In 1845, immediately after their marriage in Beverly, Massachusetts, Joseph Henry Bowditch and his wife Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot moved to his home in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina. Joseph had moved there from Salem, Massachusetts, several years earlier, and started a trading business.
In 1854 Joseph sporadically kept a diary. (It's of course possible that he also kept a diary in other years, but this is the only one we know about.) There are entries for almost every day from January through March, but nothing for April, then a few entries in May, then almost every day in June and July, but nothing the rest of the year. He apparently started again in 1856; some pages for January and March in the 1854 diary have additional entries with handwritten dates in 1856.
Each page in the diary covers three days, with pre-printed dates. The entries are all short and terse, and are mostly about the weather and day-to-day activities, but some interesting information can be inferred about Joseph's use of slaves, about probable visits by his wife Elizabeth's siblings from Massachusetts, and about a three-week trip he took in June and July.
The diary is in the possession of Joseph's gg-granddaughter Marcia Garner, and was scanned by her brother Murray Garner. Pages with no entries weren't scanned. The diary is presented here as a PDF file 
containing the scanned images (with the resolution lowered from 600 to 150 DPI to keep the file size reasonable).
A transcription of the diary is also presented here. For the transcription, an attempt has been made to identify the people mentioned, using the 1850 census for Edgecombe Co., articles from Tarboro newspapers, etc. For people mentioned more than once, only their first mention is footnoted. Uncertain words and names are indicated by "[?]" and indecipherable words are indicated by "[--?--]."
- 1 January 1854, Sunday
Wintry, windy, cool, clear.
No preaching in town. - 2 January 1854, Monday
Freezing & cold, windy, clear.
Sold Martha & her 2 children for $1355 to Bennet T. Pitt.1 - 3 Jan 1854, Tuesday
Beautiful day.
Took Catharine in the house.
Martha Abbott2 at P. P. Lawrence's3 tonight. - 4 Jan 1854, Wednesday
Beautiful day.
Spencer Hart sale.4
Doc McQuinn[?] sale.
Livid[?] halo around the moon, rainbow on outer edge. (night) - 5 Jan 1854, Thursday
Beautiful day.
Hauled 1 load lightwood.5 - 6 Jan 1854, Friday
Beautiful day.
Hauled 1 load lightwood.
T. Thomas
1 Bu corn. - 7 Jan 1854, Saturday
Cloudy & cool.
Col. Frank Dancy6 here.
Commenced snowing at 7 P.M. and continued all night. - 8 Jan 1854, Sunday
6 inches snow on the ground.
Quite cool & wintry.
Abbot7 ill with fever and disordered stomach. Called the Dr., gave him colonic. - 9 Jan 1854, Monday
Cold, freezing day.
Pippen sale.8 - 10 Jan 1854, Tuesday
Cold wintry morning. Thaw at noon and moderate. Windy, warm, rain at night. - 11 Jan 1854, Wednesday
Rain, slosh, snow fast going off.
Sale at Wm. H. Hines.9 Attended it, bought nothing.
Stayed at Col. Barrons.10
Continued rain during the day.
Bought 15 bbls. corn of E. C. Williams,11 $3.
Thunder & lightning storm of 3 to 5 hours duration in the night. - 12 Jan 1854, Thursday
Left Barrons at 10 1/2 AM, got home at 2 1/2 PM. Continual rain up to that time 2 1/2 PM, then cleared of. Not a bit of snow to be seen. - 13 Jan 1854, Friday
Beautiful clear windy day. - 14 Jan 1854, Saturday
Warm & pleasant. - 15 Jan 1854, Sunday
Clear & beautiful.
Mr. Cheshire12 preached. - 16 Jan 1854, Monday
Charming day. - 17 Jan 1854, Tuesday
1/2 cloudy, rain in the evening. - 18 Jan 1854, Wednesday
Rainy day. - 19 Jan 1854, Thursday
George13 horse & cart on street 1 hour.
Commenced rain 3 PM, rain during afternoon & night. - 20 Jan 1854, Friday
George horse & cart all day on street.
