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Identifier/Call Number
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MSA 759
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Description
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en
The collection consists of three small diaries of Joseph Manley Bushey of Brandon, Vermont, for the years 1869, 1870, and 1871, and two cash account books, 1889-1897, and 1897-1905. The diaries follow the same format: a brief paragraph concerning Joseph's work tasks and output at the scale factory, followed by a brief paragraph on his leisure pursuits in the evenings after work and on Sundays. The last two years contain entries about the weather. Notations of unusual events, such as the sale of the scale shop in Brandon to Judge Sprague in 1869, and other milestones are interspersed throughout the entries. In few words, Joseph Manley Bushey is able to paint a detailed picture of working life in the center of a prosperous and prominent Vermont town. Velocipede riding, lectures, outings to Lake Dunmore, the circus, a monkey and snake show, and a performing dog were but a few of the many and varied pastimes an average Brandon resident could enjoy. Joseph was also a musician who played fiddle, flute, pennywhistle, and dulcimer for dances, as did his father. Cash accounts may be found at the back of the journals, in addition to those in the account books.
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Biography, Administrative History and Provenance
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en
Joseph Manley Bushey was born in 1847 in Brandon, Vermont, the son of Joseph Bushey, a shoemaker born in Canada East (now Quebec), who lived at Conant Square in Brandon village. Son Joseph worked for the Howe Scale Company in Brandon as a metalworker in the scale shop. In late 1869, Joseph married Julia German (or Germain) of Sudbury, Vermont, daughter of Canadian immigrants, John German, a "day laborer, " and his wife Mary. After his marriage, Joseph continued to work at the scale company. Although Howe Scale Co. moved to Rutland in 1873, Joseph remained in Brandon until sometime after 1880, when he and his family moved to Rutland City. Over the years, Joseph was listed variously as mechanic, assistant foreman, and "inspector, beam department" as he rose through the company ranks. In 1873, Joseph and Julia had a daughter, Florence "Ida." By 1920, Joseph was no longer working. He died at home in Rutland in 1923 at age 75. His widow, Julia, died at age 84 in 1935 in Montpelier, Vt., at the home of her daughter, Ida (Bushey) Horton.
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Extent
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.25 linear feet
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