The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware  19735

Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         Belding, E. E.                                    

Title:               Diary

Dates:             1834

Call No.:         Doc. 1140

Acc. No.:        99x36

Quantity:        1 volume [28 pages]

Location:        31 G 5

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Nothing certain is known about E. E. Belding, other than he probably lived in Vernon, Vermont. An Elijah E. Belding married Eliza Frost in Vernon, Vermont, in 1836, and this may be the same man.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

Brief account of a trip from Brattleboro, Vermont, to Buffalo, New York, apparently kept by E. E. Belding.  Along the way, Belding stopped at Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, and Niagara Falls.  He described places along the Erie Canal and commented on crops.  Belding used various conveyances in his journeys: stagecoach, steamboat, and a canal boat named "Buffalo."  Unfortunately, Belding did not include many details about his travels.  Belding tried to secure work in Buffalo, but found nothing that suited him.  Discouraged by his lack of success, and perhaps also by report of a cholera outbreak in Cincinnati, he decided to return home.  On June 1, he was in Troy with but 20¢ in his pocket.    A separate section contains notes about weather conditions.  The entry with the latest date concerns the breeding of a mare in Vernon, Vermont.  A number of names are recorded, probably people Belding met on his travels.

 

           

ORGANIZATION

 

Diary entries are not in order; rather, they are scattered throughout the book, and there are two entries for some days, located on different pages.

 

 

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

 

The materials are in English.

 

 

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

 

Collection is open to the public.  Copyright restrictions may apply.

           

 

PROVENANCE

 

Purchased from Steve Finer.

           

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

Topics:

            Men - Diaries.

            Voyages and travels.

            Erie Canal (N.Y.) - Description and travel.

            Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.) - Description and travel.

            New York (State) - Description and travel.

            Diaries.

            Weather diaries.

           

 

 

TRANSCRIPTION OF DIARY:

 

[note: some punctuation and paragraphs have been added to ease reading]

 

Written inside front cover:

Thomas S. Foster

Port Gibson, N.Y.

Ontario Coun [County]

 

E.E. Belding

            May 12th 1834

 

Memoranda of

Journey to Buffalo

& Back 1834

 

[page 1]

            1834

 

May 12th.  Started from Clares house Brattle- at half past one in the morn – and arrived at Geo. Fox house a [sic, i.e. at] six to breakfast; again we started & arrived at Preserve[?] & Rich house at half past nine a.m. with no broken bones although we came very near having them all dislocated.  Trunking[?] all the way over the new line very bad owing to the softness of the road.  Coach sometimes on one wheel & some times on the other & as often as any way which and horses between two & three feet in the mud wading along; however we arrived safe at Bennington & immediately took the stage for Troy & arrived there at 9[?] pm

[page 2]

very much fatigued,  took supper & retired.

May 13th.  In the morning [illegible] to west Troy and spent half an hour, thence back to East Troy in time to take the steam boat to Albany & immediately went aboard & found myself riding the on the mag[illegible] water of the Hudson, born [sic] along on its surface with a rapidity almost unequaled.  Raining[?] at Albany going on one hour.  Forty[?] cents for a passage for one.  After arriving went & viewed the principal part of the city & publick [sic] buildings in the city.  We went to the state house and see the court which was sitting at the time.

[page 3]

Our passengers on bord [sic] the Buffalo were a mixture of English, Irish, New Englanders, and Ny-ers [New Yorkers] all very agreeable & sociable.  Passage on board a [illegible] boat and [illegible] is ½ [?] cents per mile.

 

May 15th.  Frost enough to kill all the mandrakes & injure the fruit which had the prospect of being very abundant. 

May 16th .  But very little corn planted & a good of land that is not yet ploughed, wheat generally is very promising.

May 17th.  Arrived at Syracuse at 6/4[?; i.e. 6:15?] PM

[page 4]

& saw where they had had their great fire 2 mo [months] before, also visited the extensive salt works in that place & also had a night view of Lake Onedaga [sic, i.e. Onondaga], ½ one way & ½ the other. 

