Monday, March 7th, 1864

Rosa is still away, Mr. Burgess’s have a turkey dinner to which Mr. & Mrs. Cutler, Col & Mrs Dawes & Miss Dawes went -- leaving Betty & Sarah at home with me.  Had old Hocking here to wait on, dinner to get & clean away, bread to make & coffee to brown, in the midst of which a Mr. & Mrs. Johnson relatives of Walter Chalfont’s came to wait for a boat to go to Belle Air.  Our folks came home to supper, after which they all went to Marietta the Johnsons concluding to go and stay on the wharf boat as the surer way to get a boat -- A Rev. Mr. M^cElroy, an agent for the American Tract Society, came to let William have an opportunity to contribute to their fund, which he did, after expressing fully his views of their past course & present action.  He went back on the train.  Rosa returned this evening.  I was very tired.

Sabbath, March 6th, 1864

All went to meeting except Mrs. Mary Dawes & myself.  There was also a meeting in the evening but I did not go out on account of my cold.  Some twelve or fourteen have attended inquiry meeting and expressed a desire to become Christians.  May God’s Holy Spirit teach them the way, the truth and the life.

Rosa went home this morning.

Saturday, March 5th, 1864

Eliza Carlin went on the cars this morning her brother James is no better but rather worse, and it is feared will not recover.  She expects to remain with him.  I am very sorry for them, he is a brave & gallant soldier & so young, I wish he might be spared. ------ I wrote to day on the Memorial of Annie & put the house in order.  On the evening train Lt. Col. Dawes and his wife, Lucy, & Betty Gates arrived.  Rufus is quite lame still, the ankle being much swolen.  Lucy has a letter from Kate who appears to be very happy.  I am thankful.

Peggy's comments:

Happily, Rufus R. Dawes, who would soon leave Ohio to return to battle, survives the war and returns to Mary.  During their life time together, Rufus and Mary Gates Dawes wrote frequent letters to one another whenever they were separated.  I have recently published a book which includes letters and journal entries, primarily written by Rufus.  The Dawes House is available at amazon.com.  More information can be found at The Dawes House tab at the top of this page.

Friday, March 4th, 1864

        Mrs. Cutler and Sarah have gone to spend the day with Mrs. Burgess -- only John & Rosa here, our family is now small indeed.  Miss Sophronia Wilson, Miss Hattie Hopkins, & Mr. Archie Hopkins have just arrived at Mr. Burgess’s on a visit.

Mrs. Dawes came down to spend the night & to get more of Grandfather Cutler’s letters, proposing to make extracts to be printed with the Cutler papers.  William got home from Cincinnati, where he met Mr. Gregg of Pickaway Co. who was here at the time of the Morgan Raid.  He says Mr. Turney often talks of his stay at our house.

I have taken more cold & cough very hard.

Thursday, March 3d, 1864

        Mrs. Cutler, little Sarah & I went to W. D. Bailey’s to female prayer meeting besides Mrs. Bailey & her daughters, Mrs. Joel Deming and Mrs. Lavina M^cClare were there.

A man called about sunset & inquired if Mr. Cutler lived here & was at home.  Then said “his mare was much fagged” & he wished to spend the night.  I invited him in and found him to be Mr. David Hughs who lived near Ostend P. O.  He is a native of Wales -- a ‘Christian’ preacher & a loyal man -- very anti-slavery.  Quite a student of the prophecies, some of which he interprets on a plan of his own -- for instance he considers Moab to be the type of American Slavery and argues that slavery will be destroyed this present year.  He thinks that this epoch is one of the most remarkable in the history of the world and that God is about to deliver his chosen ones in some remarkable manner, he is looking for great change and events in the next five years.  

Old Mrs. Finch died this morning aged 92.

Wednesday, March 2d, 1864

Sunshine -- snow melting--  William has gone to Chillicothe.  We have been doing the work since Saturday, sent a horse for Rosa who came in time to get dinner.

Tuesday, March 1st, 1864

Snowed last night and nearly all day, the trees are loaded with snow, the fences & every post capped with snow.  It is truly a wintry scene, although not severely cold.  The snow is nearly a foot deep.  Sarah is at the door or windows admiring and exclaiming at the unique view.  William went to town and got a sack of coffee and box of soda & [oil?] extract.