Jan 1-7 1891 and Jan 7, 1902 in Charleston, IL

January 1891

1.  Thursday  6 AM.  Ther  49  55  30
Cloudy and raining, wind S or SW. light showers during night - Too wet to do anything out doors.  John and Rile have done nothing for a week  I start home soon after dinner  John and Warren went after load of fodder up to fathers place  John helped dig some roots in river bottom west of John Handlys.  Roads pretty bad did not get home till nearly dark.  Tue had company today  Mrs. Perrill and Davis  the three Kates Mort Grove and perhaps others  Showery all day SW wind sunshine at times high wind changing to west at night growing colder snow squalls at nt[sic]. about half inch remaining on the  ground  go bed 11PM ~~

2.  Friday  730 M  Ther  24  29  22
Cloudy wind N W  Jo Crail straighten up Perkins room and Bill Meyers takes possession.  Jo worked a while for me PM cleaning out stable and piling boards.  J.R. Cunningham died last night, has been sick good while.  Phebe began yesterday t keep family expense book and Maggie keeps record of the weather.   Cloudy day with day with occasional snow flakes.  Wind NW  trade rather dull as has been all the week  Not many people in town.  Gobed 11.30 P.M.

3.  Saturday,  130 AM  Ther  22.  28.  22.
Cloudy SE wind.  Pay drafts from Straws and Kiefer    John Simons and Warren were up and ate dinner with us  Pay Simons months wages for Dec.  Jo Crail piled most of boards in afternoon.  Settle with Jo H. Handly for hauling hay  J.R. Cunningham who died night before last was buried today.  J? Charley Briggs has been here several days.  Uncle John was in town but didnt come down.  Maunie Lang and Davis children here at night.  Cloudy day with easterly wind and snow flying some AM. about clear at 11 PM.  go bed. 1 am

4.  Sunday.  9 AM Ther  15  28 .  22
Clear.  Sit round house all day.  Girls went to sunday School.  Tue to church.  Several children here  visiting girls in afternoon.  Tue went down to Hats after dinner.  Clear day with southerly wind  gobed 11 PM

5. Monday 7 30 AM.  Ther 19. 38. 27
Clear S Wwind.  Mrs. Rogers washes.  Girls start to school Phebe to Miss Whitleman.  Maggie to Western.  Pay up A.M. Agriculturist to July 1892 3.60  Settle with McCravy 11.00  Warren Decker brought load for John Smions  Warren thinks John is going to  to leave me in spring.  School began today.  Trade light.  Clear day SW wind Gobed 11 PM ~~

6.  Tuesday.  7,30 A.M.  Ther  15  33.  21
Clear, Tue not very well Settle with Winter C.E. 20.25  I.  16.00 my account against Isaac 7.10 gave check for for bal.  Harman brought us jar butter,  Get letter from WH White enclosing check 34.58 for 91 ties,  Bought copper TeaKettle [sic] for Tue at Van Meters.  Trade light.  Clear day with NE wind, all electric lights went out tonight about ten oclock   gobed 12.30

7. Wednesday, 7 AM.  Ther 14.  32  22
Clear, NE wind, heavy white frost.  Jo Crail helped put on lock on back to gate to Perkins building and work down at house PM. cleaned out stable and smoke house.  Jake Dice called for lumber
 but didn't get any.  Tue and Maggie went to prayer meeting at night and Maggie then went to stay the night with Mrs. Knock.  The news from Fatty is that he is n better and is perhaps a hopless [sic.] case  Clear day with N.E. wind.  The predictions in daily papers say snow  tonight  Trade only fair.  Roads said pretty  rough.  Learn that Mart Comer talks of sawing up Alex Richters timber.  Gobed 230

January 1902

7.  Tuesday,   6 AM.    Ther  30.  43.  32.  =  35

Mostly clear.   Tue and Phebe ironing.  Went down by the H. G. [Henry Gramesly]  but didn't stop.  Look for man to help me get Pete Drake who comes after dinner and works from 12.20 to 4.20 P.M.  Carries wood down in basement.  Cleans out Stable repairs fence in bottom and will help me tomorrow morning a while.  Mostly clear day SW wind somewhat warmer but ground still frozen.  Gobed 8.30 P.M.

