3-1 Clear. Fine. Pleasant. Mildish. Wife and daughter at church morning and evening. In the afternoon at 4 PM we had Religious services in our parlour present Rev. Mr. Mitchell^†, our Pastor, H.M. Graydon^‡, and his hireman and daughter. They were divined [?] especially for my comfort and instruction as I cannot get to church. They were of great entertainment and very grateful to my feelings. Mr. Mitchell and Mr. G. both made prayers of a very interesting character. Mr. M’s was peculiarly happy, plain, off handed or unworthied [?] and full of the character of earnest, sincere, heart felt prayer. Mr. Graydon’s prayer was of course not near so long as Mr. Mitchell’s but was after the shock [?] of all his prayers full of reverence and Pure thoughts, agreeably and entertainingly exhibited and expressed. Mrs. Fanny Schlalter and her little Daughter Mary some 6 yrs old, and Mrs. James Peacock came from M.S. Beatty’s about 4 ½ PM to see me. Mrs. S. in just from the South where she has been living some 15 or more years. She and her husband and family have been full-blooded rebels. Father and son and son at all event in the rebel service, but I imagine the Father was also in the character of a first class Engineer which he was, he could render them most valuable services.

Contribution to monthly concert (for wife) .20

To bed 9 ½.

† Editor's Note: Egle 340. Reverend Mitchell was ordained and installed as pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Harrisburg on November 15, 1864.

‡ Editor's Note: Egle 497. H. Murray Graydon was the son of William Graydon, who was Harrisburg’s first notary public, commissioned in 1791.

4-2 Cloudy. Soft. Mild. Paid my pew Rent in the Presbyterian church of Harrisburg for 6 mos to the 1 Oct. last for Pew 34 and gave up paid pew for Gov. Porter and family’s special accommodation and in consideration that my wife sits in the gallery with the singers and I cannot from the state of my health get to church.^† Besides, Gov. Porter could not have got any suitable location nor indulge [?] in front of the cross aisle without this voluntary concession to his venerable years ad some inaptness of hearing. $22.50

Pd. Vickel and Freide shoes Fanny $3.00

Paid Mr. S.E. Dickson for 1 qrs. Tuition for Fanny in French and English; quarter commenced 6 Sept, and ended 15 Nov.^‡ Deducted $4 for about 20 days lost by Fanny of quarter by protracted sickness.

Whole quarter $14, sickness $4 Bal. Pd. $10.00

Spent day and evening at home. Mrs. Fanny Schlatter spent evening to 9 PM (v.3 inst). To bed 9 ¼.

† Editor's Note: Egle 528. Governor Porter was inaugurated as Governor of Pennsylvania on January 15, 1839. He served seven years, the longest term allowed by Pennsylvania’s constitution.

‡ Editor's Note: Egle 367. In 1867, the average teacher’s annual salary was $57 for males and $35 for females.

5-3 Clear. Fine. Pleasant. Warm in morning. Fresh towards noon. Wife and self rode with HM [?] and Rockaway of Calder’s livery from 11am to 12 ¾ pm. Calling to do sundry errands as well as to gather health.

Received letter from W.R. Swartz, Duncannon, Dec. 2

Received letter from J. Calvin Rawn, Princeton, Dec. 3

Spent end of day and Ev. At home and to bed 9 ½.

6-4 Cloudy. Mildish. Mrs. Rawn at market and paid

Dec. 6-4 cont’d Spent day and Evening at home. Mrs. Peacock and Mrs. Schlatter returned to Phila. To bed 9 ½.

7-5 Cloudy. Chilly. Damp. Handed on by Edward Robinson .20

Public National Thanksgiving Day.^† Mrs. Rawn, myself, and Fanny were to have dined with Mary S. Beatty, wife’s sister, but my condition of health would not permit my going out and Mrs. Rawn declined to go because I could not, though I wished her and Fanny to go. Fanny dined with Lottie Duncan. I am exceedingly unwell all day nervous and weak and oppressed with shortness of breath and oppression in the chest and coughing. Spent day and Ev. At home and to bed 9 ½.

† Editor's Note: Diana Karter Appelbaum, Thanksgiving: An American Holiday, and American History (New York: Facts on File, 1984) 110,153, 163. Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed haphazardly until Lincoln’s tenure in office as President. On Thursday, December 21, 1843, Governor David Rittenhouse Porter proclaimed Thanksgiving Day for Pennsylvania. There was no Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania in 1844, but Governor Francis Shunk declared Thanksgiving Day on November 27, 1845. President Lincoln declared a National Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November 1863 and 1864. The year of Lincoln’s assassination, Andrew Johnson continued the tradition of an autumnal day of Thanksgiving by declaring Thursday, December 7, 1865, "Public National Thanksgiving Day."

8-6

Clear. Fine. Fresh. Ground hard and frozen wife says. I have not been out today except in our yard.

9-7 Clear. Fine. Hard frozen. Wife at market and paid

I spent day and evening at home and to bed 9 ½ PM.