January 6-7, 1914 and 1889 in Coles County IL

January 1914

6.  Tuesday. 6.30 AM.  Ther.  30.  38.  30.  = 32 2/3

Cloudy. W.2.  We have breakfast about 9.  Tue ironing.  Harman Calls AM. bring small piece of meat. 3 1/2 lbs.   Paid 300.00 ck on pasture &c rent.  Was in a hurry so did not settle.  Mail papers to Muggs.  Tue got a card from Kate yest.  Duvall's folks are moving from Mrs. Hawley's house back of us on 4th.  Gus and Helen called at night on way to show at Opera H.  Tue writes again to Mary and Addie.  Mr Prest Lord's daughter will sail on same steamer - the Adriatic next Saturday.  Cloudy day with moderate westerly winds.  Alfred sold us a rabbit this morn which Tue cooks for dinner.  Tue over at Groves at night  Gobed 9

7.  Wednesday. 6.30  AM.  32.  46.  40.  = 39 1/3

Cloudy day, fog.  S.W.2. It soon clears off and first clear day for weeks.  Read and sleep mostly AM.  Can't account for drowsiness unless quitting tobacco.  Went up to  2nd National Bank and deposit Harman's check 300.00  Pay note at bank due in day or two.  Collect 1.50 at Paynes error in settling.  Tue  and Phebe both out P.M.  Alfred came.  Tue attended prayer Meet with Mrs. Brooks night.  Mostly clear day and at night: fresh southwind.  Gobed 9

January 1889

6.  Sunday.  7  AM.  ther.  34.  45?  34.

Cloudy N wind.  Baby cried good deal in night with supposed colic.  Cloudy all day Tue and girls went over to Kate Myers toward night.  Put up box in barn for pigeons.  Let mare out in lot and she jumped over in garden.  roads are getting pretty solid but there is not much (?) hauling being done.  Gobed 9.30 PM

7.  Monday.  6.30 AM.  Ther.  28.  45.  35.  Clear.  wind S.W. Heavy white frost.   Eleven Decker hauls me two loads of corn.  Took mare after dinner and drive down to Walker Ford crossed river which came in bottom of buggy.  The  roads are not so good as I thought  got home just before dark and took washing down to Mrs. Rogers.  Owins pd me for  logs brought up last summer.  Got couple of small botls.    9 PM

Jim Chapman was buried today.

May 27-30, 1888 in Charleston, Illinois

27.  Sunday.  6.45  AM.  Ther.  70.  80.  67.
Mostly cloudy wind S.  Some thunder with a little rain. toward morning.    Baby cried a good deal in the night.  Maggie does not seem very well.  She has  been sleeping in the hall for several nights.  Bill Kelly called in morning, had intended to go down to timber but looks like rain.  Would have to go long road as river is pretty high, so we don't go.  Storm about 4 P.M. very heavy  rain.  rain at intervals in night.  Much thunder.  Tue takes off her flannels.  M & P sleep in east room together.  Go bed 9.45

28.  Monday.  5.45 AM.  Ther.  67.  80.  60.
Mostly cloudy SW wind.  Kelly came about 7 AM.  Fatty looks at roof and cornice and  says will get Tommy and will fix it  in a day or two.   Kelly cleans off roof and carries  (?) up stairs.  Patch up  tower roof.  John Bails wife died to day and Kelly couldn't work P.M.  Mrs.R ogers washed.  J. Chapman paid me 2.75 for wood after  kicking some.  Wind came up from N. about 4 P.M. getting cooler some rain afterward.  Maggie has bad cough.  Baby has been very cross at night lately.  She walks alone now pretty well.  Go bed 9.15

29.  Tuesday.  5.30 AM.  Ther.  60.  80.  60.
Mostly cloudy wind northerly.  Tue  not feeling pretty well.  Kelly  came to work before 7 AM.  take out stove at store and sweep out thoroughly.  Miss Kenoyer called to look at room in P.M. but did not decide to take it at my price $375.00 would let me know in a day or two.  Mrs. Rogers ironed.  Talk to John Hill about Ponk house says it can be  bought cheap.  Kelly hoed in garden P.M. a while.   Pleasant day variable wind.  Gobed 10 PM.

30.  Wednesday  5.30 AM.  Ther.  57.  81.  67.
Part cloudy.  Speak again to Zay Johnston about Ponk house.  H.G. and self went down there in afternoon,  Take good look over it and decide don't  like it as well as did before.  Kelly worked forenoon hoeing &c.  Took down stove in kitchen.  Fatty Knock does not seem to want to fix cornice.   Maggie has very bad cough.  Decoration Day, some extra crowd in town.M & P went out to old (?).  Tue sells milk to Mrs. Eastin.  Go bed  9 P.M.   1/2

January 5, 1913 and 1888 in Charleston, IL

1913

5.  Sunday. 7 AM.  Ther.  28.  38.  36.

Cloudy E.3.Sleet early with light R. during the day.  Heavy  thunder shower at night.

1888

5  Thursday.  7 AM.  Ther.  40.  49.  52.    Thick fog all day   wind S.

Heavy fog.  Mrs. Rogers irons getting done before dinner.  Selli Owens half cord wood which he got himself.  Settle up with  with Frommel in full  9.15.  My bill against him 3.50.  Gave H.G. City bill for past two months Amt. $110.16  Council meets tonight.  There has been a rumor that they intended to grant license but it isn't likely..  Learn that they  struck a vein of coal in the coal shaft today.  Old man Sanders wants to rent the Nicholson house.  Baby has great time crying about bedtime.  Gobed 10 PM.

January 1, 1888 in Charleston, IL

1912 - 

Apparently when I copied the journal, I missed a couple of pages at the beginning of 1912. The journal entries will continue on January 4th.   I apologize for the interruption in the story. 

 CMS

January, 1, 1888

1.  Sunday.  7 AM.  Ther   18.  19.  17.
Cloudy but soon clears off.  Father reports waterworks at store burst from frost.   Get F. Knocks  wrench and shut it off after  breakfast.  Phebe appears to be all right this morning.  Figure on apple account and post up Comer.  Roads are frozen up smooth and solid very slippery in places.  Hen bought us a couple of chickens yesterday and we had one of them for dinner.  Lem Stark funeral was at 2 P.M. today  did not attend.  Kate Davis was over a while at night.  Baby cried till after midnight.  Gobed  11.30 P.M.

December 6, 1912 & 1887 in Coles County, IL

1912

6.  Friday.  6.30 A.M.  Ther.  28.  36.  32.  = 32

Mostly cloudy.  W. 4. Ice 7 A 1/8.  Bert's Helen was here to dinner.  she is attending the Normal.  Tue attends R.C.  P.M. getting home about 4.  It was too chilly for me to drive so didn't hitch up.  Tue got letter from Mrs. West saying would have to send other lime as that taken out would not stack.  This Tue's birthday*.  She got box of something from Phebe.  Tue had company at night, Mrs. Grove, Mrs. Webster, Mrs. Curd and Mrs. Knock.  I went to bed early.  Part cloudy westerly winds.  Go bed 9.

*Tue's 56th birthday.

1887

6.  Tuesday.  6 Am.  Ther.  27.  45.  38..

Clear wind south.  Baby cried good deal in the night.  Mrs. Rogers comes to wash at 7.30.  Settle with Warren Decker.  He has hauled 520 posts and 59 1/4 cords of wood.  Pay him bal. due 34.09.  Mrs. Rogers washed and stayed to dinner.  Bert was down to dinner.  Ollie Linder called in afternoon.  Went over to Pattons office at night and got  some medicine for Tue and baby.  Tue's birthday, got her a pair of mittens.  Girls bought her some little things, Clear day S. wind  Gobed  9 P.M>

*Tue's  31st birthday.

