"Journal of Drink"
Written in 1774 by Pliny Moore

            In April of 1774 when Pliny Moore was only 15 years old, he started to keep a journal and described when and with whom he had alcoholic beverages. 

            Hugh McLellan published the journal in November of 1929 and printed 86 copies.  It was the seventeenth printing of the Moorsfield Press in Champlain.  Hugh also wrote a detailed Foreword section describing the journal. 

Foreword

 

THE "JOURNAL OF DRINK” is printed as a curious human document, not without certain interest to the local historian and to the student of the social history of the period of the Revolution.  That such a Journal should have been kept, at a time when "drinking" was a matter of course — before it had become a target for the moralist and the economist — is rather remarkable.

 

            The Journal begins on April 14th, 1774, with the writer at home in Spencertown, N. Y.   May 6th he goes to Great Barrington and Sheffield, Mass.  On June 29th he returns home, and the last entry is on July 19th.

 

            Written in a homemade note-book, the Journal was found among the papers of Pliny Moore (b. Sheffield, Mass., April 14, 1759), and although no definite proof as to the author appears in the manuscript, yet his authorship seems quite certain: it was commenced on his fifteenth birthday; he had an aunt called "Aunt Basheba" in family letters; and with the Journal were several boyhood letters written before 1777 to him by five of the persons named — Ezekiel Callender, John Callender, Jr., John Fellows, Jr., Ephraim Fasket and Jacob Vanbozan.

 

            In a letter from Ezekiel Callender, dated at Sheffield, May 2nd, 1774, to Pliny Moor at Spencertown, we read:

 

"I Se Mr Venhoesen And I ask him how you Did and he Sade that you Was Not much Better if any and you Did Say if you got no Better you Shold Come to Barrontoun to Be Doctord By Mr Whiting."

 

            The local historian will appreciate the following list of names appearing in Moore's Journal.  The superior figures in the text refer to this list:

 

28  “Aunt Bash”     See Loomis, Bathsheba

1  Beamant, Bemant, William

2  Beech, Ira

3  Callender, Ezekiel

4  Callender, John      Married P.M's. aunt, Rebecca Loomis

5  Callender, John, Jr.

6  Clark, Isaac      Buried at Spencertown, d. 1814

7  Colver, Ebenezer

8  Coon, Abraham

9  Day, Aaron

10   Dewes, Daniel Dewey

11  Ducher, Stoffel

12  Dun[n], John, Ensign, Col. C. D. Wynkoop's Reg., N.Y.M.

13  Fairchild, Aaron

14  Fairchild, Zachariah

15  Fasket, Ephraim

31  “Father”      See Moor, Noadiah

16  Fellows, Cherry

17  Fellows, Ezra

18  Fellows, John     Son of Ezra

19  Fellows, Pamela

20  Ferry, Moses

21  Goodrich, Silas

29  “Grandfather”     See Loomis, Samuel

22  Graves

23  Gun, Hezekiah

24  Holdridge, John

25  Keep, Mr. John Keep, minister at Sheffield from 1772 to 1785

26  Kellogg, Jessy

27  Kellogg, Silas

28  Loomis, Bathsheba     Wife of Zadok Loomis, uncle of P.M.

29  Loomis, Samuel       Grandfather of P.M. 1707-1782

30  Mansfield, Mr.

31  Moor[e], Noadiah        Father of P.M. 1730-1786

32  Pratt, David         Buried at Spencertown, 1738-1828

33  Pratt, Joel

34  Raymond, Daniel

35  Root, Aaron, (young)

36  Root, Israel

37  Scot[t], James

38  Shelden, William

39  Smith, Josiah     Great Barrington

44  “Uncle John”      Callender, John

40  Van Alen, Jacobus

41  Van Huzan, Abraham

42  Van Huzan, Jacob

43  Wright, Ephraim

 

                                                            HUGH McLELLAN

 

 

Champlain, N. Y., November 13, 1929

“JOURNAL OF DRINK”

 

