Thomas O’Shaughnessy’s Diary Part 7 1868

 1868

1 Jan 1868      I started to Bathurst and got to McNamara’s, King’s Plains.

2 Jan 1868      Reached Bathurst at nine o’clock, and bought nine cows and came to the halfway house.

3 Jan 1868      Flood’s “Rising Sun”. Two mile Creek.

4 Jan 1868      Cowra. Warm day.

5 Jan 1868      Father Ryan said Mass.

6 Jan 1868      Killed a cow. The Miller assisted me. No sign of rain.

7 Jan 1868      Cowra. Cool day.

8 Jan 1868      Cowra. Filling a cask with tallow.

9 Jan 1868      Killed a cow. Rained a little in the morning.

10 Jan 1868    Cold day. Not much doing.

11 Jan 1868    Cowra. Cloudy, cold day.

12 Jan 1868    Sunday.

13 Jan 1868    Killed a cow.

14 Jan 1868    Cowra. Cool day.

15 Jan 1868    Cowra.           

16 Jan 1868    Rained during the night.

17 Jan 1868    Cowra. Raining all day.

18 Jan 1868    Killed a cow.

19 Jan 1868    Cowra.

20 Jan 1868    Killed a cow. Cool day.

21 Jan 1868    raining most all day. River rising.

22 Jan 1868    Cowra. Fine, clear day.

23 Jan 1868    Cowra. Pleasant day.

24 Jan 1868    Killed a cow. P Walsh came from Kikiamah.

25 Jan 1868    Cowra. Close day.

26 Jan 1868    Sunday. A hail storm, the hail as large as pidgeon’s eggs.

27 Jan 1868    Killed a cow. A sultry day.

28 Jan 1868    Cowra.

29 Jan 1868    Cowra. Real hot day.

30 Jan 1868    I went up to Thomas Whitty’s to buy some cattle but he was not at home. I came back by James Lee’s. Thunder all day.

31 Jan 1868    I went up to Middlemiss. A little rain and thunder.

1 Feb 1868      Father Ryan came.

2 Feb 1868      Sunday. I started to Bathurst and reached McNamara’s.

3 Feb 1868      Bathurst. Went to the saleyards but could not buy any cattle. I went out to Rose Hill.

4 Feb 1868      Bathurst.

5 Feb 1868      Bathurst.

6 Feb 1868      Bought six bullocks and came to McNamara’s.

7 Feb 1868      Flood’s. Rained all day.

8 Feb 1868      Cowra. Little rain all day.

9 Feb 1868      Sunday. Killed a bullock.

10 Feb 1868    Cowra. Sultry day.

11 Feb 1868    P Walsh came and brought Mary and Bridget Walsh with him. I went to Carra Park for sheep but they were removed.

12 Feb 1868    Killed a bullock. Great shower of rain in the evening.

13 Feb 1868    Great shower of rain in the evening.

14 Feb 1868    Kate O’Shaughnessy born this morning. River rising fast.

15 Feb 1868    Killed a bullock. Commenced to rain at four o’clock. River rising.

16 Feb 1868    Cowra. Frightful windy day.

17 Feb 1868    Cowra. Misty rain all day.

18 Feb 1868    Killed a bullock. Warm

19 Feb 1868    Cowra. Warm day.

20 Feb 1868    Tom Walsh and I went out to W R Watt’s in P Walsh’s buggy. We crossed the punt. Stayed at Bumbaldry all night.

