Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 26-28, 1849

[Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 26-June 28, 1849, near Weverton, Maryland. Age: eleven. Additional paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.

Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source.]    

June 26. This morning after father went up to the Ferry, promising to come back a little earlier than usual and join us at Mrs. Cushion[‘]s. After breakfast I cleaned up the house. I wrote my journal got my French lesson, and said it and my history, and sewed some before dinner. [D]irectly after dinner we dressed and soon were on our way. Soon after our arrival Mrs. Cushion & Miss Mary took us up stairs to show mother a quilt that she wanted laid off to quilt: mother said that she would do it. Mrs. Cushion also showed us her quilts and home made bed covers. She had more than

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any body that I ever saw.  A little while before supper father came and soon after we ate supper, after which we looked at the garden. We sat out in the yard chatting, a little while and then walked home.

June 27.  This morning, father went down to Weverton to bring up his painting materials and as he wanted some help he took me with him. When we got down there, we found that they had not eaten breakfast ar Mr. Wever[‘]s; I did not sit down to the table, though they wanted me to do so, but Mrs. Wever gave me a nice saucer of raspberries and milk. Father got to reading and I walked into the garden and looked at the flowers: in about half an hour we started home, and had a very warm walk. Arrived at home father began painting Aunt Estelle’s portrait; and I, sewing a bonnet for Lucy who was very busy, and had to go to the harvest field in the evening, it kept me busy until evening and then I carried it to her: she then showed Willie and me where to get raspberries and helped us to gather: we got a quart and had them for supper.

June 28. Well, I think that a journal is a very silly thing, unless the person is travelling in a foreign country, for then, if well written, it would be interesting to those who had never been in foreign parts. However, on the 28^th of June 1849 I was not well; I had a dull headache, and a sort of weakness, produced by the warm weather: after cleaning up, and writing my journal I laid down and tried to go to sleep, but soon got up again on hearing Mrs. Cushion come in at the gate.

I forgot to tell you that mother had taken Mrs. Cushion[‘]s quilt home with her to lay off; but one square was not sewed in and Mrs. B came over this morning to sew it in. Sue had not been here long when I went up stairs and lay down again. This time I went to sleep and slept till after dinner. After I waked Willie and I made a little mat of plantain leaves stalks and then I read some to mother.

Late in the evening I made up the fire swept up and set the table, and as usual ate my supper out on the grass. The oleander . . . almost open, so is La Pactale and Madame Brousanout.

[Mary Louisa Michel (1838-1930).
Mother = Jane Mary Johnston Mitchell/Michel (1811-1892).
Father = Harvey Mitchell/Michel (1799-1866).
Willie = William Manning Mitchel/Michel (1839-1908).
Sue = Sue Henry Mitchell/Michel (1845-1940).
Lucy = enslaved servant.
Mr. and Mrs. Wever = either Caspar Willis Wever (1786-1861) and his wife, Jane Catherine Dunlop Wever (?-1859), or closely related family members. 

Uncle Edward = Edward William Johnston (1799-1867).

Aunt Estelle = Marie Antoinette Estelle Costar (De Cressac Villagrand) Johnston (circa. 1802-1848).

Weverton and Knoxville were located on the Baltimore & Ohio rail and Chesapeake & Ohio canal lines, just north of the Potomac River and the Virginia boundary line.]

Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 23-25, 1849

[Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 23-June 25, 1849, near Weverton, Maryland. Age: eleven. Additional paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.

Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source.]    

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June 23. Oh me! Another hot day; I felt so badly that I did not eat any breakfast, but while the others were eating I went upstairs and made up my bed. While doing so, I thought that I would put a mattress on Willie’s straw bed as he then would sleep better. Accordingly I did so and found it so nice that I concluded to sleep on it myself and give Willie my large bed.