1774

 

 

THIS 14th Day of april 1774 I begin to keep a true acount of all The Spiritual Liquors that I Drink from this time forwards   And how with and where I drink it

 

Spencertown April the 14th 1774 in the mor[n]ing I Drinked a dram with John Callender Junr⁵ Thirsday

 

And Friday another dram in the Morning with John Callender⁴ that was the 15th of april

 

Sunday april the 17th Stopping fire When Isack Clarks⁶ barn was burnt I drinkd four moderate drams of york Rum

 

Tuesday the 19th of april I drinkd one Dram of rum

 

Saterday the 23d Day of april I drinkd one very small dram of rum

 

Wensday the 27th of april I drinkd about one Spoon full of rum in the morning with John Callender Junr⁵

 

Wensday april the 27th 1774 at the ra[i]sing of Isacks clarks⁶ New barn in the afternoon i drink'd one dram of rum

 

Thirsday the 28th of april I Drinkd 3 drams one at Scots³⁷ frame of his house as he raised his house that day another with Ebenezer Colver⁷ at E'ns John duns¹² hous another in Scots³⁷ Shop with James Scott³⁷ and tasted of a Sling with Ebin Colver⁷ at E'n Duns Hous

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My Journal of Drink when I Livd in Sheffield from that Day that I went from Spencertown Beginning May the 6th 1774 Friday I Drank a nip of Tody @ Josiah Smith⁸⁹ @ Great Barrington alone.

 

Saterday May the 7th I Drank a Small Dram of rum @ my Grandfathers.²⁹

 

Wensday May the 18th I Drank a Small Dram in the morning with My Father ³¹  @ Grandfathers.²⁹

 

Thirsday May the 19th @ Great Barring ton @ Josiah Smiths³⁹ I Drank Sum Gin Tody with Ephraim Foskit¹⁵ and then @ Silos Goodrich²¹ Sum Rum Tody with Do and Israel Root³⁶ and then @ Goodrich²¹ Sum Gin Tody with Do E. F.¹⁵ and then in the Evening @ Mr Mansfields³⁰ hous I Drank Gin Tody Twice and Grog once and York Rum Tody Three times and wine I Drank Parts of 3 Glases

 

Saterday May the 21st I Drank Two Small Drams the one alone and the other With aunt Bafh²⁸ and Moses Ferry²⁰ @ Grandfathers²⁹

 

Wensday May the 24th I Drank Sum Egg Punch with Ira Beech² and Ezekil Callender³ and John Fellows^l8 and Stoffell Ducher¹¹ and Hezekiah Gun²⁸ @ young Aaron Roots³⁵ hous and after that the Same Day and With the Same company Sum Rum Tody and after that tasted twice of Sum Milk Punch and after that in the Evening I Drank 9 times of Rum Tody and Tasted Twice of a Sling   This Was after I came to Ezra Fellowses¹⁷

 

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Thirsday May the 25th I Drank a Small Dram in the morning @ Mr Ezra Fellowes^l7 with John Fellows^l8

 

Friday May the 26th I Drank a glass of Bitters in the morning with Do @ Do

 

Munday May the 29th I Drank a Shugar Dram @ Do with Cherry Fellows¹⁶

 

Tuesday May the 30th I Drank Sum Egg Punch In the morning with Cherry Fellows^l6 @ Do and Pamela Fellows¹⁹ ‑ and in the afternoon Sum More Egg Punch with Cherry Fellows¹⁶ @ Do

 

Wednesday June the 1st AD 1774 I Drank a Shugar Dram with John Fellows¹⁸ in The morning @ Ezra Fellowses^l7 and in the afternoon Sum Sour Punch with Ezra Fellows¹⁷

 

Thirsday June the 2nd in the Fournoon I Drank a Small Dram @ Grandfathers²⁹ With Ephram Foskit¹⁵ and in the afternoon @ Mr Ezra Fellowses^l7 With himself I Drank Sum Sour Punch and in The Evening I Drank Sum Flip Alone @ Do

