School and Other Days, 1859:
Selections from the Diaries of
Robert and Sylvester Bishop
Edited by JOHN WEATHERFORD*
ROBERT WAS ELEVEN and Sylvester nine
when they began
their diaries in the Christmas season
of 1858. They kept them
with fair regularity during 1859,
except for summer vacation.
Their father, Robert Hamilton Bishop,
II, encouraged jour-
nals among those of his twelve children
who were the right
age. Professor of Latin at Miami
University and son of its
first president, he spoke with gentle
authority in and out of
home. He was "kindly," which
is nineteenth-century for
being in control. He was able, for
example, to tell his children
that if they were good he would listen
to their catechisms.
He may have promised the boys something
to keep up their
diaries. Their sister Kate, fifteen,
began her own diary for
1859 with the explanation that her
father would buy her a
present worth ten dollars if she kept
it up for a year. Instead,
Kate died. Her last entry reads,
"I am thinking I not goin [to
get] the handsome present Pa promised
me on condition that I
would keep a journal for the whole
year."
As historians of their own world, the
boys are sometimes
intuitively concise, but more often
prolix. This selection is
perhaps a fiftieth part of the
manuscript diaries (which were
recently given to Miami University by
Mr. Robert H. Mont-
gomery). I have supplied periods (which
the boys did not
trust) and capitals (which they enjoyed
promiscuously), but
* John Weatherford is assistant to the
director of libraries at Miami University.
SCHOOL AND OTHER DAYS 59
have kept their spelling. Many of the
proper names could
have been identified, but local history
is not the purpose of
these selections. A
footnote or a sic in these breathless
tales would be an adult impertinence.
[January 3, 1859, Sylvester] School began and I had to go to school
and we had V knew scholarers and Fill
Moore went to and me and
Robrt had to go and me ... and Thedore
Moore set on the chairs and
Fill Moore and Rob set on the back seat.
John Stern got a whiping the
first morning and John Bron got tie to
Mis Smith dress.
[January 12, 1859, Robert] . . . Albert Bradford ask M Ana Smith
if me and he coldent go up town and get
a pen holder. When I came
back Georgy Keely and Mary Gage was up
stars. Georgy Sterns struck
Mary Gage and Mary Gage kick Georgy
Sterns. She went up stars and
told Smith and Mrs Smith was going to
suspend her from school but
he dident do it....
[January 14, 1859, Robert] Nothing to say abot today very perticular
as I now except at school our room went
up stars to her the schollars
read ther comtons compotions and here
them spekes ther peases.
[January 15, 1859, Robert] . . . Syl was sick all day. Then in the
after noon I went to sin[g]ing school.
It was about half past one when I
started. I got there in time this time
as I have been there in time before.
Fil More was up in town. I met him there
by Billings. He got five cents
worth of penuts. He bot them at Miss
Cooper. She gave him a sack for
five cents. He got his pocket full. He
dident give me one of them. He
gave Albert Shuey his hand full and he
gave Charles Crimes a hand
full to. Then I ask him for one or two
but he said he woldent be cas he
hedent many. Then he wanted me to cary
his book while he put his
hands in his pocket but I told him I
woldent do it for him. He woldent
give me any penuts so I wasant a going
to do eny thing for him. Then
after a while he wanted me to go over to
the post office for him. He said
he wold give me to or three penuts.
[February 4, 1859, Robert] . . . John Keely came down stars from
Mis Kerwood room for he couldent keep up
with the classes. He sit
with me in the morning but in the after
noon Anna Smith made him
change his seat. He was mad and threw
his books down on the flor.
He had to seat with James Keely.
[February 4, 1859, Sylvester] . . . Albert Bradford left school and
as he went out the door he said I be
back to morrow. Mis Smith said
60
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
No you wont. He said Yes I will. But he
ron home. And ous boy said
Wasent that rich. We said Yes it tis
rich.
[February 22,1859, Robert] Thursday the 22 of Febraary was Wash-
ington birth. The students celebrated it
very mutch. They dident hav??
know school. The students dident have
know colledge. The students
got up a company and got the band and
march a rond town. They went
to MacFarland and hollard for him to
come out to give them a speach.
