"5th month, 1st, 1841. I went to Shamokin and stayed over night at brother Jehu's. Next day was very stormy. William Underwood and Joseph Iddings came to our house and stayed overnight, while I was away from home for which I was sorry. Next day they were at our Meeting which was fine and large. They were on their way to the Yearly Meeting of Friends. We heard of the death of Edward Lionville of Catawissa; a valuable friend. Next day Casper Heartman was laid low in the grave, a worthy Methodist. One that will be very much missed in this neighborhood.
5th month, 5th and fourth of the week. Elida, Samuel, Perry and myself left for Philadelphia. Just after sunrise we passed through Bear Gap in the Little Mountain. Then over the Big Mountain and had a beautiful prospect of the valley between the mountains. Next we crossed the Locust Mountains. We stopped to feed at 10'oclock at Peter Klein's Tavern, ten miles from Bear Gap. Then we crossed the Broad Mountain and had a romantic prospect for many miles around. We passed through New Castle, a little town that has gone down and looks shabby. We saw the railroad along the Incline Plain. It was a curiosity and very steep. Next we passed a powder mill, then through St. Clairville and on to Port Carbon, a handsome thrifty town. We saw a number of coal mines. Then on to Pottsville, the largest town I ever saw. We eat at Mortimer's Hotel. I was introduced into a room where a friend from Baltimore by the name of Husband was teaching boys to write. After they had finished their task, they all went away. I was told he gave ten lessons for a dollar. It was a rainy afternoon, therefore, I had not as good a chance of seeing around. We traveled eight miles to Orwigsburg and stayed all night at Michael Greaf's tavern, which was close by the Courthouse. We saw the likeness of eight presidents. Next morning early, we started and passed a Mill that had been burnt down last summer, but it is rebuilt. There were irons works there too. We passed through Port Clinton which has perhaps 30 or 40 houses and a foundry. A railroad from Tamaqua reaches this point and a canal, but this is a dull lifeless place, it seemed to me. Below there, we saw a big dam, but did not get a fair sight of the tunnel. They are making a railroad from Pottsville to Reading. We stopped at Hamburg at John Bailey's Inn for breakfast. We traveled eleven miles that morning and had an excellent breakfast of shad, sausage, ham and eggs.
Then we traveled on to Madin Creek and arrived at our king Friend James and Sarah Starr's about one o'clock and took some dinner there. They have five children. They informed us that 17 Friends had passed there on their way to the city. About two o'clock we started again and passed Madin Creek Friends Meeting House and some excellent buildings and delightful farms. We saw the Wright girls home, five sisters of them. The buildings we passed are chiefly stone, neatly finished off. Limestone house look better than those built of common stone.
We traveled over the Oley Hills which were very rough indeed and with distressingly bad roads. We passed Friedensburg, a beautiful little town, the buildings were chiefly of stone. The houses were small and neat. Stores, taverns and so forth. We came to Exeter and passed the Friends Meeting House there, then on to John Lee's near Nonocacy Creek. We had traveled 16 miles from Starr's over awful roads. We arrived at Lee's just before dark. We were kindly received and entertained by them. We had traveled 35 miles that day.
Next morning John Lee brought us out to Reading Turnpike. Then we saw beautiful farms, chiefly stone buildings, some were plastered, some roughcast. We traveled in sight of the Schuylkill and railroad for some distance. We passed through Douglasville were the road turns off to Forrest and Chester County. Also passed through Pottstown, a most delightful situated town where the noted Ruthann Rutter was raised. I thought of her and wondered which house she lived in. Saw a splendid white house on a little hill with a walk on top and porches around the house. We heard afterwards it was called Pott's folly.
We passed the Trappe, Jeffersonville and also passed the Perkiomen Bridge, a wonderful sight. Here the Turnpike forks, one goes to Norristown, the other goes to Germantown. Saw the railroad bridge over a creek. I thought it was nearly as long as a river bridge. The bridges here are chiefly stone, walled up on each side. The name of the stream the bridge is over and who built it and what year and so forth was on the bridge. We eat at Peter Buckersin's in Limerick Township. At length we arrived at Norristown, the largest and most splendid I had yet seen.