Windy & pleasant spring like weather.
Elm corner house tree in bud. - 21 Jan 1854, Saturday
Rain all day.
Cleared cold and windy.
George & cart on street 1 hour. - 22 Jan 1854, Sunday
Clear bright day.
Ground frozen all day in the shade.
Mr. Cheshire away to marry Hayward Parker.14
Patsy, Mar[?] & Lizzy15 children took a long walk up the road.
Ground frozen. - 23 Jan 1854, Monday
Very cold clear windy day.
Tried Abbotts daguerreotype, could not get one.
George & cart all day on street.
First smoke to the meat. - 24 Jan 1854, Tuesday
Cold clear day.
George & cart on street all day.
Ground frozen. - 25 Jan 1854, Wednesday
Cold wintry atmosphere.
George & cart on street all day.
(Put up 10 [--?--] grape juice with 20# sugar on the 1st Oct.) Tried it today and found it good. - 26 Jan 1854, Thursday
Rainy warm morning.
George got 1 load Hard wood.
George & cart on street 1/2 day. - 27 Jan 1854, Friday
Warm rainy morning.
George clearing pigeon house, got 1 bbl dung.
Rain all day.
Revd. Blount Cooper16 buried.
Tried buggy harness and find it to small. - 28 Jan 1854, Saturday
Cold clear day.
George went to mill (and Nat17).
Buggy taken to Nelsons.18
Georgiana19 fell down the cellar stairs. Complained of pain about her neck. - 29 Jan 1854, Sunday
Cold and cloudy.
M & M & wife walked up the road.
Frost and ice abounding.
No preaching.
M Weddell & wife20 arrived.
Rain in the night. - 30 Jan 1854, Monday
Cold, with slight rain.
Bought 60 or 70 cord wood (dry) of John L. Bridgers,21 6/3 a cord. - 31 Jan 1854, Tuesday
Cold damp sunshiny day.
George & cart on street all day.
R. W. Hymans sale of Negroes stopped. - 1 Feb 1854, Wednesday
Beautiful spring like day.
George & cart on street all day.
Abbot fell in the kitchen, hurt his back, three bruised places. - 2 Feb 1854, Thursday
Beautiful day.
Ladies walked to Mrs. Foxhall.22
George & cart on street all day.
Warm night. - 3 Feb 1854, Friday
Wind rose at 5 AM and became cold with rain. Turned to snow at 7 AM. At noon bright clear and cold, very windy, some snow on the ground.
Ground frozen all day.
George cut wood. - 4 Feb 1854, Saturday
Bright cold day
George & cart on street all day. - 5 Feb 1854, Sunday
Beautiful day.
Wife & self walked up the road.
Abbot had fever all this night. Called the Doctor next day, done nothing, let him go. - 6 Feb 1854, Monday
Cold, clear, pleasant day.
George & cart all day on street.
Abbot complained of his back. Doctor saw it, done nothing.
Tom Macnair23 called at night.
Girls at Harriet Lawrences.24 - 7 Feb 1854, Tuesday
Cool damp day.
George & cart on street all day. - 8 Feb 1854, Wednesday
Rainy morning.
George commenced hauling wood from John L. Bridgers. He hauled 2 loads.
Packed the pickled pork, full less one layer. - 9 Feb 1854, Thursday
Sunshiny, cool & [--?--] day.
George hauled wood 3 loads. - 10 Feb 1854, Friday
Bright, clear, beautiful morning and day.
George & cart on street all day.
Girls dined an tea-ed at Mrs. Henry T. Clark.25 - 11 Feb 1854, Saturday
Bright beautiful day.
George & cart on street all day.
Buggy came home from Nelsons, has been painted and new shalves[?] put to it. - 12 Feb 1854, Sunday
Coolish cloudy day.
Mr. Cheshire preached.
Walked in garden.
Wild plums beginning to burst open the flower. - 13 Feb 1854, Monday
Beautiful spring dau.
George & cart on street all day.
Mr. Weddell & wife at house at night. - 14 Feb 1854, Tuesday
Beautiful warm hazy day.
