USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Litchfield > More chronicles of a pioneer school, from 1792 to 1833, being added history on the Litchfield Female Academy kept by Miss Sarah Pierce and her nephew, John Pierce Brace > Part 9
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Sunday 22 Spent the evening at Miss Edward's everything solemn at Aunt's the sermons of to day and evening and Mr. B's conversa- tion afterwards has made them think - -
Thurs. 26 In the afternoon a long lecture in philosophy upon the five senses and of course into light, colours, sounds etc - the philosophical doctrine that there is no such thing as colours, etc, only the effects of certain powers in bodies - startles the girls well -
Friday 27 In the evening a general sleigh ride to the farm - I did not attend -
Monday 30 Lecture upon the mind in the class. Among other of its powers I treated of volition -
Saturday 4 Attended the vendue of the Smith property - wrote for them - came home very tired - bought some articles - ' Friday 10 On this day I complete my 22nd year
Monday 13 the news of PEACE to day reached the town. Tho' only a report it seems so well credited.
Wed 15 the Missionary society met to day. In the night about twelve we were aroused by an attack, made by some of the students who were in a drunken frolick, upon the house they rapped and hollowed - I sprung up half crazy and ran out into the street without any cloaths into the midst of them - They chased me back and knocked me down and bruised me considerably I exhibited some rashness - it was not courage in running out to meet them and see who they were - Father is very angry and having discovered a few of them will pros-
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ecute them - Thursday 16 those who were discovered were to day called up and fined. The row of last night has engaged the attention of every one in town and the students themselves appeared to be ashamed of it .** * Wednesday 22 To day the news of the ratification of peace reaching us - the event was celebrated by the ringing of bells and firing of cannon - thanks were publicly returned to Almighty God. The treaty was read by Col. Talmadge. A splen- did dinner was provided by Mr. Cook and a number of excellent toasts were drank - ********
Saturday 25
Reckoned the credit marks for the month - A. Brace McNeil Bacchus Clark Beecher Walter Smith etc - for the three months A. Brace Beecher Bacchus McNeil Clark Benedict & etc -
Sunday 26 Mr. Beecher gave us a peace Sermon
Litchfield March 1 1815 It is beautiful weather now indeed it has more the appearance of April than March . Saturday 4 This week have reached equations have had some difficulty in school this week have been obliged to punish Townsend severly but it has struck a terror thro' the rest and will be of service Have nearly fin- ished quadratic equations - they are very hard - I have never studied them before for they are not studied in our college
Friday March 31 Exhibition in the spring has been determined upon and has proved a great excitement in the minds of the scholars - Sat- urday April 1 Reckoned up the credit marks Ann still at the head during the next week we commenced our thoughts of exhibition and it was voted to have one tho' much against my feelings commenced our examinations - Finished Quadratics and hope I have obtained sufficient knowledge of them . Saturday 8 Walked over toward Waterbury River supposed to contain the quarry of gypsum - found nothing that resembled it -
Monday 10 Was highly entertained this evening by attending an exhibition of the students at Phelp's - They performed The Rivals and Wags of Windsor - I was extremely gratified - no plays could have been better performed Their stage was in true theatrical style and their scenery elegant -
Wednesday 12 To day Edward King left the office - this departure will undoubtedly effect very considerably the present state of the office -
Friday 14 Examination - rehearsed some of our plays that had been given out ***** The week was spent in preparation for exhibition - built the stage and scenery ***** * Monday 25 In the evening Exhibition scenery very handsome- The house was full -
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number of plays and spoken well - Wealtha Bacchus took the palm this evening - Julia Parmelee did very well- Wealtha acted Tamar in David and Absalom and received great applause- the people were quite pleased with Ruth Benedict in Asenath and Mary Welles in Helen in the Linen Drapers - Among the boys Timothy in his pro- logue was clapt - Champion L - did very well in Joab - Walter in David & William S. in Absalom likewise - Tuesday 26 Prepared for exhibition heard plays etc - Wednesday 27 Exhibition again - See play bill house very full Abbey Smith received great applause as did Cornelia Leonard in Jochebed in Moses in the Bulrushes and Ann- in Jeptha's Daughter C. Beecher in Jeptha's Wife Ruth Benedict in Bianca and J. Erwine were considerably liked W. Talmadge in Jeptha & V. Park in Waste not Want Not were praised. I felt very much rejoiced that the trouble and labour of exhibition was over and unless I saw the great effect it had on the manners of the speakers I should hardly think it repaid for the trouble it occasioned - it has learnt me the principle of speaking however -
