JANUARY 1885
Thu. Jan. 1st. Bright and cold N wind all day and never thawed in shade all day. Willie and I walked (and led Julia) to Graves' place and tried to catch Mattie and her colt but couldn't at 8 to 10 in morn and I cleaned out spring and fixed water gap at 10 1/2 to 12. Nellie and Dixie washed in morn. I cut a catalpa tree toward Coon place and split it into posts and packed them up on hill in eve.
Fri. 2nd. Bright and very cold early in morn and didn't thaw all day in shade. I dug and worked on old road in back of pasture most of morn and Willie and I went there at 1 and finished working old road through pasture and I dressed 4 bar posts for back of pasture at NW corner and packed them there and cut 4 poles for bars late in eve. Lewis, Dixie and Dosia went to Mr. Wesley Chambers' frolic late in eve.
Sat. 3rd. Bright and cold - a hard freeze in morn but warmer in eve and all thawed. Willie and I worked on and finished pasture bars by 3 in eve. I hauled 1 load of wood from there at 10 and another at 3 1/4 in eve. Beulah W went to Mr. D's in eve to stay all night. Willie and I walked hunting in field late in eve and I killed 3 squirrels and had to chop down a hollow sassafras for one late in eve.
Sun. 4th. Dark cloudy all day and sprinkled rain some in eve. Willie walked by Mr. D's and went to SS. Nellie and Rena rode Julia by Mr. Sims' and crossed creek just below Walker branch. I walked to creek to see them cross. They went on to Pa's and Dixie and Willie went there from SS. Dixie stayed at Mr. D Chambers last night. I lay in bed all day from 10 in morn and vomited and suffered with sick headache. Dick here from 11 to 2 1/2. Mr. D here all eve. Beau and Tom Chambers here late in eve and to supper.
Mon. 5th. It began to rain in thunder showers from S at 3 in morn and lasted till after night. The headache left me in morn. I sat in house nearly all day on account of rain.
Tue. 6th. Bright and cool from NW with high wind all day. I hauled 7 catalpa posts from beyond pasture (for clothes line) and 2 cart loads of wood from there by 11 1/2. I rode to Cohen's in eve at 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 and paid them $2 of the $4 which I borrowed just before Christmas leaving me still owing $2 and got 1/2 pd. cream tartar, 2 bars soap - paid for them - and got 1 bu meal on credit (the 1st thing got on credit).
Wed. 7th. Clear, frost in morn, and a beautiful day. I dressed 7 posts and put up some wire for clothes line by 11 1/2 in morn. I drew and strained the last of our home made molasses at 11 1/2 to 12. I rode Julia to Morgan's at 1 1/2 to 4 in eve and carried 2 children's dresses and he paid me $1.50 for them. Nellie and Willie walked to Pa's in eve and waded creek.
Thu. 8th. Bright, frost in morn, and warmer in eve. I walked to Mr. Sims' early in morn and put up 2 panels more of clothes lines at 8 1/2 to 10 and cut a little white oak toward Coon place and cut off 1 cut for stakes at 10 1/2 to 12 3/4. Peter Ventress dined here. Nellie cooked a birthday cake for Rena. Peter left at 2. I cut off 1 more cut for stakes from white oak and split the 1st cut open in eve.
Fri. 9th. Bright in morn but dark cloudy and warmer in eve from west. I took cart out toward Coon place in morn and split up the 2 cuts of white oak and made rails and stakes and 2 rails for cart body by 12 3/4. Dick D dined here and went to Mr. D's in eve to grind his ax. I went and put up both prs. of bars (left down in morn) in eve and hewed 2 sides of 1 cart rail late in eve.
Sat. 10th. Cloudy and damp NE wind in morn and SE wind in eve and misted rain late in eve and most of night. I took cart out toward Coon place early in morn and cut a red oak and cut 2 cuts and split up both of them and made 60 rails by 12 1/2 and hauled a load of wood back by 1. I and children and Seymour walked hunting in field in eve and got 2 squirrels.
Sun. 11th. Cloudy - high SW wind - and rained in little sprinkling showers most of day. We got ready to go to SS but it threatened rain so much that we didn't go. Dick and Clara here most of day. They brought a piece fresh to us. Lewis here in eve. I had bilious dysentary at 8 at night.
Mon. 12th. Clear and pleasant and a beautiful day. I walked early to Mr. Sims and Lewis led his Julia mare and I led Nell to Jesse Sims' at 8 1/2 to 3 (and brought them back). Lewis dined here at 3 1/4. Uncle Gus stopped here late in eve on way to Pa's. I fixed our stove pipe late in eve.