After breakfast was over I sat down to my sewing but between playing with the children, and keeping myself cool, I did not sew much. After eating a little dinner I read to mother some of Hood’s* poems that uncle Edward had left for us to read. In about an hour I took up my needle again but had not sewed long before father came home telling us that Mrs. Wever was coming up to see Mother after a little while accompanied by Mrs. Stuart (the wife of the gentleman who keeps the Weverton hotel). So we began to clean up the house

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after which I dressed myself, not without the silent wish, however, that they would come when clothes were not so oppressive. Well, we were all dressed, and every thing ready, when we saw a large black cloud coming from the west, and we thought that it would certainly rain; however, in the course of half an hour, the cloud went over entirely on the Virginia side, showing as mother said “good taste.”

At last, after waiting a long time, we gave them out, and had supper: we had just finished, when we saw them coming. Was not that provoking? But they had been to tea, and after sitting a little while they went out to look at the flowers. They were charmed with the flowers, especially the arbutilon [abutilon (flowering maple) – or arboretum]. There was on lady whom we did not know was coming, a Mrs. Lockridge who seemed to be very fond of flowers. She almost went into fits over the arbutilon [abutilon (flowering maple) – or arboretum]. After looking at the flowers they went in the house and mother showed them uncle[‘]s pretty end min[i]ature: soon after they took their departure for home, I for bed.

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June 24. [Sunday – blank.]

June 25  It having rained the preceding day, the air was quite cool. I did not get up very early, and consequently, did not enjoy the morning air very much, but still, from breakfast time to about ten, it was very pleasant. Soon after breakfast, father went up to the (Salines I was going to say) Ferry promising that if he could find any that he would get me some.

Soon after Mrs. Cushion came, and she and another went down to see Mrs. Alexander, They did not stay very long and Mrs. Cushion would not stay here any time. She invited us all to come and spend the evening of the next day not a Charleston evening though.

[J]ust before dinner Mrs. Norris came in and took some peas and rice with us. After dinner I got some sand and ashes made up the fire and put some on some willow to burn for charcoal for father. Lucy told us before dinner (she had been down to Knoxville during the morning) that she would have to go out to harvest as she had promised to go last year and though she now did not want to go that the gentleman

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would not let her off. She went down to Knoxville in the evening to get a little girl to stay here while she was gone. I sewed until father came home; I then fixed the supper things and made the tea while Lucy got supper as father was very hungry; we children ate our supper on the grass; soon after we went to bed.

[Mary Louisa Michel (1838-1930).
Mother = Jane Mary Johnston Mitchell/Michel (1811-1892).
Father = Harvey Mitchell/Michel (1799-1866).
Willie = William Manning Mitchel/Michel (1839-1908).
Sue = Sue Henry Mitchell/Michel (1845-1940).
Lucy = enslaved servant.
Mr. and Mrs. Wever = either Caspar Willis Wever (1786-1861) and his wife, Jane Catherine Dunlop Wever (?-1859), or closely related family members. 

Uncle Edward = Edward William Johnston (1799-1867).
*Thomas Hood (1799-1845).

Weverton and Knoxville were located on the Baltimore & Ohio rail and Chesapeake & Ohio canal lines, just north of the Potomac River and the Virginia boundary line.

Sketch map: Maryland Historical Trust, "Knoxville Historic District" (1991).] 

Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 16-22, 1849

[Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 16-June 22, 1849, near Weverton, Maryland. Age: eleven. Additional paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.

Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source.]    

[June] 16^th. This morning father and I walked down to Weverton. The cars came very early, and – uncle Edward was in them. After uncle had rested at Mr. Wever’s a little while, we walked briskly home. After dinner, uncle[‘]s trunk came, and a carpet bag, out of which he pulled two of the most beautiful books that I ever saw; nothing but songs in them, and on every leaf a picture. We read, looked at pictures and laughed and talked the rest of the evening.

17th. [Blank - Sunday.]

18^th. Nothing remarkable happened this day, except that all the evening uncle Edward was trying to get a horse and barouche to go in up to the Ferry but could not. This evening we ate super out in the porch which was very pleasant indeed.