21 Feb 1868    I bought 20 fat sheep from Mr Watt. We came into Cowra.

22 Feb 1868    Killed a bullock. P Walsh started home.

23 Feb 1868    I went to Watt’s wheat shed for some fat sheep. Hot day.

24 Feb 1868    Cowra. Nothing doing.

25 Feb 1868    I started out to Kikiamah, P Walsh’s. Reached there at dark.

26 Feb 1868    Started back again. Reached Cowra at dark.

27 Feb 1868    Killed a bullock.

28 Feb 1868    Cowra. Warm day.

29 Feb 1868    Cowra. Nothing doing.

1 Mar 1868      Went to Watt’s for sheep.

2 Mar 1868      Cowra. Warm day.

3 Mar 1868      Bought four bullocks and a cow from Middlemiss.

4 Mar 1868      Killed a cow. Mrs Meagher died.

5 Mar 1868      Father Ryan came, and Mrs Killeargher (Gallagher?), Mrs Meagher’s mother.

6 Mar 1868      Mrs Meagher buried. great many people at the funeral.

7 Mar 1868      Killed a bullock. A Middlemiss and P Walsh started to Kikiamah.

8 Mar 1868      Sunday. Most every person in Cowra went out to a reef the Sheet of Bark and Waugoola. P Walsh dray came in. Warm day.

9 Mar 1868      The Cowra flour Mill commenced to work. Warm day.

10 Mar 1868    Great stir about the reefs. Killed a bullock. A Middlemiss came with cattle from Kikiamah. Four head for me.

11 Mar 1868    Went to Middlemiss to brand cattle.

12 Mar 1868    Cowra.

13 Mar 1868    Killed a bullock.

14 Mar 1868    Cowra. I went for sheep.

15 Mar 1868    Sunday. Warm day.

16 Mar 1868    Cowra. Nothing strange.

17 Mar 1868    St Patrick’s day. Repairing old dog cart.

18/21 Mar 68   Cowra.

22 Mar 1868    Sunday.

23 Mar 1868    I went out to the rush at Woods Flat and pegged out an alluvial claim.

24 Mar 1868    Went out to Woods Flat to sink.

25/26 Mar 68   Sinking all day.

27 Mar 1868    Great many people coming from Grenfell. We bottomed a real duffer.

28 Mar 1868    Challacombe brought me a horse to go home. All the diggers leaving.

29 Mar 1868    Sunday. Cowra.

30 Mar 1868    Cowra. Went for some sheep.

31 Mar 1868    Kelly, the supposed Fenian was brought before the magistrates of  Cowra.

1 Apr 1868      Kelly and his mate acquitted. Indignation  meeting at Ousby’s. I killed a bullock.

2 Apr 1868      Cowra. No sign of rain.

3 Apr 1868      Father Ryan came.  P Walsh started home.

4 Apr 1868      Cowra. Warm day.

5/7 Apr 1868   Cowra. Weather as usual.

8 Apr 1868      I went to McNamara’s, King’s Plains.

9 Apr 1868      Bathurst. Did not buy any cattle. I went to Rose Hill.

10/12 Apr 68   Rose Hill.

13 Apr 1868    Could not buy any cattle. I went to the race course to see some sports.

14 Apr 1868    At the Court House, hearing some cases.

15 Apr 1868    Rose Hill.

16 Apr 1868    Bought eight bullocks and came to evans’ plains.

17 Apr 1868    McNamara’s, King’s Plains.

18 Apr 1868    Flood’s. Two mile Creek.

19 Apr 1868    Cowra.

20 Apr 1868    Killed a bullock.

21 Apr 1868    Cowra. Went for two sheep.

22 Apr 1868    Killed a bullock. P Walsh came.

23 Apr 1868    Races at the Sheet of bark. Todat warm day.

24 Apr 1868    Killed a bullock.

25 Apr 1868    Went for some sheep but aboriginal could not find them.

26 Apr 1868    Sunday. Killed a bullock.

27 Apr 1868    Cowra. Warm day.

28 Apr 1868    Cowra. No news today.

29 Apr 1868    Cowra. Nothing doing.

30 Apr 1868    I went to Woods Flat.

1 May 1868     I went to Woods Flat.

2 May 1868     Killed a bullock.

3 May 1868     Sunday.

4 May 1868     Went to Woods Flat and jumped a claim.

5/7 May 68      Cowra.  Warm day. . No sign of rain

8 May 1868     This day very hot.

9 May 1868     Killed a bullock.

10 May 1868   Sunday.

11 May 1868   Cowra.

12 May 1868   Cowra. Went for sheep.

13 May 1868   Bought a cow from Middlemiss  and killed her.

14 May 1868   Went to Woods Flat and back again

15 May 1868   Cowra. Nothing doing.

16 May 1868   Lawrie the Miller, and I went up to Anthony’s on the Burrowa River. I bought seven bullocks and one cow. He agreed to meet me half way next day with the cattle.

