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Vernon Marion Babbitt's Diary
What follows is a transcription of an 1871 pocket diary belonging to Vernon Marion Babbitt who lived in Ward, NY and attended Alfred University. He first attended in 1858 but left to participate in the Civil War as a member of the 19th Regiment of the 1st N.Y. Dragoons, Co. H. After the war, he returned to the University in 1868 and finished in 1871 with an advanced degree in the scientific course. He was a member of the Alleghanian Lyceum and in love with Sabra Rogers (which is extremely evident throughout the diary). After graduation he married Sabra and left the Western New York area to eventually became a merchant in Nebraska. Vernon died at the age of sixty-four but was 28 or 29 years old during the writing of this diary.
The end of the diary contains handwritten records of earnings and expenses, as well as few other notes. That information is found after the text of the diary, which is transcribed just as he wrote it (mis-spellings and all).
Keep in mind the time period of little technology, no electricity or cars, and restrictions at the University on interactions between men and women, especially in their own rooms. We hope you enjoy it!
Information
from the back pages of the diary:
Cash Account January
Date Recieved Paid
2nd Orephilian Jubilee 30
3rd Silas Burdick 3.50
6 Pastoye on paper 5
9 Present for Proff. Allen 50
12 Hook watch chain 05
31 Postage Stamps 30
Total 4.70
Cash Account
February
Date Recieved Paid
1 To W.D. Williams Milk .50
3 can oysters 40
14 Lyceum tax 100
total 1.90
Cash Account
March
Date Recieved Paid
2nd for likeness 70
" filling
tooth 50
"
flower seeds 10
7 Mark Sheapherd 150
10 To Sabra 500
13 For Wood 100
" for
Milk 65
" paper
cuffs 04
31 Picture frame 130
total 10,79
Cash Account
March
Date Recieved Paid
4th paper cuffs 06
6 postage & box 15
" window curtain
10
7 Musselage brush ,02
" Musselage & Oil 15
10 Postage 24
12 eggs
& Kettle 33
16 For Butter 28
20 Postage 10
" Matches 10
22 Sojourner Truth 15
25 Drawing Paper 20
Total
1,88
Cash Account May
Date Recieved Paid
1st Butter 25
" Cloth
50
10 Postage Stamps 30
11 For Flour 1,12
14 Sunday School 20
16 Butter 37
20 Libra Tax 25
22 Go to Show 25
29 For Fish 18
30 Ill. cracker 10
Total 352
Cash Account
June
Date Recieved Paid
1st For Butter ,20
2 Potatoes 32
5 Green. Allen 5,00
" for Beans 17
12 for Butter 25
13 "
cutting hair 10
16 Box bollors 25
" Paper 03
19 Drawing Paper 15
20 Dress triming 38
" Postage
Stamps 21
27 Tuition 10,00
" writing
paper 18
28 1 doz. eggs 14
30 stone 10
Total 17,48
crossed out:
V.M. Babbitt Dr. to C. Sprague for work
Oct 14th 3 days
Oct 16th 1
"
Cash Accounts
July
Date Recieved Paid
Go
to Hornellsville
1 Lecture Mrs. Howe 1,45
3 Hair oil ,5
" watch cord 25
4 cuffs 05
5 room rent 4,50
" Mrs. P. for Milk& 1,70
Ribbon 05
9 Horses to feed 1,00
13 To Andover on Carr 40
14 from Andover 40
19 Go Wellsville & Return 60
" Trunk
handle 4 laudlum 50
" crackers 05
" Boat
Taps 20
" Shepherd 4,75
Total 16,05
crossed out:
V.M. Babbitt Dr.
to F. Brodie for work
Oct 14 5 days
"
21 5 1/2
"
25 2 1/2
Nov. 4 5
1/2
Wm. Armstrong
Dr. to V.M. Babbitt for extra work on house
2 botten doors 150
buttery shelves 125
2 boxes for
chimes 125
moulding door 75
dressing stan 125
Buse Boards 25
threshold
stantials 4,00
casing stairs
Cash Account
August
Date Recieved Paid
1st Postage Stamps 24
6 Sunday School
11
9 to Preacher 2,00
12 Pulling teeth 50
" crackers 10
21 Pepper & c. 25
Total 3,20
Aug 2nd H.
Babbitt Dr. to work S. House 5 1/2 days
"
9 . . . . . 6
"
"
16 . . . . . 8
"
"
21. . . . .
