1840s Vermont Diary Saw Barnum’s Museum Slave Auctions For Sale

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1840s Vermont Diary Saw Barnum’s Museum Slave sales

Traveled South Saw Slave Marts Georgia Indians

This is a really fantastic original 1840s handwritten diary of a young man from Vermont. It starts when he is a young student studying Geology among other things. He goes twice to see Barnum’s Museum and gives a very detailed description of it including seeing Tom Thumb and wax curiosities. He then goes on a long journey through the South, going primarily through Georgia. He sees the slave marts filled with slaves ready to be sold, he saw them on the plantations and hires a black man to be his guide at one point. It is 127 pages long and is completely full. Here is a small selection of excerpts from the diary:

“Visited the Great Fair of the American Institute at Castle Garden said to be the greatest exhibition of the kind ever held in this country or Europe. It embraced almost everything in the ornamental, agricultural, and artistic lines. Visited Barnum’s American Museum in the afternoon. The first thing that drew my attention was a wax representation of the last stage of Delirian Trimmis, Paul in prison, Christ on the cross, his trial with the crown of thorns on his head, the high priest…These were on the lower floor which was composed wholly with wax representations. ? carriage stood in the center with servants in full scenery. The second and third floors contained stuffed skins of beast, birds, and fishes of almost all kinds from all parts of the earth - old Roman soldiers, Egyptian mummies, and even firearms, war-like instruments of the South Sea Islands. The Housen infant aged 18 weighing 428 pounds, the fairy queen age 13 about knee high…”

“Storm on the sea most terrible of all sights that was ever beheld by me. The winds around the waves ran high slashed by the winds into perpetual foam. The noble vessel was tossed about like a bubble now riding high now descending low now dipping on this side and now on that flinging passengers and baggage first on one side and then on another and even rolling some out of their booths…”

“A negro belonging to a slave captain fell in with a white lady which was returned but she being a Catholic could not be married to him until he had been baptized by a Christian minister. He applied for baptism but it was refused…”

“Friday rose early. Somewhat foggy took a view of the surrounding county which is filled for miles with nothing but a swamp or salt marsh filled by snakes, crocodiles, and reptiles without number…We began to move slowly up the stream occasionally saw a plantation which the slaves were just harvesting and here we first caught sight of slavery, that damning evil of our nation. The only thing which need make an American hang his head and blush for shame to think that his country, a land of liberty, is also the land of slavery, and that in all of its principle cities are marts where human beings are daily bought and sold…”

“Savannah is a place of considerable importance situated on the banks of a noble but a few miles from its mouth. It enjoys all the advantages of the sea without its dangers. It is the principle depot for Georgia and part of Alabama and Florida connected by railroad to the ? of the state and several of the neighboring states and with daily steamboat communications with South Carolina. The New Orleans and Mobile passengers from the North also passed through here…”

“Started for Macon about 200 miles by railroad. Started early in the morning took breakfast at the railroad breakfast house. The road runs through a dreary pine country with scarcely a village or depot on the whole length. There are however stopping places called stations in every 10 miles for wood and water but no depot buildings. Negro shanties and tents of which there are a good many is about all the change of scenery the eyes meets with during the day…”

“There’s some fine public buildings there, Female Seminary among the rest is a splendid building of its kind. There are also several slave marts which appeared to be well stocked with Negroes of all ages, sexes, and colors…”

“Started from here with a private team with a black driver. Stayed overnight and stopped at Salem at a smart little village with court in session. The courthouse, about as large as a paddy shanty, and about as nicely furnished. Discharged the Negro and hired a saddle horse and started up country. Went from here to Apalue with a black teamster to a drunken gambling fighting hole almost afraid of my life while staying here. Went from there to Montgomery by railroad. Stopped at Montgomery Hall, capital of the state. Fine city, smartest looking place I saw in the South…”

“Thursday – Barnum’s Museum and Menagerie not a very large collection of people on account of the coldness of the weather. Tom Thumb, the principal attraction, performed well. The man without arms drew considerable attention. There was a fair lot of animals, quite a number of wax figures representing all of our presidents together with the most distinguished European characters besides a fine collection of curiosities of the natural, rare, and scientific order.”

“Thursday evening a good many drunks considerable fighting as a matter of course. Some got pretty badly bruised and one got put in jail…”

“Called on the Miss Shearers visited Tafts School in the afternoon and returned home and passed the evening in reading….”

“Monday planted corn, Tuesday went to Shelburne Falls with Harris, closing day of the term and exhibition passed off very well, saw the teachers and many of the old students, had a pleasant visit and supper at the tavern not fit for a decent day…”

“Saturday attended Woodard’s funeral sermon by Mr Ballou, For he is the soul bath of the dead and the living, the most foolish discourse that I ever heard…”

“In the afternoon attended meeting at the red school house…Friday went fishing…”

“The glorious fourth went to Shelburne Falls with Harriet to attend celebration, day fine, music first rate, speeches good, dinner passable, everything passed off as well as could be expected, thought that they made much too much of Reed Brothers...”

