March 14-18, 1889 In Charleston, IL

March 1889

14.  Thursday.  6 AM. Ther.  48.  68.  60.  =  58 2/3
Fair start for timber at 8.30 after buying some more wire.  Got there about 11 AM.  R. & S. clearing other boys make fence.   Warren hurt finger and did not work PM.  Bob about sick and not rushing very much.    Gobed 9 PM


15.  Friday.  5.30 AM.  Ther.  57.  73.  57. = 62 1/3
Mostly clear S. wind.  Bob hauls out lumber in morning.  Warren hauls load of slats to town.  Enoch Johnson began at noon working with fence gang.  Fire got out about noon and we had warm work to stop it.  R & S clearing doing good job making wood.  Warren brought down 3 reels of wire and some other things  I start home about 4.30 P.M. leaving for all hands to cut brush tomorrow.  Got home  7.30  found Tue feeling much worse and all in bed but Father.  The cow came home herself today.  Pleasant day and  S.  wind, brisk.    Roads dry all the way.  Gobed 8.30


16.  Saturday. 6 AM.  54.  72.  50.  = 58 2/3
Fair - smokey.  Tue not feeling so well this AM.  Phebe coughed and vomited in the night and is about sick in the morning.  Sent for Patton who prescribed for both.  Meddy made Phebe sick all day.  I made a rake to use in clearing.  Oil and clean on buggy P.M.  Grows colder toward night.  Went up town  about dark to get some meat &c.   Mrs. Davis over after dark.  Warren Decker hauls Taggart 1/2 cd wood.  Paid John Kink 6.00 on ties.  Uncle John in to dinner.  Hen has gone again taking a good horse, they found the horse however say he will let us have all on a post office checking as soon as we get a place for them.  Paid Riley and Steve Decker up in full.  Plant in hot bed some yellow and red tomatoes.  Tue looking better at night.  Gobed 9 PM.


17.  Sunday.  6 AM.  Ther.  39.  64.  48.  =  50 1/3
Foggy, clears off before noon.  Tue feels badly yet but appetite some better.  Made another rake for use in brush.  finish getting buggy for trip tomorrow.  Drove with girls down to Kickapoo for some elm bark for Tue.  Tue feeling badly all day.  Kate Myers was over toward night.  Gobed 8:45 PM  N.E. wind toward night.


18.  Monday.  Monday.  6 AM  Ther.  46.  53.  45.  =  48
Cloudy, wind about E.  Began to sprinkle  about 6.30  AM.  Tue complains of feeling some better this morning.  Baby had some fever all night.  Rain most of AM. heavy for an hour or two,  thunder afternoon.  Tell Bill Hill  to order me  2 bush orchard grass seed @ 1.40.  Got some old cloth over store for hot bed.  Bought some pea and radish seed  at Ben Mitchell's.  Pay Sam Ray 15.00 which leaves 83.85 still due.  Cloudy all day.  Baby was sick all day  having light fever.  Tue good deal better but still bad cough.   Gobed 9 PM.  Wind N.E.

January 22-26, 1889 in Charleston, ILL

January 1889

22.  Tuesday.  6.30  AM.  Ther.  27.  43.  37.

Clear, fresh S. Wind.  Felt badly all night and didn't sleep well.  Tue and girls went to Dowlings about 10 AM.  Not feeling very well myself went up town  about noon getting some eggs and meat.  Engaged Abbott to help a while tomorrow morning.  Clear day with south wind.  Gobed 9 PM

23.  Wednesday.  6 AM.  Ther.  31.  50.  40.

Clear.  Abbott came before 8 AM. and work all day cleared out stable and picked up  old lumber and worked into wood.  Got horse shoes set and sharpened up in front.  Clear  most of day and very muddy.  Mrs. Brown called bringing Bubs first report on ties being up to last Friday.    Kink had in woods 180. W & B  310.  has gone to work himself with Riley Decker and others.  Go bed 10 P.M.

24.  Thursday. 6AM.  Ther.  31.  48.  33.

Mostly clear with N. wind slightly foggy or hazy but clouds up and mostly cloudy day.  I started on horseback for timber at 9 AM. arriving at Bob's at 1 P.M.  Found things at the tie job rather mixed.  Decide to quit making soon as I got a thousand and tell Woodrum & Byrn to stop tomorrow.  Went home with Bob about  sunset, went to bed about 10 PM.

