Hentz Family Papers

15 who, with swollen eyes, and wearied [gait] was just returning from the dancing fandango Well, we had a merry day of it I spent it in visiting Was at Miss Mary Browne's much Mrs Page's & everywhere Mrs Bayless gave a grand Christ mas dinner at which were present her sisters Miss Mary & Sally & Judge Browne, with Mrs Boothe & family Mr & Mrs Page & family Betty amongst them Mr & Mrs Foreman & Miss Ann F & George F I believe Bob & myself What a merry, merry time we had of it I sat next to Mrs Bayless, & the plum pudding she the sweetest of the two tho' it was the best I ever ate all care was forgot & everything went "merrily as a marriage bell They joked me much for sending often for oyster plant, which dish Betty served out & for "not having any appetite" we sat long at the table Dr Bayless was full of merriment & glee & so were all In the afternoon Bob & I made a few fashionable calls We went to see Misses Emma & Anna [Thruston] We met Miss E at a dinner party at Browne's in the country when were the pretty little Popes Betty & ]????] We promised this call We went too, to Dr Cobb's & called on Miss Bourne after supper I think twas at Miss Mary's, we spent the evening merrily there Now the contrast tho' strong, is not unpleasant the memory of what I've been recounting, is almost as fresh and present as the reality I have been all day in my office quietly reading &c I compounded several tinctures in the morning physicked a sick baby of Betsy's & performed some algebraic formulae It has rained most of the day I thot of Pa his hunting for the first day inter rupted by it He must make up for it here at dinner, by way of vivid comparison with that of last Christmas, I was all solo Rusk was at the Port Mrs R not returned and I munched my homely bait in silence, ruminating pleas antly yet sadly over the ups & downs, the changes that we meet with in this [????table] earth I thot of all near & dear to me of Mother & Callie in Columbus Father Julia & Thaddie & all in Marianna Betty in Columbia all in Louisville

16 I have swung up against my homely log walls, the little clock Cavert gave me It woeks finely, & pointing now at 10 min utes after nine Thot it was much later I have just made me an almanac for 1849, in condensed form, to put up on my wall a drunken man Pines by name, came in from the Port after supper, having lost his creetur (i. e. horse) & wanting to borrow one from Rusk came in here not long ago Talked awhile and becoming troublesomely prolix & his head beginning to vacillate extensively, I lighted some pine knots, handed them to him & showed him the path to the port He stun=mbled into the bushes & into darkness, close by came back, was [re illumin ined & again set off whether he found his way I know not Well I made an arrangement with Miss Sallie Browne, last Christmas, that we wd eat Christmas dinner with Bob Smith today, & at my house next, & then I believe she was to write us & our families, we are sundered for now Would that I with Father, Mother, brother & sisters & all, with all loved friends, lived in the Great West

Tuesday Dec 26th A quiet day within doors cold & quite bleak without The first winter day, we've had for a long time I trust that it will not continue to such an ex tent as to prevent Father from hunting; read & studied quietly most of the day after dinner, Rusk & myself took our guns & walked about the plantation, but neither of us dis tinguished ourselves by any great deed of sportsmanship I killed a lark & we did'nt kill often I shot at & wounded I fear, a duck which I found in a little pond in the field I commenced a letter to Betty, which I'll mail at Marianna, when I go for Father My little clock stopped so I took it down, eviscerated it reviscerated it & put it up again, but still it dont go must try again to fix it Mrs Rusk returned this aftenoon, with her bro Robert, bring ing a little sister Eliza to stay with her I have a new candle stick a step in the march of improvement

