1852 Feb 25 Wednesday Was at work about the house untill
about ten and had just got seated at my sewing
when Mother & Alson came They were here to
dinner and this afternoon mother & self spent
at Willards. The young folks had company
Oakes & Frank are there this evening and were
having a lively time when we came away Elizabeth
Williams was here this forenoon. She & Susan went to
Emeline Haleys party this afternoon & evening
“[T]his was a warm day and thawd so much that it made the carting bad,” grumbled Old Oliver in his daily journal. Despite the soft road bed, however, Evelina’s brother Alson Gilmore traveled by wagon or carriage to bring their mother into town from the family farm. The two came to midday dinner at the Ames’, after which Alson presumably went on his way. Mother and daughter went on to visit Willard Lothrop – Evelina had been seeking his company quite a bit lately. Under his influence, was she becoming a Spiritualist?
While the notion of communicating with the dead intrigued her, Evelina’s interest in Willard Lothrop may have been more sociable than religious. She comments on the “young folks,” – her sons Oakes Angier and Frank Morton Ames among them – “having a lively time.” All ages seemed to be moving around today attending various gatherings that must have helped dispel some mid-winter gloom. Never mind the mud; the hint of warmth in the air must have been preferable to more snow.
evelinaames 