He said he couldent come out to give
them a speach. Then one of them
hollard Give three cheers for
MacFarland. Then they went to Prof
Bishop and hollard for him to come out
but he dident. He was sawing
wood and he woldent come but then they
went to Stodard and hollard
for him. He come out and gave them a
speach. Then they hollard for
Prof Killen to come out and he came out
and gave them a speach. Then
they said Three cheers for Killen. Then
they went to Prof Swing and
hollard for him to come out on the
poarch and give them a speach but
he was siting up stairs loking out the
winder and he said he was very
mutch oblige to them. Then they said
Three cheers for Swing. Then
they went to Doc Goodritch and he told
the students to meat at the
chapel this after noon a bout half past
one. They met ther and then they
went down to the Western [Female
Seminary] to give them sight of
them. They shot ther gun of and one of
the men in a carriage his horse
broke loose and ron a way. Then they
went up a peace. Then they fire
ther gun of and then when they had got
up by Sariless they charge on
some girls. Then they said Let ous go up
to Bob Bishop. Then they
came up to our house and hollard for Pa.
Pa wasant at home un lest he
wold have gave them a good speach. Then
they fire of ther guns and a
parsel of girl was on the poarch and
when they fire they fel dodn. Just
then a old Irosh man come along and towo
student was in a bugy and
that old Irosh man hit them on the head.
Then Ross therd his cane at
him. He jump out of his bugy and hit him
with a stone. Then all of the
students ron after him. They ron out to
Smith then they got him and
Ross threw a ston at him and hit him in
the head and knock him out
his waggon.... So that ends Washing
Birth day.
[February 27, 1859, Robert] George gets breakfast and I help get
dinner. I went to Sunday school and
church.... Mister Steuart preach.
I forget what his sub jeck was. Miss
Munel gave me a card to learn
by hart. He gave me last Sunday to
learn. I lernt it. None of the others
lernt thers but me.
[February 28, 1859, Robert] I went to school as usal. Ma had her
SCHOOL AND OTHER DAYS 61
washing done to day. Mis Smith was as
cross as a bear to day. I and
John Keely fil the ing bottle up at
school....
[February 28, 1859, Sylvester] I went to school and John Stern got
[hit] with a rular. He holer Och och
that hurt. I guess it dose.... She
sent him up stairs and slap Charley
Poter in the face and he holer Ouch
and Mis Smith sent him up stairs for it
and send him up to him to get
whip and George Stern to tell Mister
Smith to whip him. Pret soon he
was out playing marble and then he came
[to] the back doors and said
he had been up stairs....
[March 1, 1859, Robert] . . .John Sterns spoke a peace this after
noon. Him and John Keely and Syl and I
did. We all spoke the same
pice. When Stern soke his they stomp.
Mis Smith stay there then he
soke it a gen and they stomp him a gen.
Then Mis Smith told the first
one that stomp she whip then they
shallnt a gan. Then they stomp him
a gen then Mis Smith said they--- Then
the bell rang and she said we
might go home. We went home and John
Sterns treated to ginger cake.
He got three cents worth....
[March 2, 1859, Robert] . . .After recess some of the scholars went
up stars in Mis Kenwood to sing. Only
them that belong to the after
noon singing school. And after they went
up stars the room was very
still for the bad boys was gone. John
Sterns John Keely was absent.
And after they was gone up stars a good
while Mis Smith said me
and Georgie Keely might cheos up a class
to see which could spell the
other down. Georgie Keely side beat....
Mis Smith whip John McGuff
for throwing wads and she whip Charles
Ferguson for making a face
at her. She whip them with a rular but
John Sterns broke her rular
when he was in the class. He fond it in
the chalk box. Then Mis Smith
hunted for the rular to whip him with
it. Then he said he was glad she
dident get it. Mis Smith [said] he
better be.
