As the weather grows colder and the days shorten, I find myself reflecting on the question of how our forebears confronted these changes in environment. While getting ready to head to work this week, I had to simply check the weather app on my phone to determine what to wear (70 degrees in early November!). Our ancestors faced a different reality. Uncertainty was the rule rather than the exception. And yet, they found their own ways to bring order to this uncertainty. This was brought to my attention with my discovery of the journal of Reverend Moses Hale. Hale’s journal is a testament to the order he sought to create and a glimpse into another November, almost 300 hundred years ago.
Moses Hale’s journal is an attempt to make sense of the world around him. Born in Newbury, Hale served as pastor in the Byfield Parish. He left behind a detailed and concise journal with recordings for each day. On 1 November, 1734 Hale recorded the weather as simply “Fair.” On the 21st of the month, Hale noted that it was “Cloudy... [and that it] began to Snow...” and on the 25th that the weather was “Clear. [And] very cold...” It is easy to imagine Hale referring back to his journal in the months and years that followed as a way not only to recall the past, but to order the present. These entries, while short, gave Hale a sense of understanding about the world around him. In a world determined by the uncertainty of the weather of the day, Hale might have found some semblance of certainty in his recordings.
Hale’s journals are also a window into his life and how he filled his days. On the 12th of November, Hale noted “...a considerable Shock of an Earthquake last Night.” Though he does not elaborate further, this occurrence must have been very unnerving and brought to mind the historic earthquake of 1727. Hale’s journal also notes butchering a cow on the 18th and killing a bear on the 21st. These events would have been highly weather dependent, in order to avoid spoilage of the meat. From the earthquake to the butchering and various trips recorded, Hale’s journal is evidence of a life centered around uncertainty.
Hale’s journal reflects the realities of the uncertainty he found himself in and the ways he sought to order his life. As we move through this month of November, I will be thinking about Moses Hale and his November in 1734. I hope you do as well.