Tue. 13th. Bright and cool - wind from NE. I took cart out toward Coon place early in morn and cut 2 more cuts off red oak and split them up and made 47 rails (I made 60 on Sat out of red oak making 107 altogether out of it) and cut down another white oak by 12 1/2 and hauled load of wood back at 12 1/2. I cleaned out hen house and hauled the manure on cart to pen in eve. Clara came at 2 to 3 1/2 in eve. Nellie lay in bed part of day with headache.
Wed. 14th. Dark cloudy wind from SE and drizzled rain some in early part of night. I took cart out toward Coon place early in morn and cut off butt cut of white oak (which I cut yesterday morn) and split up 3/4 of it and made 43 rails and hauled a load of wood home by 12 3/4. Vandy brought a note from Morgan at 10 1/2 wanting me to go down there tomorrow. I hewed 2 rails for cart body in eve and walked and showed Anthony and Henry the line on east side of our land late in eve. Lewis and Jack fixed fence between my pasture and their field in eve. Nellie and Dixie and children went to gather some moss where I cut trees for rails in eve. Bud and Dick came at 6 1/2 to 8 at night.
Thu. 15th. Cloudy and high S wind most of day and thundered far off in west all day and till midnight and then blew up from N with a heavy rain and some thunder which lasted till morn. I took cart out toward Coon place early in morn and finished splitting up last quarter of 1st cut of white oak and it made 20 rails and cut off 2nd cut and made an elm maul and split the cut open and hauled a load of moss home at 1. I took cart in pasture and hauled load of wood at --- to 2 3/4. Beaufort here at 2 1/2 to 4 1/4. Dixie went with Lewis and Dosia to Betty Chambers candy pulling at night. I shot a large opossum back of garden at night and took it to Beau and Doug.
Fri. 16th. It rained in showers from midnight (last) till 11 and cold and cloudy from NW in eve and began to freeze late in eve. I cut a tall ash just below our spring (and it lodged) at 9 to 10 1/2 and cut off 2 cuts by 12 1/4 and 1 more late in eve which rolled down and mashed up spring bbl. I hauled 2 loads of wood from pasture at 1 1/4 to 4 in eve. Dixie got home from party at 4 in eve.
Sat. 17th. Clear and very cold and a hard freeze in morn and didn't thaw all day in shade. Wind from N. I cut off 5 cuts from ash at spring at 8 1/2 to 12 and 3 on yesterday making 8 cuts in all. I rode Julia to Cohen's at 1 to 4 in eve and it was so cold that I walked back home and led her. I paid Charlie the 2 dollars owing since Dec 22nd (last) and got some coffee, sugar, meat, lard, 1 pr socks, and 1 plow share on credit.
Sun. 18th. Bright but cloudy some and very cold. A hard freeze in morn and didn't thaw in shade all day. Wind from N. Dixie rode Julia and Willie and I walked to SS in morn. Gussie came back with us. Nellie and Rena stayed home. We sat about house most of eve.
Mon. 19th. Bright but some clouds and cold. A hard freeze in morn and didn't thaw in shade till evening. Wind from NE. I split up the 2nd cut of the last white oak that I cut toward Coon place and it made 51 rails at 8 to 10 in morn and then I split up 2 1/2 cuts of ash by spring by 12 1/4 and made 66 ash rails. I cut and hauled 3 cart loads of wood (mostly split logs) from new ground in eve at 2 to 4 1/2 and walked to Mr. Sims' at sunset to dark and got 2 bu oats - $1.30 - from him. Beverly Sims came there and brought a note to me asking me to keep Nell 1 more week for them to buy.
Tue. 20th. Cold and cloudy - a freeze in morn - and began to rain slowly from NE before day and lasted all day. The rain froze on everything as it fell till 12 and all thawed off and rained harder in eve. John Fosselman came early in morn and I was splitting rails (ash) at spring but quit and walked with him down in Elmwood and Mrs. Johnson's fields and drove up his little black bull and Lu's (which I sold him in Nov last) and he tied the bulls together and took them away at 12. I sat in house most of eve.
Wed. 21st. Cloudy and cold - a slight freeze in morn. Wind from NE and very chilly all day. I walked to Mr. D's early to see Lewis about horse trade and sent Willie back there and he brought Julia gray here at 8 1/2 in morn. I split 4 cuts of ash by spring and made 103 rails at 9 to 12 1/4. I hauled 3 cart loads of split wood from new ground in eve. Nellie and Rena walked to Pa's in morn and there all day. I sold the last of our eating potatoes - 1/2 bu -in eve late to Emma and Sally.