Keturah Gramesly 

December 3,1912 & 1887 in Charleston, Illinois

1912

3.  Tuesday. 6.30 AM Ther.  28.  50.  46. = 41 1/3
Clear.  S. 2.  Heavy hoar frost.  Ice 3/8 in.  Walter Smith  & Company came early so that it is about as good as it was before they worked on it.  Think  it about worn out in places.  the house was very uncomfortable this morning with no fire, got a good one by  10 A.M.  Tue got letter from Buddy A.M.  was well.  Tue   getting for some church doings which occur soon.  Hitch up about noon deposit B.C. check 321.32 at 2nd.  The check was defective being  10.00 too much on the lower line.  Drive out far as Watsons toward night.  Met Eastin with Fitz.  Is now chopping ~~  The roads are some muddy - not deep.  They are still hauling crushed onto south road.  Have a light application for about half mile E. of Shannon's.  Return S. road.  Jack went.  He has swelled jaw.  Part cloudy.  Light southerly winds.  Read Borcacico at night.  Go bed 10.30~

1887

3.  Saturday.  6 A.M.  Ther.  44.  54. 55.

Cloudy and raining frost.  Pete Snider came about 5 AM for family for Fan.  Patton stopped about 8 A.M. saying Fan couldn't live wanted to see her father  Start out to Uncle John's in heavy rain, about 8.30  He came in with us but Fan was dead when we got back Uncle John and Tue went down there afternoon getting back before night.  The funeral will be tomorrow 2 P.M.  Christian Church.  Phebe had but slight croup tonight and hope she is over  with it.  Guiney paid me in full for wood $3.00.  Rain occasionally during day very heavy in forenoon, heavy at night.  Baby cried till midnight.  Kate Myer had been taking care of her today.  11 P.M. 

*Personal note- this must have been a very difficult day for my family.  Fan lived all the way out by, what is now, Lake Charleston.  That would have been a difficult ride in a buggy and heavy rain.  Tue and Charles had two sick kids at home.  My mother has always told me that babies often died in their first two years of life, so the baby being sick must have worried them a great deal.  Fan had three small children that would need cared for.   Though this happened many years ago, my heart aches for all of them.  CMS

November 21-22, 1887 in Charleston, Illinois

21.  Monday.  5.30  AM.  Ther. 24.  40.  35.
Clear, Smokey, Brisk S. wind.  Very heavy  smoke all day, otherwise would probably have been clear.  It is supposed to come from fires in southern Illinois and MO and Ark - has been so for over two weeks whenever wind was southerly.  Mrs. Young didn't come to wash today.  Comer was up and had kind of a squaring up with him.  Snider called morning says Fan* is sick came for Dr.   Pay Comer $75.00 and settle bill at Wrights for him 32.20.  Ed Eastin and wife have gone down in country for few days.  Tue gets wood box in house.  Strong SSE. wind all day.  Gobed 9.45 P.M.  Baby cried till nearly midnight.

*Tues' sister

22.  Tuesday.  6.15 AM  ther.  35.  52.  46.(?)
Smokey.  Wind S.  Snider called this morning.  Fan's baby born last night was dead.  Took Tue and baby down  there* forenoon, getting home at noon.  P. Snider brought Tue and baby  up at night.  Sell Farrell lot of posts and fencing.  Had to come home with Phebe.  Maggie got lost, but found her at Wentz.  Lean that Ark hunters will be home this week.  Basier got home a day or two ago.  Dark smokey day with south wind.  gobed 9.30 PM

*Fan lived in the house high on the hill just before the Lake Charleston entrance.  It is still there, at least it was last time I was out that way.  The house was known as the Blakeman house.  You used to see that there were steep, steps from the house down to the road.  My Grandmother always told me Fan fell on those steps when she was pregnant and  she lost the baby.  There is, however, no mention of her falling in this journal.