June 19^th. They spoke of going up to the Ferry on foot, but afterwards gave it out. Father went down to Mr. Wever’s. Uncle Edward wrote some this morning, and I – trifled. After dinner I drew, and sewed a little rather late in the evening. I carried out a cloak for uncle to recline on under the shade of the stone wall: when he was fixed I brought out a little piece [piece] of writing that I had to so and sat down by him; after I had done my writing, I read a little, after which, father coming home I fixed the waiter, and soon had supper. After supper I washed father’s head and went to bed.

June 20^th. All of us thought this morning that uncle Edward was going up to the Ferry, and consequently were much surprised when soon after breakfast, he jumped up and said that he must go – not to the Ferry, but home.

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[A]ll persuasion was in vain, and about eleven he departed.

After dinner, it was very warm; father laid down and as usual I put him to sleep by scratching his head and ears; when he got to sleep I kept the flies off of him for about half an hour, and then, covering his face with a mosquitoe [mosquito] bar I went out and whitewashed the hen house.

It was so warm that we could not stay in the house and so hot that we could not stay out of doors except in the shade; so mother gave us some bread and preserves and we went up in the woods and on a flat rock in the shade made a nice little feast.  After we had finished eating we played about for a long time and made a little swing: after a little while we saw a nice slender sapling, or rather, between a sapling and a tree, and as father said that we might ride on saplings, Willie soon bent it down and rode a good while; he said that it rode very nice so he got down and held it for me: I had hardly gotten on when the sapling broke right in two. [W]e were very much scared at first thinking that whoever owned the land would be angry with us; and soon after to our great dismay we

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saw a strange man come riding towards us; however, to our great relief, he only looked at us. Soon after we went home and out the inscription on my hen’s grave again: after which I fixed for supper took a little walk, supped and went to bed.

June 21^st. This morning early, father went to the Ferry. I had hardly finished cleaning up the house, before it became intensely hot. Father had left me Mrs. Vonnewag’s miniature to copy, and as soon as I had written my journal, I sat down to do it: I soon found however that was not so easy as I had imagined the miniature was a dauguerretype [daguerreotype], and if I turned it one way it would glaze or another and it would be crossed by the cheeks of my apron.  And thus the day was spent in persecuting the poor lady’s likeness and keeping myself cool. 

Towards evening it became cooler, (that is after sun set) and we walked out to meet father; we met him near the mouth of Mr. Eccle’s the dragoon’s lane and as we returned father got a few cherries off a tree that stood near the road. When we got back home

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we found supper ready; we children found ate our supper out of doors on the grass, reclining after the manner of the ancients. After cleaning up the things; I bathed and went to bed.

June 22. Another hot day the sun blazing down and scorching up every thing. The heat made me night sick. I only drank a little tea for my breakfast; I did not do any thing the whole morning but clean up the house, write my journal, and towards noon make made a pudding, and some cornbread and put on the rice, as Lucy was busy ironing. 

After dinner I sewed some: father was sitting in mother[‘]s room by the open end window, and I went in there with my sewing to talk to him: after a while we saw a shoe coming down by a string it came from the upstairs window and was let down by Willie who asked us to send him up something and so we did and he sent something back, and we went on that way for half an hour; one of the things that father sent up was quid of tobacco wrapped up and tied

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in a hand knot; Willie sent back a piece of paper rolled up with a pin so as to stick in you when opened.

After a while, father went out in the porch, and but it is necessary here to tell you that as it was very hot, I was in elegant dishabille, that is with only a sack and under frock on; well as I was saying, father was out in the porch, when, who should walk in but Mr. Patrick Wever. I shut the door and let down the curtain and as he went down to Mr. Alexander[‘]s cherry tree I slipped up stairs and put on my frock. He did not stay long and on taking his leave said that I must come down the next day and see Virginia. I did not promise.

Soon after we had supper, and shut up Emily: while washing up the things, I told Lucy and Willie a tale: soon after she went home, and I went to bed.