Thursday 28 The forenoon was spent in making bills and seeing the departures - thus ends the winter school - the leaven that operated so forcibly last summer still continued its effect - and the industry of the last term was equal to that of any of the others for steadiness and sobriety the character has remained unaltered since the departure of the Tammany Society this Winter has drawn exertion even from Mary Clark and has succeeded in placing her as the second in the school - Ann P. Brace had the first prize she strained every nerve to reach it and accomplished it - Harriet McNeil the prize for im- provement; her improvement had been astonishing and called forth un- qualified praise these three were candidates for the first prize - Wealtha Bacchus was next on the paper and she had the prize for writing Maria Carrington and Eliza A. Graham had mottoes- William Sheldon the prize among the boys Walter a motto for excelling in Arithmetic- Caroline Langdon the prize among the little girls - Cornelia Leonard goes home not to return almost all the rest re- turn -
Monday May 1st Started at about half four on foot proceeded on in good spirits and reached Hunt's fourteen miles by nine o'clock - reached Sheffield at about half past one and dined there - * ** After dinner felt rather tired - but still went on about three miles went to Barrington - arrived at Barrington at about five - con- cluded I would go no farther - saw Thomas K. Baker - Monday 2 In the morning started by four with a resolution of going on to Lenox to breakfast weather cloudy - passage to Stockbridge mountain pleasant - Stockbridge mountain composed of white quartz compact fracture - In Williamstown they call these specimens hard heads -
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when within two miles of Lenox was overtaken by Dr. Hyde who politely offered me a seat in his carriage he being on a journey to Wil- liamstown to attend a meeting of the corporation ** ** Stopped a moment at Pittsfield ******* Reached Williamstown at half past four - took supper at Putnam's saw a number of old acquaintances saw Wright who is a tutor here - Wednesday 3 Prof. Dewey took me to view the labratory which has been erected and furnished since my graduation **** * In the afternoon called at Esq. Starkweather's found Hannah at home she is tall handsome elegant agreeable girl - Mrs. S. very friendly after that went to Mr. Bulkeley - found Clarissa looking and appearing as formerly many altered considerably for the better I expect they have paid more attention to a cultivation of their minds than the girls generally in Williamstown - spent the night with Mr Wright.
Tuesday 9 At Williamstown
Dined at Dr. Fitch's - in the afternoon attended it was a very good junior exhibition, equalizing to any while I was in college - no ball in the evening - Judge Dewey taken very ill -
Note July 18, 1850 I have never (Caroline Dewey) seen her since. Her father died very soon after. She married Hon. S. R. Betts U. S. District Judge in N. Y. I believe she is living.
Thursday 11 About 4 left Williamstown the corporation have passed a vote to move the college into Hampshire County *** ***** Breakfasted about eight miles from Williamstown -it rained all day - I never stopped until I arrived at Troy. Roads almost im- passable as I advanced to Troy on account of the clayey soil. Reached Troy at half past three and found a stage going to Albany, rode down through a most dreadful road - tho' covered with mud called at Ruth's and Abbey's - put up at Cande's but never will again for I was de- tained in bed until nearly eight by the negligence of the negroes who were cleaning my pantaloons
Friday 12 ***** At nine entered the steamboat for Catskill - as this was the first time I had ever travelled in this way it had at least the grace of novelty - the river as we sailed down was beautiful, presenting one "burnished sheet of living gold" as its calm waves reflected the sun beams not a ripple disturbed its surface except as the boat left a long distinguished impression - beautiful willow trees hung on either side and fringed the blue wave with green - but this beautiful scene did not long continue it soon clouded up and commenced raining and confined me during the journey to the cabin where I amused myself by playing chess and seeing the world arrived at Catskill in the mud at half past three - and was glad once more to rest found Abel
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well - that Caroline MacVeagh had been married a few days rested all the afternoon and evening.
