Harriet Luzetta (Day) Freeman (1812-1887/8) was the second daughter born to Aaron and Martha (Tibbetts) Day. The sister of my 2nd great grandmother, Cynthia (Day) Bursley, Harriet had a unique perspective of the family; she was raised by her paternal uncle and aunt, Nathaniel and Sarah Day.
Carrie (Whitten) Whitten standing, with her son, Guy Whitten, front.
Harriet clearly loved her aunts and uncles, and passed down information on the history of the family to her daughter, Helen. It was Helen who held family treasures and wrote about them in letters to her cousins, which you can read about HERE.
Photo courtesy of David Wheatcroft Antiques
Young Harriet knew her grandparents well. Her paternal grandfather, John, lived until 1820, and her grandmother, Sarah, died in 1845. They must have been quite beloved by the young girl, for in 1828 Harriet, at the age of 16, used water colors to paint a memorial for her grandfather, John Day. Initially discovered online through Google searches, we learn the artwork was listed as part of an auction on Invaluable.com and sold in 2003. (The posting can be found HERE.). Additional research led us to David Wheatcroft Antiques, who later acquired the painting and provided us with the high-resolution photo above. What a wonderful thing to see, and to know that John Day was remembered and loved by his young granddaughter.