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The Diaries of Ralph Leland Goodrich, 1859-1867
September
1, 1862
Began
school. Had 14 boys. Got money at office. Mrs. Eddy here. September
2, 1862
In
school. 15 boys. Mr. Mathews has 25. I don’t see how it is. September
3, 1862
In
school. Nothing new. September
4, 1862
In
school. Hard work. Feel tired & worn out. I do not think I will make much. I
hope I may. September
5, 1862
In
school. K___ wants to send two, so I think I will have 19 [boys] Monday. September
6, 1862
Saturday.
Down the street. Got a French book at Graves’ & my Italy at Dodge’s.
Reading. Nothing new. I got up about five in the morning [to] study Spanish
about an hour & wrote & read till school time. At noon, read &
write. After school, read & write, and walk after supper an hour. Evening,
read out loud for Mrs. Adamson or not. This is my order of work now. Hereafter,
I shall study Spanish, French & German at spare time & write only in the
morning. September
7, 1862
Sunday.
At church. Rained today. News of a fight at Manassas & we beat. [1] September
8, 1862
In
school. Had two new boys. Saw Dan Ringo. He is [now] Lieut. Col. [and] is over
at Austin. Bought a coat for 14 dollars. Lent 20 dollars to [Ernest] Wiedemann.
At his house tonight. This morning, I was trying to make it with the [negro]
girl here & my door was open & just was Miss Eddy’s room, & I had
every reason to believe she was in there & must have heard me. I saw her
walking down the street & must have come out from the room a little after.
The family were going out in the wagon & I understood she was going also.
But it surprised me to see her going down. I heard the gate creak & looked
out & saw as I supposed her. I went down in a terrible state of excitement
& was till dinner when I asked Mrs. Adamson if Miss Eddy rode down with her.
She said she did. Miss Eddy [has] gone away. September
9, 1862
In
school. Rainy. Boys troublesome today. Nothing new. September
10, 1862
In
school. Mrs. McRae paid [her school bill]. Roger is coming to school. Went to
Major Schull’s to get wood. Rain. September
11, 1862
In
school. Nothing new. Got load of wood. Paid three dollars for it. September
12, 1862
In
school. Got more wood. Nothing new. September
13, 1862
Saturday.
More wood. At Graves’. Got a stove. Down the street. Reading & writing at
[Ernest] Wiedemann’s in the evening. September
14, 1862
Sunday.
Sick with diarrhea. September
15, 1862
In
school. H. Dyer left school. I am afraid I will not have many. September
16, 1862
In
school. Dull. Rainy at night. Warm. September
17, 1862
In
school. Feel sick. September
18, 1862
Holiday.
Saw Joe Reeside, drinking beer & whiskey &c. Reading. September
19, 1862
In
school. Finished Dicken’s Curiosity Shop.
Nothing new. September
20, 1862
Down
the street. At Graves’. Nothing new. September
21, 1862
Sunday. September
22, 1862
In
school. Judge [Elbert H.] English [2]
came to see me [and asked] if I could take his son [Payton into my school]. September
23, 1862
In
school. It is said that Dr. [Roderick L.] Dodge is taken prisoner in Memphis.
Commenced reading D’Anbigue History of
the Reformation. September
24, 1862
In
school. Mrs. [Eliza] Dodge here. September
25, 1862
Mrs.
Caldwell sent for me to come up [to see her. She is] going to send her son
Walter [to my school]. She has been at Mr. [W. C.] Stout’s and Stout told her
to send him to me. Raising conscripts. Willet [3]
shot a soldier because he would not fall in rank when Willet told him. He was a
soldier and had a pass & had his hand in his pocket to get it out when
Willet shot him. Willet ought to be hung. September
26, 1862
In
school. Nothing new. September
27, 1862
Reading
all day. Down the street. Evening, called on Captain [John D.] Adams. [4]
Said he would see if I was exempted [from the conscript law]. September
28, 1862
At
church. Reading & writing. September
29, 1862
In
school. Had two new boys [join my school]. September
30, 1862
In
school. Mathews is going to have Plattenburg [5]
to help him teach. Down at Graves’. Captain Syberg came.
[1]
The Second [2]
Judge
Elbert H. English was about 46 year old at the time. His wife Julia
was about 40. Payton D. English was about 16 and would eventually become a Little Rock
attorney. [3]
Probably John D. Willett who was
Captain of his own Provost Guard company in Little Rock. John Willett (1820-1891) was a native of
Alabama
who came to Arkansas
sometime before 1845 and set up a blacksmith shop in Little Rock. [4]
By this time, Captain John D. Adams was
serving as Asst. Quarter Master in the Tran-Mississippi Department of the
Confederate Service. Goodrich was still teaching the Captain’s son, Sam Adams
and possibly a second son, John (Jr.). [5] Possibly George Platenberg, a 31 year-old minister of the Christian Church who lived next door to Dr. Dodge. |
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