time had bought moose


of an Indian, which paid for by selling


the shirt off my back, and backed the
meat five miles, which answered to SUBJ


sist upon. | would here remark that it


was my fate to move on my family at that


memorable time called the scarce season,


which was generally felt through the


state, especially in the northern parts in


the infant settlements; no grain or pro-


vision of any kind, of consequence, was


to be had on the river Lamoile. had


to 60 into New Hampshire, sixty miles,


for the little had for my family, till


harvest. and this was so scanty pittance


that we were under the painful necessity


of allowancing the children till we had


a supply. The three remaining children


that left>in Hyde Park, brought one
at time on my back on snow.shoes as
also the whole Of my goods. ..
l moved from Connecticut with the ex-
pectation of having fifty acres of land
given me when / came on, but this was
: disappointed of, and was under the nee
essity soon after | came on of selling a
yoke of oxen and horse to buy the land
now live on, which reduced my stock to
but one COW; and this had the misfor.
! tune to lose the next winter. That left
me wholly destitute of single hoof of a
creature: of course the second summer
had to support my family without cow
! would here notice that spent the SUN.
t mer before | moved, in Wolcott, il
. making preparation for settlement, which
e however, was Of no avail to me, and
g lost the summer; and to forward my in
e tended preparation, | brought on yoke


of oxen, and left them, when returned
| in the fall with a man in Johnson, tt
D keep through the winter, on certain con.
, dtions but when | came on in the
t spring, one of them was dead, and this
, yoke of oxen that put off for my land
9 was made of the two surviving ones. But
{. to proceed. in the fall had the good for.
J. tune to purchase another COW but my
0 misfortuncs still continued, for in thu
: June following she was killed by sin
: gular accident. Again l was left with
l out COW, and here was again frustrat
q cd in my calculations this last COW lef
: a fine heifer calf that in the next fall
r lost by being choked. Soon after ar
{ rived, took two cows to double in foul
e years. | had one of my own besides
0 which died in calving In June follow
n ing, one Of those taken to double, wal
r killed while fighting; the other wal
b found dead in the yard; both of which
0 had to replace. In the same spring, ont
t Of my neighbor's oxen hooked a bull o
L two years old, which caused his deatl
e sson after. Here was left destitute
e 10 money to buy, or article to traffic fo
% one but there was door opened.


x was informed that merchant in Haver
n hill was buying snakc-root and sicily
l. This was a new kind of traffic that hat
0, no great faith in; but l thought to i'm
. prove every means or semblancv Of mean
K in my power. Accordingly, with th