17 Wednesday Dec 27th A quiet day Quiet enough have had no call Nothing to do but read & physic Betsy's child read & wrote wrote to Betty went to the river close by, after dinner, with little nigger Jim pulled a good sized fish out of the water, but he returned his element Jim caught a catfish Edwards came and sat some time he had missed one or two of his fits, since taking my pills but had one last night Rusk shot a load of fat meat at Crawfords Mill which returned this afternoon he shot pepper & salt at it before Buenos noches by the bye, I ought to review & continue the study of my Spanish I must Espaniola etc Thursday Dec 28th Sister Callies birthday born in 1833, therefore she is just 15** today would I could have spent the day with her, & heard her celebrate it upon her new piano She & Mother must be enjoying the Christmas holidays Father tho', notwithstanding the un favorable nature of the weather, finds sport in the woods I trust, & is enjoying his stay at Marianna I must go for him to morrow I found out this morning, whilst hunting with Rusk (though we killed nothing) where game may be found above the port, in that drained lagoon or lake We saw a larger drove of ducks, turkeys and a deer not to mention partridges, & on good days, squirrels in abundance Have been at home today put up s neat shelf over the fireplace, and dis played there my [no??] medical books a great improvement I also have perched up on one end of this, the skeleton of one of the hawks I've been cleaning have just glued on the head, using the top of a blacking box over the candle as my glue pot Finished the Vicar of Wakefield tonight A sweet tale Received an invitation to a New Years party at Wood's, must go Friday Dec 29th Rainy day enough Started after breakfast with buggy & mule (Joel) for Marianna for Father Reached there about 3 o'clock, passing thro' a tremendous shower at the terminus of the journey Found all at home some what full of the blues John not having come yet Carried my flute, so Pa & I played Found two charming letters for me one from Betty & one from Miss Mary They rejoiced me wonderfully Lillte Ellen Amused

** Oct 4 1885 37 years [nearly] since I wrote this & in reading it correct the mistake as to sisters age, which I made then; She is now nearly 52 years old

18 us wonderfully with her antics, when half undressed, before retiring Thaddy had a dumb sort of a chill, when I came Saturday Dec 30th Rose betimes [breakfasted] went to the Drug store & made some [???] Ipecac & traded with Thaddy for his watch ground a ctystal for it breakfasted harnessed the mule went to blacksmith's & had a tap put on the buggy & we started off Pa & I for Port Jackson bidding good bye to them all, leaving aunty gates talking with Julia we had a quiet & cold journey, reaching here at about 4 o'clock about a mile from this place whom shd we meet galloping along on Tom but John himself we stopped each other had a chat & parted I drove to my office made up a fire, left Pa & went to the Port for [Pres] Poor fellow looks mighty thin, tho' im proving very rapidly brot him up we all sat up cheerfully till bedtime Left [Pres] in the office & Pa & I took a bed in the shedroom in the house Sunday Dec 31st The last day of the departing year Farewell to thee 1848 year of many of my pleasantest hours & happiest days; long will thou be looked back unto, with the dearest & most undying associations

We Pa Pres & I, spent a quiet Sabbath at home, walked out once or twice for Pres good read Tupper & Pollok & the Bible Allen came in the afternoon with the rockaway & [Maclin]

19 1849 Monday January 1st New Years Day Would that I cd have recorded all the things that the recurrence of this day brings up in my mind But my journal has been interrupted by a visit from father a pleasure as grateful as 'twas unlooked for My converse with him has broken the regularity of my office habits & amongst others, the keeping of my journal let after pages make up what wd have been scribbled here Pres left us this morning for Marianna father & I hunted about this place & as far up as Rusk's old place, with but tolerable success The day was not very favorable for sporting We strolled a little after dinner I commenced a letter to sister Callie As dusk approached I made prepara tions for going to the party at Wood's, whether I rode at about 5 o'clock on Mr Rusk's horse (as Tom was yet in Marianna) Having never been present at a country frolic of this grade, I felt some deal of curiosity about seeing & observing a desire soon gratified; at the sound of the fiddle the rustic swains brot their partners from an adjoining room where they were [covied], and round & about they slid, & shuffled, & jumped thro' the mazy figures of the Virginia Reel at each close of which, the fair ones disappeared & the b'boys straightened their legs around the fireplace for another round which soon came & this on & over again No conversation save that educed by the bustling & running for the leading place, & such similar topics I chatted awhile with Mrs Wood at the door looked in at the dancers walked about the yard watched the men who did nt dance play at whist &c in another house made some ac quaintance amongst them was asked to drink by them; was ushered (as a dernier resort for amusement) into the apartment where wee the non dancing ladies a set of matrons, & one of the belles resting from the dance They were quiet enough (I'm told since by Mrs Rusk abashed by the presence of the new Dr) O my!

