A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32

A Gathering of Days reflects the culture and mindset of early-19th-century, white New England farm families. Their sense of community, patriotism, and religious fervor were strong. Boston, where Catherine’s father trades his furs and maple sugar, was a center of commerce, and young people like Catherine’s friend Sophy were beginning to leave their farm homes to work in water-powered mills. However, northeastern New England, including New Hampshire, was still largely populated with “subsistence” farmers who, between rocky soil and a harsh climate, could grow only as much as their family needed to survive.

These families were mostly descendants of English settlers, and they had little exposure to other cultures. They had a strong work ethic: Holidays such as birthdays and Christmas passed almost unnoticed. Only Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, holidays rooted in faith and patriotism, are observed with any fanfare in A Gathering of Days. Their moral code, rooted in belief in the Bible and the Congregational church, was equally firm. They practiced the biblical injunction to “love one’s neighbor” by readily helping others, especially in times of hardship. In addition, certain tasks, like collecting sap for maple sugar and “breaking out” the road to town (clearing a path through the snow with the help of teams of oxen and men armed with shovels), could only be accomplished through cooperation.