[Mary Louisa Michel (1838-1930).
Mother = Jane Mary Johnston Mitchell/Michel (1811-1892).
Father = Harvey Mitchell/Michel (1799-1866).
Willie = William Manning Mitchel/Michel (1839-1908).
Sue = Sue Henry Mitchell/Michel (1845-1940).
Lucy = enslaved servant.
Mr. and Mrs. Wever = either Caspar Willis Wever (1786-1861) and his wife, Jane Catherine Dunlop Wever (?-1859), or closely related family members. 

Patrick Wever (1827-1909) subsequently became a doctor. 
Uncle Edward = Edward William Johnston (1799-1867).

Weverton and Knoxville were located on the Baltimore & Ohio rail and Chesapeake & Ohio canal lines, just north of the Potomac River and the Virginia boundary line.

Illustration of barouche from Henry William Herbert, Hints to Horse-Keepers, a Complete Manual for Horsemen . . . N.Y.: C.M. Saxton, Publisher, 1863, page 378.] 

Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 11-15, 1849

[Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 11-June 15, 1849, near Weverton, Maryland. Age: eleven. Additional paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.

Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source.]    

June 12. This morning, on getting up, we found that the setting hens, Ellen and Emily had been disturbed during the night: all of Ellen’s eggs except two were gone, and two of Emily’s: a great many of Ellen’s feathers were picked out and strewed from the nest down to the garden. Ellen does not fight, but Emily does, so mother put

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Emily on the remaining eggs and fixed the next better, directing us to go at night and stop it up. 

Mother was very unwell today; she had a bad cold and pain in her head and face. 

While we were eating our dinner Mrs. Norris’s old hen and chickens came into the garden, and Willie and I instantly sallied forth, each armed with a long bean pole, to wreak vengeance on the destroyer of our garden. 

After that I said the next of my lessons, and then work in hand went out into the kitchen and told Lucy some marvelous tales. About five o’clock I went in the house and drew some, after which I went out and sewed until [until] father came home. I finished the little wheel-barrow thus evening, and two or three minutes after Willie broke it. After supper I got three of my lessons and went to bed.

June 13^th. This morning I rose right early, and swept up the dining room, set the table, read a page or two in natural philosophy and sewed some before breakfast; directly after which, father and Willie started, father to the Ferry, and Willie to Mrs. Rinehart’s to get some molasses. I cleaned up and was writing when Willie came back: he had two sorts 

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of molasses, syrup and sugar-house.  Mother was out in the garden the whole morning, and therefore not being able to say my lessons I finished making a green calico sunbonnet for myself. 

We had some syrup for dinner; it tastes exactly like the home made molasses that is made out of the juice of the sugar tree. 

After dinner I worked in the garden a good while, and had just gone in to my drawing, when Mrs. Norris, Mrs. Alexander and her frisky little boy [came by]; they stayed a good while, after they were gone I painted a little egg-shell basket the design was this the first letters of uncle Edward’s name, E. W. J. were painted in brown, and a grape vine with bunches of grapes twined around. 

When father came home I set the table, and then Willie and I went up on the hill to swing in a grape vine that we saw up there a few days ago; taking a knife to cut away another vine that prevented it from swinging well. [W]e soon cut one vine away and then swung a good while, and then galloped down home and ate our supper, and soon after went to bed.

June 14^th. This morning, father said that he was not going to the Ferry, but would go down to Knoxville, and catch some fish. Soon

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after he started, Mother (whose eyes were so sore that she could not sew) Willie, and Lucy, went down to Knoxville, to get some little things; leaving Sue and me to keep the chickens off the garden. After they were gone, I fixed up the room and put on a clean dress in case aunt uncle E would should come: I then sat down near the door so that I would know when the chickens came near the flowers, and mended a pair of my stockings, and hemmed a cloth to go over the tea things to keep the flies off. 

As I was done sewing, I painted a little book mark for mother. Mother and father came home about twelve, but no uncle Edward. After dinner I said my lessons, and put the whiting on the silver; we did not have very early supper and soon after we went to bed.  

