November 1859

…Answer two advertisements to teach. One at Philadelphia. The other at Richmond, Virginia.

Pleasant day. Got a letter from [my sister] Augusta. [She] was in Leavenworth & well [arriving there] the same week Saturday. Mrs. George [Gray?] Davis’ niece died this morning at Smithboro. Gone to attend the funeral. Mr. & Mrs. Fitch here. Went on the river with Johnson in a sail boat.

November 5, 1859

November 8, 1859

November 9, 1859

Pleasant day. Got new pair of boots. Election gone Republican. [Nathaniel] Davis said to me that the masons offered to take [him] in the lodge, nominate him & elect him to the office of Judge. He said that if Strong had declined & the Democrats had not nominated anyone, he could have beaten [the Republican candidate, Thomas] Farrington [1]… He advised me to become a mason. [2]

November 10, 1859

November 15, 1859

Got a recommendation from [Nathaniel] Davis. Fixing to go to Ithaca tomorrow [to take the bar examination]. Hoping & doubting considerably.

November 16, 1859

…Went to the court house [in Ithaca] & seventeen were in the class. Nearly all had been studying [law] between 2 & 3 & 4 years. The examining committee were [Douglass] Boardman [4] from Ithaca, Johnson from Delaware, & [Henry R.] Mygatt [5] from Oxford. We were examined from 7 till 12 through a very strict & hard one. Thence I went to [Charlotte] Warner’s. They had a small party & then I went to [James] Stansbury’s [to visit Carrie].

November 17, 1859

Took breakfast there, then took a walk with them to court house. Heard that only 3 were admitted [to the bar and I did not pass]….

November 19, 1859

I hardly know whether but I am resolved to go through [with the study of law] now. This defeat is too much & too provoking. It is a disgrace and I want to get away as soon as possible. It’s my ill luck and can’t now be helped. There is no use to cry… I will put my trust in God.

November 24, 1859

Got a letter from Bishop [Benjamin B.] Smith [6] of Kentucky. Says it is rather late to go there for a school.

November 26, 1859

…called at Pecks. Son [7] at home. Advised me not to go to Virginia for the times were bad. Wanted me to go with him as an agent for the sale of sewing machines. Said we could make money at it. [8] I said I would go with him. I went to Davis ’s [law] office. Saw [Willoughby] Babcock & [Nathaniel] Davis. Babcock advised me to get my life insured & borrow $300 & go to Albany Law School for a term. The cost would be about one hundred. Got a letter from [cousin] Fanny Rockwood [9] & one from [my sister] Augusta. Told the folks about the agency [to sell sewing machines]. [They] thought it not best to go into it.

November 28, 1859

[1] Thomas Farrington of Owego, Tioga County, New York served as the New York State Treasurer from 1842-45 and from 1846-1847, being appointed by the Governor both times.

[2] This is the first reference Ralph makes in his diary or letters concerning the Masons and the possible social and political advantages he imagined were possible by being a member. Perhaps Nathaniel Davis planted the seed during this particular conversation.

[3] A number of Northern state elections went Republican in 1859 which cast an ominous and foreboding pall upon the horizon of the Southern states.

[4] Douglass Boardman was a judge in Ithaca in 1859 but would later become the first dean of the Cornell Law School when that institution was established in 1866.

[5] Henry R. Mygatt (1810-1875) graduated from Union College and became a prominent layer with an office on Albany Street in his hometown of Oxford, New York. His father-in-law, John Tracy (1783-1864) was the former Lieutenant Governor under Governor Marcy from 1833-1838.

[6] The Right Reverend Benjamin B. Smith was the first Bishop of Kentucky, serving from 1832-1884. Since the Episcopalians were strong proponents of education, Ralph reasoned that he could obtain teaching “situations” through his affiliation with the Episcopal church and his degree from Hobart, an Episcopal-sponsored college.

[7] Possibly Spencer Peck, born about 1836.

[8] Given that Peck had been recently in Virginia, there is a good chance that the sewing machines he thought would be easy to sell were those manufactured by the Willcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Company. This firm was based in Virginia, started selling sewing machines in 1857, and marketed them as a cheap alternative to the Singer sewing machine. The Willcox & Gibbs machine sold for as little as $50 while the Singer model sold for over $100.

[9] Fanny Rockwood was the daughter of Samuel Rockwood and Augusta Goodrich (1811-1839). Augusta was a younger sister of Ralph’s mother, making Ralph and Fanny first cousins.

The Diaries of Ralph Leland Goodrich, 1859-1867