DIARY OF
MINERVA HUTCHINSON
Middle Island
1838-1842
Minerva Hutchinson
was the daughter of Benjamin Hutchinson and Betsey
(Tuthill) Hutchinson. She was born on Feb. 18, 1798. The
family homestead was across from where the Longwood
Public Library is located. This diary was copied and
edited by Richard M. Bayles. This abstract comes from the
collection of Mr. Donald Bayles.
Sunday July 8, 1838 A great number were
taken into the church, of the young both male and female.
But our family remain in a state of unbelief and doubts.
Yet I would believe if I knew what was truth or the right
way.
William Homan was drowned in July 1838.
Cousin Samuel Hutchinson and wife visits
for a day.
July, 1838. Long Spell of dry weather
prevails. Cisterns are low, cattle have to be driven away
to water and water has to be carted for family use.
Ironed and mended the clothes & swept & rubbed
candlesticks and andirons
July 26, Father planted a few hills of
potatoes. Mother picked some pole beans for the first
time. At night our rolls were brought home from the
machine (carding mill down the river) I began to spin
them. Very good rolls. I spun 28 knots.
Aug. 19, 1838 - Sunday Mr. King did not
come. I heard he was ill. Mr. Smith read a sermon in the
A.M. & Ulysses Ritch in the P.M.
Monday 20th Henry & E. Cherry &
Mitchell Petty went to mow on the meadow at south. I
washed. We had green corn (suckertash) for dinner.
Tuesday, I ironed and spun the other part
of the time.
Mrs. Martha Swezey and her sister Abigail
Stevens called. Also Mrs. Sarah Swezey.
Aug. 7, Mrs. Dunns childs funeral at the
meeting house.
We all got up early (Aug 14) in the
morning. Father & Harry killed a young hog. I got to
spinning about sunrise having had breakfast by
candlelight
Aug. 16. Sunday. No preacher. Heard that
Mr. King had got hurt by falling out of his wagon
Carded mixed wool for stocking yarn.
In the morning I carded again and spun in
the P.M.
Aug. 18, 1838- The sun was eclipsed. I
smoked a piece of glass to look at it.
Benjamin H. (Hutchinson appears to have
the Post Office in 1838.
Mrs Elizabeth Jones died about Sept. 29,
1838
Store goods were brought here by way of
vessel to Drowned Meadow. Daniel Petty Sr. died Feb. 9,
1839
Miss Ruth Overton and Wm. Overton were
married Mar. 2, 1839
Joseph Davis & Eliza Hallock married March 14, 1839
Wednesday 24th 1839 - I commenced carding cotton bats for
a red quilt for mother.
Mrs. Polly Howell died about April 28,
1839.
Mrs. Sophia Swezey died May 16th 1839, after an illness
of about 15 years.
Mrs. Susan Petty died May 25, 1839
Sunday P.M.26th- Father, Henry and myself went up in our
common wagon to carry the remains of Mrs. Petty to the
meeting house. I rode to meeting with her corpse &
went in the burying place where may shortly lie.
July 29, 1839. I picked some wool for stockings and in
the P.M. father went down to the machine & got our
mixed & white wool for stockings carded & brought
it home, but our sheared wool was not carded although it
was sent to the machine several days before.
Miss C. Bonney died about Aug. 23, 1839,
at Wm. Sidney Smiths. She was buried at sunset of that
day (Friday) in the M. I. Church burying ground and the
funeral was conducted on the Sunday following, at the
church. She was 21 years of age. Her sister and the Smith
family were mourners.
Mrs. Sarah and Martha Swezey were
frequent callers
Sylvanus Overton died suddenly Sept. 21, 1839, buried on
the 23rd. at Coram without any sermon.
A great deal of time was spent pealing
apples and peaches to dry, and neighbors came in to help
for a few hours.
On the night of the 13th of January, 1840
the steamboat Lexington was burned in the sound.
On Wednesday Eve, 15th Jan. 1840 David Crowley 2nd mate
of the steam boat Lexington arrived at Uncle Matthias
Hutchinson's after having been 48 hours on a bale of
cotton in the sound- hands and feet frozen.
Uncle Jeffrey Hutchinson called at the home.
Feb. 2. Snow storm. People went to church
in sleighs. Not any neighbor came in to see us.
Feb. 4. Very cold, Brother H. P. froze the ends of his
fingers getting wood out of snow.
Jonathan Still died Feb. 12, 1840
Mr. Andrews, Patrick Carroll, John
Carroll and C. Davis were peddlers who called
occasionally and dined or lodged.
Jeremy Randall died Mar. 20, 1840
I doubled and twisted swingle tow.
Mother made Tansy cake for supper, the first she has made
this spring. (April 16, 1840
April 17, planted early peas
Joshua Swezey Sr. married to a widow from Patchogue
Maria Edwards deranged, had watchers
April 18, Nathaniel Hudson had a lawsuit
with Smith Roe of Patchogue, at Benjamin Hutchinson's
April 28, Planted Corn
April 30th In the P.M. the stage came
along with Mr. David Crowley and he spoke with father and
Henry
Sunday May 3, a number baptized in the
P.M. Benjamin Hutchinson came along after the stage had
gone and rode to the baptism.
Benjamin T. Hutchinson married to Minerva
Overton Sunday May 17, 1840
Same afternoon Mr. And Mrs., Overton (Isaac) and daughter
called with B.T.H. and bride and had cake.
Same day stage came with G. Solomon driver.
June 4th- Aunt Polly Hutchinson called.
June 6th Samuel Bailey removed tombstones, H.P.H. helping
him. (probably the old burial plot of the Brewsters)
June 25, Had peas for dinner
July 4th Cousin Oscar and cousin Matthias Hutchinson
visit.
