Box 1, Folder 6: Diaries 1828-1830

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27th May 1836: Continued up - Layed out work on Sec 235 & set [illegible] stakes & bottom pegs on Sec 230 also layed out works on that section - 28th Got a note from Mr. Cleaveland requesting me and my party to return to Portsmouth immediately for the purpose of settling over Quarterly accounts. Went down this morning. Finished our business in town & returned to Pond Creek - Mr. Williams & Cleaveland went up the canal. 29th Set bottom pegs & layed out work at upper end of Sec 241 - Returned to Portsmouth in the afternoon - Layed out work also on 245 - Yesterday when I came to town & found Mr. Dan Carrol who had came here for the purpose of...

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...taking my testimony in his suit against the Louisville & Portland Canal Company. 30th May Sunday Spent this time in making the calculations of the masonry on the Southern Canal for Mr. Carrol- Cleaveland returned. 31st May Mr. Carrol left us this morning for Chillicothe to return on Saturday - Went up the canal - Laid out the [illegible] pit on sec 235. Examined the aqueduct pit at Brush Creek & set a slope stake. 2d June Went on up. Layed out a [illegible] branch on McLanes (Sec 226) took dinner with his family & returned to Brush Creek - layed out the last nation on 230 2d June Layed out a [illegible] branch near the upper lower end of Sec 230 - Went down to Pond Cr. lays out work across the...

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...run on Sec 235. 3d June Saw Mr. Herrod who has just taken sec. 274. Went on to Portsmouth - Mr. Carrol had left a set of questions for me to answer which I commenced doing today. 4 Worked most of the time in writing my answers to the above questions - Mr D. Carrol returned in the evening accompanied by Mr. Goodwin the Secretary of the Canal Co. 5th Mr. Goodwin gave 40 cross questions to Mr. Carrols 40 questions all of which I was required to answer 6th Sunday Got pretty well through with these answers at night - They were then given to the magistrate. Several questions were put to Cleaveland. Mr. Goodwin left in the evening.

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7th Spent my time at Esq. Hamilton's office reading over the depositions for him to copy. 8th Got through with them just at night - They contain about 25 closely written pages besides the papers which are attached to it. They relate in part to Mr. Henry effecting his reputation as an engineer. Read a letter from Darius & one from Father who says that I have a new relation in the daughter of Dr. Jones. 9th Went up the canal, set stakes & pegs & layed out work on Sec 241 also did our some work on Sec 248 above the locks. 10th Rainy - Stayed in the house until noon then went on up - layed out on Sec 228 11th Went up to McLanes layed out on 227 12th Returned to Portsmouth - The river is now very high - doing some damage to farmers...

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...Found that Mr. Carrol had gone - he left 3 books as a present accompanied by a note. He had also left $250 being the lawfull allowance for any time as a witness in that case. 13th Sunday wrote a letter to Mr. Henry also one to Father & one to Darius. 14th Drew a plan of the Louisville Locks for Mr. Carrol, as they wre actually built 15th Made a copy of my depositions for myself 16th Went up the canal to Brush Creek - The Ohio has just commenced falling so that I found some difficulty in crossing the bottoms 17th Layed out work - Sec 233 also for Dr. Farquar on 229 - Went up to the upper end of our line - Went a bathing in the [sewer?] 18th Layed out work on 231 & then...

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...went down the canal - Set stakes on 235 also on 241 for Dicky - Got some mulberries. Stayed at Tommy Wilcoxon's near Pond Creek - Had a scrape of robbing two beehives of their honey and chatting with the gals until 1 o'clock at night. 19th Ate so much honey that it made me sick. Continued on down to Portsmouth this morning. 20th Sunday stayed in Portsmouth 21st Went up the canal with Capt. Cleveland as far as Brush Creek - Set stakes in [illegible] middle lock pit - the foundation having been moved by the late flood in the river - His upper branch is now nearly finished 22 Went up - Layed out some work for Mr. Mclane above the house - Got home to Brush Co. at evening in the rain 23d Leveled the foundation tinker for the lock on sec 234

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...& layed out the west wings of the Brush Creek Aqueduct - Went down to Pond Cr. 24th Went down to Portsmouth, where we arrived at 3 o'clock - In the eve Mr. Cleaveland got a letter from Mr. Carrol dated at Cincinnati stating that he had found that he could not well go on with his suit without my presence at Louisville as a witness. 25th Concluded to go - got ready - and waited all day for a boat 26th Steam Boat Nile came along about 9 o'clock & I got under way for Louisville accompanied by some acquaintences, among them Miss Ellis, Mr. Cary of Chillicothe & Miss Rachel Peebles of Portsmouth - Went ashore at Maysville with Capt. Davis. 27th Arrived at Cincinnati at 1 o'clock last night. Went up to the city with the ladies...

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...Gave a letter to Mr. [illegible] & Mansfield from Mr. Peck a friend in Portsmouth for his wife also a note of recommendation for the [illegible] - was introduced to his mother - Also to Mr & Mrs. Wood with whom I went to church in the 3d Presbyterian Church of Cincinnati - Saw Mr. Benedict wrote a short letter back to Richard Peebles informing him of our safe arrival &c. Got under way about 5 o'clock P.M. 28th Arrived at Louisville at 9 o'clock A.M. Lost my watch overboard worth about $10. Rode down to Mr. Carney's - Put up at Allans. Went down the canal - found that there had been more work done than I had expected. 29th Went to the court house. The trial for which I was a witness was postponed.

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...until Nov next - Saw Mr. Henry. Had a long conversation with him respecting the deposition which I showed to him - Took tea with him at Mrs. Minos - Went to hear a sermon on the subject of teaching religion to boatment. 30th Renewed my deposition - the questions had been asked in an informal manner & were altered - Gen. Jackson the President of the U.S. passed throught the city. Went to Mr. Butler - also to see a mechanical exhibition of automatons & of the conflagration of Moscow 1st July Was introduced this morning to Mrs. [Illegible] whowrote a letter for me ot Mr. Wheeler of Lexington enclosing a drawing of Novelty Locomotive Engine & stating that I should like to have a situation at the Rail Road. I left Louisville on my return at 11 o'clock. 2d Arrived at Cincinnati 9 o'clock. Bought some books & drawing papers - went the 'the garden' &c. - Mrs. Lodwick sent her compliments & requested me to take tea with her which I did. There were ten or twelve ladies present. Learned to play the hoop. Got under way [illegible] at night for Portsmouth accompanied by the ladies who came down with me. 3d July Arrived at Portsmouth at 3 o'clock this afternoon