Dec 1 – Sawed some battens, put them on. Ethan drawed load wood. Rained just at night. Hawley at Blakes.
Dec 2 – Rainy day. Worked on bobs all day. Very warm, rain.
Dec 3 – Snow all gone. Worked in shop some.
Dec 4 – Worked on ax helves some. Set glass for shop window. Ethan and Will Plank went over to burg. Very high wind. Hawley Paid three Dollars on sleigh.
Dec 5 – Drawed two loads wood in morning. Ethan went down to Catharines. I drawed lot corn, filled barn floor, put window in shop. Hung ax for O. D. Schram.
Dec 6 – Worked in shop. Put in some battens.
Dec 7 – Rained in forenoon. At home. Ethan down to Catharines.
Dec 8 – Rainy. Husked some corn. Not much done to day. Turned handle for Mr Flanders. He called here, got his handle. Mrs Hawley sick. I went over to burg after Wightman[108] in night. Very muddy.
Dec 9 – Went down to M. O. Streators after some straw. Filled Alfledas bed. Hawleys girl born[109] about one AM this morning.
Dec 10 – Not very well, lame back. Lois here.
Dec 11 – No work, lame back. Cant get around much.
Dec 12 – Rainy day. Ethan went to Comstock to mill. Sarah went down to Catharines. Edith stayed here all night.
Dec 13 – Snows like fun, snow fell ¾ inch. Old Mr Watts fell down cellar and killed himself.
Dec 14 – Lame, no work. At home.
Dec 15 – At home, no work. Repairing violin.
Dec 16 – No work Except on violin. Mart and Toot called here.
Dec 17 – Repairing violin for Climax boy. Back lame as Ever. Mr Watts buried to day. Sarah went. Fine day. Alfleda over to burg.
Dec 18 – Cloudy morning.
Dec 19 – At home. No work, lame back. Paid L. Mead one Dollar pr order.
Dec 20 – Rowe boy got his violin. He paid $1.50. Went down to A. R. Ses[?]. Ethan went over got Gaffing. A. Bartholomew and Haynes boys here in Evening. Brot their instruments. Eugene came. Henry and Frank Tomlinson[110] came here about nine in Evening.
Dec 21 – Snowed some. Went down to Catharines. Mrs Gaffing went. Hannah went home with me.
Dec 22 – Fine day, pleasant and cold. Frank came back. Henry, Dell, Lois and Sate here in Evening.
Dec 23 – Ethan and Hank went up to Wesleys in forenoon. Sarah went to Kalamazoo with browns folks. Got cloak cloth for Hannah. Fine day. Ethan and Hank went up to Flanders in Evening.
Dec 24 – Cloudy 32 Abz in morning. Put hams smoking. Went up to Mrs Semers after money, git none. Received fifty dollars of Town Treasurer. Fine day.
Dec 25 – 39 Abz in forenoon. Paid E. S. Davis $10 ten Dollars. Snowed some in night.
Dec 26 – Snows. Ethan came home. Patty[111] sent me three Dollars.
Dec 27 – Snow 3½. At home, no work.
Dec 28 – At home all day.
Dec 29 – At home. Fixed for butching. D. C. Crawford[112] came here in afternoon.
Dec 30 – Butchered my hogs. Wes helped me. Hawley killed his hog. His Father helped him. Cool. D. C. Left for South Bend Indiana.[113]
Dec 31 – Cool Morning 22 Abz. Not very well.
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[108] Dr. George Ransom Wightman
[109] The 1880 Census lists Laura Hawley, age 7, as the daughter of Byron & Harriet; no further information regarding her has been found
[110] His grand-nephew, Frank John Tomlinson, the son of George and Marion (Sprague) Tomlinson
[111] His sister, Martha “Patty” (Keith) Sprague
[112] His wife Sarah’s brother, David Caleb “D. C.” Crawford
[113] Sarah’s other brother, Henry Clay Crawford, lived in South Bend, Indiana
Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 