Selections from the Diaries of William Appleton 17861862
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NO T E ‘ U R ancestor William Appleton was a succesg ul and well-known erch nt o oston It seems to me wo rthwhile m a fB . to try to picture him to his descendants by means of the diaries which he ke t o r man ears p f y y . I have tried to bring out the most salien t and in terestingparts o his l e b selections romthese diaries but I n d it im ossible f if y f , fi p to p resen t himto o thers as I myselfhave come to know himthro ugh em th . c This book tells o his visits to his mother o his visitin his f , f g sich children and riends who are sich and o his s erin f , f ufl g with them and o his kindness to the relatives o his arents , f f p an d to those of his wife; but his diaries tellof suchloving deeds over and over a ain g . c The book tells o his dinner arties and o his man riends f p , f yf who came to the ho u se; but his diaries tellof his frien ds coming and oin allthe time and muchstress is laid on the love he has g g , o r r e d f his f i n s . The booh tells o his devotion to the Church services to tho se o f , f his own articular church and to its ministers thus showin his p , , g deep appreciatio n of the SpiritualLife that they stood for ; ofhis feelings of sinfulness and the searchings ofhis own heart; but his o d over a n diaries tellof these acts and these th ughts over an ag i . LO R I NG SU SA N M . A Granddaughter Ma 1 2 y, 9 2 I LLUST RA T I ONS A leto rom a hoto ra h pp n , f p g p House at 54 B eacon Street facing page 6 William dppleton m a mi iatu re o r o G . von L fr n w ned by M s. Hou se at B roohlin e A leto rom a ortrait ai ted b pp n , f p p n y T ru tee o Huma e Societ 1 8 8 s s f n y, 5 SE LEC T I ONS F RO M D I A RI E S EA RLY LI F E : 1 786- 1 832 1 832 UA RY AN . I regret much having given up the plan of keeping a memorandum of the passing events m daily . It is possible some of y family may be inter e ste d in knowing the following facts . I was born in the B ro o k fie ld 1 86 North Parish of in the year 7 , November 1 6th. M y Father, the Revd Joseph Appleton , died in 1 July, 79 leaving my Mother (formerly Mary Hook", a most energetic and excellent Woman , celebrated for wit and beauty, the latter lasted to old age , with Two sons and Three daughters and a property worth about four Thou ’ sand five hundred dollars, besides my mother s property, ff worth about the same . My mother sold the e ects left by my father and removed to Hawke , Kingston, her native H . in place , near Exeter, N . , where she had an estate 2 he rite d from her father, worth about Three Thousand 1 . dollars . In the year 798 she Married Maj Daniel Gould L n b d o ro u h . H of y g , N to which place We (the children" removed with her . My brother Phineas soon went into a Store , and I was sent to School at New Ipswich and After wards to F ran ce sto wn ; in 1 8 00 to Tyngsboro ; the follow ing year to Temple ; I resided with Artemas Wheeler till “ A e o ft h e er a e o tte e er h h he a ht h e g d 4 4 , yp us f v , c ll d Sp d f v , w ic c ug w il min isterin to his eo e the r reat ee r an e e the to a e g p pl in i g n d du ing pid mic in wn , c us d H was a by the impo rtatio n o f infected rags used fo r m anufacturing pu rpo ses . e ra ate o f B ro U er t g du wn niv si y . Or e giv n by . 4 William Appleton [ 1 832 about nineteen to twenty years Old . I went into business in Temple with the property I inherited, amounting to about seven hundred dollars and two hundred I drew in a Lottery. At the end of the year I sold my Stock , having made about eight hundred dollars . Soon after, I came to Boston and for a time resided with How Spear ; they kept a West India Goods store . I went I nto busin ess in 1 80 7 with N . Giddings ; we kept at the Corner of India and Central Street, the only Store occupied in the Street ; our business was the buyin g and selling of West India goods and Crockeryware . I continued with him in business till 1 the autumn of 8 09 . Then considering myself worth about four thousand dollars Bought the Ship Triumphant at 85 Salem , for five Thousand dollars, with Gassett, Upham C o . F , and went in her to ayal, where I had her put under Portuguese Colours, and she departed for Liverpool . I took ’ . 8: . passage in Mr Heard s Ship with M r . Mrs Bowdoin . l On our arrival in the Channe , the wind being adverse , we St landed at Kinsale thence we went to Cork Dublin, then to Holyhead Liverpool . On my arrival I found my Ship had been captured by a French Privateer ; but some two she was weeks after that, retaken and brought to Plymouth, where I went to take charge of my property. I remained in England till July when I embarked in the brig Eliza, Capt. Gardner, with about ten thousand pounds of Goods, 8: . for account of myself Parker, Appleton Co These goods and another importation I sold, and at the close of the year 1 8 1 1 found myselfworth about ten thousand dol lars . I went from Philadelphia to North Carolina , where I 1 832] Early Life 5 loaded two vessels with Naval Stores for England ; from ” I we n h n t 8c t e n i . there to Charleston the Ship Ceres, Capt Webber, I went to Liverpool, where I found an embargo was laid in the United States, which was considered pre . 1 8 1 2 paratory to war with England In June , , I was in the House of Commons attending the debates, when it was announced that orders in Council which related to Ameri mo difie d can Ships would be or repealed , which was sup posed to be the cause of diffi culty between the two gov e rn me n ts . I at once commenced the purchasing ofgoods, and within One Month had thirty thousand pounds of goods on the way or in preparation for the United States, when we were informed that War had actually been de c lare d by the Government ofthe United States . This caused 8c I e mb ark e me much trouble anxiety. In August d for “ ” ] Boston in the Ship Roxanna . When got to Boston I found much distress and anxiety caused by the War . The most of the remainder of this year and a part of 1 8 1 3 I 8: passed in Philadelphia Baltimore . When I had closed 8: A up my importations and settled with N . W . C . H . p le to n . p , I thought myself worth sixty Thousand dollars I did not attend to any business of importance during the war till the Autumn of 1 8 14 . I engaged in a Matrimonial Speculation , the whole result of which is not ascertained . 1 1 8 1 was . In January, 5, I married Soon after, Peace was made between this Country and Great Britain , which he 1 1 caused universal j o y. In t Spring of 8 5 I laid plans ht r a e an d eh tab e t er an d an . 1 8 1 . ar t er a e J 9 , 5, m M y Ann Cu l , d ug J m s M i l Cu l ht r a e a . grandd aug e G o v . J m s Sulliv n 6 William Appleton [ 1 832 for future Business . Commenced the building of the ships “ ” “ ” “ ” Be Telegraph , Courier, and afterwards Minerva . was dis e se fore they were finished I attacked by the p p y, so ffi called . With these di culties I contended till the Autumn ; when in November I embarked for Charleston , where I passed the Winter . I returned in a much worse State than was I left . The Summer passed in travelling, a most mis e rable existence ; very great irritability, but God knows, ff not without great su ering. In the Autumn I embarked 85 with My Wife Dr . James for the Mediterranean . A par tic u lar account of the voyage 8c journey may be found in another Manuscript. We passed the Winter in Sicily, then A u went to Rome , Paris, London and embarked in the mn 1 tu 1 8 n .