Last week’s column dealt with the 1839-1845 diary of Norristown resident Mary Markley Boyer (1802-1858). Found by historian Nancy Roan some years ago, the diary pages are interleaved into The Lady’s Annual Register, a publication which included monthly almanac pages. Pasted opposite the almanac page for each month is her diary for that month. It is primarily a record of their gardening, housekeeping, and other items thought worthy to record.
Mary and husband, John Boyer, were relatively well to do. Her family had lived for at least three generations in Norristown, the county seat. By her accounts, her house was large; she had live in servants; entertained guests at tea; paid seamstresses to make dresses (for which she uses the English word “frocks”); and she shopped in Philadelphia on occasion-not your typical Pennsylvania Dutchman (Pennsylvania German). However, the diary shows that she and her husband continued to live, in many respects, as Pennsylvania Dutch farmers did for generations: they maintained a large and varied garden and preserved produce and fruit, butchered, pickled and smoked meats in the chimney, made sour kraut, burned fat oil lamps for illumination, and in general continued the customs of Pennsylvania Dutch husbandry despite living the town life of a comfortable social class.
Continuing with some diary selections from 1843:
Selections from January: “1st of the month sleighing/ 2nd of this month Mr. Carrol brought us a pig. It weighed 218 lb at 4$50 [per hundred pounds]/ 3rd of the month farmer Morgan came to see us we made our sausages today. They are very nice so says my dear Husband/ 4th very cold husband paid Carrol for the pig 9$50. He threw 31 cents off./ 6th the girls have gone to spend the day with Mrs. Will/ 7th of this month I paid Miss Ann Saylor all I owed her which was 2$ for making 2 dresses for me/9th of this month Miss Slemmer was married to Mr. Pomeroy of Sumneytown. Hope it will a happy marriage be/12th got 4 brooms. Pd for them 92 cents. Got them off Wright from Springtown/17th Temperance concert in the evening/19th Mrs. Stine took dinner here/ 21st got 34 lb of beef of Sands at 7 cts. Per lb it came to 2$38 cts/ 25th concert tonight again in the court house very full/ 26th dear Husband went to Philadelphia this morning came home at 11 oclock with a severe headache soaked his feet in the evening & in the morning thanks to a kind providence he was better this afternoon Miss Anna Brown with Miss Potts & Mrs. Hain took tea with us they seem to be very happy & enjoy themselves”
Selections from February:”1st of this month our society met to make clothing for poor children Met at Mrs. Beans the society seems to have encouraged many new members…/2nd took some beef out of pickle & hung it up to smoke/ 3rd do not feel well today fit to be in bed but try to keep up/ 4th baked five L bread always feel very tired baking day owning to my back being so very weak. I am thankful that I can still go about and tend to the house. There are many suffering poor in this place. Tomorrow is our communion day perhaps it is the last time I shall partake it –?-the Lord will forgive my sins”
Selections from March: 1st of the month snow. Took my tongues out of pickle and hung them up to smoke/ 8th pd. Jane –?-50 cents to make my frock/ 11th of this month is my husband’s birthday I truly hope he may live to see more and that he may enjoy good health and happiness he is 53 years I hope the Lord will bless him/ 13th of the month Bolton brought home our meat from the smoke I pd. 20 cts that is all pd for now/ 15th dug our little cabbage bed today ready to sow on the 17th/ 16th a dreadful snow storm will not get to sow my cabbage seed tomorrow it is very cold. [ March 17th was St Gertnaut’s (Gertrude’s) Day, the day cabbage seed was sown. Gardening practice went by the calendar and almanac.]/ 17th very cold a great deal of snow/ 24th it is very cold I really do think that this is uncommon weather I note it down for a curiosity/ 29th clean our parlor/ 30th clean our kitchen/ 31st sowed our cabbage seed”
Selections from April: “2nd of this month I pd my subscription for the Sunday School 50 cts/ 3rd of this month Jacob Adle trimmed our raspberries and grape vines/ 4th got some manure hauled into the garden/ 12 Kauffman dug garden pd him 75 cts for a days work/ 13th pd. Jacob Adle 50 cts for trimming & grafting/ 15th paid Jacob Ba-?- the outrageous price for –?-in front round the trees and mending our furnace[?] $2 for three hours work the same day. pd Jacob Adle for planting trees in the church yard 37 cts/ 22nd Jacob Adle brought us some shad 25, husband paid him 3$/ 24th sister Hetty and I went to the city and came home very tired so much so that I shall never go on a shopping expedition again I cannot tell you how bad I feel my back is very weak I hope I will never attempt to go to the city now remember don’t go or as I deserve to suffer/ 29th pd. Kauffman 75 cts for digging in the garden.”
Selections from May: “1st of the month is our working day I was not able to work had to get E. Robinson in my place gave her 35 cents for the day/ 3rd of the month Cauffman dug a half day pd him 37 cts Planted our Peas and Beets I am better today/ 8th cleaned my dear Husband’s closet in his room/ 9th got a pair of shoes from Mr. Rettew pd him 1$12 cts/ 10th cleaned our cellar today/ 11th cleaned our pantry and scoured/ 18th Polly Burk & Mr. Morton cleaning house for us pd them each 62 cts to much/ 16th Cauffman finished our garden/ 31st of this month I put up my eggs in lime water.”
To be continued next weekThe Historian is produced by the New Hanover Historical Society. Call Robert Wood at 610-326-4165 with comments.