25.  Friday, 6.30 AM.  Ther.  24.  50.  37.

Clear white frost after breakfast.  After breakfast Bob and I went over and counted W & B ties.  They are nearly too large and many of them rough.  Recd 160, culling only four.  Ought to have thrown out 20 or 30 of them.  Kirk reports  in all in the woods 201.  Bob and Riley D. have made 32  Will let Bob and Kirk work a while on south end of timber till I get a thousand out.  Bob is not very well and is hardly able to work .  Pleasant day and cloudy toward night.  I started home at 1.15 PM and was three hours on the road.  Children went to Chinese show.  8.30 PM.

26.  Saturday, 7 AM.  Ther.  30.  42.  30.

Nearly clear, white frost, hazy , smokey, mostly clear day.  Wind N. grows colder afternoon.  Tie men all up.  Settle with Woodrum & Bynes after some quarreling.  They pretend they are going away.  Bob sent up count of everything received by John Kink.  The whole no. recd. and in the woods now is 750.  Am afraid I will have trouble with them made by W & B.  Went up town at night to get some flour and other grub.  Lots of folks in town today.  Tue has tooth ache at night  go bed 10 PM.

October 30 - November 1, 1888 in Coles County Illinos

October 1888

30.  Tuesday.  5.45   AM  Ther.  40.  69.  54.

Start to timber about 9 oc.  Men work on stable.  Found Bob at work harrowing.  Went over on S. side after noon.  Kink and  a boy making ties.  Bobs boys (?) trash that harrow rakes up.  Zeke Gilbert getting wood in bottom.  Went home Diona  land.  pleasant  day with SE wind.  Gobed 9

31.  Wednesday.   6 AM  ther.  57.  74.  60.  Wright and Hatton get rafters up.  Drove down to  Rogers with Tue in morning.  Got key to Meyers house.  Prohibition meeting in town.   Wrote advertising boards for M. Miller an hour or two toward night.  Pleasant day and uncomfortably warm.  Clear, strong S. wind.  Gobed  11 P.M.

November 1888

1.  Thursday,  5.45 AM.  Ther.  55.  72.  60.

Clear with strong S. wind.  Start for timber about 9 AM.  Bob harrowing.  (?) timothy cold enough to be sown.  Went over to see John Kink is making ties.  met his pasture with load of chips.  Dried over strong all day.  Get home about 7 P.M.  Wright and Hatton worked half day on stable.  Quit for want of lumber.  Bob will haul some up tomorrow.  Gobed 10 PM.

October 20-26, 1888 in Coles County Illinois

October 1888

20.  Saturday.  5.40  AM  Ther.  40.  55.  35.

Mostly Cloudy day.  Wind N.W.  Got down to much before 10 AM.   Find boys had been at work some in spite of rain.  Finish fence before noon.  Make couple of gates in P.M.  Get home about 7 AM. (sic) Stopped on road to pick up  basket of nuts by John Handleys  gobed  10 PM.

21.  Sunday.  7 AM.  Ther.  35.  50.  45.

Clear early but mostly cloudy day.  Girls did not go to S.S.  Tue went down to Dowlings before noon and stayed all day.  Ruth and Many Davis and Mauice Lang over toward night.  Baby has very bad cold.  There was pretty  heavy  frost last night forming sheet of ice.  There are good many green leaves on trees yet.  The wind and rain have taken off most of the yellow ones.  Gobed 9.30 PM.

22.  Monday. 5.40 A.M.  Ther.  43.  50.  48.

Cloudy and light rain which began in night.  Light rain and mist all day.  Mrs. Davis sews for Tue  in afternoon.  Father went to political speaking at hall at night.  Damp, dark day.  Wrote to Bennett asking about ties.  Gobed 9 PM

23.  Tuesday, 5.45 AM.  Ther.  43.  45.  42.

Cloudy and damp  No wind.  Geo. Wright  (?) will begin on my stable Thursday.   Uncle John in town did not see him.  Good many apples coming to town  they sell at 15 to 25 cts per bush  gobed 9.30

24.  Wednesday  5.40  AM.  Ther.  32.  55.  48.

Clear.  Fresh S. wind started for ranch abt 8 AM.  Mostly clear day.  Four men at work have stopped them for a while.  Bob making wood rack  Rode over to S side P.M.  Nearly had an accident from horse getting tangled up in a grape vine.  Gave Dock Bennett  lot of old tops.  Got home about 7 PM.   Roads very heavy.  river has risen a little but still clear  Mrs. Decker washed  Tue thinks she will do ironing herself  Gobed 930 PM