Thu. 22nd. Cold and cloudy - a freeze in morn - but wind from E and all thawed off except ice in tubs and bbls in eve. It began to rain slowly from E late in eve and lasted all night. I split up 8th and last cut of ash by spring by 9 1/2 in morn - it made 200 good rails. I cut a white oak out west of cow pen and cut off 2 cuts by 12 1/4 for fence stakes. I split up 1/2 of butt cut in eve. I had pain in left side of my head all day.
Fri. 23rd. It rained all last night from east and cloudy and very wet but warmer today - wind from SE. I split up the 1/2 of butt cut of white oak west of cow pen and the 2nd cut of it and made about 70 fence stakes out of both cut by 12 and cut little on a tall ash just below there. Willie and I cut and hauled 2 cart loads of wood from pasture in eve.
Sat. 24th. It rained in slow showers nearly all of last night and all today (wind from S) and very wet. I cut a tall ash by 9 1/2 out west of cow pen and got nearly wet and came to house at 9 1/2. I went back by 10 1/4 and made an oak maul and cut off butt cut of ash by 12 1/4. I sat in house most of eve. Seymour and Gussie here in eve and it rained all eve.
Sun. 25th. The wind changed to N late in night and cold and cloudy from N all day. It misted rain till 10 1/2 in morn. Dixie rode Julia and Willie and I walked to SS in morn. Lewis and Dickie Chambers came home with us. Nellie and Rena stayed home. Beau Chambers came late in eve and here to supper. He left at 9 at night.
Mon. 26th. Clear, cold and a white frost and freeze in morn but pleasant in eve. I split up butt cut of ash (out NW of here) and made about 37 rails and cut off and split open 2nd cut by 12 1/2. Nellie and Dixie washed and scoured and sunned beds in morn. Willie and I cut and hauled 3 cart loads of wood from toward Coon place in eve. I shot a partridge in pasture by bars. Mr. Sims brought some papers at 2 1/2. Dosia and Clarissa here in eve.
Tue. 27th. Bright and cold - frost in morn. Clouded up in eve from SW but cleared off again at night. I split up 2nd cut of ash NW of here and cut off 3rd cut and split it up and made 75 rails by 12 1/2. I took up some manure and fixed pen higher at 2 to 4 in eve. I felt badly and had a dull pain in right side of my head late in eve and at night.
Wed. 28th. Bright and cool wind from N. I had a dull headache all last night and all today and it was bad all night. Mr. Sims and Beverly Sims and Lewis came early in morn. Beverly bought Nell for forty dollars and I paid Lewis the same for his Julia mare. I have had Julia here ever since last Wed. I cut off 4th cut of ash (NW of here) and split it up and cut off 5th cut at 10 to 12 1/2. I put a new bbl in spring with an iron hoop at top of it at 2 to 4 and Willie and I hauled a load of wood from out NW of new ground late in eve. Ben hauled slats throught here in eve.
Thu. 29th. Bright and cool and chilly in morn and pleasant in eve. I suffered all last night and stayed in bed till 10 in morn with headache and vomiting. I ate little dinner at 12 and headache good deal better in eve. I split up 5th and last cut of tall ash NW of here at 1 1/2 to 3 and it made about 173 rails in all. I cut another ash by poplar in road on Sims' land and then made an oak maul late in eve. My nose bled late in eve (and this morn too). Nellie and Willie rode Julia to Pa's in eve and carried a large gray rooster to Ma.
Fri. 30th. Cloudy and rained in slow showers most of morn and till 1 1/2 in eve - wind from SE. I cut off 2 cuts of ash (NW of here -which I cut on yesterday eve) and split 1 1/2 cuts of it and made 42 rails by 12. I rode to Cohen's in eve and got 1 bu meal, 9 pds pork, 1 pr trace chains, 4 yds Lowells, and 14 yds calico on credit. I returned at 5.
Sat. 31st. Cloudy some all day but bright and pleasant from NW in eve. I cut off 3 more cuts from ash NW of here. Bud came at 10 and helped me and we split up last of that tree and packed all rails up on hill by 12 1/4 (it made 125 rails in all). Bud dined here. Lewis and Dixie went in buggy to Uncle Gus' in eve. Bud left at 3. I sawed some limbs from all 5 of cedars in yard and packed up 5 turns of wood from near spring late in eve.