January 1 Saturday – Sam and Livy struggled with sick children.

On Jan. 9 Sam wrote his mother that Susy had been: “…taken sick, & Livy removed her to our room & tended her two or three days & nights. New Years’ morning she was well again; but Bay was taken alarmingly ill that night—threatened with membranous croup” [MTBus 149].

Bills/receipts/statements from Hartford merchants:

Sam paid for the Daily Courant, period Oct. 1, 1880 to Jan. 1, 1881.

James G. Wells, china & glassware, billed $2.19 (items illegible); Smith, Northam & Robinson billed $25.75 for feed, meal & oats purchased Oct. 28, Nov. 29, Dec. 14, 27 , paid Jan. 7; Farmington Creamery $11.97 for Feb. 27, Mar. 6, 12, 19, 26, Apr. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 —Sam wrote on this bill:

“Here is this same old bill again – this time the price of the March butter is advanced 5 cents a pound”

Tracy & Co. , hardware, billed $4.22 for purchases May 26, June 19, 23, July 9, 15, Oct. 25, Dec. 29: shovel, twine, scoop, scythe stone, cord, etc., paid Jan. 8; G.F. Heublein & Bro., “wine and liquor merchant” 80 cents for 1 doz. Lager, paid Jan. 7; Robbins Brothers, “Mfg. Furniture in every description” $16.93 for Sept. 6 work at house 2 days, carpet tacks, thread, pole; Russell $10.04 for 10 deliveries 4 doz. eggs each: Oct. 14, 22, 29, Nov. 6, 19, 27, Dec. 2, 9, 18, 24; West Hartford Ice & Pressed Brick Co. , $50.57 for Oct. and Dec. deliveries totaling 5,910 lbs, paid Jan. 6; Brockett’s Old Store, “gent’s furnishing goods” $66.70 for drawers, shirts, suspenders, collars, bows, paid Jan. 7 [all MTP 1881 financial file].

More bills/receipts/statements from Hartford merchants:

E. Habenstein, “ornamental confectioner and fancy baker” $25.65 for Oct. 16, Nov. 10, Dec. 1, 10 purchases: fancy farm ice cream, roman punch, Whitman’s candies, french fruit, maccaroons, fancy cakes: paid Jan. 10. S.L. Hart, carriage builder, $73.54 for July 21, Aug. 7, 9, 31, Dec. 3, 7, 11, 18, 20, various repairs and paint, paid Jan. 27; Fox & Co. grocers, $62.83 “amount of bill to date, pass book: paid Jan. 8; G.W. Fuller & Son $28 for carriage?; William A. Garvey, plumber $14.70 work on plumbing, furnace; William H. Bulkeley, dry goods $232.52 for long list of clothing items from Oct. through Dec. 1880 [MTP 1881 financial file].

Wm. P. Woolley, livery $10.75 for: Oct. 19 use of hack, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 hack from opera, Nov. 10, 23, 27 1 hour each; Dec. 1 to & from party; Dec. 6 2&1/4 home. Sam wrote on bill:

“but you haven’t receipted it, Mr. Woolley. SLC enclosed a check for $10.75”

The Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph Co. billed $3.78 for messages sent Dec. 3, 16, 18 to N.Y. Dec. 18 to Boston; Dec. 9 to Buffalo; Dec. 29, 30 to Elmira.

• Brown & Gross, booksellers billed $49.65 for long list of playing cards, printing and books, including: · Common Sense in the Household: A Manual of Practical Housewifery (1880) ·
• Elizabeth Henriette Witt’s Monsieur Guizot in Private Life (1881) ·
• Winegar Albion Tourgée’s Bricks without Straw, A Novel (1880) ·
• Isa Craig Knox’s The Little Folks’ History of England [Gribben 695; 780; 707; 386]. ·
• Also paid for were Sam’s two purchases of Malory’s The Boy’s King Arthur on Nov. 18 and Dec. 13 of 1880 [448]. Bill paid Jan. 17 [Also, MTP 1881 financial file].

Haynes & Simmons, “fine boots, shoes & rubbers” $17.05 for Oct. 25, 30, Dec. 1, 16, 21: Soles, trimmings, arctics, boots; D.H. Buell jeweler, for “Eng pin Mrs Perkins; Rep eye glasses on Oct. 11; Nov 6 key; Nov 18 mounting mosaic pin $16; plating, comb, pin: Nov 19 replating ice pitcher; Dec. 7 pin $12 Dec. 18 1 pr buttons”; Wm. Roberts, harnesses, saddles, etc., $2.75 for “Dec. 24 buckle in reins, Dec. 28 1 set chime sleigh bells”; J.G. Rathbun & Co., druggists & chemists, $81.43 for purchases Oct. 1, 2, 5, 11, Nov. 1, 10, 22, 25, Dec. 8, 9, 23, 28: salad oil, alcohol, 1 qt Calif brandy, 6 thermometers, 1 qt bourbon, vaseline, 6 large bottles sea water, 200 cigars, 2 doz sponges, turpentine, 400 cigars, etc.; J.B. Stone, “stationery, blank books, papers, twine” $36.40 for May 1, Oct. 5, Nov. 11, Dec. 14, 18 purchases: Paper, paper dolls, sleds, etc. paid Jan. 19; Dr. C.A. Taft for professional services from July 1, 1880 to Jan. 1, 1881; D.S. Brooks & Son $7.48 for misc. pots & pans purchased Oct. 15, 27, Nov. 8, paid Jan. 7; [MTP 1881 financial file].

Last, Linus T. Fenn, “Mfgr. & dealer in furniture, bedding” etc. $217.03 List of 21 line items, most expense $75 for “secretary to order with French plate in door”; items purchased on Oct. 2, 8, 11, 20, 26, Nov. 8, Dec. 2, 4, 21, 31—paid Jan. 8 [MTP 1881 financial file].