 

Tuesday June the 7th I Drank 2 Drams of Raw rum @ Mr Fellowses Store And Two of Grog with John Fellows^l8 And Dan Raimond³⁴

 

Thirsday June the 9th I Drank Part of 4 Bolls of Gin Tody 3 of the First with John Fellows^l8 and Aron Fairchildes¹⁸ And the other with Do Do and Jefsy Kellogg²⁶ @ Mr. Sheldens³⁸    

 

Friday June the 10th I Drank a Bitter in The Morning With Zachariah Fairchiles¹⁴ @ William Beamants¹ Shop

 

Saterday June the 11th I Drank Sum Gin Tody in the Fournoon With John Fellows¹⁸ @ Sheldins³⁸ and @ noon Sum Sour Punch @ Mr Fellowses and in the afternoon Sum More Sour Punch @ Do with Mr Keep²⁵ and Bemant and Mr Fellows Made his Hail Stones  

 

Wednesday June the 15th I Drank Sum rum @ the Shop with Ezra Fellows¹⁷ and his Sun John¹⁸

 

Thirsday June the 16th 1774 In The Evening I Drank a half A Bool of Rum Tody @ William Sheldins³⁸ with John Fellows¹⁸ and Ezekiel Callender⁸ and Silas Kellogg³⁷ and aron Fairchiles^l8

 

Munday June the 20th 1774 I Drank Sum Nutmeg Tody @ Mr Fellows with John Fellows¹⁸

 

Tuesday June the 21st @ sundown I Drank sum Shugered Rum @ Mr Fellowses and in the Evening @ Daniel Dewes¹⁰ I Drank Sum Mathegelin And Sum Clove water with hezekiah Gun²³ and John Fellows^l8 and the Rum With John Fellows¹⁸

 

Wednesday June The 22nd at noon I Drank Sum Flip @ Mr Fellowses With John

 

Saterday June the 25th In the Morning I Drank a Bitter with John Fellows¹⁸ @ Mr Fellowses

 

Sunday June the 26th I Drank Sum Sour punch with Do @ Do at Mr Fellows Return From New York

 

Munday June the 27th I Drank Sum Sour punch with Do @ Do and in the Evening I Drank Sum Egg punch With Do and aron Fairchiles¹³ @ Mr Fellowses Store

 

Wednesday June the 29th 1774 I Drank Sum gin Tody @ Smiths @ Great Barring Ton with John Callender⁴ and @ Graveses²² I Drank Sum Rum Tody with Do Comming To Spencertown

 

Friday July the 8th I Drank A Dram in our Follow with John Callender⁴ and Jacob Van huzan⁴²

 

Saterday July the 9th I Drank Two Drams the one with Aaron Day⁹ and John Hollridg²⁴ and Ephram Right⁴³ In David Pratts³² Meddow‑and the other with John Callender⁴ and Jacob Van huzan⁴²

 

Wednesday July the 13th I Drank Sum Grogg at Home with John Callender⁴ and Jacob Van huzan⁴²

 

Noon and in the after noon a Dram with Do Do and Abraham Coon⁸ In uncle Johns⁴ Corn and in the Evening I Tasted of Sum Rum @ Joel Pratts³³ Store house

 

Friday July the 15th I Drank a Bitter alone @ home

 

Satterday July the 16th I Drank 3 Small Drams in the afternoon with Jacob Vanhuzan⁴² and Abraham Coon⁸ In our Meddow

 

Munday July the 18th 1774 I Drank a Bitter In the Morning With John Callender⁴ in the hous and In the after noon a Dram with Jacobus Van alen⁴⁰ in The Meddow

 

Tuesday July the 19th I Drank a Bitter and then in the Fournoon I Drank a Dram with Abraham Van Huzan⁴¹ and Jacob Vanhuzan⁴² in Our Little Meddow and then in the After noon with Abraham Coon⁸ and Jacobus Van alen⁴⁰ I Drank 3 Drams @ Do