July 11. Blackberries ripe. Green beans for dinner
July 30. Cousin Sam Hutchinson and lady friend visited
also Nicholas.
Peggy and Margaret Hulse frequently
called.
James Dayton died Aug. 11, 1840
Mr. Backley and B. Terry peddlers also J.
Bates, peddlers were numerous and they generally put up
at this house.
Mrs. Jershua Hulse died at the home of
Mrs. Ellison at south. Sept. 7, 1840 buried at Middle
Island on the 9th.
Sept. 22, H.P. left all business to go to Patchogue to a
great Whig meeting.
Sept. 23, Father, H.P & B.H. forsook
all again to go to Patchogue to a Democratic meeting, did
not get home till the evening.
Daniel Brown died of southern fever in
Sept.
Cousin Mary and Nicholas Hutchinson call on their way to
visit their sister Julia up to her father Hammonds.
Dr. Samuel Norton died Nov. 17, 1840
Jan. 17, 1841 Uncle Rufus Tuthill is 94 years of age
today.
Jan. 23 A traveling man Eleazer Overton by name came in
and eat dinner.
Mother was afraid of my burning too much
wood to scald the geese and we had some controversy first
before the water was hot to scald the geese- O that we
could enjoy all our blessings with love and peace to
season them instead of disputings and contention for the
future.
Feb.2nd A vendue (auction) at Messrs.
Dayton's
Feb. 5 To disturb our peace Mr. John Buckingham came in
somewhat intoxicated and had some strong in a little jug
in his jacket and took up a drink more and staid till
nearly midnight. Father went along with him for fear he
would not get home safe.
Enos Cherry put out one of his own eyes
with an awl.
Feb.19, 1841 Elbert Hutchinson born.
Feb. 28, Sunday, our peace was not
disturbed by visitors
March 31, 1841 planted peas
Monday April 12th Cold and snow began to
fall increasing rapidly. It became more that a foot deep.
Snowed Tuesday morning. Mail carrier drove through on
horseback on Wednesday, and in the afternoon some sleighs
broke the road.
May 1, father went to the funeral of Mr.
Jerry King
May 20th, Austin Randall and Mary Ritch married.
May 25th Joshua Swezey's daughter Eliza Ann and a child
of Mrs. Owens died of scarlet fever on May 29th.
Amaziah Davis with his musick box called.
June 14, 1841 Mrs sarah swezey hung herself with a rope
June 25, Had peas for dinner
Aug. 8, My mind was disturbed by the
appearance of John Buckingham in our house with a jug of
rum. Mr. Japheth Smith came to visit father with his
strong drink.
Aug. 22, First watermelons of the season.
Philip Homan had a daughter Eliza.
Hiriam Overton son of Davis Overton and brother of Mrs.
Samuel Edwards married the widow of Albert Davis
(Clarissa) March 1840.
John Swezey is deranged, and his wife had
another child May 1840. Aunt Sarah is quite low in
spirits at the same time.
Mrs. Higgins was a nurse to women in childbirth
Nov. 25, 1841 Jeffrey Hutchinson (Uncle) went to
Smithtown to carry samples of his homemade sewing silk
and stockings to exhibit at the fair. Returned next day,
in company with Abel Corwin. Left some floss silk with
Minerva H. to spin
Dec. 15 Zophar petty died.
Methodist meeting house Middle Island was dedicated Dec.
22, 1841 and a series of meetings was continued in
daytime and evenings until the new year.
Jan. 7, 1842 Benjamin Hutchinson worked at the business
of making shoes.
Miss Sally Overton died Feb. 26, 1842
Whitehead Hulse came to visit us with his jug of rum.
B.T. had our horse to go to Drowned Meadow after his rum
again.
April 1842, Mrs. Isaac Hudson, being sick
was carried in a bed on a wagon to her father's house.
She died about May 22.
May 1st. Justus Overton died.
Mr. Van Brunt died, Mr. Willis died Whitney Overton died
August 12, 1842 Herman Buckingham died Aug. 20, or about
Alfred Ackerly & Angelina Dayton
married Sept. 7, 1842
Nov. 11, 1842 A stranger came and took
dinner here, who is supposed to have murdered Mr. And
Mrs. Smith at Huntington the evening before- 13th inst.
On Friday P.M. 18th he was carried to riverhead jail.
Amariah Davis married Nov. 30
Dec. 20th Methodists commenced holding meetings day and
evenings continuing nearly five weeks. Mrs. Daniel petty,
Sam Overton and daughter, Mr. E Gildersleeve, R.W. Smith
and wife, Noah Overton, Japhet Smith, Albert Terrill were
hopefully converted
John Gildersleeve and Sarepta Dayton
married Dec. 28, 1842
Joshua Swezey Sr. died Feb. 9, 1843. Funeral conducted by
Rev Ezra King on Sunday the 12th.
Monday 13th (Feb) and every day through
the week & evenings Mr. Hall & Mr. King continued
their meetings, although it was some days stormy &
quite tedious freezing weather & snow & icy but a
great many sleighs & loaded with people went days
& nights too. During the week beginning Sunday Feb.
19 they continued their meetings.
A little daughter of Daniel Hulse died, funeral at the
Pres. Church, April 2, 1843
Sally Swezey died April 3, 1843
Tuthill Swezey died April 13, 1843
Daniel Dayton (Sr.)died April 24, 1843
Mrs. Han Horn's first son born April 28, or 29, 1843
B.T.H. daughter born June 2nd 1843
Aug. 12, 1843 Wife of Simeon Ritch died, leaving two
children.
More of this diary to come- last updated
Jan. 8, 2001