[John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, page 61. 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. This is my rough transcription. Extra paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.]
Mother and I Eat a very good & hearty breakfast, ham & Eggs etc at 4 1/2 o'cl[o]ck AM.
Got the conductor to procure a stove & put in cars, here a cold-frost.
Off. Morning really glorious in the emphatic sense of the term.
Last night napped not a catnap. Nevertheless, feel good, better than for months. Talk with passengers about the shape of the state of Indiana. Boot with large leg, small foot. Fact just opposite, large feet & small legs, the girls I mean, as far as I have seen.
But here we are, over the Wabash, & hence in Illinois. If first impressions last, I shall love the Sucker state. More massive and splendid foliage I never saw. It is strange, that thus far, the western huge trees have always lain to my north or south -- this is the first "grand old woods" since I left Wash[ington].
Find in smoking car, old man with pipe never in cars before, as I suppose. Sensed. Conclude to get [to be continued.]
[John Milton Binckley (1831-1878).
Mother = Charlotte Stocker Binckley (1788-1877).]
[John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, page 60. 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. This is my rough transcription. Extra paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.]
& feel better, sit with conductor & baggage master for several hours, returning to Mother at intervals. And smoking strait on.
Resolve to try a snooze if possible. Ruffled, necessity mother of invention, can't get my head right. Take handkerchief & tie up a loop from window to seat, or in some shape I have not time to describe, and wouldn't if I had. Got my head in it. Got round my neck. In short, hung myself & was alarmed at an a suicide, wondered if an instructive conviction of my uselessness, & character as a common nuisance had impelled me to suicide. Concluded to defer till Mary shall have disappointed me or jilted me or something else improbably grievous should occur.
Day begins to break. Terre Haute in night. Town looks like outskirts of Washington. Scattered over square miles big as a German principality. Fine place. Here we stop 25 minutes for breakfast. Change cars again too.
[John Milton Binckley (1831-1878).
Mother = Charlotte Stocker Binckley (1788-1877)
Mary Louisa Michel/Mitchell (1838-1930).]
[John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, page 59. 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. This is my rough transcription. Extra paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.]
Canada, next time. Replied that any where but here & through "this abominable Indiana."
4 June 1859. After midnight, fix Mother up comfortable as possible. I cannot persuade her to lean on me, she is too nervous to allow herself to relax her muscles. Off again at last.
Conductor & I have a long talk of routes etc., clever & courteous fellow, as all have been, but that clockpeddling scoundrel beyond Zanesville, who will hereafter have better breeding. The Conductor lets me know that by lying over at Newark, I shall most probably miss connection at Pana Ills. [Illinois] & that by starting at 3 o'cl[oc]k from Washington, I threw myself upon this series of accommodation trains, instead of a through train from Belleaire [Bellaire] to Terre Haute.
Fix Mother as warm as possible & go forward to baggage car, where a fire. I put in trunk Everything of [?] kind, never supposing I should want anything but a linen coat. Now, I am obliged to get at my trunk & get out coat, do so.
[John Milton Binckley (1831-1878).
Mother = Charlotte Stocker Binckley (1788-1877)]