George mowing[?], spading & planting peas.
Mended harness[?] at Nelsons. - 15 Feb 1854, Wednesday
Warm cloudy day.
George in garden spading and planting onions around the smoke house.
Warm night. - 16 Feb 1854, Thursday
Rainy morning, rain at intervals all day.
George hauled 2 load wood.
Cool toward night.
[--?--] [--?--] planting potatoes.
Dr. Bakers26 family posioned.[?] - 17 Feb 1854, Friday
Clear bright cold day.
George hauled 2 loads wood & dug bed for potatoes in the PM.
Ground & water froze at night.
Mrs. Owen27 here at night. - 18 Feb 1854, Saturday
Cool bright beautiful day.
George hauled 2 load wood & planted 7 rows potatoes. - 19 Feb 18
54, Sunday
Beautiful day. Mr. Cheshire preached.
Cow and calf driven to Sally Lawrences.28 - 20 Feb 1854, Monday
Rainy day, hard rain all day.
George hauled 2 loads wood and cut wood in PM. - 21 Feb 1854, Tuesday
Cool open[?] pleasant day.
George & cart on street 1/2 day.
Hauled 1 load wood. - 22 Feb 1854, Wednesday
Fair beautiful day.
George & cart on street all day.
Mr. & miss Brown & Miss Owen at T. R. Owens.29
Hard frost at night. - 23 Feb 1854, Thursday
Clear cool open[?] day.
George & cart on street all day.
350.
Frost at night. - 24 Feb 1854, Friday
George on the street all day.
Very fine weather.
Frost at night. - 25 Feb 1854, Saturday
George & cart on street all day. - 26 Feb 1854, Sunday
Rain all the morning, cleared at noon.
Beautiful sunset. - 27 Feb 1854, Monday
Beautiful morning.
George & cart on street all day.
Mr. Bass here and mentioned about Miss Alsabrook. - 28 Feb 1854, Tuesday
Beautiful fair cool day.
George & cart on street all day. - 1 Mar 1854, Wednesday
Fair warm pleasant day.
George & cart on street all day.
Josiah Pender30 cow[?] buried.[?] - 2 Mar 1854, Thursday
Beautiful warm day.
George & cart on street 1/2 day.
Planted 2 rows potatoes
All hands vaccinated. - 3 Mar 1854, Friday
Warm pleasant day.
George on street all day. - 4 Mar 1854, Saturday
Rain slightly at daylight, heavily from 8 am till noon.
Cleared off with bright moon in the evening.
J. B. Hayat31 gave me bill of George work up till including today - which is 22 1/2 days, 3 hours, 1.75, $39.91.
George & cart on street 1 hour. - 5 Mar 1854, Sunday
Very beautiful clear day.
Bishop Atkinson32 preached 1st time in this place. I think the best sermon I ever heard delivered. In the morning and at night full houses.
R. Chapman33 dined with us.
Took a walk up the road and across to the Parker34 place. - 6 Mar 1854, Monday
Beautiful day.
George hauled 1 load lightwood from Walston.
Bishop preached at night. - 7 Mar 1854, Tuesday
Pleasant warm day.
George hauled 1 load wood.
Doctor Garret35 brought me a pup bitch.
Bishop A. left this morning at 10 am. - 8 Mar 1854, Wednesday
Warm, windy & changeable.
George in garden all day.
Sat out 46 raspberries. - 9 Mar 1854, Thursday
Warm beautiful weather.
Separated and sat out more raspberries.
George hauled 1 load wood. - 10 Mar 1854, Friday
Windy, cloudy warm day.
George [--?--], took [--?--] sick from vaccination.
Mrs. B. & Martha dined at D. W. Bulluck.36
Called on John Bridgers wife37 in the evening. - 11 Mar 1854, Saturday
Cool with slight rain in the early morning.
Mrs. B. calt[?] & ciddy[?] vaccinated.
New harness came.
Mr. Wilkin[?] died - 12 Mar 1854, Sunday
Beautiful day.
