Jan 31 – Came home. No snow but cold.
Feb 1 – Cut down one hickory tree and maple tree south of Barn. Charles Lee came up here.
Feb 2 – Traded violin with Charles J Lee for watch. Mrs Barber and George came over here. Snowey night. Ethan & Charles went to burg.
Feb 3 – Snow some 3 inches deep snows yet in morning. Charles went home. Sarah and Lois went to burg.
Feb 4 – Sarah and Lois went over to burg. Hellen[21] and Catharine came up. Charley Lee stayed here.
Feb 5 – Hellen and Catharine came up. I went over and brot them home. Pleasant some snow cold & _____ in morning. Charley went down to burg.
Feb 6 – Went over to burg bot boots for me 5.00, one pair for Jim 2.00. Drawed some wood. Hellen went up to Wesleys. Charley Lee stayed all night.
Feb 7 – At home all day. Ethan went down to Charles Lees.
Feb 8 – Went to burg carried 3 bushels wheat to Mill. Left cuplers with Oatman. Mr and Mrs Schram here in Evening. (Shermans[?] in night.) Pulled tooth for John.
Feb 9 – Rainy morning. Went to Mill got grist. Worked some in shop.
Feb 10 – Tacked my Boots. Cut out some stuff for Lees nut box.
Feb 11 – Pleasant. Made Lees Nut Box. Painted my buggy pole. Ethan carried my watch to school.
Feb 12 – Mr & Mrs Swaddle here all day. Painted Lees Box. Ida Barber came over.
Feb 13 – Lee carried his Box over this morning. Went down to Catharines. Rainy afternoon.
Feb 14 – Came home. Rained like fun.
Feb 15 – Went over to burg. Got some irons made for well rope _____.
Feb 16 – Put Buckets on to rope. Put in one new bottom. Sawed out some strip for Lees bed.
Feb 17 – Made Lees bed sted. Went over to Mr Planks in evening took Tea. Mr & Mrs Brown there Mr Ford.
Feb 18 – Snows some this morning. Finished Lees bed carried it over to burg. Nancy went over. Got some lime. Edith came down stayed all night.
Feb 19 – Pleasant. Put up leach. Made door to kitchen and put up leach.
Feb 20 – Put on door handle. Went over to burg got my cuplers of Oatman.
Feb 21 – Snowey in morning. Snow some 4 inches deep.
Feb 22 – Went down to Mr Yorks stayed all night. Went with sleigh. Snowed some.
Feb 23 – Came home. Jo went out to Vicksburg with load goods.
Feb 24 – Cold and Blustering. Mark Lee came up got my _____. Wes called. Peddler called, bot soap 20¢.
Feb 25 – Cold 8 Abz cold. Filed saw. Worked in barn.
Feb 26 – Cold 18 Abz blustrous. Worked round house and barn.
Feb 27 – Carried 3 bushels corn to _____. Sarah went over to burg. Mr Hawkins choped some wood. Let him have 1 & ½ bushels potatoes. Pleasant day. Got link made to cupler 5¢. Harry Myers Died.[22] Ethan & girls went down to Catharines.
Feb 28 – Cold. Sarah over to burg. York came after Lois she went over to Vicksburg. Good sleighing.
Mar 1 – Carried Hannah[23] and Nancy up to Mr Swadles. Received letter from Stepen Wilcut.[24] Put rave[25] on Planks sleigh.
Mar 2 – Cold morning snows some. Went over to burg. Lasher[26] came home with me.
Mar 3 – Went down to Streators Lasher went along. Drawed some wood. Went over to burg after Nancy & Hannah. Extracted two teeth for _____ Schram. Two Mrs Ralphs here. Got load straw from Streators.
Mar 4 – Cut some logs[?] south of barn drawed them down. Mr Streator left some wagon poles here to day. Very cold 8 Abz.
Mar 5 – Cold day. At home no work. Lasher came up.
Mar 6 – Went over to burg. Very blustering. Sold my California ___ ring to Efrim[?] Streator. Got silver chain one pair gloves and five Dollars. Mrs Havens died.[27]
Mar 7 – 2 Abz. At home cold day.
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[21] His niece, Helen (Bradley) York
[22] A search of the Michigan Death Records at Ancestry.com show that Harry Myers, age 29, died of consumption on February 27, 1869
[23] His daughter, Hannah Keith
[24] Perhaps he is referring to Stephen Hoxie Wolcott, his maternal first cousin. The Willcutt name has been spelled in various forms including Wolcott as evidenced by the fact that Stephen (and Luke also) was the grandson of Jesse & Katherine (Beal) Willcutt
[25] The vertical side pieces to a wagon body
[26] While “Lasher” is referenced repeatedly in Luke’s diaries and also in letters to Luke from Charles Cridland, the only evidence found regarding his first name, Joseph, was a receipt in the back of Luke’s 1858 diary dated December 6, 1858 for the payment of Comstock real estate taxes
[27] A search of the Michigan Death Records at Ancestry.com show that Mary (Kennedy) Havens, age 59, died of “congestive chills” on March 5, 1869
Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 