November 26
Laura M., age 15, North Carolina
November 26, 1997
Courtney left at 8:00, but came back by 10:00 with Liam and B and woke me up. Showered. Cleaned up house and rearranged my room. Got rid of papasan chair. Steven and Bryan came at 4:30. Em’s here cooking a cake. Raked. Me, Steven, Bryan went 2 Dad’s 4 dinner. They stayed a while ’cause we rented “Austin Powers.”
Marcy S., age 14, Tennessee
November 26, 1938
Slept till 10:30. George, A.B., and Helen woke me by coming to see if I could come out. Mother told them I was still asleep. Rushed around and dressed and ate breakfast. Then went out. A.B. had gone in. Nice day and a trifle warmer. Still snow on ground. Played and acted silly. George in wonderfully funny mood. About 12:00 we all had to go in. I took the curtain stretchers up to Mrs. McCarter. Came home, made beds, washed dishes and when Daddy came we ate dinner. I wasn’t feeling very good. Weak in the knees. After dinner I went over to Allan’s with a bone for Trinket. George went with me. Helen had gone some place. G. and I went up near his hedge and he was going to show me how Joe pushed me in the hedge. He fell in backwards and tore a big hole in the bottom of his pants. Funny. He slipped in and changed them. Then we played till about 3:00 when I went in, washed dishes, finished poster, and practiced. (While doing the latter a man came to the door selling rabbits. His looks scared me.) Practiced an hour. Then wrote in Diary, read funnies and about 20 till 7:00 I ate supper. Had waffles. D. and M. ate soon. Mr. Johnstone ’phoned about me joining the church. Not going to yet. M. washed the dishes. I sat in front of the fire place and read till 8:30. Then dried the dishes. Mother played the piano and Daddy sang while I did dishes and got ready for bed. Very nice. To bed.
Henry S., age 26, Michigan
November 26, 1887
I ground some India Ink this morning and studied lettering come. I am anxious to learn that in connection with my pen work. I took some letters up to the court house to have mailed this forenoon. My classes at the College were rather small today. It has both rained and snowed today, but it has thawed all the time. I have been practicing again tonight. Kate has got such a sore thumb that I am afraid she is going to have a felon on it.
*(R. Henry Scadin Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNC Asheville)
Abbie B., age 22, Kansas
November 26, 1871
Cloudy, windy, exceedingly unpleasant all day. I did not see the Roses or Springers to give them good bye— Will have to write to them. The boys got my trunk last night, but it was after nine when they came this morning, so we got a late start. I have a poor place to write, so it is impossible to give the particulars of our leaving.
The Ninnescah was easily forded. The Cowskin was bad. The driver Mr. Stafford feared we could not cross the Arkansas, but two teams ahead of us crossed, and the ice was broken, so we had no trouble. We stopped at the Harris House. It has changed in every respect, since I was here last Spring.
It is now a three dollar a day house. We had a good supper which did me much good, after our cold ride of twenty miles.
*(kansasmemory.org, Kansas State Historical Society, copy and reuse restrictions apply)
Cornelia H., age 26, North Carolina
November 26, 1862
Made Mr. Henry a flannel shirt today. I fear he can never wear it as it is so coarse & rough made of homespun goods. Very cold with wind from the North. Mr. Henry came about sun down. I was very glad to see him, so were the children. He has had a very cold day to ride in. He was at Pa’s, they are all well. Pa sent me a pair of cotton cards, also Dora. They are very acceptable these times. Dora & Matt sent the children some pinders. Pinck is very fond of them but Zona & Willie don’t like them much. Pa’s family were all well. Fowler (Ell’s husband) is in the army. I am sorry for Ell. Oh how I wish this war would end. God grant us a speedy & honorable peace is my daily prayer.
*(Fear in North Carolina: The Civil War Journals and Letters of the Henry Family, Eds. Karen L. Clinard and Richard Russell, used with permission.)