17 May 1868   Alick Middlemiss and Lawrie and I went to meet the cattle but he did not come according to promise.

18 May 1868   Cowra. Warm day.

19 May 1868   Cowra. Killed a pig.

20 May 1868   P Walsh and I started to bathurst and got to McNamara’s, King’s Plains.

21 May 1868   Bathurst. I bought nine bullocks and came to Evans Plains.

22 May 1868   McNamara’s, King’s Plains.

23 May 1868   Flood’s. Two Mile Creek.

24 May 1868   Cowra. Sunday.

25/26 May 68  Killed a bullock.

27 May 1868   Went out to the back Creek.

28 May 1868   Killed a bullock.

29 May 1868   Challacombe and I went to Woods Flat and back.

30 May 1868   Killed a bullock.

31 May 1868   Sunday. P Walsh started home.

1 Jun 1868      Packing the pump at the Mill. Frost this morning.

2 Jun 1868      Killed a bullock.

3 Jun 1868      Repairing the slaughter yard. Great frost.

4 Jun 1868      Killed a pig. Frost this morning.

5 Jun 1868      Killed a bullock. Good gold got in the alluvial at Woods Flat.

6 Jun 1868      Father Ryan came.

7 Jun 1868      Went to Middlemiss for a horse.

8 Jun 1868      Went to Woods Flat  and was shepherding on No 3 Claim East. Came home.

9 Jun 1868      Went to Woods Flat shepherding. Came home again.

10 Jun 1868    Commenced to sink and log up. A night shift on.

11 Jun 1868    Sinking on the day shift.

12/13.Jun 68   Woods Flat sinking all day.

14 Jun 1868    Sunday.

15 Jun 1868    Bottomed. A real duffer. Removed our logs lower down and commenced to sink. I am on the night shift.

16/19 Jun 68   Woods Flat. Working all night.

20 Jun 1868    Woods Flat No work tonight.

21 Jun 1868    Sunday. Bill Walsh came.

22 Jun 1868    Woods Flat on the day shift.

23 Jun 1868    Bottomed at 80 feet. A duffer.

24 Jun 1868    Washed a prospect. One grain to the dish. Commenced to drive.

25 Jun 1868    Driving all day.

26 Jun 1868    Woods Flat driving all day.

27 Jun 1868    Driving all day. Came to Cowra. In the evening.

28 Jun 1868    Sunday.

29/30 Jun 68   Woods Flat driving all day.

1/2 Jul 1868    Woods Flat driving all day.

3 Jul 1868       Driving all day. Great many diggers leaving.

4 Jul 1868       Working all day.

5 Jul 1868       Sunday. Woods Flat.

6 Jul 1868       I came to Cowra.

7 Jul 1868       I went to Woods Flat with P Fitzgibbon and gave him my share.

8 Jul 1868       Lost my horse. I rode P Fitz’ horse to Cowra. And went to Middlemiss’ paddock and got another horse and went to Woods Flat