Went to R. Pittmans. - 13 Mar 1854, Monday
Beautiful day. Came home.
George mowing[?] and spading in garden.
Dick Garret38 brought a second puppy for Abbot. - 14 Mar 1854, Tuesday
Beautiful day.
Miss Best at the house.
Girls at Mrs. Parker.
George in garden spading & mowing.[?] - 15 Mar 1854, Wednesday
Beautiful day, very warm.
George hauled 1 load lightwood and spaded in garden. - 16 Mar 1854, Thursday
Mild cloudy morning. - 26 Mar 1854, Sunday
Attended church in Broom St. Excellent sermon.
Cold, snow icy day. - 27 Mar 1854, Monday
Very cold. Ice all day. [Faint] - 28 Mar 1854, Tuesday
Very cold and snowy day. [Faint] - 29 Mar 1854, Wednesday
[Line too faint to read.] - 30 Mar 1854, Thursday
[First line too faint to read.]
Snow all day. [Faint] - 31 Mar 1854, Friday
[Line too faint to read.] - 1 May 1854, Monday
[No entry] - 2 May 1854, Tuesday
Terrier bitch pup born. - 3 May 1854, Wednesday
[No entry] - 16 May 1854, Tuesday
[No entry] - 17 May 1854, Wednesday
[No entry] - 18 May 1854, Thursday
Cloudy, pleasant.
Rain in the last evening, very heavy with thunder during the night.
Today a clear beautiful day. - 22 May 1854, Monday
[No entry] - 23 May 1854, Tuesday
Pleasant day, warm.
Very busy in store.
George made [--?--] pile out by grape vine. - 24 May 1854, Wednesday
Pleasant cloudy day.
Planted Japan peas. - 9 Jun 1854, Friday
Everett came to work today.
Very pleasant day.
Work about stable door and shelter. - 10 Jun 1854, Saturday
Everett all day.
Very pleasant.
At work in stable yard. - 11 Jun 1854, Sunday
Cloudy & warm.
Nat & Geo rode to [--?--]toe.
Heavy rain with thunder in the evening. - 12 Jun 1854, Monday
Fine beautiful day.
Everett at work all day.
Rain in the evening. - 13 Jun 1854, Tuesday
Fine beautiful day.
Everett 1/2 day till late[?] PM. - 14 Jun 1854, Wednesday
[No entry] - 18 Jun 1854, Sunday
Very hot cloudy day.
Eh at R. Pittmans. - 19 Jun 1854, Monday
Hot day.
Everett mending cellar wall. - 20 Jun 1854, Tuesday
Warm, hottest day of the season.
Everett away all day. - 21 Jun 1854, Wednesday
Very hot.
Whitewashing in house, bedroom - 22 Jun 1854, Thursday
Very hot.
Making raspberry forms. - 23 Jun 1854, Friday
Very hot.
Mrs. B. at Mrs. Pittmans.
Making steps.
E[--?--] finished & quit[?] this night. - 24 Jun 1854, Saturday
Left home with R. R. Bridgers39 for up country. Staid overnight at Jesse H. Powell.40
Beautiful day with lookout rain clouds. - 25 Jun 1854, Sunday
Very beautiful day.
Left Powells at 7 1.2 AM.
Dined in Nash county diner at Williams 1.50, buy[?] 10.
Left at 4 PM and drove into the night till 9 o'clock.
Stopped at Williams.
Beautiful place, very hospitable.
No [--?--]. Boy 25. - 26 Jun 1854, Monday
Now in Warren County, very beautiful country.
Started in am 7 1/2 o'clock, reached Warrenton at 10.
Hot day.
Paid shoeing horse 1.00.
4.25. - 27 Jun 1854, Tuesday
Everett away all day.[crossed out]
1.25 - 28 Jun 1854, Wednesday
1.50 - 29 Jun 1854, Thursday
Hot day from Roboro [Roxboro?] to Cal[--?--] [--?--], through a warm country, long reaches of bare wild[?] country.
