Year: 1859

backed the meat five miles, which answer |
ed to subsist upon. would here re-
mark that it was my fate TO move on
my family at that memorable time called |
the scarce season. which was general
ly felt through the state, especially in |
the northern parts in the infant settle
ments: no grain or provision of any
kind, of consequence, was to be had on |
the river Lamoille. l had to 60 into
New Hampshire, sixty miles, for the lit
tie bad for my family, till harvest, and
this was so scanty pittance that we
were under the painful necessity of al
advancing the children till we had a sup
ply. The three remaining children that
I left in Hydepark, l brought one at a
time on my back on snow-shoes, as also
the whole of my goods.


I moved from Connecticut with the
expectation of having fifty acres of land
given me when I came on, but this
was disappointed of, and was under the
necessity soon after came on of selling
yoke of oxen and a horse TO buy the
land now live on, which reduced my
stock to but one COW and this l had the


misfortune to lose the next winter



That left me wholly destitute of single


hoof of a creature; of course the next
summer l had to support my family with
out COW. l would here notice that l


spent the summer before I moved, in


WolcOtt, in making preparation for
settlement, which, however, was of no
avail to me, and l lost the summer; and
to forward my intended preparation, l
brought on a yoke of oxen, and left them,


when l returned in the fall, with a man


in johnson, to keep through the winter,
on certain conditions but when I came


on in the spring, one of them was dead,


and this yoke of oxen that I put off for


my land was made of the two surviving


ones. But to proceed; in the fall I had


the good fortune to purchase another


COW; but my misfortunes still continued,
for in the June following she was killed
! by a singular accident. Again I was


left without COW, and here I was again


frustrated in my calculations. This last
COW left a fine heifer calf that in the


next fall lost by being choked. Soon
after l arrived, took two COWS TO double


in four years. I had one Of my own


besides. which died in caIging. In June
/ following, one of those taken TO double


was killed while fighting; the other was


found dead in the yard, both of whom l


had to replace. In the same spring one


of my neighbor's oxen hooked a bull of
two years old, which caused his death


soon after. Here I was left destitute


no money to buy, or article to traffic for


one; but there was a door opened. l


was informed that a merchant in Haver-


hill was buying snakeroot and sicily


This was new kind of traffic that | had


no great faith in, but I thought to i'm
prove every means or semblance ofmeans
in my power. Accordingly, with the
help of my two oldest girls, dug and


dried horse load, and carried this new
commodity to the merchant, but this was


Ike most hearsay reports of fine markets
always a little way ahead, for he knew
nothing about this strange article, and
would rot even venture to make an offer
but after long conference l importuneC
with the good merchant to give me {
three year old heifer for my roots, OF
certain conditions too tedious to mention
l drove her home. and with joy she wa
welcomed to my habitation, and it ha
been my good fortune to have a COW eve
, since. Though my faith was weak, ye
: being vigilant and persevering, 1 obtain
t ed the object, and the wilderness pro
: duced me a COW.


i When came into Wolcott my farm
D ing tools consisted Of one axe and an Al
:, old hoe. The first year l cleared abou
0 two acres, wholly without any team, an
being short of provision was obliged {
n work the chief Of the time till harves
o with scarce a suficieney to support na
0 ture. My work was chiefly by the river
0 When too faint to labor for want of fooC
d l used TO take fish from the river, bro
e It on the Goals, and eat it without brea
/ or salt, and then to my work again.
J. This was my common practice the fir;
IS year till harvest. l could not get a sir


gle potato to plant the first season, S
= scarce was this article. l then thougf
1f if could but get enough of this vaIus
Il bic production to eat / would never con
4 plain. | rarely see this article coke
y bat the thought strikes my mind
o fact to this day have a great yeneratio
d for this precious root. I planted til: