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Mascarene, Margaret Holyoke, 1726-1792. Diary of Margaret Appleton Holyoke Mascarene, 1759. HUM 92, Harvard University Archives.

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The diary is written on interleaved blank pages in a 1759 almanac. The regular, brief diary entries are attributed to Margaret Appleton Holyoke Mascarene. Some entries, beginning in April, appear to be written in a different hand. The second author may have been Mascarene's sister Priscilla Holyoke (1739-1782) given that the entries mention visits by "Pater Mater Epes" and "Bets & Nancy." Priscilla, Margaret, Elizabeth ("Betsy"), and Anna ("Nancy) were the four daughters of Edward and Margaret Holyoke. After Margaret Holyoke's death in 1740, Edward Holyoke married Mary Whipple Epes, the widow of Symond Epes. Entries are typically only a few words and record domestic activities including childrearing, travel, house guests, family illness, and deaths in the community. Mascarene references British victories in the French and Indian War and the measles outbreak of 1759, including the illness of Faro, who may have been Mascarene's slave. Notably, the diary includes entries chronicling the care of Mascarene's newborn son by a nurse. Three interleaved pages at the end of the diary contain a list of expenses and payments and a list of clothing sent to the wet nurse Mrs. Cherry.

Biographical Note

Margaret Appleton Holyoke Mascarene (1726-1792), the eldest child of Harvard's ninth president, Edward Holyoke, and his second wife, Margaret Appleton, was born on September 22, 1726 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On August 9, 1750, Margaret married Cambridge shipping merchant John Mascarene (1722-1779; Harvard AB 1741). In 1752, Margaret Mascarene returned to her parents' house in Cambridge while John Mascarene traveled to England in an unsuccessful attempt to collect pension money due to his father. The couple lived primarily apart until 1761 when John joined Margaret in Cambridge. In 1764, John received a commission as Comptroller of the Port of Salem. The family lived in Salem until 1779, when they returned to Boston. John worked in a Boston customs house until his death in September 1779. Following her husband's death, Margaret supported the family by selling off her husband's large library and mathematical instrument collection. The items that she could not sell were donated to Harvard. Margaret Mascarene died in Boston on December 21, 1792. Margaret and John Mascarene had at least five children: Elizabeth (1751-1783), Joanna (June 1756-September 1756), Paul (b. 1758; temporary member of the Harvard Class of 1778), Peggy (d. 1760), and John (b. 1766).

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[top half of page torn and missing] The Exp[page torn and missing] the above System is [page torn and missing] followin[page town and missing] e Month of December. N.B. At the writing this, it was not determined [page torn and missing] COMET woul appear or not, as expected.

FIRE Wars and mutual Rage are surely come, E're any Comet blaz'd the threatened Doom Kingdoms and States impatiently attend, The great Events now verging to an End; -When three Times more the Sun has chear'd the Spring, A new important [AEra] will begin: From ehich young Date and settled State of Things A Train of strange Events and Wonder springs.

BOSTON: Printed and Sold by DRAPER, GREEN & RUSSELL, & FLEET

Price Two Pistareens per Dozen, and Five Coppers single.

Last edit almost 4 years ago by Maribeth
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[top of right page is torn and mostly missing] [part of page is missing] with [part of page is missing] always [part of page is missing] does not [part of page is missing] have care[part of page is missing] on the re[part of page is missing] the Laws; 1 [part of page is missing] the Roads from [part of page is missing]have often tra[part of page is missing] be depended up[page is torn and missing]e exact as they [part of page is missing] on lately, and not from [page is torn and missing]e Roads published [part of page is missing]rs past in other Almanacks. [part of page is missing] Tables of Interest at 5 per Cent suitable to [part of page is missing]s and Connecticut, and of 6 per Cent for [part of page is missing]nsetts - Bay, as also the VAlue of Coins, I hope will [part of page is missing] unserviceable. --- Reader, I have added half Sheet to [part of page is missing]manack this Year, which I hope will be to your Satisfaction

Dedham, Spet. 15, 1758. N. Ames.

The following Lines are a Description, not a Prediction of an Earthquake

IN deepest Caves are Beds of Sulphre made, And in a secret fearful Ambush laid; When God's avenging Hand shall touch the Train, Some warn'd devoted City quick is slain. The Earth convuls'd, her Jaws are open'd wide Churches and all their lofty Spires subside, To Nature's Womb they sink with dreadful Throws, And on poor screamiong Souls the Chasms close.

An Astonomical DIARY, OR, AN ALMANACK For the Year of our Lord CHRIST 1759

Being the Third Year after Bissexile or Leap - Year.

Calculated for the Meridian of BOSTON, NEW - ENGLAND, Latitude 42 Degrees 25 Minutes North.

Containing, The Sun's & Moon's rising and setting, Eclipses, Time of High-Water, Lunations, Aspects, Courts, SpringTides, Judgment of the Weather, A Cut of the Solar System, with an Explanation, The Cause of Sickness in the Camp, with a Method to prevent the fame, ALSO,

An Exact Accound of the Stages on the Road to New - York, [ec.?] Interest Tables 5 & 6 per Cent. Value of Coin, &c. &c

The Year of the Reign of King GEORGE the SEcond begins the Twenty - second Day of June.

By NATHANIEL AMES.

HOW wond'rous, Lord, they mighty Works appear Thro' all the Seasons of the rolling Year! Thy glorious Name is equally exprest, In the fair Spring, with gay Confusion dreft; And the warm Summer, when the flashing Cloud And breaking Thunders speak the GOD aloud: Autumn's ripe Fruits, the lab'ring Swain's Delight, Paint out thy Goodness to the ravish'd Sight; What daring Mortal can His Cold withstand, Or guide His Tempests with a steady Hand? When o'er the Earth the fleecy Sno He sends The fleecy Snow His sov'reign Voice attends: Thus thro' the World, they mighty Pow'r is known, And Savage Nations a CREATOR own.

Last edit almost 4 years ago by Maribeth
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Of the Eclipses this Year 1759.

THERE will be three Eclipses, as follows, viz. I. The First will be of the Moon, January 13th Day, calculated as follows, H M Beginning - - - 2 6 Mindle - - - - - 3 26 } Morning End, - - - - - 4 46 Digits eclipsed, 6 27

II. The second will be of the Sun, June 24th DAy, about 3 o' Clock in the Afternoon, invisible.

III. The third and last will also be of the Sun, December the 19th Day at 11 in the Forenoon.

--Ten thousand Wonders open to my View, Shine forth at once; Sieges and Storms appear. And WArs and Conquests fill th' important Year, Rivers of Blood I see, and Hills of Slain, An Iliad rising our of one Campaign!

A TABLE of the Weight and Value of Gold

Coins dwt. Gr. Old Tenor, Lawful Money
Guinea, 5 9 L. 10 10s. 0d. L. 1 8s. 0d.
Half Ditto, 2 16 5 5 0 0 14 0
Moidore, 6 22 13 10 0 1 16 0
Half Ditto. 3 11 5 15 0 0 18 0
4 Pistole Piece, 17 8 33 00 0 4 8 0
Half Ditto, 8 16 16 10 0 2 4 0
Double Johannes 18 10 36 00 0 4 16 0
Single Ditto, 9 5 18 00 0 2 8 0
Half Ditto, 4 14 9 00 0 1 4 0
Quarter Ditto, 2 7 4 10 0 0 12 0
Value of Gold Old Tenor Lawful Money. 1 Ounce of Gold is - L. 38 00 0 L. 5 1 4 1 Pennyweight of Ditto is - 1 18 0 0 5 1 1 Grain of Ditto is - 0 1 7 0 0 2 1/2

Value of Silver. Old Tenor Lawful Money 1 Ounce of Silver is L. 2 10 0 L. 0 6 8 1 Pennyweight of Ditto is 0 2 6 0 0 4 1 Grain of Ditto is 0 0 1 1/4

Spanish mill'd Dollars pass for Six Shillings Lawful MOney and Forty five Shillings Old Tenor, in Massachusetts - Bay.