1 3/4 "
214
42
25
17
Oct. 25
Researved of H. Babbitt the full amount due on the above work
Cash Account
September
Date Recieved Paid
18 Scio to Belmont& Back 30
19 Trip to Portage 570
22 To Angelica 75
29 "
Wellsville 20
30 for tools 1.80
" "
Coffee 25
Total 9 00
V.M. Babbitt Dr.
for board to C. Sprague
October
7th.......................................3 1/2 days
"
14........................................9 "
"
21........................................12 "
" 25........................................5 "
Nov.
4.........................................11 "
"
10........................................3 "
Cash Accounts
October
Date Recieved Paid
4 cloth for overalls 75
9 Postage 09
12 Box collor 30
13 To Institute 1,25
18 Paper brads 10
23 Postage 21
Total 2,70
Job Dr. to V. M.
Babbitt work
oct.
7.....................3 1/2 days
" 14.....................4 1/2 "
" 21.................... 5 1/2
" 25.................... 2 1/2
Nov
4....................5 1/2
Cash Account
November
Date
Recieved Paid
6 Green Allen 19,00
" Prof. Allen 7,50
" Dr. Saunders 4 00
" Irving Saunders 2 00
" Crandalls 11,50
7 Postage 10
8 Scratch awl 10
17 Postage 12
" Dress
Brade 10
18 boots 5,00
29 to Wellsville & Back 20
Total 49,62
Nov. 25th S.
Smith Dr. to work on house 5 1/2 days
29th.................................................1 1/2 "
Cash Accounts
December
Date Recieved Paid
4 Postage 24
" Coffee 30
" Cotton Yarn 35
6 Paper & envelopes 22
8 factory cloth 75
10 bible for S. House 50
14 coat vest & pants 1800
" Trunk 900
" Horses
in Barn 30
19 Crandalls Acc. 6.68
" shirt
buttons 15
" cutting
hair 10
" oysters 70
" Books 7.50
21 Rope for Trunk 15
" Ticket
Cincinnati 14.65
22 Aples & Luncheon 25
" omnibus 50
23 Tavern Bill 100
Total
61.34
23 Ticket Shoals 6.00
" Book 50
" Saveing 10
25 Postage 24
29 Institute 10
" Shaving 10
719
" Bottle Ink 10
7.29
61.34
68.63
Summary of Cash
Accounts
Jan. 4.70
Feb. 1 90
Mar. 10 79
Apr. 1
88
May. 3 52
June 17 48
July 16 05
Aug. 3
20
Sept. 9 00
Oct. 2
70
Nov. 49 62
Dec. 68 63
189,47
Note from Sabra
under the Memoranda page:
"Every
man's the architect of his own fortune" And may you mold and fashion your
own character so as slways to be a true and happy man Disapointments often come
to us but may you be prepared to meet them with courage and keep this bookin
Remembrance of the many days that are to come. And years fromnow as you turn
overleaf after leaf may you think of one dear friend
who loved
you well if it is not the will of God to have her with you then, but love
and cherish the remembrance of that one
fir tus wekk ti be renenbered. Your own true and loving one
Sabra
memoranda:
Oct.
1, 1871
Yours
Sabra Rogers
Memoranda
Science
is the product of self culture all the mountain pracked from a devotion to a
cause
Memoranda
Date
11. Culture of Body the first culture not to
have to much tast it spoils every thing American Society European Society first
learnt to exist learn to libe church culture christianity is
no sect character culture should embrase all christian principles Culture of
Literature Medical culture
Memoranda
Wm Armstrong Dr.
to work on house $107.75
C. by check Nov.
5 $ 15.00
" "
" " 18 80.00
Dr. 5th by check 12.75
Memoranda
Home
Sunday
eve 1871
March 26
Vernon remember
there is one friend who loves you well. and again I ask you to remember me
Sabra
I always
remember you
Vernon
27,00
7 50
14
65
6 00
1 00
56.15
Memoranda
Sabra
Rogers (her handwriting)
11111111
11111
1111 1111 Scio
Alligany
Co. NY
Due Oct. 6 1869
from
Ames William $113,04
Recieved from
June 16/70 $50,00
Recieved Due
10/70 $50 00
Recieved Oct.
18/71 $20 00
Memoranda
Nov. 16th 1869
Casey Williams Dr. to work on house $15
50
Recieved May
16th/70 of C. Williams $10.00
15.50
5 42
16,04.2 03.52
6,04.2 5
7 17.60
142,29 4 84 598
176 176
985 1021