2.75
.35
.85 - 30 Jun 1854, Friday
.50
2.00
Very hot from Grave[?] to - 1 Jul 1854, Saturday
From Wentworth to Julius Martin.
Dined at Blacks in Madison.
Crossed the river.
.50
.75
.25 - 2 Jul 1854, Sunday
From Julius Martins to Piedmont Springs.
2.50 - 3 Jul 1854, Monday
[At the top of the page is "Got standard[?] July 5th."]
Hot at Piedmont. - 4 Jul 1854, Tuesday
Hot at Piedmont. - 5 Jul 1854, Wednesday
Very hot.
Left Piedmont 5 1.2 AM. Passed through Danbury, over hilly country to Little Yadkin Hotel, arrived at 1 1/2 PM. Left at 5 1/2 for Sillom [Siloam?] Pilot house 6 miles.
7.50
.25 - 6 Jul 1854, Thursday
Left House for mountain at 5 1/2 AM. Rode 1 3/4 mile ascended to foot of Pinnacle in 30 m, to peak of Pinnacle in 15 m, magnificent place.
At Pilot 2.05
At Little Yadkin 3.15 - 7 Jul 1854, Friday
Back to Dalton by 11 AM.
Dined and went on to Anthony Bittings, good house, stayed over night.
[Notes that look like "Do" above "56", "B2 50" above "44".]
1.50
.15
.20
.25
.25 - 8 Jul 1854, Saturday
From Bitting to Greensboro.
Stopped at the Watson old place.
2.50
.25
.13
.25
.40
.75
.25 - 9 Jul 1854, Sunday
From Greensboro to Mebane.
Bright hot day.
2.25
.75
.08 - 10 Jul 1854, Monday
To Chapel Hill.
1.50
.15 - 11 Jul 1854, Tuesday
To Raleigh.
3.75
1.00
.50
.85
.05 - 12 Jul 1854, Wednesday
From RRB $79, to Pomeroy 1.00, candy[?] 1.50 - 13 Jul 1854, Thursday
Cloudy hot day.
Left Raleigh for home.
Dined at Fosters.
To Mrs. Vicks at night.
7.37
.50
.10
.75
.10 - 14 Jul 1854, Friday
Rainy morning.
From Mrs. Vick to Barnes[?] to dinner.
Got home by 4 o'clock PM.
1.50
.25 - 15 Jul 1854, Saturday
Hot.
At home resting from journey. - 16 Jul 1854, Sunday
Hot.
At home all day.
No preaching. - 17 Jul 1854, Monday
Very hot day. - 18 Jul 1854, Tuesday
[At the top is a word in parentheses, possibly "missing"]
Very hot.
Took up well back of kitchen. - 19 Jul 1854, Wednesday
[No entry] - 20 Jul 1854, Thursday
[No entry] - 13 Jan 1856, Sunday
Cold & sloshy.
Mr. C. preached.
Geo. & Nat at church. - 14 Jan 1856, Monday
John41 & Ellen42 left.
Fine day. - 15 Jan 1856, Tuesday
Beautiful day.
Received 4 pork[?] from Wm. W. Best. - 16 Jan 1856, Wednesday
Cold clear day.
Received 4 pork[?] Harry[?] Staton43 - 17 Jan 1856, Thursday
Pleasant, thawing day.
Lizzy trying out [--?--] - 18 Jan 1856. Friday
Clear & pleasant. - 19 Jan 1856, Saturday
Pleasant windy day, cloudy at night. - 20 Jan 1856, Sunday
Cold, rain, sleet & snow. - 21 Jan 1856, Monday
Cloudy, very cloudy. Cleared away at noon.
Ground frozen. - 9 Mar 1856, Sunday
Snow at night.
Mr. H. left this am. - 14 Mar 1856, Friday
Snow all gone in P.M.
Bright day. - 23 Mar 1856, Sunday
M. Suttiver[?] preached. - 24 Mar 1856, Monday
Pleasant day.
George hauled fodder from Tolson.[?]
Bill Pitt44 died. - 25 Mar 1856, Tuesday
Beautiful day, cool.