Thursday 18 Having packed up my minerals to send by the stage at Hudson I went across the country to look at a lead mine on the Livingston Manor owned by R. Livingston Esq. to whose father John Livingston Esq. Dr. Croswell gave me letters ** At five reached the mine twenty miles from Catskill (I had previously called at J. Livingston Esq. and been well received by his son) The mine was in a wheat field by the side of the road - they commenced work April 4-it was discovered by the ploughs turning up the ore - seven veins had been discovered four or five of which had been traced down twenty or thirty feet crossing the rock in all directions to a solid block of lead several yards in extent and how much farther they knew not out of which they blasted almost pure lead it yielding from sixty to eighty-five percent superior to any vein in the U. S. ******* Mr. Livingston gave me specimens of every thing I wanted and treated me very politely he is a man of about thirty pleasant in his manners. ** **** Went on to the Store House as it is called about seven miles farther. It was nearly dark so I could not see the character of the stones - but I expect it is primitive but I could not tell arrived at the Tavern at about eight - did not sleep very comfortably there were too many in the room - I had something of a fever and felt unwell -- started at five on Friday 19th It commenced raining just after I started I found that last evening I had reached a primitive and I wished it had been day time and I could have seen the intermediary appearance - Micacious shystos made its appearance - Rained hard- reached Salisbury to breakfast packed up my lead into a little box and took it on my shoulder - it was very heavy and tired me very much - Leaving Salisbury Furnace the granular limestone commenced - In going up the mountain near the falls it looked quite like home to see the shore staurolites and garnets - On the top of the mountain rode, so that I did not examine the rocks near the falls ** *** Was extremely fatigued before I reached home - arrived at Litchfield between four and five - Tired as I was by my journey I went over to see the girls at Aunt's and found a party there Several of new scholars in - Thus ends my vacation - and I am not sorry I have spent it in this manner for I have learnt considerable at college - Have been received by Prof. Dewey on terms of familiarity and probably - have established a friendship that will be lasting I have added con- siderably to my collection and left things in such a way as to add still more to it * **** Three boxes of specimens of minerals brought home *
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The school now consists of 54- I am determined that Hoffman shall be higher on the catalogue this summer than she was the last She shall be industrious if I can make her -
Saturday June 3 1815
Reckoned credit marks Farnham M. Peck F. Sanford and Clarke the four first Abbey Smith would have been high but she lost her fifty - Welles fifth Mary Welles is the handsomest girl in school and withal artless and amiable - Mary Clarke begins a map soon that will raise her
Monday 5 In the afternoon went over to Northfield to a meeting Had a long tho' good meeting Mr. Beecher was excellent Mr. Nettleton tiresome
Mr. Beecher told me not to let my unbelief be in the way to a gen- eral revival in the school as he trusts there was one commenced at Miss Edward's *
Sunday 18 To day was propounded to join the church -
[Here follows an account of a period of suppressed excitement oc- casioned by revival meetings.]
Thursday June 30 the week has been spent as usual a calm seems to pervade the school.
Sunday July 2 A day long to be remembered for in it I made a public profession of my faith -
Monday 3 In the afternoon went with a party down to the Farms 1 to the Monthly Prayer Meeting - Both my aunts both the Misses Edwards - the Misses Blauvelts - Maria Buell Sarah Sanford Miss Hale in the carriage - the meeting was delightful oh! how thankful we should be for our merices.
Tuesday 4 Celebrated by the gentlemen in their usual style - an oration of an hours length by Smith "words, words," as Hamlet says - had a long conversation with Ashley. (note July 19 1850 Chester Ashley afterwards Senator in Congress from Arkansas. He died in 1848) Thursday 13 Spent the evening with Henry Holmes who is in town. Monday 17 This afternoon attended a party at Mrs. Sheldon's Sarah - Ann Aunt Mary Maria Buel and Frances Lord and Mr. Beecher there - enjoyed myself very much. We took a sail on the river in Isaac's little boat - I rowed Maria around the eddy once or twice and had full freedom of conversation - The scene was delight- ful the whole appearance to a high degree romantic - I never felt so little like a school master - forgot the town the school and every- thing but the pleasure of the moment -
1 South Farms, now Morris.
THE HOME OF HARRIET TALLMADGE, LATER MRS. JOHN DELAFIELD The main body of the house was built by Thomas Sheldon in 1775. The wings were added later by Col. Benjamin Tallmadge
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Tuesday 18 A letter from Prof. Dewey, revival still continues in college.
