November 23, 1912 and 1887 in Charleston, IL

1912

23.  Saturday. 6.15 AM.  Ther.  42.  44. (8 AM)  36.  = 40 2/3

Mostly clear 2. SW.3.  Clouds up early.  Order sack wood plaster sent Loxa by Interurban.  Finger is improving and did not keep me awake last night.  Clear morn but grows colder wind shifting to N.W.4.  The forecasts predict cooler, but no cold wave insite!  Alfred came P.M. choring for an hour or so.  I hitch up 4 P driving up town for tobacco.  Got letter from Harman enclosing check from Linder $331.01 being all of my share of corn  hauled to elevator this season to date,  I prefer to make own settlements, and shall try  to do so in future.  Mostly cloudy day with high  N.W. wind.  I did not go up  town until near dark.  My finger disables me a good deal.  Wind seems to increase at night.  Go bed.  9

1887

Wednesday. 5.15 AM.  Ther 47.  45.  44.

Dark and smokey.  get ready to go to the timber but began to rain about 7 AM and rain lightly good part of day.  Phebe not very well stayed home.  Buy some rabbits of F. Biggs.  Drove down to Young's PM serving notice to quit on old man.  They over twenty dollars rent.  The Grand jury adjourned.  Have indicted many good Mattoon  liquor men.  Geo. Weber was over  from ILL.  Very dark day smokey or foggy.  Wind N to NE .  Heavier rain at night.  Peel half bush apples and quinces at night.  Go bed 9.30 PM  Mrs. J. Brown funeral P.M.

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.