October 27, 1890 and 1901

October 1890

27.Monday.  5 AM  Ther

Mostly clear John and Warren go over and pull turnips.  Expected to get a big load, but the patch had been robbed only yielding about 8 Bu of small ones Geo. Martin reports my hogs in their corn field the boys go get them, ring and turn them into W. pasture.  Fix corn crib preparatory to getting some corn of from Jo Handley. Comer moved his mill  out of the hollow today  Warren finishes hauling out Mart (?) this forenoon.  PM  John & Warren work at Johns corn.  I rode over to Milts but he was not homed  I start at 4 PM.  Hunt up Jo Handley to tell him to haul 4  loads corn to my crib @ .35 cts  Found Jo and his family W of river I didn't get home till after dark  Gobed  11P.M

October 1901

27.  Sunday.  Our train left Geneva late but arrived NY 42nd St on time.  Missed one connection at Syracuse  Arrived  at Sag Harbor 12.45 PM.  and at Aunt Mariah's they were eating dinner when I got there.  I was expecting they had been expecting me as I wrote that I was on the way.  Clear pleasant day and warmer.  Charley was over at night  Gobed 9.30 PM.

January 4 - 5, 1914 and 1889 in Coles county Illinois

Note to my readers:  If you are wondering about the punctuation and spelling, I am trying to transcribe it as he wrote it.  He often uses his own abbreviations and does not always use punctuation.  I do this because in some cases the rules changed  and he is writing for himself and I wish to preserve the man, Charles Gramesly, through his writings.  His word choices and spelling are from the time he lived in.  Catherine

January 1914

4.  Sunday.  6.30  AM.  ther.  34.  36.  34. = 34 2/3

Cloudy. N.W.4.  We had breakfast very late.  Tue attends church A.M.  I shave self am getting quite expert: think only need good tools.  Gus and John call while waiting for a car P.M.  George Boulware was buried today at Mattoon.  Dark gloomy day.  Cloudy with brisk NW wind light snow at times after 9 AM  The ground has thin covering of snow.  some which fell Christmas  It is  several weeks since we saw the sun or stars.  Go bed 10 P

5.  Monday.  6.30 AM.  Ther 30.  34.  32.  = 32

cloudy N.3.   Tue  irons good deal.  She spent evening at Grove's  Harman phones will be in soon to settle.  Will bring us piece of good beef.  Alfred chored.  All cloudy day with brisk north wind.  I had one of my spells of "congestion" after I retired and it kept me awake till after midnight.  I didn't go up town today.  Ground is covered  lightly with late snow.  Gobed 9

January 1889

4.  Friday 6 AM.  Ther 31.  49.  38.

Mostly cloudy and looks like rain.  collect months rent of Miss Kumayer and deposit 72.50  Bill Kelly cleans out stable and stops holes in fence.  Let pigs out in barn lot.  Pay Wright $4.95  Dick Bails $1.50 I.B. Mitchell 4.40 Geo McNutt .75 all in full.  cloudy day with southerly wind  Gobed 9 P.M.  (?) ins. on ST. 800.00

5.  Saturday. 615 AM.  Ther 35.  39.  36.

Cloudy and damp wind N. cloudy all day.  Tom Burk paid me 5.00 on a/c  Called on Sam Cooper but got no money.  Tue  r(?) Nicholson house to old Man  Sanders for 6.00 till Mar. 1, he paid up.  H.G. and Hat were down here at night till 8 PM.  Maggie spent the night with Marnie Lang.  sold Mrs.  Turnam 50 c  worth of wood,  Interest on  (?) note paid up to Dec 31   Gobed 9 PM ~  Jim Chapman died tonight

Charleston, Illinois on October 8, 1887

8, Saturday.  6.45 A.M.  Ther.  64.  81.  71.
Cloudy, south wind.  Fan came in about 9 A.M. with children.  John came down to dinner.  Fan stayed til night.  Comer did not feel able to come up sent his wife.  Paid her $60.00 also pay Jo. McClasky $5.72 and I. Sampson 3.49 for Comer.  Mostly cloudy day with S.W. wind looking like rain.  Baby better.  Buy veal onions and steak.  Gobed 9 P.M.