“Monday worked on the fish pond, Wednesday helped fill up the Sangar House…”

“Studied in forenoon, helped raise swing pole in the afternoon…Attended exercises in the afternoon and Lyceum in the evening. The debate was good, paper good, oration fine…”

“Went to Northampton to Muster, some of the companies made a fine appearance, there was the usual amount of drunkenness, profaneness and the like…”

“Wrote a letter to HH Tufte bought Hitchcock’s Geology and commenced the study of it…”

“After breakfast picked up and started for Fayetteville went by stage to Northampton then by railroad to Brattleboro had a pleasant time on the road first time that I ever went on the road from Greenfield to Brattleboro went by stage from Brattleboro to Fayetteville had a very pleasant time stage crowded full two young ladies sat on the seat with me very agreeable companions and served the lesson in a great degree the weariness of coach riding, the route in many respects was a pleasant one passing through the West River valley, the first objects that drew our attention after leaving the village of Brattleboro was the Asylum situated a mile from the village, it is a very beautiful and fine situation and the buildings large…it is a place visited much strangers but it made me nervous merely to ride by and behold the wild looking? Peeking through the grates…Court went in session, Judge Kellogg presiding and the strength of the Windham Bar and there many of when I was personally acquainted with and a number more I was introduced to….”

“In the afternoon went to MT Tom to the Connecticut River to a place where there are bird tracks in the rock, saw some but did not get any specimens…”

“Started immediately afterwards for Norwich with the teachers and members of the Geology class, situated about twelve miles distant from East Hampton in a Westerly direction, the road was rough with some very steep hills, arrived there and stopped at a little read house at the foot of the hill, our business being to obtain some specimens of fern, a mine on the hills occupied by a Jew and wife together with four or five broods of children, the woman being such a specimen of humanity that a short notice of her may not be out of the way in this place, she was rather short thick set stout built broad shouldered, big footed, red faced, but her chief beauty lay in the strength in her hair, which was about six inches long and about as fine as a Hedgehog’s quill…She would have made the finest picture for a painter that I ever saw but we soon quieted her fins, and after putting our horses in the brim and speaking for some supper we shouldered our tools and started for the mine and on arriving there we immediately flung off our coats and went to work blasting, put two blasts in holes and three in ? but did not get any specimens worth much, worked till sunset, went in to the house, ate supper which to the woman’s credit was very good…”

“Attended Bible exercises at the Seminary, good lecture as I ever heard on Temperance…”

“Went on a Geological excursion to Mt Tom with Clerk and Phillips and a number of students. Went directly up the side of the mountain, and down it on another place, gathered a few specimens, started back and stopped at a peach orchard…”

“In the afternoon went to Mount Tom a chestnutting, picked a few got ordered off the hill twice...

“In the afternoon went to Mount Holyoke crossed the Connecticut at Rock Feng…”

“The Principal Mr Clarke I like very well as a teacher, consider him a man of fair talents, good education, but do not think that he ever will be very popular here. Mr Hubbard is the teacher of Mathematics is a middling teacher, a clever man and rather well liked, Mr Phillips is a good scholar…W.B. Clark is a fine teacher, a fine man, and I think will be liked in any place. Mr Thompson is well liked deservingly so as I think. Mr Billings is very unpopular and always will be I think, the preceptress Miss Williston, is popular at the present….”

Wednesday, May 1st – “Packed up in the morning and started for the sea shore intending to go fishing for my health. Father carried me to Greenfield stayed there till 4:00 ate dinner at the mansion house. Bought a cup then started for Hartford…Passed the new city Holyoke, Connecticut. It was very high in many places even to the railroad. Arrived at Hartford about dark. Stopped at The American. Retired early then visited the asylum…By the politeness of the superintendent had permission to go through and examine the buildings and patients and was agreeably surprised to find the buildings kept so clean and comfortable and the patients so well cared for…There was a considerable stir in town owing to the election of governor. Dodworth’s New York Band and several military companies and a large number of citizens were out to escort him from his residence to the depot. He was seated in a carriage with hat off. Looked very smiling. He is a small, slim built dandy-like fellow dressed in extreme fashion. Nothing remarkable in his appearance…Left on the 4:00 train for New York. Arrived there about 4:00 and immediately took a carriage for Uncle Edward’s. Spent the day running over the city and Brooklyn. Attended church sermon by Dr. Seabury.”

“Started with Captain Brown from Newark fishing. We went out about 20 miles. The sea being rough we put back. I was considerably seasick…”

“Hoed in the garden. Dug up an Indian’s tomb. It was walled up showing some workmanship and had the appearance of once being covered or arched overhead with the same material. This thing simple as it is naturally lends the mind back to the time when this spot was inhabited by another race and order of beings different from our own. This spot is now a fruitful garden. Was once the burial ground of the red man. Here it may lie in one indistinct mass the ashes of the proud chief and his most menial slave. Peace, peace to their ashes.”

“In the forenoon went to the place where formally stood an Indian fort and celebrated for being the site of bloody action between the whites under Captain Mason and the natives in which the later were utterly defeated and their fort destroyed. There are no remains of any fortification remaining nor nothing visible to tell that this spot was once the stronghold of the red man. Here they collected their wives and children supposing they would be perfectly safe. While they collected themselves together in war parties they went forth to plunder the neighboring settlements but they in turn were attacked by a small force under Captain Mason and totally destroyed showing the immeasurable superiority of the white man over the red or civilized man over the savage. They fought nobly for their wives, children, and country, but were defeated and driven from their native soil…”

On Jul-03-12 at 14:27:20 PDT, seller added the following information:

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