Tuesday 22
The class in Logic commenced they recite in my room - Thursday 24 Lecture upon Logic lasted nearly an hour was very much interested by it tho' I exhausted my lungs completely '
Saturday Sept 9 1815
Credit H. Gould M. Clark T. Sherrill Jones Blanch
Eliza W. Jones is one of my best scholars she came from Stockbridge with Abbey Bradley and boards with us - she possesses a strong mind, that is not contented with a slight view of things - her imagina- tion considerably vivid and she has great facility in writing - her memory is uncommonly quick and retentive and accurate and her reasoning powers are not surpassed by any in school - she came six weeks after school commenced -
Tuesday 31 The school had at length closed the struggle I men- tioned continues and on Monday it was ascertained that Clark, Sherrill Jones and M. Peck were the candidates - for the prize - Tuesday the school were called together their things exhibited, my address delivered and the prizes distributed - they can be ascertained by a reference to that address - the general character of the school has been the religious feelings it has exhibited -
Wednesday Nov. 1 1815
In the forenoon the girls went off and everything was in confusion and in the afternoon started in the stage for the northward with a stage load of our girls we were stowed in so tight that we felt the jolts but very little - we had a jolly party - arrived at eight did not sleep well - the next morning left the stage beyond Sheffield and bade adieu to Mary Clarke and a number of others who will probably never return.
***** *
Walked to Stockbridge felt very tired and was quite sick with the influenza
Friday 3 Felt so unwell that I determined to give up going to Williamstown for I knew if I reached there I should be unable to study and so came back to Sheffield - but too late for the stage stopped at Ensign's Went to Dr. Buel's -
Mary Ann Griffin is married to a Mr. Sparrow - Cooperstown is a fine place to be married in
Left Sheffield at twelve hired a horse at Pomeroy's and arrived home about dark found my Mother very sick -
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On Tuesday Nov. 28 Aunt Abel with a posse of scholars arrived in the stage Wednesday 29 commenced school had a great number of scholars For the first day about 42 This is about the last play day I have until next spring.
Friday Dec 1 1815
Our school increases fast we shall probably have more this winter than we ever had in the winter Monday 4 We have upwards of eighty in the catalogue Saturday Dec 30 The school now consists of upwards of eighty but the boys left to day to attend Mr. Weeks school much to my joy it leaves us only seventy - A tolerably good school the best scholars are McNeil Welles Blanch C. Day C. Beecher M. Peck C. Blauvelt Sherry Deveaux and A. Smith
(Note Mary Welles married Alfred Kelley of Ohio a man who has made some figure in the world)
JOHN P. BRACE HISTORY OF MY POETRY
VOLUME I
(Begun after Mr. Brace was fifty years old.) INTRODUCTION Sept. 2, 1850
I have commenced this labor from various motives. My poetry, good bad and indifferent, is scattered over various parts of my private papers. A complete collection of all that I thought then worth pre- serving was made in the fall of 1813, but the pieces, written since that period have never been collected. To bring them together, in one mass is, therefore, one object of this work.
It is my intention that these volumes shall contain every article that I ever wrote, provided it can be found. The very foolish rhymes of early boyhood will be no exception. I wish to trace the gradual progress of what poetical talent I may possess, from the mere use of rhymes without measure, through the first dawning ideas of rhythm or order, to the study of accurate versification, and thence to where the poetry consists in the idea more than in the construction. It will be a tedious process, and interesting to no one but myself. But as the work will never be seen as long as I live, and as one of the motives, for its accomplishment, and the principal one too, is my own gratifi- cation, and my amusement during the leisure hours of my present employment, the remark is hardly necessary.
Another reason for its commencement is that it will prove, so far as it goes, an Autobiography. The notes, which will accompany the
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pieces, will be as full and as copious as each case may require. I am limited to no time in its accomplishment. I shall feel no hurry in its completion; shall write only when I feel like it, and shall relinquish the task whenever it becomes irksome. As I have no one to please but myself, the prolixity of the accompanying memoirs and the dwel- ling at length upon the amusements and employments of childhood; upon all its sports and its business; upon its day dreams that formed my character, and influenced all my future destiny, can be readily forgiven. Whoever may chance to peruse these pages, after the eye that now inspects them shall be closed in death and the hand that now traces them shall have crumbled into dust, will find in them the germs of all that I was, of all that I have felt, of all that I might have proved. But let me not anticipate.