June 15^th. This morning father went down to Knoxville to try his luck again at fishing. Soon after his departure, the house was all turned upside down, Lucy was scouring, mother was up stairs waging war against

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the spider webs and dirt, and I was in the porch cleaning the silver.  Willie had gone with father, and as Sue had no one to play with she pestered us very much. In about two hours the house was somewhat straight and I then sat down and wrote my journal, and what is more, I did it very badly; which was owing to the fact that I was not well. We waited dinner for an hour for uncle Edward who we expected would come on the cars, and come up with father, who was going to wait till the cars came.

Two, three o’clock came, but still no father nor even Willie. Being yet unwell I only ate a piece of light bread for my dinner, though I wanted very much to go down to Weverton, but could not as I had no one to go with me. When I got as far as Mrs. Kirkhart’s I met Mr. Patrick Wever, who said that he would stop at our house [in] a few moments. Just as I got nearly to Mrs. C. I saw a great many cows: now, I am very much afraid of cows, and there was one cow among these exactly like a cow that chased me about one year ago; so between the fear of cows and the fear of rain, I went home again.     

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When I got back home I found Mr. Wever there, and as mother and he said that it was not going to rain, I walked with him down to Weverton, which walk did me a great deal of good. When we arrived at Mr. Wever’s I found that the cars had not gone by until [until] just a little while before, having been delayed, I suppose, by some accident.

Father started right off, (fearing that it would rain) and walked me [at] the top of his speed home and it was very well that he did for we had not been at home one minute before it began to rain; the bed steads came this evening, and after early supper, I had the luxury of sleeping on one. Sue slept with me.

[Mary Louisa Michel (1838-1930).
Mother = Jane Mary Johnston Mitchell/Michel (1811-1892).
Father = Harvey Mitchell/Michel (1799-1866).
Willie = William Manning Mitchel/Michel (1839-1908).
Sue = Sue Henry Mitchell/Michel (1845-1940).
Lucy = enslaved servant.
Mr. and Mrs. Wever = either Caspar Willis Wever (1786-1861) and his wife, Jane Catherine Dunlop Wever (?-1859), or closely related family members. 

Patrick Wever (1827-1909) subsequently became a doctor. 
Uncle Edward = Edward William Johnston (1799-1867).
Weverton and Knoxville were located on the Baltimore & Ohio rail and Chespaeake & Ohio canal lines, just north of the Potomac River and the Virginia boundary line.] 

Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 8-11, 1849

[Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 8-June 11, 1849, near Weverton, Maryland. Age: eleven. Additional paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.

Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source.]                   

June 8. This morning directly after breakfast, my loved parents set out for Weverton. They wished to look at some bedsteads, and took Willie along to comeback with mother, as she intended returning in an hour or so. I soon cleaned up the house and was writing my journal, when, who should make his appearance but Willie alone, bringing me word to dress Sue and myself, and go down to Mr. Wever’s to spend the day; we were soon ready, and Lucy went half the way and carried Sue; as soon as we got there Sue and Willie went down to the branch to play; and I, with 

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Mrs. Wever’s permission, got me a very interesting book. About eleven Mr. Wever came home, carrying his water-level and, putting it down in the porch, called is to look through the telescope, which was an excellent one, bringing a field that we just could see with our naked eye, so close that we could count the panels in the fence.

He brought us a letter from uncle Edward; we found that it pertained to good news, that uncle E. while in the market yesterday, came right up on uncle Robert Michel, and surely if he is that near, he will come up and see us; uncle Edward is coming up the last of next week, is not that good news, but besides all this, uncle Edward is going to Paris in three months!

After dinner some ladies came in, and, the evening until early tea, was spent, by them, in laughing, talking, and walking, and by one, in reading . . . we had some excellent strawberries for supper, directly after which we started home; good luck seemed to follow us, for we had just got out of the gate, when a wagon came by going up our way, and with the driver’s consent, father put us children in and we

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Had a very nice ride home; after taking a little turn in the garden, we went to bed.