George hauld fodder from Jim Lawrences.
I bought 3 stacks of Mayo sale45 in town, [--?--} 62¢. I am to haul it. - 26 Mar 1856, Wednesday
Beautiful day.
George hauled fodder from Jim Lawrences.
Last practicing of Miss Darlington.46 - 27 Mar 1856, Thursday
Hauled 2 loads fodder from Mayo.
Quite a sudden and short storm of snow.
Cold and windy.
- Probably Bennett Phillips Pitt (1808-1880).
- Martha Eliza Abbot (1835-1870), sister of Joseph's wife Elizabeth.
- Peter Payne Lawrence (1780-1855).
- Estate sale for Spencer Lee Hart (abt 1775-1853).
- Lightwood is a resinous pine used for kindling.
- Francis Littlebury Dancy (1806-1890).
- George Abbot Bowditch (1850-1855), Joseph's son.
- Estate sale for Joseph John Pippen (1796-1853).
- Estate sale for William Henry Hines (1819-1853).
- Bolin Boone Barron (1826-1900).
- Probably Eliza Caroline (Mathewson) Williams (abt 1803-1891), widow of John Williams (1799-1844).
- Joseph Blount Cheshire (1814-1899), rector of Calvary Church in Tarboro from 1842 to 1892.
- A slave hired by Joseph Bowditch from Jesse Battle Hyatt. See the diary entry for 4 March 1854.
- Rev. John Haywood Parker (1813-1858), married Ann S. (Ferrand) Lord 25 January 1854 in Salisbury, Rowan Co., North Carolina.
- Probably Elizabeth Blanchard (Abbot) Bowditch, Joseph's wife.
- Blount Cooper (1805-1854), pastor of the Primitive Baptist Church in Tarboro.
- Possibly Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch (1846-1913), Joseph's son.
- Possibly Jonas Nelson (1792-1860?).
- Georgiana Abbot Bowditch (1848-1927), Joseph's daughter.
- Matthew (1813-1888) and Maria Toole (Clark) Weddell (1813-1859).
- John Luther Bridgers (1821-1884).
- Sarah Elizabeth (Dancy) Foxhall (1802-1872), widow of William Foxhall (?-1841).
- Thomas Alexander Macnair (1814-1878).
- Harriett Penelope (Mayo) Lawrence (1813-1874), wife of Joshua Lawrence (abt 1811-1867).
- Mary Weeks (Parker) Clark (1822-1896), wife of Henry Toole Clark (1808-1874).
- William Sparkman Baker (1810-1861).
- Mary Blount (McCotter) Owen (1811-1876), husband of Thomas Robinson Owen (1810-1882).
- Possibly Sarah (Chapman) Lawrence (abt 1798-?), widow of Samuel Lawrence (abt 1795-?).
- Thomas Robinson Owen (1810-1882).
- Josiah Solomon Pender (1819-1864).
- Jesse Battle Hyatt (1820-1886).
- Thomas Atkinson (1807-1881), third Episcopal Bishop of North Carolina.
- Russell Chapman (1802-1874).
- Celia (Williams) Parker, widow of William Parker (?-1847).
- Joseph James Garrett (1821-1880).
- Probably David William Bulluck (1819-1896).
- Rebecca Louis (Dicken) Bridgers (1829-1865).
- Possibly Richard Henry Garrett (1831-1908).
- Robert Rufus Bridgers (1819-1888).
- Jesse Harrison Powell (1805-1879).
- Possibly John Edwin Abbot (1831-1911), brother of Joseph's wife Elizabeth.
- Possibly Ellen Louisa Abbot (1837-1887), sister of Joseph's wife Elizabeth.
- Possibly Henry Lafayette Staton (1824-1886).
- William S. Pitt (1832-1856).
- Estate sale for John Mayo (abt 1793-1855).
- Sarah Painter Darlington (1825-1881), who lived with Joseph's family during the winters of 1854-1855 and 1855-1856, after answering an ad Joseph had placed in the New York Times looking for an organist for their Tarboro church.