IMH 75:2 157

"Chronicles of Upper Burnet" (1)

1881

Tuesday, January 11th

Tuesday, January 11th.

A day of fussing around. Wood-making was the principal
occupation of the two "sonnies" while Father appeared to be
doing something most of the time without visible results. About
twelve o'clock Alvin and I went down to Wats(26) and got twelve
bushels of wheat in return for several grists which Wat bor­
rowed of us at different times last spring. We went in the sled.
Wm. Bunton(27) was here awhile this morning; to me his errand
is as yet unknown. Mercury 10 degrees below zero this morn­
ing, warmer during the day, and clear.

 

Teaching notes: This entry shows a sort of barter system. In this case it was a barter for
services. Their cousin Wat (Walter Ripley Harrison) had apparently taken some "grists"
and was repaying it with bushels of wheat. I am not certain about the use of the word
"grists." A grist mill was a place where customers could take their grain ( generally,wheat,
oats, corn or buckwheat) and have it milled into flour or meal. One could pay the miller a
percentage of the total for providing the service. He could then sell it to the "city folk."
Early grist mills were generally powered by water. ( a working example is at Spring Mill
State Park near Mitchell Indiana). Other mills were animal powered ..harnessed in a
variety of ingenious ways. By 1880, the steam engine freed the mills from being
located next to the water source. A research project for the more advances student
would be to locate some of these early...and also later mills.