June 9. This morning, soon after breakfast, mother sent me down to Mrs. Kirkhart’s to beg some horse radish and garlic, directing me to go, if I could not get any there, to Mrs. Cushion’s; Mrs. K. gave me some horse radish but said that she had no garlic; thinking that perhaps Mrs. C. had some, I went up there: she had no garlic;  but she said that she could give mother as much horse radish as she wanted. She gave me  large bunch of flowers, and what was prettier than all, a rose colored cactus; when I got home, I found Mrs. Pier there, who admired my flowers very much. I made a beautiful flowerpot out of my flowers, and had a good many left that I gave to Lucy, who made a flower pot out of them and set them on the kitchen shelf.

Soon after father and Mr. Pier went up to the Ferry, and mother, Willie, Sue and I went down in Mr. Eccles’ field and got a large basket of walnut leaves to make bay sauce; mother soon made her sauce; soon after we went up on the hill

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and set Ellen the black hen. After dinner I went up stairs and did my Saturday’s work; after which I read “Stephen’s Arabia Petraea” that Mrs. Wever lent me. About five o’clock father came home in the rain for it was raining and soon after we had supper and went to bed, not however without taking our usual bath.

June 10. [Sunday -- blank.]

June 11, This morning, as usual, father went up to the Ferry, and mother soon after he started went out in the garden and worked for about two hours, setting out cabbages and beets; while she was this engaged, I finished cleaning up and went up stairs and got my lessons; when mother came in she was very tired, and laid down a little while; I said  my French lesson, which was very long,, and just as I finished, mother fell to sleep; when she awoke we had dinner: after which I said my history lesson and sat down to my sewing; but the cloth was stiff and I did not feel well: so I made poor progress; after sewing about an hour and a half I ran about a little and commenced a little wheel=barrow to carry stones in

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to build our house. Supper was nearly ready and father had come home, when we saw a horse come galloping along, a saddle on and his bridle hanging over his neck going up the road, mother, Willie, and myself started down the road immediately (father being too tired) thinking that the horse must have thrown some body; when we got to uncle Duckett[']s, Horatio was standing out there, he said he knew that it was Cap. Claggett’s horse; mother sent Willie on to the top of the next hill, but he soon came back saying that he could see nobody; soon after we saw some ladies and gentlemen riding, coming towards us and knew that if any body had been hurt they would have seen him, and we went back home. Soon after we had supper and went to bed.

[Mary Louisa Michel (1838-1930).
Mother = Jane Mary Johnston Mitchell/Michel (1811-1892).
Father = Harvey Mitchell/Michel (1799-1866).
Willie = William Manning Mitchel/Michel (1839-1908).
Sue = Sue Henry Mitchell/Michel (1845-1940).
Lucy = enslaved servant. 
Mr. and Mrs. Wever = either Caspar Willis Wever (1786-1861) and his wife, Jane Catherine Dunlop Wever (?-1859), or closely related family members. 
Uncle Edward = Edward William Johnston (1799-1867).
Uncle Robert Michel = Robert Crump Mitchell (1807-1872).
Weverton and Knoxville were located on the Baltimore & Ohio rail and Chespaeake & Ohio canal lines, just north of the Potomac River and the Virginia boundary line.] 

Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 4-7, 1849

Closeup, Map of Frederick County, Maryland (1858), Library of Congress*

[Mary Louisa Michel Journal, June 4- June 7, 1849, near Weverton, Maryland. Age: eleven. Additional paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.

Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source.]                   

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As mother was lying down, Sue and I laid down by her side and were soon asleep; I do not know how long I slept, but when I awoke, I found that mother had gotten up; and as Sue was very hot and pestered by the flies, I laid there a good while fanning her; after a while, I got up and swept up the dining room and set the table, as mother wanted early supper. It being then very cool and pleasant, mother, Sue, and I (Willie having gone down to Weverton) set off to meet father; we expected that we would meet him soon, but we kept going on, without seeing him, and had turned back and got nearly home, when he overtook us: as soon as we got home, we had supper, and after chatting a while, we went to bed.