Samuel P., age 34, London
November 26, 1667
Up, all the morning at the office, and then home to dinner, where dined Mr. Clerke, solicitor, with me, to discourse about my Tangier accounts, which I would fain make up, but I have not time. After dinner, by coach as far as the Temple, and there saw a new book, in folio, of all that suffered for the King in the late times, which I will buy, it seems well writ, and then back to the Old Exchange, and there at my goldsmith’s bought a basin for my wife to give the Parson’s child, to which the other day she was godmother. It cost me; 10l. 14s. besides graving, which I do with the cypher of the name, Daniel Mills, and so home to the office, and then home to supper and hear my wife read, and then to bed.
This afternoon, after dinner, come to me Mr. Warren, and there did tell me that he come to pay his debt to me for the kindness I did him in getting his last ship out, which I must also remember was a service to the King, though I did not tell him so, as appeared by my advising with the board, and there writing to Sir W. Coventry to get the pass for the ship to go for it to Genoa. Now that which he had promised me for the courtesy was I take it 100 pieces or more, I think more, and also for the former courtesy I had done for the getting of his first ship out for this hemp he did promise me a consideration upon the return of the goods, but I never did to this day demand any thing of him, only about a month ago he told me that now his ship was come, and he would come out of my debt, but told me that whereas he did expect to have had some profit by the voyage, it had proved of loss to him, by the loss of some ships, or some accidents, I know not what, and so that he was not able to do what he intended, but told me that he would present me with sixty pieces in gold. I told him I would demand nothing of his promises, though they were much greater, nor would have thus much, but if he could afford to give me but fifty pieces, it should suffice me. So now he brought something in a paper, which since proves to be fifty pieces. But before I would take them I told him that I did not insist on anything, and therefore prayed him to consult his ability before he did part with them: and so I refused them once or twice till he did the third time offer them, and then I took them, he saying that he would present me with as many more if I would undertake to get him 500l. paid on his bills. I told him I would by no means have any promise of the kind, nor would have any kindness from him for any such service, but that I should do my utmost for nothing to do him that justice, and would endeavour to do what I could for him, and so we parted, he owning himself mightily engaged to me for my kind usage of him in accepting of so small a matter in satisfaction of all that he owed me; which I enter at large for my justification if anything of this should be hereafter enquired after.
This evening also comes to me to my closet at the Office Sir John Chichly, of his own accord, to tell me what he shall answer to the Committee, when, as he expects, he shall be examined about my Lord Sandwich; which is so little as will not hurt my Lord at all, I know. He do profess great generousness towards my Lord, and that this jealousy of my Lord’s of him is without ground, but do mightily inveigh against Sir Roger Cuttance, and would never have my Lord to carry him to sea again, as being a man that hath done my Lord more hurt than ever he can repair by his ill advice, and disobliging every body. He will by no means seem to crouch to my Lord, but says that he hath as good blood in his veins as any man, though not so good a title, but that he will do nothing to wrong or prejudice my Lord, and I hope he will not, nor I believe can; but he tells me that Sir E. Spragg and Utber are the men that have done my Lord the most wrong, and did bespatter him the most at Oxford, and that my Lord was misled to believe that all that was there said was his, which indeed it was not, and says that he did at that time complain to his father of this his misfortune. This I confess is strange to me touching these two men, but yet it may well enough as the world goes, though I wonder I confess at the latter of the two, who always professes great love to my Lord.
Sir Roger Cuttance was with me in the morning, and there gives me an account so clear about Bergen and the other business against my Lord, as I do not see what can be laid to my Lord in either, and tells me that Pen, however he now dissembles it, did on the quarter deck of my Lord’s ship, after he come on board, when my Lord did fire a gun for the ships to leave pursuing the enemy, Pen did say, before a great many, several times, that his heart did leap in his belly for joy when he heard the gun, and that it was the best thing that could be done for securing the fleet. He tells me also that Pen was the first that did move and persuade my Lord to the breaking bulke, as a thing that was now the time to do right to the commanders of the great ships, who had no opportunity of getting anything by prizes, now his Lordship might distribute to everyone something, and he himself did write down before my Lord the proportions for each man. This I am glad of, though it may be this dissembling fellow may, twenty to one, deny it.
*(The Diary of Samuel Pepys M.A. F.R.S., edited by Henry B. Wheatley F.S.A., London, George Bell & Sons York St. Covent Garden, Cambridge Deighton Bell & Co., 1893.)