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Out of the Dust: Orville Richer Part 1

Orville Richer was the son of Warren and Lovinia Willcox Richer. The family lived in Columbus, Chenango County, and had 100-plus acres of land. Warren died in 1866 at the age of 63, and Orville took over the management of the farm.

I have Orville’s diaries from 1867 through 1870. I will write from the 1870 diary, as I felt it would be the most interesting. Much time was spent selecting the entries to use, and I think they will give a good picture of Orville at that time. He has relatives in Smyrna whom he is with on Jan. 1, 1870.

Dairy of Orville Richer 1870

Jan.1 Went out to Oneida on the cars with Susannah, Pomeroy, and Uncle T’s children. This is the first car ride I ever had.

Jan.7 Mr. Bailey cleaned up 29 bushels and threshed 47 bushels of oats so far.

Jan.9 I made out an account of last years income and outgo.

Jan.13 I went to the donation at D. Blackman’s Hotel. They got $65.00. It did not amount to much.

Jan.17 Went to New Berlin and got measured for my new suit of clothes.

Jan.18 Paid Uncle John for our Beef & Mr. Gustin cut it up.

Jan.19 Went up to the woods with Mr. Gustin and picked some trees for him. Sold him the trees.

Jan.31 Went to Sam Sexton’s auction. Sold one cow for $87.75. Only bid on two things myself.

Feb.3 Went up to the Center. Isreal Clark’s overcoat was stolen last night.

Feb.4 Went up to the woods and showed George what trees to cut.

Feb.5 Went up to the woods with Mr. Gustin and showed him what trees to cut, Guessed of his wood and called it 18 cords. George cut some of his wood.

Feb.7 Charley Spurr and Stephen Spaulding have a lawsuit or are going to. It was adjourned to another time.

Feb.9 Went to the Center with George Walcott and got Mr. Carrier. We had the writings drawed between him and us. He is to work our place this year.

Feb.10 We had more writing put in our contract.

Feb.17 I saw a drove of 100 pigs go by.

Feb.21 I sent a letter for garden seeds for myself and three other persons.

Mar.12 Settled accounts with Mr. Bailey. We passed receipts and settled. Measured the hay 2½ tons more than he had last spring.

Mar.14 One of our cows calved today. The first one this year.

Mar.16 Mr. Bailey moved his family today.

Mar.17 Plowed a path to the woods. Snowed 10-12 inches today.

Mar.19 Went to Sherburne and got grain for the cows. Went to Uncle Stephens.

Mar.23 Went to the sawmill and got a load of sawdust. Mrs. Walcott washed the first time since they came here.

Mar.24 George Walcott and I went to Sherburne and got some plaster. Had lots of fun at the Templars Exhibit at the center last night.

Mar.26 Went to New Berlin with George. We carried some parts of or wagon to get mended. Unloaded our plaster. Got 3500 lbs.

Mar.28 Went to New Berlin with Ben Cone and George Walcott. Charley Spurr and Stephen Spaulding are having a lawsuit.

Mar.30 Spurr & Spaulding lawsuit was finished. Spaulding won the case and $17.00. All for a sick hog.

Apr.8 I saw David Moore about marking a hot-bed sash. I got the glass for it today.

Apr.16 Went to New Berlin with George and got his new milk things. Went to the furnace and got a new plow-point.

Apr.18 Went up to the cheese factory with George. We start sending our milk there today.

Apr.19 We have 10 cows milking and got 225 lbs. This morning.

Apr.22 I milked morning and night and carried the milk.

Apr.25 I went with George Walcott over to Pleasant Valley and down to the Chenango River road to Oliver Coles and back around and over Skinner Hill. It’s the awfullest hilly country I was in. Could see all over from the top of some of the hills.

Apr.26 I went to Fink’s sawmill. I went over to Nick Richer’s farm. He has got a great deal of timber cut for his new barn. Is going to build a large one.

Apr.30 Saw various people about buying a horse.

May.2 Went to Mr. Holmes and bought one bull.

May.6 Saw Nicholas Richer’s basement.

May.10 Saw Mr. Palmer about going with me to see Mr. Baker’s horse.

May.13 Went to Earlville to see Mr. Baker’s horse. Did not buy it.

May.14 I saw Lorenzo Weaver. He was here a short while. He ran away from home last summer and he has been at Rochester. His folks don’t know where he is.

May.18 I went up to the Center at night and staid for some shows got home at 10:30.

May.20 Helped move Ben Cone’s horse barn. Mr. Gustin was here and fixed our lightening rod.

May.26 Shelled corn. Went fishing, caught a pickerel 1 foot long.

May.30 At Smyrna at Uncle Thomas. Went to a lecture on Chemistry by Prof. Coleman.

May.31 At Susannah’s. Arthur, the little boy, Pomeroy and I went to a lecture on electricity by Prof. Coleman.

To be continued.

Bob Betz is an independent amateur historian who has volunteered for the past two years in Madison County Archives in the Clerk’s Office. While working there three days a week, Betz has recaptured stories of Madison County’s past ‘out of the dust.’ His columns are taken directly from the county’s historic documents and written in the vernacular of the era.

One Comment on "Out of the Dust: Orville Richer Part 1"

Lee Marshall on Fri, 12th Mar 2010 8:16 am

I’m a former resident of Madison County. I have my grand-mother’s diaries from 1935 on. I sure would like to make use of them; they are so interesting. Her name was Geneva Cook Head, and she lived in North Brookfield, West Side. She wrote for both the Waterville Times and the Brookfield Courier during her lifetime.
She was just a little bit of a woman, but she sure did work! Diaries forced people to condense their lives into small snippets. There’s so much more behind each entry!
Thanks for your contribution.

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Out of the Dust: Orville Richer Part 1

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