June 5. This morning, directly after breakfast, father went up to the ferry, and I was to have accompanied him, but mother said that as we had nothing to carry with us to

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eat, that I had better wait and make some cakes and pies, and go the next day. After cleaning up the house I sat down at the window upstairs and darned and fixed my muslin apron, for Lucy to wash it: as soon as I was done, I helped Willie to catch his hen; soon after, mother called me, she was up on the hill, and wanted me to come and see a sweet=brier bush that she had found; we children went up there and thought that it would be a good place to build a playhouse, so we went to work, and laid some old plank down for a floor, and fixed a little arbor; we were then called to dinner, directly after which I made some sweet=cakes and while baking them, cracked a loaf of sugar. Soon after, mother went down to Knoxville with Willie; and did not return untill [until] father (who had returned) had

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nearly done his supper; after which we went to bed: I forgot to tell you that I made Sue a pair of gloves while mother was gone.

June 6. This morning early, Father, Willie and myself started for the Ferry; the weather was cool and pleasant, and we trudged merrily along, Willie carrying a basket containing our dinner, and I a pencil and a little roll of drawing paper: we went straight to Mr. W.['s] shop it is three stories high; the lower one is to work iron in, the second for wood work, and the third is Mrs. W.['s] own.

After a while, father, kind father, took us to the cotton factory, which amused us very much. The rest of the morning was spent in drawing a pretty piece of machinery, scratching father’s head and scanning[?] the newspaper.

About dinner time, father took us to see the iron foundry, as we had never seen one; after looking at every thing we went back to the shop and ate our dinner, after which Willie and I amused ourselves on the canal, about three o’clock father and we started home and went by Mrs. Coons['] and got some little thing for mother; we

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also stopped at Mrs. Carrel[‘]s Hotel and got a glass of water: Father stopped at the Post Office and found two letters: and, glad news: one was for me: it was from Ellen Patrick, and gave me all the news from Charleston.

When we got to Mrs. Wever[']s, we stopped and rested and got a cool drink; Mr, and Mrs. Wever were just going out to a party: when we got about half way up the hill we sat down and rested, and read newspapers for half an hour: when we got home it was still early, but we soon had supper, after which I went up to Mrs. Norris’s and got some beautiful roses: soon after we went to bed.

June 7. This morning, much to our disappointment it was raining, much to our disappointment I saw, for we were invited to Mr. Wever’s to eat strawberries, this very evening, and loving strawberries very much, we anticipated much happiness, and still thought this morning that it would dry off before evening: after cleaning up, I soon got my lessons and said them, and at the usual tie had dinner: soon after I sat down to write to uncle Edward; mother set Willie down to Mrs. Wever[']s to make

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an apology, as the weather was still bad, and she had a bad cold; Willie soon came back, saying that Mrs. Wever said that we must come anyhow, but that was impossible, so we had to stay at home at last. Late in the evening, while father, and mother were taking a little exercise, I swept up and set the table and soon had supper, after which I read the “Vicar of Wakefield” for the twentieth time, and at last went to bed. N.B. I was awakened in the night twice by the noise of the rain and hail.

[Mary Louisa Michel (1838-1930).
Mother = Jane Mary Johnston Mitchell/Michel (1811-1892).
Father = Harvey Mitchell/Michel (1799-1866).
Willie = William Manning Mitchel/Michel (1839-1908).
Sue = Sue Henry Mitchell/Michel (1845-1940).
Lucy = enslaved servant. 
Mr. and Mrs. Wever = either Caspar Willis Wever (1786-1861) and his wife, Jane Catherine Dunlop Wever (?-1859), or closely related family members. 
Weverton and Knoxville were located on the Baltimore & Ohio rail and Chespaeake & Ohio canal lines, just north of the Potomac River and the Virginia boundary line. 
*Link to entire map of Frederick County, Maryland here.]

Mary Louisa Michel Journal, May 31-June 4, 1849

Map of Knoxville and Weverton, Maryland  (1858). Library of Congress*

[Mary Louisa Michel Journal, May 31-June 4, 1849, near Weverton, Maryland. Age: eleven. Additional paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.

 

Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source.]