May 18th.  Sunday morning arrived at Weedsport a pretty place with two meeting houses.  Arrived at Montezuma which is just east of Seneca River & Montezuma marshes which we are passing.  I can see immense number of cattle feeding on the marshes of all colors & size.  At three arrived at the Clyde where there is a glass manufactory.

[page 5]

Arrived at Lyons at six, a very flourishing pretty place.  Arrived at Lockville at 7 pm, 3 locks.  [see additional entry for this date on p. 20]

May 19.  Arrived at Rochester at one pm.  Put up at the Munroe House, board 2 ½ a week or 50 cents a day.

May 20.  Took a walk around among the principal streets & saw where Sam Patch took his last jump.  [Sam Patch’s last jump was in Nov. 1829 at the High Falls on the Genesee River in Rochester.]  Then took the railroad car & went down to the steam boat landing 13 [?] miles from the Franklin House, fare ninepence.  [see additional entry on page 17]

[page 6]

May 21.  Took the stage at Rochester for Lewistown & arrived at Lockport at 6 pm & from thence to Lewistown and arrived there at 10 pm after a very interesting ride over the ridge road all day stayed there over night.

May 22.  Took the stage for the falls & viewed them on both sides of the river & then took the steam boat for Buffalo & arrived there the same day.  [for more about visit to Niagara Falls, see entry on p. 14-15]

May 23.  Looked around for business & had some chances but not to suit us.

May 24.  Nothing worth noticing this day only not finding business to suit us.

[page 7]

Sunday May 25.  This day concluded to return.  Cholera in Cincinnati Ohio.

May 26.  Arrived at Rochester again about 6 p.m.  Stayed until the next day 2[?] pm.  [see additional entry on p. 19]

May 27.  Nothing worth noticing.

May 28.  Passed Montezuma marsh 7 miles.

May 29.  Arrived at Syracuse at 4 pm.  Long level from there to Utica 69[?]

 

[page 8 – blank]

 

[page 9]

Vernon.  Thurs. June 19th 1834.

This day agreed to put our grey mare to a horse tended by a Mr. Bellows (called the Cock of Rock) on these conditions if she had a colt eight dollars, if not notanything [sic].

            EE Belding

 

[page 10 – blank]

 

[page 11]

Scio Allegana [sic, i.e. Alleghany] County, NY

But[?] land west 10/

 

[pages 12-13 – blank]

 

[page 14]

These few lines was wrote on May 22, 1834.  At ten o’clock am arrived at the tavern kept on the American side and immediately crossed to the British side & visited the table rock, descended the spiral staircase & went under the sheet.

These few lines was wrote on table rock about noon.

From thence we went up to the house (about 1 mile) that is kept on purpose for the reception of travelers & went on to the top & had a grand view of the surrounding scenery, from thence

[page 15]

Brocks monument 20 feet base, height 230.  We proceeded back on to the American side & took the steam boat for Buffalo at 3 pm.

 

[page 16]

When lovely woman stoops to folly

And finds to [sic] late that men betray

What charm can sooth [sic] her melancholy

What art can wash her grief away.

The only art her guilt to cover

To hide her shame from every eye

To give repentance to her lover

And wring his bosom is to die.

 

[page 17]

May 20.  Settled up with Ashly[?] at the Monroe House for board wich was 7/ & prepared to start for Lewistown at 4 o’clock next morning which is 86 miles from Rochester.  Fare in the opposition [name of boat?] one dollar & fifty cents.

The Niagara River just below the falls is 58 rods, depth of the water just below the falls is found to be 200 feet by sounding.

May 22.  This day had a peep at the Devils Hole where a detachment of French were destroyed by the English & Indians everyone except two.  [Battle of Devil’s Hole, Sept. 1763; Belding’s facts are incorrect.]

 

[page 18]

Miles I have wandered

Some twenty score & more

But never saw so grand so

Sublime a sight before.

 

[page 19]

Leonard Church of Ashfield, Mass.

L.G. Porter of Dover Ohio, Cuyahoga Coun- [County]

Edward Donnly of UC [i.e. Upper Canada?]

Richard Richardson, Rochester NY, preacher

 

May 26.  This morning help kill a black squirrel on the fence close to the ditch.

