Friday 11 January 2013

A Farm Journal ~ from the 16th to the 31st December 1867

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby.
 
The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had three farms, One Ash Grange [which John Bayliff Bowman often referred to as O.A.], Cales and Summer Hill [which he usually referred to as S.Hill or S.H.]

JBB's Farm Journal

A Farm Journal continues :~

2 - 16 Fine & mild self to Middleton & onto B[akewell ?] with W[illia]m to Nott[ingha]m even[in]g

3 - 17 Ditto weather to Lincoln Q[uarterly] M[eeting]  small - the Freedmens aid agents address @ us after the business meeting W.F.Mitchell of America Arthur Albright of Birmingham also the freedmen are all employed at Good wages the relief is solicited to aid the widows & orphan children - 3 hogs dead of redwater - want dry food I think

4 - 18 home bo[ugh]t doG [sic] at Bakewell snow[e]d most of day gr[oun]d cov[ere]d over wind N.W

5 - 19 tied bullocks up Frost & snow

6 - 20 Ditto

7 - 21 Drizzly wet day snow mostly gone got stack in & thrash[e]d at Cales

1 - 22 Fine & mild

2 - 23 Fine frost B[akewe]ll market came by Ashford home  bo[ugh]t bull calf of Milnes 15/-

3 - 24 Dull & misty

4 - 25 Christmas Day Fine bright frosty day - very quiet day no company Alice Bonsall left us - began to give ewes & thieves corn pitting turnips in Stonepit close S.H. ploughing Ridge piece ley -

5 - 26 Ditto Ditto

6 - 27 Misty no frost

7 - 28 Fine day rather frosty morn[in]g

1 - 29 Fine

2 - 30 Fine

3 - 31 Fine frosty plough[in]g etc

The End of 1867 not so profitable as its forerunners by a good deal beef kept up pretty well till Autumn sheep very low indeed wool 30/- p[e]r [next word indecipherable] cheese 40/- to 60/- crops of corn & hay pretty good & well got good crops of turnips not made so much cheese as usual quite trade dull & things uncertain

For information on the Freedmens Aid Society click here

For information relating to Arthur Albright click here

Red Water disease is referred to here

6 comments:

  1. Confusing link to Redwater,think it only relates to USA.Uk Redwater comes in certain areas,and come from a tick sucking blood and infecting the cattle,never heard of it affecting sheep before.We had lots of sheep on the farm but never got it,only the cattle.Ann

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    1. I finally found a UK website that mentions it Ann. Go to http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/17/04/2012/125684/Protecting-your-flock-from-clostridial-diseases-and.htm and look under the heading "What are clostridial diseases?" ...

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  2. Thanks for the links. That will stop a lot of questions for you to answer. Old Man says he hasn't experienced cattle with red water, but we always ranched in semi-desert country among sagebushes, pine forests, bunch grasses and meadows. Some of the little lakes on the range were alkaline but the cattle seemed smart enough to stay away from them. I love the flowing script. It makes me want to write somebody a note with my calligraphy pen.

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    1. I needed to look into some of those things myself Karyn as I just didn't know what they were ... and it helped you and others too :-)

      Yes, JBB's script was an attractive one, much better than my scrawl.

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  3. What an amazing document, thank you for this glimpse into the past.

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    1. I'm glad you liked it Shiela ... I have four more journals which take me up to the early 20th century. Best keep it between ourselves though. I hope you see fit to dip into it again.

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