20 I extracted a few words from the damsel and hearing the rush of returning danseuses I made a glad exit; I next eyed with longing eye, the preprations for supper thot Id wait for it, for I was hungry no mistake, it seemed the only prospect for congenial enjoyment for the evening thinking of father alone at my office, though, I sacrificed my grateful anticiption for the approaching feast, upon the altar of paternal affection & with watering chops & yearning epigastrium returned home; 'twas a glorious moonlight night, and the ride thro' the pine woods was delightful in the still & solemn tranquility of Nature, I pondered over the phases of human nature The widely marked circles into which society is separated &c etc I spent the remainder of the evening pleasantly with Father, rejoicing over my escape from the party

Tuesday Jan 2nd Father & 1 hunted again, but with no suc cess 'twas a beautiful day We looked for fox, squirrels, but found none owing to the fact that Mr Edwards' dog Sly, with which we hunted, had this morning, caught a skunk, & was over redolent with its perfume too much so to smell a squirrel's track we fished in the afternoon, guided by Edward's boys to a pond, but caught none We played the flute commenced the manu facture of a blowgun Mrs Rusk gave me a sweetly flavored & prettily ornamented, large slice of cake, sent me by Mrs Wood with the message that "she was so mad with me that she did'nt beleive she'd speak to me again" They are going to move to Lot Owen's place instead of going to Texas I am very glad to hear it The agent for Raymond's menagerie came by here today, to make arrangements for exhibiting at the Port, on the 31st inst I shewed him to the Port introduced him to Rusk &c &c for wheich, he politely left me a complimentary ticket for me & "my family" I think we may go; he dined with us Wednesday Jan 3rd Father & I went with our guns, on this splendid morning, up the river as far as the upper end of the swamp above Crawford's we, to some extent, nade amends for the poor luck of our late hunting, bringing him between us 5 squirrels, [3] doves, 3 larks & 2 partridges making a fine pie

21 Father concluded he must go on the first boat & hearing from Rusk that the Southerner was comng up tonight, made preparations for going so I finished my letters to send by him one to Ma, Callie & one to Mrs Shotwell, thanking her for her fine cake acceptab;e present We made a trial shot with our guns, before cleaning his came out [even] Good shooting Betsy's baby had convulsions before supper unexpected I thot twas beginning to improve & so 'twas apparently it commenced sinking almost immediately after & died at about 1/2 after 10 Just about the time that Pa left, I felt deep emotions of sadness on losing this little patient My first experience of the kind Alas how weighty the responsibilities con nected with the practice of medicine I often feel like everything deeply too the man whos calling enables him pleasantly & respectably to earn his bread, withot care or reaponsibility to weigh upon his soul was thinking of the pleasure of such a calling as Thaddy has ahead of him the watchmaker's I am not envious tho' May I be taught to do any doings & pursue my calling as I ought to prepare in this, for a higher sphere of action 'Twas a glorious night resplendently so father had his baggage carried to the Port, & warned by Mr Rusk that the Southerner cd be heard coming now, we went down there It came & he departed wd that I cd have gone with him to pay a short visit to Columbus, 'twould be delightful His visit has been a short & pleasant episode in the history of my residence here too short I shook hands sadly with him (for prting is a sad thing, no matter how short the separation or how slight) & walked back thro' the moonlight A North Carolinian by name Gaskins stopped & took tea here Skipper has come at last for which [Im glad] Thursday Jan 6th I sent a letter thro' Mr Tillinghast, who left here for Marianna this morning, a note to John, telling the news & enquiring about Tom I studied at home, all day Feel the need of it What a lifetime of study is needed, in our profession Edwards & his boys were here a long time today Quite boring in their visits I made him anothe box of pills I cleaned up my room my gun & the macerated head of the rabbit hawk I've been skeleton izing Fixed up the latter Tom came in today, at last, brot by a boy of Skippers (John), who brot a sweet little note from Julia

22 Jan 12th Friday a week's default in my journal Mr Clemons of Columbus surprised me on Saturday morning, (the 6th) by knocking at my door before sunrise a very gladsome surprise as I was going over to Ma rianna today, to return Thaddy the watch I brot over, & attend communion service, we rode over in company, that after noon; found John yet sick Pres getting better, & eating heartily & lively Julia bright & Ellen hearty & Thaddy in good spitrits Attended communion service on the Sabbath Went in the afternoon with Thaddy & Clemons into the cave by the bridge, where we crawled & explored & admired Tom & Mr Clemons horse both vamoosed last night & cd not be found today at all Spent the time very pleasantly at home & sociably Monday it rained steady, steadier, most steady The horses fortunately were caught this morning After dinner Clemons & I saddled up our critters & borrowing clothes that'd bear rain & saddlebags to put our own in, rode forth Went to Bank's, reaching there (9 miles) ere sunset We lodged at Lyfret's, close by Came over next (Tuesday) morning We have hunted & fluted & played backgammon &c [since] then Made backgammon board of a sheet of foolscap, men of buttons & wafers dice out of cedar & for dice boxes, a cupping glass & graduated measure I shot a duck on the [way] raised from the pond above the Port by him & next day another on the pond, & a large hawk which I am skeletonizing He shot a rabbit & sundry partridges &c He left today, just after dinner, on the Boston I went aboard with him loathe to bid him goodbye & longing to be able to go with him Skipper goes to Marianna tomorrow I've just scratched a note for Thaddy to send by him, with the saddlebags & clothes We have had very cold weather ice frost wind &c &c &c

