Daniel E. LaBar
His Journey West --- 1839
The original of this diary was kindly loaned to us for copying by Mrs. Daniel E. LaBar, Delavan, Wisconsin. The original was in pencil, but the words have been retraced in ink. In some cases, and particularly towards the bottom of some pages, revealing the fact that there have been changes made in phraseology and spelling from the original penciled writing.
(This copy was received from Mrs. Dorothy Henson, a descendent of Daniel E. ,who lives in Oklahoma.)
________________________________________________________________________________________
A typed copy of the diary kept by Daniel E. LaBar and Family on their journey from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania to Wisconsin has been received from the State Historical Society of Madison, Wisconsin, and printed by the Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine of Pittsburgh, Pa. Volume 18,1935.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The following is copied from a copy made from record at the Pennsylvania Historical Society of Pittsburgh, Pa. May 15,1941 by Charles M. LaBar.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Thursday, May 23, started from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, went to hecktown, 25 miles.
Friday went through Allentown, 26 miles, staid in Wisenburg township, Lehigh County.
Saturday went through Hamburg 21 miles to Shartlesville in Bern township, Berks County.
Sunday travelled 15 miles to a large brick house in Lebanon County, Man's name Walbon.
Monday went to where the bridge was gone had to go back half a mile and take another road to Jonestown where we crossed the Swatarara creek and the union canal, staid all night at Lincleville moon's Dauphin County 25 miles.
Tuesday 8 miles from Harrisburg, we drove through the town under some trees on the bank of the river where we fed our horses and went about to see the place, M. Butts went to see Dr. James, and he and Coolbaugh came down to see us, Mr. Coolbaugh took us to the Capitol and through the house and into the House of Representatives, we went into the Senate Chamber also a very fine place indeed, went that day 9 miles from Harrisburg to Hogetown in Cumberland County.
Wednesday went through Carlisle saw the locomotive, 29 miles to Shippensburg.
Thursday went through Chambersburg staid all night on the top of Cove mountain a poor place for movers 30 miles -- Plough's.
Friday went 23 miles over mountains all day encamped by the road-side about 1/2 mile from the Janiate river.
Saturday June 1 went to Bedford 14 miles and stopped to feed and from there 2 miles and turn'd off th Peter Manns staid there over Sunday.
June 3rd Monday we travelled all day over mountains 22 miles staid at Salvers on the Alleghany Mountains in Somerset County theroad is not as good as we have had.
Tuesday June 4th travelled 28 miles over laurel hill and a great many other hills it rain'd all the afternoon and all night staid over night at Ligonier, Westmorland County.
[ in pencil ] Wednesday still rainy [ two blank pages ] Wednesday started in the rain it rained all day put up before night in sight of Greensburg the County seat of Westmorland County 18 miles.
Thursday travelled 23 miles staid 9 miles from Pittsburgh at Shafers Allegheny County.
Friday went through Pittsburgh crossed the Allegheny river fed our horses by the road-side staid at a quaker's named Pyle, 15 miles from Pittsburgh.
Saturday travelled 29 miles in a very hilly country, staid at a Temperance house in Beaver County.
Sunday Rees and the girls went to meeting ---
Monday June 10th started from Mr. Adairs 5 miles to Petersburg in Ohio went 20 miles pitched our tent by a creek in Trumball County, Ellsworth township.
Tuesday went 27 miles stopped in the woods in Portage County had a hard rain and thunder in the night.
Wednesday June 12th went 28 miles broke our waggon stopped in a little town called Bedford in Cuyahoga County.
Thursday got our waggon mended started at 12 o'clock went 12 miles to Cleveland and took off 2 boxes.
Friday started about 9 o'clock went 27 miles to Black river pitched our tent on the bank of the riverin Lorain County Ohio.
Saturday travelled from Black river to a little town in Huron County called Berlin 25 miles.
Sunday 6 miles to John Harris's.
Monday staid at Harris's washed and baked.
Tuesday June 18 started at half past nine went through Norwalk the County town of Huron county a very pretty town near Huron River just up at Birdeye's 25 miles went through Monroeville and Bellevue.
Wednesday went 26 miles through Lower Sandusky to Woodville 15 miles in the Black Swamp.
[ in pencil ]
May 23rd 25 miles June 12th 20 miles
24 26 13 12
25 21 14 22
26 15 15 25
27 25 16 Sunday
28 17 17 at Harris's
29 29 18 25
30 30 19 26
31 23 20 28
June 1st 16 21 28
2 Sunday 22 28
3 22 23 25 Sunday
4 25 24 29
5 18 25 30
6 23 26 32
7 24 27 20
8 20 28 20
9 Sunday 29 28
10 26 30 Sunday12
11 27 To Chicago 839 miles
Thursday 28 miles through Perrysburg and Maumee City to Sylvania in Lucas County Ohio formerly Michigan.
Friday morning rainy went through the Cottonwood swamp through Bly's field Palmyra and Tecumseh 28 miles encamped in the woods in Hillsdale County on the Chicago Turnpike.
Sunday went 25 miles staid at Berrts in Branch County.
Monday June 24th went 29 miles encamped in the woods had a very good road went through Coldwater staid in St, Joseph County.
Tuesday Butz's left us at Sturgas Prairie, we went through White Pidgeon 30 miles staid in a tent near St, Joseph river in Elkhart County Indiana.
Wednesday traveled 32 miles staid at Temacopia in St. Joseph County Indiana.
Thursday went 20 miles over the worst road I ever saw to Westons 2 miles from Michigan City.
Friday went through Michigan City 22 miles to Wheelers pitched our tent.
Saturday travelled 28 miles still among the sand crossed the Callamet Bridge and pitched our tent near the lake where the mosquitoes were worse than I ever saw them 28 miles.
Sunday morning started at 4 o'clock went 2 miles fed the horses and eat our breakfast gotto Chicago at 10 o'clock, we halted near the lake. James saw us from a distance and came to us, we went through the town and over the river and put up our tent on the prairie where we spent the day the girls are gone to meeting with James on Sunday morning then went 12 miles to (blob) rocks.
Monday July 1st started from Chicago went 12 miles, put up the tent forthe night.
Tuesday went to Walkup's 34 miles.
Wednesday went 29 miles staid all night at Kapp's.
Thursday went 5 miles arrived at William Hollinshead at nine o'clock in the morning on the fourth of July 1839.
[ Several blank pages ]
Lived at WH's till October 14th 1839 when we moved our log house and lived there till July 25th 1845 , when we moved into our frame house where we still live in 1852 May 29th.
Many of the last pages, the writing is unintelligible, written in pencil and retraced in ink, in more recent time and different hand.
Journey of the LaBar family from Stroudsburg to Delavan, Wisconsin
Click here to return to main page