We stopped to eat at a Stage Office. Brother Perry and I walked down to the Cotton Factory, a most wonderful sight. They were carding, spinning, and weaving. They told me there were
between one and two hundred hands at work, men, girls and boys. They said one loom could weave about 40 yards a day. It looked like 8 or 10 cent muslin. One girl told me it was to be
sent to Philadelphia and printed for eleven penny bit calico. I was sorry the time was so short that we could not view more of the curiosities in the factory. We traveled on to Plymouth
and found where Septimus Woods lived. Perry and myself turned there. Elida went on to Philadelphia. It being a distance of 13 miles to the city from there. Septimus Woods lives on the Turnpike
that is called the Reading Turnpike, leading to Germantown (that is part of Philadelphia now). Well, we were welcomed by them.
This was Eliza's first
trip to Meetings in Philadelphia."
"Abia John, the first child of Asa and Mary (Thomas) John, was married to Rebecca Asper in Ohio on the 17th of March, 1852."
"Jesse John, the third child of Asa and Mary (Thomas) John, was married to Mary Marks on the 11th of March, 1853."
"On the 1st of May, 1852, Eliza John stayed over night at Jehu and Patience John's in Shamokin."
"Mary P. John, married Alfred Tomline on the 12th of January, 1852."
"There were a lot of the John relations living near Shamokin and Roaring Creek in Columbia and Northumberland Counties, Pennsylvania. In 1850, there were Ruben, Asa, Jehu, Hiram, Eliza, Sarah, Abia, Senior, Abishai, Samuel, Perry John, with their families and a lot of others."
There was a Elida John, son of Abia John and a John B. Kester that married Mary Ann John, the daughter of Ruben and Sophia John, and there was a James John, the son of Hiram John. He died on the 11th of March, 1852. All of these lived around there."
"Dr. Palemon John, son of Elida John, married Jessie Carr on the 3rd of November, 1860. There was a Mary Ann John, that married R.H. Walter, on the 4th of May, 1854."
"After the death of their parents, Eliza and Sarah John, lived together on their farm until they built a house on a piece of ground nearby."
"Eliza John, quotes some prices in 1854. She paid 25 1/2 cents for a bed, she said that was monstrous high for two. 37 1/2 cents for dinner. Wheat is 1855, was $2.25 a bushel. Rye $1.20. Buckwheat $1.00. Corn $1.00. Hay $20.00 a ton. Butter 20 cents a pound. Eggs at 14 cents a dozen."
"There was a Leartis John, son of Samuel John, there was a Ametia, Verna and Reese John, children of one of the John's there. Amos John, son of Asa John, died on the 26th of July, 1851. Leartis John died in 1854. Franklin John had typhoid fever in 1854."
"On the 12th of May, 1855, Milinda, Lucretia and Sarah John stayed all night at Perry's and in the morning went over to Eliza's and Sarah's for breakfast."
"Edwin John, son of Elida John married Rachel E. Eves on the 26th of November, 1857."
"Eliza speaks quite often about a town called Petersburg. They would go there to the train. I found out that it is now called Elysburg."
"Griffith John, (the son of Abia and Martha John), and Abia John from Ohio, and Jehu and Patience and their youngest daughter Verdilia, visited Eliza and Sarah John on the 23rd of October, 1857."
"Joseph John, son of Asa John, married Sarah Williams on the 6th of February, 1862, and Kersey John, son of Samuel John, married Droden Zimmermon on the 28th of March, 1861, and on April 4th they moved to the farm."
"Kimber, Cephas and Jefferson John, started to Wer in 1861. This was on the 21st of April 1861."
"Mary Jane (John) Yocum, died on the 27th of February, 1861. There was a large funeral."
"Abia C. John, went to war on the 24th of October, 1861. She says that there were a lot going now."
"Perry John, took his son Griffith John, to Roaring Creek to see about getting a school to teach. He got the Eck School."
"She was at John Davis' to the funeral of Johanna Horne. She was of John Phillips family, Eliza's cousin."
"Lydia T. Jefferson, Eliza's cousin came to see her on the 12th of August 1862."
"Dr. Jesse John, married Elizabeth Krick in February, 1854."
"Griffith John's widow, Rachel John, died on the 24th of July, 1862. She was Eliza's cousin."
"Mary Ann John, married Isaac Troxler on the 4th of May, 1854."
"Allen John is in a strange way, he thinks that he is going to die, and is not ready or prepared. He was Reuben's son and this was on the 27th of February, 1863."