25.  Thursday.  5.30 AM.  Ther  40.  65.  58.

Clear with S. wind.  Geo Wright failed to come to put up stable - Frank Kellogg worked two  hours in cow yard.  Wright says will come tomorrow.  Tell  John Kirk that he can go to work making ties on S. end.  Can make 300 at  22 cents delivered on track.  Father about sick has been sawing too much wood  I do the milking  Gobed 8.45 PM ~

26.  Friday.  6.15 AM  Ther.  58.  65.  59.

Cloudy misty was a little rain in night.  Geo Wright stakes off place for stable P.M.  Engage Geo. Hampton to haul old lumber down tomorrow morning  Hat helping Tue on carpet  Gobed 9 PM

September 3 - 8, 1888 in Charleston, Illinois

3.  Monday. 5.45 AM.  Ther.  543.  75.  55.
Clear.  At timber all day.  Bob hauling iyt lumber 5 men work on N. ridge .  Went down to  mill yard with Bob.  He has most of best lumber out.  Clear and pleasant.  Fire  old  oak stub which fell toward night nearly catching some of men.  Go home at 7 P.M.  Gobed 9.30 P.M.

4.  Tuesday, 5.30  Ther.  49.  83.  64.
Clear and pleasant.  Very warm in timber.  Went down early and remain all day  5 men at work mostly in second hollow and ravines.  Some of them have to thresh tomorrow and cannot work.  Been chewing some for a day or so.  Don't feel pretty well.  Get home about 7 P.M.  Gobed 9 P.M.  Johnny Decker and self  got basket grapes.

5.  Wednesday,  5.30  Ther.  53.  75.  60.
Clear and cooler.  Went down to timber early.  Nobody at work or clearing today.  Took Bob down lot of groceries 2.20.  the boys are all threshing.  Riley Eastin making boards near old mill site.  Wander round till 3 P.M. start home.  Marshall Walker stops me while to talk about road.  Get home 7 P.M.  Get basket crab apples.

6.  Thursday.  5.30  Ther.  49.  75.  58.
Clear and pleasant day.  5 men at work along N. side of clearing.  Have about decided to put in wheat on all I can plow.  Wm Walker stops me in the morning to talk about road.  The cow did not come home tonight.  Bob Brown fixes hill and begins hauling boards out of bottom.  Decide to  build my sheep barn west of house and he will pile rest of material there.  Get home 7.  Gobed 9.30

7.  Friday, 5 AM.  Ther.  57.  83.  70.
Clear and very sultry AM.  Clouds up good deal before noon and sprinkle rain several times P.M.   Five men at work N. side clearing till noon finishing the sprouting for present.  Work in road P.M. burning brush and sprouting.   Threatens rain but passes off with nothing but sprinkle.  Lost whip today, but Harrison Muller found it for me.  Riley Easton working on board tree on N. hillside.   Cow not home yet got home 7.10 P.M.  Gobed 9. PM.  Mrs. K pays rent for Aug.

8.  Saturday, 5.15 AM.  66.  83.  70.
Clear and warm start for timber at 7.30.  Two men at work  Oce and Steve work till noon.  Leave word with Riley Decker that don't need Oce any longer.  Bob cleans out spring in afternoon.  I started home at 3.30 (?) pays Tue 2.00 today.  Got half bushel of potatoes  there at night.  Cow has not come home yet.  Sell Ezekeil Eastin 900 boards @ 50.  He is to pay in hauling.  Tue and children  went up town at night to hear band.  Gobed 8.30

October 18, 1887 in Charleston, IL

18, Tuesday,   6 AM  Ther.  49.  60. (?)  43.
Mostly cloudy.  Mrs. Dickenson ironed T. G. Chambers died this morning.  Start for timber 8.30 with Tom Knock, look over old lumber sold load to P. Snider.  Tom shot two squirrels and a rabbit.  Bill Brown visiting Bob.  We got home just before dark.  Found Comer here, been to Mattoon, didn't get any bills.  Wants me to  carry job of switch ties till January.  Easton begins hauling my wood to house.  C. not well at night;  Gobed 9 P.M.