1851
July 15 Tuesday Jane washed this forenoon and about
nine or ten Mother Henrietta Rachel and her
babe came They went home about 11 Oclock
mother will stop a few days Gustavus left
yesterday morning The afternoon Mrs H Ames
passed here Mrs S Ames had a dress maker & did
not come in
Laundry was done today, a day later than normal because of the extra work involved in tidying up after a weekend of houseguests. It’s not hard to imagine that such a disruption in the routine made Evelina or Jane McHanna or other members of the household think today was Monday instead of Tuesday.
Just as things were getting back to normal, however, more visitors arrived. Evelina’s sister-in-law, Henrietta Gilmore (Mrs. Alson Gilmore), arrived with Evelina’s mother, Hannah Lothrop Gilmore. As often happened, the senior Mrs. Gilmore came to spend “a few days” with Evelina, her only living daughter. With them was Henrietta’s daughter, Rachel Howard (Gilmore) Pool (Mrs. John M. Pool or Poole) and her little girl, Ella. Ella, barely one year old, was Hannah Gilmore’s great-granddaughter. Four generations of Gilmore women visited together in the Ames parlor.
In the afternoon, Evelina had yet another sister-in-law pay a call, this one from the Ames side of the family. Sally Hewes Ames came to visit one last time before leaving; she planned to return to Connecticut the next day. The women likely sat and sewed together; Evelina almost always had sewing or mending in her hands when socializing at home. As was her wont, she probably gave something to Sally to work on while they talked. Perhaps even old Mrs. Gilmore sewed with them.
evelinaames 