Ah, the gems of information I find in our collection from time to time! In 1949 a series of articles appeared in the Free Press Herald (Midland - Penetanguishene) extracted from the journals of George Wilson of "Medonte, Simcoe County, Canada West". Lt. George Wilson was a retired officer in the Royal Navy who owned Marchburn Farm in the Coldwater River Valley. He settled there about 1831 and later represented Medonte and Flos when the Simcoe District Council was established. In 1844 when Flos was represented separately, he continued to represent Medonte. His journals give us an idea of what our own Simcoe County ancestors experienced in those early days. The copies we have cover 1838, 1841, 1844, parts of 1849 and 1850. With your indulgence, I will send the list his entries on the first of each month. The numbers represent the day of the month.......beginning with June...... 1838 4,5: Finished planting potatoes. Burnt last winter's chopping. Fire did not run well. 7: Commenced logging for turnips. {will someone please explain this?} 17: Very warm. Hay knee deep. Crops all looking well. Engaged F. Rutherford for 2 months at 12 dollars per month. Engaged John Stephens one month. 1841 6. Very warm. Spring crops looking ill from the long dry weather - a thunderstorm, some rain. 8: Began to underbrush 2 acres for turnips. 13: Employed chopping for turnips. 27: Fine weather, some rain. Employed chopping the Dam timber. 1844 7: Very busy clearing off the stones of the field we are plowing. 12: Last two days very cold with frost at night. 14: Very warm, the corn and potatoes recovering that were hurt by the frost. Ploughing grass and hoeing potatoes. 15: Burnt the brush which did very well. Ther. at 83 deg. 17: Began to logg (sic) for turnips. 29: The turnips sown. Pam Tessier Penetanguishene Museum

Hi Pam: I am pleased to see you are putting this up on line. Lt. George Wilson is one my ancestors btw. Ron Zinck On Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 7:46 AM, Pam Tessier <[email protected]>wrote: > Ah, the gems of information I find in our collection from time to time! > In 1949 a series of articles appeared in the Free Press Herald (Midland > - Penetanguishene) extracted from the journals of George Wilson of > "Medonte, Simcoe County, Canada West". Lt. George Wilson was a retired > officer in the Royal Navy who owned Marchburn Farm in the Coldwater > River Valley. He settled there about 1831 and later represented Medonte > and Flos when the Simcoe District Council was established. In 1844 when > Flos was represented separately, he continued to represent Medonte. His > journals give us an idea of what our own Simcoe County ancestors > experienced in those early days. The copies we have cover 1838, 1841, > 1844, parts of 1849 and 1850. > > With your indulgence, I will send the list his entries on the first of > each month. > > The numbers represent the day of the month.......beginning with June...... > > 1838 > 4,5: Finished planting potatoes. Burnt last winter's chopping. Fire did > not run well. > 7: Commenced logging for turnips. {will someone please explain this?} > 17: Very warm. Hay knee deep. Crops all looking well. Engaged F. > Rutherford for 2 months at 12 dollars per month. Engaged John Stephens > one month. > > 1841 > 6. Very warm. Spring crops looking ill from the long dry weather - a > thunderstorm, some rain. > 8: Began to underbrush 2 acres for turnips. > 13: Employed chopping for turnips. > 27: Fine weather, some rain. Employed chopping the Dam timber. > > 1844 > 7: Very busy clearing off the stones of the field we are plowing. > 12: Last two days very cold with frost at night. > 14: Very warm, the corn and potatoes recovering that were hurt by the > frost. Ploughing grass and hoeing potatoes. > 15: Burnt the brush which did very well. Ther. at 83 deg. > 17: Began to logg (sic) for turnips. > 29: The turnips sown. > > Pam Tessier > Penetanguishene Museum > > > > ***************** > Ten People All Genealogists Should Follow On Twitter: http://tr.im/hBAy > > Simcoe Co. GenWeb at http://www.waynecook.com/simcoe.shtml > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >