1851 July 6th Oakes A and Mr Norris went to East Bridgewater
this morning and returned this evening I went to
meeting this morning but had something of a head
ache and did not go but half a day. Mr Ames
rode with me to Mr Kinsleys Since meeting had a
very pleasant call Met a Mr & Miss Kinsley
there from Springfield
In his Fourth of July speech two days earlier at the laying of a new cornerstone for an addition at the Capitol building, Daniel Webster praised the church-going character of the American people:
“I think it is safe to say that a greater portion of the people of the United States attend public worship, decently clad, well behaved, and well seated, than of any other country of the civilized world.” He could have been describing Evelina as his ideal church goer. She was undoubtedly well-behaved, nicely dressed and, whatever it means, well-seated. On the other hand, her husband, Oakes Ames, who chose to wear shabby clothes and was known for falling asleep in church, was not the image of American godliness that Webster intended to praise.
Evelina did attend meeting today, but only stayed for the morning service. She had a headache, perhaps the result of hot weather or too much socializing and not enough gardening. She recovered enough to go to Canton later with Oakes to visit the Kinsley family, a “very pleasant call.”
* W. E. Tucker, The Church Porch, an illustration designed and engraved especially for Godey’s Ladys Books, July 1851
evelinaames 
I have accumulated a fair amount of Kinsley stuff over the years, both from some much earlier journal entries by Canton residents Elijah Dunbar and Abel Fisher, but also from Oliver’s journals and correspondence. Here is the first reference to a (Leonard) Kinsley that I could find and it is reference to Horatio. I include some other stuff because it contains references to Oakes’s increasing role in the business…and other stuff that caught my eye:
“1840-began his full entries on Nov 11, 1840 There is a paid bill dated July 1840 from David Felt and Co Stationers for 3 Rui Cap paper ruled ,an 8×12 2.00, a 9×10 2.50 Sept 1, 1840 Nathaniel Smith died and was buried the 2nd.Also GF Wheaton, Harvard Grad in Chaffin postmaster since 1801 buried today. Horatio writes, asking if he will be imprisoned if he comes to Bristol County (because Leonard Kinsley swore to things which were false) (and that letter is in the 1840 misc corresp, which includes: “…and got judgement for over $500l An judgement being rendered, I delivered up my body for imprisonment, but they did not do it and now cannot arrest me in that state…21 Sept 1840)
Delvd regarding a Nov 11-
Oakes name and hand on a sheet listing $2455 in payments to family and workers and and $1962 that he has received. (obviously handling a lot.) Oliver begins his more regular, but not yet daily recording of weather and events. Why now? Possibly because it is so dry, not enough water to work at B-water from July1 to end of Oct. Great Pond down to the old winter pond mark (two feet) ‘It rains hard in the ten days after he made that 1st entry and the pond is full by Dec. built a tool for cutting out spades and got it going about the first of Sept. shingled the house where my brother John lives which was formerly Macey Randall’s shingled the carriage house and wood house and the handling and filing shop, used cedar shingles for all these buildings which I bought a Weymoouth Landing for $260 a thousand., dug down and repaired the spoiling around the head of the floom at the GP, made it now down about three feet, repaired that also round the trough that conducts the water into the trough below the dam.“During the summer and fall I have done a good deal of work in the field where the old Ferguson barn stood, building a wall by the side of the road and a bank wall by the side of the brook and filling up certain pond holes in the field and leveling it off” plus ditching the piece of land below the shop at the GP Dec 14 “Great Pond is now full. underlined
Suit against John Torrey, John Ames 2 doing secretarial work for Oliver there is a small note in pencil undated, showing numbers from one thousand to 14 thousand dollars?? With David Ames name on it????