September 9, 1912 in Charleston, Illinois

9,  Monday    5.30  AM.  Ther.  66.  92.  76. =78.
Clear. SE. 1.  I suffer from heat about as usual but the air not so oppressive.  I  harness mare.  Met Bill Scott AM.  Says will try to sell Mrs. Sexton fence for her part.  Leone and Helen with John call P.M.  Resse came in with her Helen to start her at the Normal which begins today.  She will live at the Dormitory.  I took short drive after supper west part of town.  Seemed to be busy day in Charleston.  There was big show at opera House at night.  Clear day light S.E. wind  8.30

August 8, 1912 in Charleston, Il

100 Years Ago . . .

8.     Thursday.   6 AM.  Ther.  66.  86.  72. = 74 2/3

Cloudy S.2.  Start Loxa after 8 AM.  Left breeching for repair at F's.  Rhoda washes AM.   Shriver finishes roof and gutters.  Met Vints Decker up town.  P&P tearing down old shop  at Loxa.  I drove up to place getting bunch shingles to patch Loxa roof.  Curt cutting weeds near Loax(sic.)  He helps me through gate &c.  Talk with Enloe and J.O. Linder  John says may ride out with him morning in Auto.  Enloe says Retha to be married soon.  Harman threshing at Shrivers didn't see him.  I did not take any dinner.  Start home about 1 P.M.  Geo. Wiley rode to town with me.  Tue and girls uptown at night.  Part Cloudy Light shower 3 PM.  (.10).  Go bed.9.30

July 13 and 14, 1912 and 1887 in Charleston, Illinois

100 Years Ago

Saturday, July 13, 1912,  5.30 AM.  Ther.  70.  94.  76. = 80

Partly cloudy.  S.W.2.  Mare was feeding on library lot when I got up.  She jumped pasture fence..  McNeel says will begin on furnace next Monday and finish it.  Saw J. Simons up town, says John and Halley will cut and haul my posts at 35 per.  I may go down there tomorrow weather favorable.  Today one of ht days, sultry.  Thundershower 4 PM (.10)  more at night (2.7) and very threatening from 7 P.M. to 10 P.M.  I took my horse to Nickles at night with some intention of visiting  ranch tomorrow.  It was too hot for self to move much.  Go bed. 9.30. 

Sunday, July 14,1912,   6 A.M.    Ther.  68.  92.  82.

Mostly Cloudy  SW.2  I had  intended to go to ranch today but weather too uncertain.  The wind NW early and cloudy, but it became hot quickly.  I drove  to E. part town for bread got R.H. paper and then drive to woods east looking for fungi.  There were many coming but too hot for me to move round in woods:  got a mess of Chanterelle but they prove full of worms.  some fellows down there picking raspberries in the woods.  I got home before noon and remain there the rest of the day.  Mort and Kate over P.M.  I drove down for ice late P.M.  Tue over to Mrs. Leroys at night.  I consult J H Marshall about Sexton Fence.  This perhaps hottest to date.  Most clear day after 10 A  Gobed 10.30 P.M.  Mare to Nickles.

125 Years Ago

Wednesday, July 13, 1887,  6 AM.  Ther.  75.  101.  79

Clear.    Got paper from Geneva notice of Frank Ansley's* marriage.   Gave W. Decker order to sell E. Easton 8 cords of wood on ground.  Tue undertakes to do the washing and gets pretty well used up.  I got the dinner and helped a little.  Ruth Davis over  most of afternoon playing the girls.  Baby not  very well and pretty cross.  This has been  the hottest day this summer.  Got letter from  Uri at Mattoon think can get a room there and advises me to do so.  Clear day wind southerly some cloudy P.M.  Pay Tom Hutton 2.00   an old a/c had forgotten.    Gobed 10 P.M.

*Cousin from Geneva, NY

Thursday, July 14, 1887,   Ther.  80.  103.  .79

Clear.  Ther. upstairs last night stood at 88 where 78 downstairs.  Fix up hose and water new strawberry bed.  Sort over papers at stove after dinner.  Alarm of fire about 4 P.M.  Clayton Stables.  Clear  AM some clouds PM.  Bim in town toward night.  H.G. says they will want posts to put round the square pretty soon.  Too hot for  any kind of work and terribly dry.  Go bed 10 P.M.  tue and children selpt down stairs.