23 Jan 13 Saturday Gave Skipper the saddlebags & clothes to return to Marianna, with a letter to Thaddy I rode up to Jordan's this morning & carried thither a vial of vol. Liniment for little Jane, who is convalescing well Her leg bidding fair to be as useful (I trust) as ever My office was scoured this afternoon During the operation, I hunted a while shot at ducks twice, without success Shot a squirrel which ran wounded into the hollow of a gum tree poor fellow Had a call to see Mrs Owens' daughter Will go tomrrow Jan 14 Sunday Most beautiful morning I rode to Mrs Owens' found her daughter Betsy a stout good looking maid of about 20, very sick prescribed, came home to late dinner Wrote to Miss Mary Jan 15th Monday Rode to Mrs Owens again met the old lady, ere getting there looking for her son, going to Billy Hair's after him, talked about her daughter & returned Dissected at my hawk all the af ternoon Old man Byrd visited me is going to put a flat in below close by Tuesday Jan 16th I've been riding almost all day Have just come in, eaten a pretty hearty supper & concluded to fill up my diary before going to study & then to bed I started with a letter to Miss Mary, one to Ptolemy Harris & one to Mr Wallace (of Tuscaloosa), for Olive Grove No ferryman being at the Ferry, I was about to return, when I found Kumpton's blacksmith's two white men were deputy ferrymen they put me over; the flat is in bad condition rather dangerous the flooring off & one end leaky injured when towed up from Chat tahoochee where it had drifted during the last rise I found 2 letters two sweet ones from Betty, which I read returning treats for the heart The reading making a holiday of the heart one too from Tol Harris strange coincidence just as I was carrying one to him He had written to Louisville forwarded thence to Columbus & thence to Olive Grove with these & a large pocketful of newspapers for Rusk I re turned stopped at Crawford's, left him a paper & letter, & got some Ol Ricini from him I found two calls awaiting my coming

21 another from Miss Betsy Owens, who is [salvated] Sorry to hear it & one from Ballard, who is sick himself As Miss Owens was the prior & probably worst case, tho' a nonpaying one I went there found her quite perplexingly ill prescribed & promised to return tomorrow & then went for Ballard's I had returned from the P O at about 2 o'clock, I eat a hasty few mouthfuls of dinner 'twas dark by the time I repassed from Owens' but I went toward Ballards got beyond Wootens & owing to the darkness & cloudiness of the night, completely lost the trail finding I had to return, I turned Tom's head & gave him the bridle He took an energetic march, directly homewards, needing no guide Great horse that Now I must study awhile before retiring Wednesday Jan 17th I arose before the sun this morning, something rather of the novel order for me, for I am disposed a little to be a lie-abed as the weather becomes milder tho' & I can open all doors, casements &c, dispensing with the aid of pine knots, I do [b????] Immediately after breakfast, I sallied professionally forth, went to Ballard's found him troubled with a carbuncle over the left scapula his wife doctoring it about as well as I could I merely gave my opinion & some hints to Mrs B about the modus operandi of cure she is a wonderfully clever lady a better specimen than can often be found in these parts A Mts Brown came in, who had prescribed a poultice of Baytree root I saw one made, & finding it mucilaginous & apparently emollient, approved of it & wishing to conciliate the old ladies whenever consistent with professional coniderations I went from there to Mrs Owens found Miss Betsy more easy quite sick yet tho' Prescribed & returned just in time for dinner Fixed up my last hawk's skeleton and so forth Felt dosposed to the blues this afternoon; the ground of the matter being, so far as my [?ounding] went to show, a distrust in my professional attainment a sense of my deficiencies, inexperiencce, responsibilities etc Hard study is an antidote Have admin istered it this evening, with a preliminary & most efficient adjuvant a reperusal of Betty's letters