Leartis John, on the 8th of September, 1854, said that he had his peach made with God and was ready to go."
"Ruben John, preached his farewell sermon at the Bear Gap Friends Meeting on the 1st of May, 1855, and left for Illinois the next day."
"Osborn Williams and family paid their last visit to Eliza and Sarah John before leaving for Illinois. This was on the 1st of April, 1857."
"James M. John, son of Hiram John, and Sarah (Miller) John, passed away on the 10th of January, 1852."
"Eliza John was a hard worker. In her diary she mentions so often about her planting and digging potatoes, and her garden work, hauling straw, picking apples, and some of her folks hauling them for her."
"Besides she spent so much time at Meetings near home and to other places, some as far as Philadelphia."
"In her diary she mentions often about the weather, heavy rain storms, hail and lightning and snow storms, having to break the roads out so they could get through."
"Moving day. April 1st., 1852. Hiram John moved to Abishai John's. Peter Yocum moved to Hiram's. Abia John moved to Peter Yocum's and Jacob Conrad to Abia John's old farm."
"Jehu John's wife's father Solomon Houseweart left Pennsylvania for Illinois on the 26th of September, 1849. Eliza John went with them as far as Petersburg, Pennsylvania."
"Isaac John, the fourth child of Ruben John, and Leartis John, the second child of Samuel John, were converted at Meeting on the 13th of December, 1851. Friends Meeting."
"Their friends and relations would visit with each other a lot. They would have meals together and stay over night. They seemed to have such good times together."
"Eliza John, made trips to Philadelphia to big Meetings. Sometimes she would have to change from trains to stages to horses. She paid 12 1/2 cents a piece for beds."
"She bought a cow from Sophia King for $15.00, on the 20th of January, 1862. George John, son of Elida John, started to war in April, 1861."
"Allen John paid Eliza John his last visit before going to Illinois. I believe Ruben and family went to Illinois at the same time, for Eliza said that she was sorry to see Ruben's girls go. This was about the time that Elida and Samuel John left for Illinois. They may have all gone together. This was on the 19th of May, 1857. Daniel John moved about the same time. He had a brother by the name of Asa Josiah John."
"July 1, 1849. James Andrews, Elizabeth Newport and Mary Hallowell, with Elida John came here on a family visit. They had an opportunity with Sarah and I first, and said a great deal to both of us, being encouraging if we would only be faithful.
when they went to Perry's family, they invited us down. She spoke a great deal to James Smith making him out for a great man in the glorious cause if he would be faithful to manifested duty to war for righteousness and be a captain of a little band, to be a leader, a pioneer to pull down and build up again."
They stayed all night. Next morning they went to Abia John's and at four o'clock had a meeting and a memorable one it was. (that sounds like it could have been the early Salvation Army). This was in 1849. James Smith, Isaac John, and Elizabeth Van Horn and I walked to meeting. Good many there. Then we went to Elida John's after meeting. Abia C. John brought us home.
The 10th. Went to Catawissa Preparative Meeting, and then to Roaring Creek to John Lee's. After supper I went to Eleanor Lee's and stayed all night. Next day we went to Amos John's home, and from there to Meeting. A good many there."
"September 16, 1850. Next day after dinner Margaret Tietsworth was here at Asa's spinning wool."
"The 19th. This being our Meeting Day, quite rainy, there was a number there. Rebecca preached nice."
"22nd. It was our first day meeting. Ruben preached nice, also Perry and Rebecca."
"25th. Rebecca and I went to the farm for fruit. That night we were at a peach cutting at Elida's. I stayed all night at Perry's and it was a very stormy night. Next morning it was worse but it broke about noon."
"October 1, 1850. I put an answer to a letter from Samuel Yarnell in office at Bear Gap, then went to Abishai John's and ate watermelon."
"10-9-1850. I was at Samuel's helping quilt. I saw a great animal show at Bear Gap, on the 26th."
"26th. I saw two elephants, two ponies and 17 or 18 wagons; one with 8 horses, at the animal show."
10-28-1850. I went to Abia John's to pick winter apples."
"11-5-1850. I and Asa John went to our farm to get a load of apples."
"12-27-1850. Went to the farm for a load of corn."
"1-1-1851. We were invited to Samuel John's to a carpet sewing and to eat roast goose."
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