1854 1759 95

Last edit almost 4 years ago by Maribeth
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Went to Meeting at {Cambridge} for 1st time. 15 16 17 18 19 {dined} at Mrs. Trowbridges 20 21 came to Boston with Child & ___ 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 30th. Nurse came to [suckle?] from Factory 3 times day
[page corner missing] 31 Child {Christened} {named} Paul.
1759. JANUARY hath 31 Days. [corner folded over obscuring printing] A Cloody Conflict calls a purple Stain On yonder Lake, that bears our Soverign's Name, A noble Band who flood the first Attack Firm as a Rock, nor thought of turning back : Oh had their Bodies, like their Hearts, been Steel, Or could the Force of whizzing Balls repel, They might have liv'd! -- But gloriously they fell.

First {quarter} 5 Day 8 Night. Last {Quarter} 21 Day 6 {Morning}
Full Moon 13 DAy 6 {Morning} New Moon 28 Day 6 {Afternoon}
M. W. Courts, Aspects, Weather, &c. O.S.f. [?] s. F. sea, [?]'s pl. r. [?] s.
1 2 Tides hold up and much 21 7 32 5 1 22 legs 6 53
2 3 Inf. C. Boston, York Plymouth 22 7 32 5 2 14 28 7 57
3 4 falling Weather (& Bristol 23 7 31 5 3 6 feet 9 6
4 5 [?] Perige about this Time. 24 7 31 5 3 58 26 10 21
5 6 [?] 15 [?] 25 7 30 5 4 48 head 1 36
6 7 [ nine astronomical symbols?] 26 7 29 5 5 46 24 Morn
7 G [nine astonomical symbols?] 27 7 29 5 6 36 neck 0 46
8 2 May Heaven preserve the 28 7 29 5 7 26 24 1 56
9 3 Inf. C. KentCounty. Soldiers. 29 7 28 5 8 12 arms 3 6
10 4 us, and all; from Poisons 30 7 27 5 9 0 17 4 16
11 5 Plagues and Poxes, great 31 7 27 5 9 48 breast 5 26
12 6 [3 astronomical symbols] cloudy and small Jan 7 26 5 10 40 13 6 34
13 7 and Snow; 2 7 25 5 11 28 23 [crescent moon symbol] rises
14 G or cold and frosty 3 7 25 5 12 10 heart 5 56
15 2 unsetled and falling 4 7 24 5 12 54 19 6 56
16 3 [three astronomical symbols] Weather for 5 7 23 5 1 38 belly 7 53
17 4 [three astronomical symbols] several Days 6 7 22 5 2 22 13 8 52
18 5 [astronomical symbol] Apoge 7 7 21 5 3 [?] 25 9 50
19 6 strong Winds [three astronomical symbols] 8 7 19 5 3 50 reins 10 48
20 7 [three astronomical symbols] perhaps [three astronomical symbols] 9 7 18 5 4 33 19 11 48
21 G [three astronomical symbols] from the South. 10 7 17 5 5 18 secrets Morn
22 2 Fling by your Wheels, 11 7 16 5 6 10 16 0 50
23 3 and Sleighs & Sleds provide; 12 7 15 5 7 6 thigh 1 55
24 4 Boys fix their Skaits, 13 7 14 5 7 50 12 3 0
25 5 and nimbly they slide. 14 7 13 5 8 36 24 4 2
26 6 clear and cold, freezing 15 7 12 5 9 26 knees 5 5
27 7 Weather 16 7 11 5 10 16 23 5 8
28 G Middling [three astronomical symbols] 17 7 9 5 1 6 legs [crescent moon symbol] setts
29 2 full Tides Snow or 18 7 8 5 12 2 23 5 53
30 3 Sup. C. Charlstown [three astronomical symbols] 19 7 7 5 12 58 feet 7 7
31 4 Rain 20 7 6 5 1 54 23 8 21
Last edit almost 4 years ago by Maribeth
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G 1 Sent for a puppy to Draw

2

3

4 Went to church for 1st time P.M.

5

6

7

8 puppy died

9

10

11

12 Col. Hatch buried

13

14 Our dear Sister Betty Epes died 1/2 past one {morning}

15 same day Peggy was. taken with measles

16 Buried B. Epes & Mr. Gibbs died in {morning}

17 Mr. [Mas?] & self went to funeral of B. E.

G 18

19 Mrs. Cheney began at twice & die on the 18th

20 Peggy sat up

21

22

23 Peggy took physick. President here

24

25

26 Peggy took Physick

27 Faro went to bed with measles

28 President here

Last edit almost 4 years ago by vant
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