With the garrulity common to old age I may write much that no future eye will relish, but I write to please myself. You, Emma, had God spared you to us, would have appreciated these pages, more than anyone of my children, and to you, had you lived, they would have been dedicated. But your eye will never trace these lines.
No one event of my life has ever prostrated hopes and wishes aims and plans as your death. There is a vacancy in my heart that nothing on earth can ever fill. I cannot be reconciled to it. I ought not to be called to do it.
The power of writing poetry depends upon two things: an imagina- tion to trace unreal and fictitious relations, an ear for time and measure. The one is the result either of innate temperament or of the effect of early sensibilities upon a quick memory; the other is more a conse- quence of education. My imagination was always luxuriant, and my memory always remarkable. At five, I read Rollin's Ancient History, and was delineating with acorn cups for soldiers the battles of Cyrus, upon the floor. At seven, I remember well being called upon by my companions every morning to describe my dreams of the past night, that were extraordinary & vivid beyond discription. At the same age, I became susceptible of the tender passion, and from that time, through the whole period of childhood can not remember the time when I had not a preference for some little girl. At eight, I was immersed in a continued round of delightful day dreams, the most exquisite creations of castle building not only the improbable but even the impossible became the subjects of these thoughts. How little did those who passed me as I was driving my cows to pasture, or weeding in my father's garden, imagine the train of vivid dreams that were passing through my waking mind, dreams connected with whatever I had been reading. I was with the Grecian heroes at the seige of Troy; standing on the heights of Thermopylae under the shadow of the persian arrows;
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defending with Camillus the Rome of my worship, or combating the Indians by the side of Putnam. At nine, my brother, sister, and some other mates, girls of our age who boarded at my father's, formed a kind of association of castle building - "making plays", as we called it. In these imaginings, I was the chief performer; upon my invention they all depended. We assembled in some quiet place, generally in the dark, and there I would go through a romance applica- ble to them all, they seldom interfered with the arrangement which I carried on. Among my very oldest papers, I have yet some pen and ink sketches of the most villanous looking caricatures of these plays. No mortal now can understand them.
With this imagination and these susceptibilities, it is no wonder that I wrote rhyme very early. But still, my earliest versification took a satirical cast. That arose undoubtedly, from the political newspapers, which, from seven years old and upward, I continually devoured. The Litchfield Monitor by Thomas Collier and, especially, the Balance printed at Hudson, and edited by Harvey Croswell now Rev. Dr. Cros- well of New Haven, which, were my weekly feast, caused the satirical tendency of my earliest essays. My father was a warm federalist and I entered deeply into politics very early in life, as will appear from my notes as I progress.
The characters of my mind, so far as they are connected with the subject of this work, will be gathered from the notes as I advance.
I would note here, that the pieces will occupy the left hand page with the date of their creation over the top. The right hand page will contain all the notes critical, biographical & explanatory that are to be made with the date of the day in which they were written over the top.
1805? Acrostic
Louisa, I address my song to you;
Only hear me now, oh do! Understand me now, I pray; I will advise you now I say,
Sweet virtue let your model be,
And you will act perfectly.
When your bloom decays & your beauty's gone Act then as once you would have done. If you will remember virtue, Then virtue will remember you.
Louisa Wait was a little younger than myself & had been at Litch- field School for some time. She was the daughter of Capt. Thomas
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Wait of New London, who died not far from this time and left his family poor. Louisa was a slight little figure, pretty features, pleasant blue eyes and with an uncommon fresh blooming complexion. She was called very pretty. She left school soon after. On August 10, 1816 she makes her appearance once more in my private journal, she then came on to be Music mistress at our School. She continued in that station until some time in 1821. She became engaged to Wm. T. Gould, who was much younger than she. After leaving Litchfield, she taught school in Philadelphia. Upon Gould's desertion of her, she fell into a consumption and died. She passed through Litchfield when sick, in 1824 and died at her sister's in Burlington in 1826. She was talented, amiable, & a beautiful girl, a very great friend of mine and of Lucy's.
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