It is always interesting to read some of the old papers, and see just what life was like years ago, and how they had to keep records by hand.
This document, just a small scrap of paper, was an inventory of Allen Dunning's sheep. It reads:
"1835
June 10th Sheared Sheap and turned 154 weathers [a wether is a castrated ram] and dry ewes on the mountain and eighty eight ewes and eighty five lambs on the west side of the brook.
A Dunning
3 on the mountain not sheared"
His son had a family Journal book, in which he wrote a full description of himself, his wife and children. The book reads as follows:
"Dedicated to C. P. Dunning and family of Ripon, Wis. Jany 1st 1871"
Register of Husband
Name - Cephas Perry Dunning
Birthplace - Ticonderoga, New York
Date of Birth - July 19, 1819
Descent - English
Father's Name - Allen Dunning
Mother's Name - Hannah Perkins
No. Br's & Sisters - Five brothers and Seven sisters
Education - Academic
Occupation - Farmer
Politics - Republican
Religion - Liberal, to do good
Date of Marriage - April 23, 1845
Autograph [his signature]
Stature - Five feet ten inches
Weight - One hundred and seventy pounds
Habit - Temporate
Complexion - Light
Color of Hair - Brown
Color of Eyes - Blue
Health - Good
Remarks - From my childhood to the age of 18 years I was educated to labor on a farm 8 months and attend a district school 4 months in the year, after that age attended an Academy and served as clerk in stores in many places until my aspirations rose to that of a country pedagogue which I followed for several years in connection with farming, until my whole time was given to farming until the year of 1869 when adversities soon followed in quick succession. C. P. Dunning
Register of Wife
Name - Rachel Gardinier
Birthplace - Fultonville, New York
Date of Birth - Sept 2nd, 1825
Descent - Holland
Father's Name - Thomas Gardinier
Mother's Name - Mary Hardenberg
No. Br's & Sisters - four brothers, three sisters
Education - English primary
Occupation - Farming
Politics [blank]
Religion - Liberal
Date of Marriage - April 23, 1845
Autograph [ her signature]
Stature - Five feet 4 inches
Weight - One hundred twenty pounds
Habit - Temporate
Complexion - Florid
Color of Hair - Auburn
Color of Eyes - Hazel
Health - Poor generally
Remarks - At the age of three years the mother of Rachel Gardinier died after which her father married Mrs. Harriet Stavin with whom she lived until the age of nine years when her father died leaving her under the guardianship of her eldest sister Sarah, who married J. W. Mount with whom she lived until married at the age of 19 years, then followed the struggles always attended with a pioneer life with incessant toil & poor health for many years with a will & determination.
Register of:
Name - Eugene M. Dunning
Birthplace - Paris, Wisconsin
Date of Birth - November 21, 1846
Descent - Anglosaxon
Father's Name - C. P. Dunning
Mother's Name - Rachel Gardinier
No. Br's & Sisters - one sister, no brother
Education - English primary
Occupation - Farmer
Politics - Republican
Religion - Liberal
Date of Marriage - [blank]
Autograph [signature]
Stature - Five foot Eleven inches
Weight - One hundred & seventy pounds
Habit - Temperate
Complexion - Florid
Color of Hair - Auburn
Color of Eyes - Blue
Health - good
Remarks - Eugene M. Dunning received a primary education while being engaged at farming until at the age of 16 years he enlisted into the U. S. service for 100 days to put down the rebellion, at the expiration of which time was honorably discharged, having had a skirmish with the rebel general Forest while making a raid upon Memphis. he enlisted in the year 1864 in June, under Capt. W. T. Whiting company B 41st Regt. at Ripon, Wis.
Register of:
Name - Marian E. Dunning
Birthplace - Metomen, Wisconsin
Date ofd Birth - August 28, 1848
Descent - Anglosaxen
Father's Name - C. P. Dunning
Mother's Name - Rachel Gardinier
No. Br's & Sisters - one brother, no sister
Education =- English primary
Occupation - [blank]
Politics - [blank]
Religion - [blank]
Date of marriage - [blank]
Autograph - [signature]
Stature - Five feet three inches
Weight - One hundred thirty pounds
Habit - Temperate
Complexion - light
Color of Hair - brown
Color of Eyes - blue
Health - good
Remarks - From childhood to the age of fourteen years Marian E. Dunning lived upon a farm attending a district school and household duries, after which her parents moved to Ripon where better advantages for obtaining an education were had, was always equal to any in her class, and proficient in the promary branches, she married at the age of 22 years to H. B. King.
The Store Ledger
According to C. P. Dunning's remarks, he was a clerk in various stores as a young man, so it is very likely that the ledger of accounts donated in this collection, is one he kept while employed as a clerk. Some of the legible names in the account book are: William H. Larabee, Charles F. Wicker, Samuel Allen, James Tefft, John Bourbon and Benoni Thornton. The first account is dated October 4th, 1827.
It took a while to decipher some of the items purchased....such as multiple sales of 'veil' is probably veal, to go with potatoes, corn, wheat, butter etc.
one half bushel of potatos is 19 cents
one half ton of hay is $3