[March 3, 1859, Robert] . . . Mis Smith set John Sterns on a char
by his self. He made faces at her and
Mis Smith fan him agen to day
and he held out his hand and she coldent
hurt it. H said his moth told
Mis Smith that she coldent hurt him. He
said his father whips him with
a rope and his mother whips him with a
shoe on his hand. Magy Ring-
wood ask Mis Smith to if she cold choos
up a spelling match but Mis
Smith was as cross as a bear and said No
you shant and shut up.
[March 8, 1859, Robert] . . . Mis Smith blind foled John Sterns and
she whip Louis Hayden for making faces.
She whip him with a whale
bone....
62
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
[March 9, 1859, Sylvester] I went to school and we had fun and
came home and got our dinner and then we
went school again and
then I was tardy. And she said Go back
and get your excuse. I said
I will bring it in the morning. She
[said] Well take your seat and I
took it. And then Mis Smith said You
know enything about my
rithimetic. I said No I dont know. And
then John Keelly said I know
where it is and he said In the stove.
And said that Charley Fereson
told him last night as he was bringing
up his milk and he said Let
take her dionary and burn it up and let
take her excelison book and
that will break her up. And her sister
was going up and Charley said
he wold kill her if she come up to
school again....
[March 19, 1859, Robert] I went to gymnastic in the morning and
staid till 10 oclock. I saw them fence
and box with gloves. Great big
gloves twice as big as their fist.
[March 29, 1859, Robert] . . . Pa bought a rat trap and Syl set it
and the next morning ther was three rats
in it and we had some fun
a killing them. Pat Comeway cane over to
see ous drown them. He cut
the tail of and gav them as much pain as
he cold. He said he was hard on
rats
....
[April 1, 1859, Sylvester] Robert said Look out their and I said
No. You wont do it. I wont. Fool me will
you. And Pa said Dont you
must not fool the boys that way. It is
lying....
[April --, 1859, Sylvester] . . . Their was a visitor come to our
house and he said Do you go to school
and Do you get your lesson well
and Did you ever get whiped hard and Did
it hurt bad when she or he
whiped you and Did you cry hard so Wold
you like writing in a book or
Did you ever expect to be rich and get
as much money as you wanted.
... A Diu.
[May 22, 1859, Robert] Kate is very sick to day. The doctter cupt
her in the eving. I sat with her a
little while.
[May 23, 1859, Robert] When I waken up in the morning Pa was
up and was in a hurry a bout sonthing. I
got up and Kate was pretty
neer dead. She was as white as snow. ...
Pa told ous to go over to
Docttor Hills and he cone down with me
and Syl. Then Pa came out
and [told] Syl and me to go up to Mister
Huston to get some corn for
the chickens. We went up ther and got it
and when we got back Kate
was dead. O how I cried. My dear mother
hart was broken. O I cried
like every thing. Sister Emly takes it
very hard but not as hard as Ma.
Granny and all of her family came in.
Mrster Stodart tray to bring her
to life a gain . . . but all in vain.
Miss Brooks come in and all of the
SCHOOL AND OTHER DAYS 63
kind nabors came over to try to comfort
Ma and tend to Sister Kate.
I had a great many errons to run.
[May 24, 1859, Robert] . . . Dear Kate is gon is gone is gone to
heven before us but I hope we will all
be ther soon. I am trying to be a
good boy so I can meet her in heaven....
[May 27, 1859, Robert] Syl nor I dident go to school for three or
fore day. Ant Clary came in her to see
ous and brought Henry in with
her. We had lots of fun a playing a
bout.
[May 28, 1859, Robert] In the morning we work a little.... In the
afternoon Syl and I went a fishing and
Syl coght for suckers and I
cought for sun fish. Pa said Syl was a
ging to b a fisher sone o th day.
[May 29, 1859, Robert] I went to Sunday school but when I got ther
and sat down I begin to cry. I thought
if Kate was ther but she wasant.
She was last Sunday. I dident go to
church ...
[May --, 1859, Robert] . . . I have stop going to school and go to
Ma and learn more going to Ma a week
than I wood a month at school.
Syl still go to school to Miss
Haywourth.