 

[page 20]

May 18th.  Sunday.  Attended divine services in the state room on board the Bufalo [sic].  Our preacher a Methodist; read in the 7 chap. of Matthew & delivered a fine discourse from first epistle of Timothy, 1 chap & 5 verse.

 

[page 21 – blank]

[page 22]

May 14.  Severe cold & cloudy with high wind.

15. [ditto marks for above report] & some snow

16. [ditto marks for report of 14th] with a good drift of snow on the ground

17.  rather more pleasant on the deck for the first time to stay[?] since we came aboard.

18. Sun. [i.e. Sunday]  Cloudy but warm & pleasant

19.  Monday warm & pleasant, birds sweetly singing

20.  Tues.  cloudy but warm and smoky[?]

21. Wensday [sic].  Warm & dusty[?] this morning, broke down the stage 5 miles from Rochester & the driver had to return to get another coach & we in the meantime had to proceed on foot to the ½ mile to a tavern to breakfast & wait.

 

[page 23]

May 22.  Clear sky, warm & pleasant.

23.  fine weather, warm & clear

24. fine & warm weather

25. fine shower in the morning, cleared up, warm, about noon started for home & D- agreed to work our passage to Troy, sick of the west, particular [sic] of the people.

26.  The sun rises with increased [?] splendor, warm & clear

27.  This day commences with clear & warm weather

28.  clear, warm weather, wind south

29. This day commences with cloudy & cold weather, moderation sets in & rains hard from 8 am

30. this day cold & cloudy

[page 24]

For the first time see corn up about 2 or three inches; clears of [sic, probably meant off], pleasant before night.

May 31st.  rather cold & cloudy, about nine it begins to rain.  See a man & boy hoeing corn.  About two o’clock arrived at Schenectady, homeward bound.  Also saw clover heads blowed out.

Sund., June 1.  Clear warm & pleasant.  Arrived at Troy this morning with but twenty cents left & don’t know what to do nor where to lay my head yet I still trust in Divine Providence knowing that he will take care of me.

June 2.  Cloudy & warm with a strong south wind & some rain.

June 3.  Very cold & clear in the morning, night rather warmer-

 

[page 25]

1834  Julia E. Buel age 18 last Jan.

Susan Lockwood 21 next Nov.

 

 

June 4. Fine, clear & warm weather

 

[page 26]

5[?]  We [?] arrived from troy at Schenectady the 15 2 am.

May 13th

 

Daniel Grider.

John Ambrose Philip Boyer.

 

[page 27]

May 17th.  Sylvia Smith of Wardsboro[?] Vt[?] going[?] to Ripley Chetoker[?] County NY [there is a Ripley in Chautauqua County, NY]

 

Manchester Vt

Julia E. Bull, St. Albans

Vt.[?] Louise[?] Passenger going to Elmira

 

James Clark St.

Albans Vt.

[illegible] Gould Jones

Vt.[?] Erving[?] White of

Lorain[?] Coun- Ohio

 

One mill in Rochester grinds daily 600 bbl or 2000 bush [bushels].  It is computed that no less than 15000 or 20000 bush- are ground daily in the City.

 

[page 28]

Charles R. Winter

St. Johnsbury Vt.

[two illegible words] Grand Caravan

 

May 17th at noon

May the 16 at 6 pm arrived at Utica

May the 16 went ashore and [illegible] a Dutch oven

May the 17.  Saw some Indians at their camp.

May the 19[?] embarked aboard P.L. Stearnbury’s[?] line[?] boat for Rochester

 

Weather 14 Tues. cold & cloudy

15 Thurs. [ditto marks for “cold &”] snowy

16 Friday [ditto marks for “cold &”] cloudy

17 Sat. – rather more pleasant, saw some men planting for the first time.

 

[inside back cover]

Passengers 1834

Sylvia Smith of Wardsboro, going to Ripley Schetoker [sic] Coun NY, age 19 next Oct.

Grand Isle 2810 inhabitants

Saw mill 150 Syracuse

[letter chart – see original diary]

sum

60 saws

C & M Morse

No. 17 Exchange St.

Susan Lockwood

Manchester Vt going

to Perry Gerose[?] County Ohio

E. W. Bond[?]

Commercial Street

Erie Building