9 Jul 1868       Looking all day but could not find him. Came to Cowra.

10 Jul 1868     Went to Woods Flat and across to Coota and round to Cowra. No horse.

11 Jul 1868     Went straight to the Pine Mount old station and found him there. Came to Cowra.

12 Jul 1868     Sunday. Cowra. All day.

13 Jul 1868     To Woods Flat stayed there all night.

14 Jul 1868     Working in dan Neville’s claim all day.

15 Jul 1868     Working all day. Dan Neville came.

16 Jul 1868     Came into Cowra.

17 Jul 1868     Cowra. Cool day.

18 Jul 1868     I went to Canowindra old reefs and stayed there all night.

19 Jul 1868     Went to Woods Flat and from there to Cowra.

20 Jul 1868     I took P Fitzgibbon to Woods Flat and stayed there all night.

21 Jul 1868     Fitz and I went to the Canowindra reef, and back to Woods Flat. Raining all day.

22 Jul 1868     I took my bed and blankets to Canowindra reefs on Pat’s horse.

23 Jul 1868     Lawrie the Miller and I worked on a reef about a mile from the old Canowindra reefs.

24 Jul 1868     Working at the reef all day.

25 Jul 1868     Worked half day at the reef and started in to Cowra.

26 Jul 1868     Sunday. Came to the reefs.

27 Jul 1868     Worked half a day and commenced to put up a hut.

28/29 Jul 68    Working at the hut.

30/31 Jul 68    Working on the reef.

1 Aug 1868      Started to Woods Flat and from there to Cowra.

2 Aug 1868      To Canowindra reefs again.

3/6 Aug 1868   Working at the reef all day.

7/8 Aug 1868   Doing nothing.

9 Aug 1868      Sunday.

10 Aug 1868    Went to Canowindra.

11 Aug 1868    To Cowra.

12 Aug 1868    Woods Flat and back.

13/15 Aug 68 Working at the Mill.

16 Aug 1868    Sunday.

17 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill.

18 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill.

19 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill. P Walsh came. He brought Bridget Walsh in a buggy with him. Alick Middlemiss came. A letter from Adelaide. Raining all night.

20 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill.

21 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill. P Walsh started home.

22 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill.

23 Aug 1868    Sunday.

24 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill.

25 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill. P Walsh’s man Bill Walters came with a bullock team to cart wood for the Mill.

26 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill. Engine.

27 Aug 1868    Started the Mill again.

28 Aug 1868    Working the Mill all day.

29 Aug 1868    Working all day.

30 Aug 1868    Sunday. Working at the engine.

31 Aug 1868    Working at the Mill. P Fitzgibbon came.

1 Sep 1868      Working at the Mill all day.

2 Sep 1868      Working at the Mill. A letter from Lawrie. One from P Walsh.

3 Sep 1868      Working all day. T Walsh came from Woods Flat but went to Middlemiss for the night.

4 Sep 1868      The Mill not working. Rained heavy for two hours. T Walsh started to Woods Flat.

5 Sep 1868      Working at the engine. Cold morning.

6 Sep 1868      Sunday.  Father Ryan came and said Mass.

7 Sep 1868      Working at the engine.

8 Sep 1868      Mill commenced to work.

9 Sep 1868      Working at the Mill.

10 Sep 1868    At work all day. Hot day.

11 Sep 1868    Working all day. A letter from P Walsh saying that he had been very ill with a lump on his left side.

12 Sep 1868    Working to about four o’clock when the seentric? strap broke. Wrote to P Walsh Kikiamah.

13 Sep 1868    Sunday. Challacombe started with Bridget Walsh in a dog cart for Kikiamah. Warm day.

14 Sep 1868    Working all day at the Mill. Challacombe came home. A letter from P Walsh. Hot day.

15 Sep 1868    Working at the Mill.

16 Sep 1868    Started to Grenfell on horseback with the seentric? Strap. Reached Grenfell at one o’clock. Left the seentric strap at the foundry and went to Kikiamah.

17 Sep 1868    Stayed at Kikiamah.

18 Sep 1868    Started in to Grenfell but the seentric strap was not finished. I went back to Kikiamah.

20 Sep 1868    P Walsh came home about one o’clock.great rain all night.

21 Sep 1868    Srarted for Cowra. Commenced to rain at Broula and never ceased to Cowra.

22 Sep 1868    Working at the Mill. River rose.

23 Sep 1868    Working at the Mill.

24 Sep 1868    A man stabbed at the Royal Hotel last night. Challacombe caklled me up in the night. I stayed up all night. P Walsh’s Back Creek child died. Working at the Mill.