Miss Mary Louisa Michel                                           23

May 31. [1849]. This morning directly after breakfast father went down to Mr. Wever’s: about nine o’clock I sat down to my lessons, and learned [a sen]tence and said two, before dinner. After dinner mother went up to Mrs. Norris’s, and took her work: after she went, I sat down to my drawing, and drew untill [until] she came back, which was a good while, after that I sewed some an hour; and directly after father came home mother sent me to aunt Duckers for some butter[?]: soon after, I came back and we had supper and went to bed.

June 1. This morning, we expected Mrs. Wever, so every thing was fixed, and the dining room scoured nicely. At the usual time for getting my lessons, I did not get them, as I knew that mother would not have time to hear them. Ten o’clock came and eleven, and still no Mrs. Wever; thinking that she was not coming, I sat and got my French lesson and was finishing saying it when Lucy came and told mother that Mrs. Wever

                                                                                  24

was coming. After Mrs. Wever had got cool she asked me to show her my drawings, and nearly half an hour was spent in looking at my pictures and drawings, of which last I have very few at present. I showed her my eggshell basket which she said was very pretty, and requested me to draw her one, and of course I said that I would.

After dinner she walked about in the garden, and then said that said that [duplicated] she must go and call on Mrs. Kirkheart [aka Kirkhart]; mother went with her, and they stay’d about an hour, during which time I ought to have drawn but did not. After they came back Mrs. Wever looked at my storybooks, and borrowed them to read herself; it being now rather late, we persuaded Mrs. Wever to stay for supper, which was very early; I promising to walk home with her: we had not been at the table long, when father, who we did not wait for, came accompanied by Mr. Wever: they sat down and ate their supper,

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soon after which, Mr. and Mrs. Wever took their departure, Mr. Weaver being afraid that it would rain. Soon after I went to bed.

June 2. This morning, directly after breakfast, father went up to the Ferry; and about ten, Willie and I dressed, and went down to Weverton: Willie to get a dish, and a keg to transplant the oleander in, at Mr. Rhinehart’s: and I to borrow one of Virginia’s Sunday school books to read on Sunday. After some delay at the store, we got the dish, and a very shabby keg, and then went back, stopping at Mrs. Wevers only long enough to get two books, though she wished us to stay; but that we could not do, as mother wanted the dish. The keg was rather unhandy to carry, but we tied a strong from one end to the other and hung it around Willie’s neck, which contrivance made it quite handy.

Directly after dinner mother intended to go down to Knoxville, but before she got ready, Mrs. Cushion, and her daughter Mary, a plump young lady of twenty, came in, and mother soon saw that they were going to spend the one [evening]

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. . . I tried to entertain Miss Mary, but it was a very difficult thing to do, and after many attempts I sat down to my work in despair. They stayed to early supper, after which, we walked home, no, I mistake, almost home with them. Soon after I slipped into bed. Having first fixed my clothes ready to go to church on the morrow.

June 3. [Sunday - blank.]

June 4. This morning I rose with a headache, which was produced by my walking two miles to church in the hot sun. I did not eat any breakfast; directly after I was done cleaning up the house, the children and Lucy went up on the hillside to get mould[?] and as mother said that it would do me good, I went with them, and running about in the woods helped me very much. After staying there for some time, I went down to the house, wrote my journal, (for I had been too unwell to do so sooner,) and soon after ate my dinner; after which though feeling badly I sewed a little.

[Mary Louisa Michel (1838-1930).
Mother = Jane Mary Johnston Mitchell/Michel (1811-1892).
Father = Harvey Mitchell/Michel (1799-1866).
Willie = William Manning Mitchel/Michel (1839-1908).
Sue = Sue Henry Mitchell/Michel (1845-1940).
Lucy = enslaved servant. 
Mr. and Mrs. Wever = either Caspar Willis Wever (1786-1861) and his wife, Jane Catherine Dunlop Wever (?-1859), or closely related family members. 
Weverton and Knoxville were located on the Baltimore & Ohio rail and Chespaeake & Ohio canal lines, just north of the Potomac River and the Virginia boundary line. 
*Link to entire map of Frederick County, Maryland here.]