Sarah Trask sewed shoe uppers as a way to earn a little money. She was not especially happy about doing so. On one occasion she counted the number of stitches required – it seems a daunting amount!
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Jan 25, Thursday, cloudy, rain before nine o’clock, wind south
Stay down to C. all night for her to show me about my shoes, but did not do much, but I try will try and see what I can do, for I not cannot afford to make a coat for 38 Cts1 for to C. Hale, if I can get any thing else to do.
Jan 26, Friday, Pleasant, but bad walking
Stitched on three pairs of shoes, have not done bravely, hope I shall do more than that tomorrow, or I shall have to go to California, to seek my fortune, oh to California for that all I hear, most every one is going there and I fear many who go that way will never come back to their friends again. I am glad that I have not any friends gone there.
Feb 20…
Just for fun I counted the stitches in a shoe, the size was fives, 719 in the whole, 250 on the top, 170 in the filling, 120 on the side seams, 69 in the closing, or 23 on a seam, 58 in the lining, or 27 on a side, 91 in the surging.
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1 Cts = cents
Citation
Sarah Trask’s Diary (January 25-26, 1849 and February 20, 1849). Beverly Historical Society, Beverly, MA. *
*now Historic Beverly
Using Essex History 
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