25 Sep 1868    Working at the Mill.

26 Sep 1868    Working at the Mill.

27 Sep 1868    Sunday. Buried P Walsh’s child.

28 Sep 1868    Working at the Mill. Cut my eye with a piece of iron. I went up to Middlemiss for my horse. P Walsh came.

29 Sep 1868    Taking down the ceiling of the engine room.

30 Sep 1868    Bill Walters started with P Walsh’s bullock team for Kikiamah. P walsh very sick. Willie Ryan came with fat cattle.

1 Oct 1868      Working at the Mill. P Walsh no better. Wrote for a Miller.

2 Oct 1868      Working at the Mill.

3 Oct 1868      Working at the Mill.

4 Oct 1868      Working at the Mill.

5 Oct 1868      Working at the Mill.

6 Oct 1868      Working at the Mill. P Walsh started home in a buggy.

7 Oct 1868      At the Mill all day.

8 Oct 1868      Working at the Mill. A Miller from Orange came.

9 Oct 1868      I started the Miller out to Kikiamah on my chestnut horse.

10 Oct 1868    Working all day. The Miller came back. He signed an agreement.

11 Oct 1868    Sunday. The Miller started to Orange for his family.

12 Oct 1868    Repairing the furnace all day.

13 Oct 1868    Working at the furnace.

14 Oct 1868    Working all day.

15 Oct 1868    Finished the furnace. The carpenters finished the ceiling of the engine room.

16 Oct 1868    Cleaning up the engine room.

17 Oct 1868    Painting the engine.

18 Oct 1868    Painting.

19 Oct 1868    Finished painting.

20 Oct 1868    Cleaning up the engine room.

21 Oct 1868    Got up steam. The engine worked well. Thomas Walsh came and James Lynch.

22 Oct 1868    Albon the Miller came with his wife. Repairing the tank.

23 Oct 1868    Mending belts.

24 Oct 1868    Working at the Mill all day.

25 Oct 1868    Sunday. Challacombe and Mary Neville started to Cargo. Warm day.

26 Oct 1868    The Miller commenced work. Billy Robinson of Canowindra not expected to live. Challacombe and Mary Neville came home.

27 Oct 1868    Started the engine to see how she would work.

28 Oct 1868    Commenced to dress some meal but did not do much.

29 Oct 1868    Dressing flour slowly all day.

30 Oct 1868    Dressing all day. Dry, hot day.

31 Oct 1868    Cleaning up the Mill all day. Alick Middlemiss came from Kikiamah with cattle.

1 Nov 1868     Sunday mass at the Chapel. Hot day. The wheat crops will all perish if this weather continues.

2 Nov 1868     Warm day. Looks like rain.

3 Nov 1868     Repairing belts all day.

4 Nov 1868     Working all day.

5 Nov 1868     Working all day.

6 Nov 1868     Working all day. Weather cooler.

7 Nov 1868     Working all day.

8 Nov 1868     Sunday. Commenced to rain after dark.

9 Nov 1868     Court day. Weather cooler.

10 Nov 1868   Working all day.

11 Nov 1868   Working all day.

12 Nov 1868   Mending belts.

13 Nov 1868   Working all day.

14 Nov 1868   Working all day. Very hot.

15 Nov 1868   Sunday.

16 Nov 1868   Working. No sign of rain. Hot winds.

17 Nov 1868   Working all day.

18 Nov 1868   Working.

19 Nov 1868   Working at the Mill.

20 Nov 1868   Grinding all day.

21 Nov 1868   Working all day.

22 Nov 1868   Sunday.

23 Nov 1868   Working all day.

24 Nov 1868   Working all day.

25 Nov 1868   Working.

26 Nov 1868   Working all day. Killed a bullock. Ryan came.

27 Nov 1868   From this date I believe I was at home in Cowra until some time in January 1869.

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