Sep 22 – Husked corn in East lot. Nancy came home. Ethan came home in Evening.
Sep 23 – Carried Sarah down to Catharines. Received twenty four Dollars of Town Treasurer $20, primary $4 Library. Husked pop corn, had one bushel of Ears.
Sep 24 – Husked corn, put in the barn. Warm day.
Sep 25 – Husked corn. Finished husking Barbers corn, had 37 thirty seven bushels of Ears. Drawed in seven shock of Ridlers, had seven and half bushels. Hot and dry.
Sep 26 – Rainy forenoon. Drawed in some corn in afternoon. Went down to Catharines after Sarah, stayed all night. Had a heavy shower in Evening. Charley Harris[68] Died this morning.
Sep 27 – At Catharines. Came home in Evening. All right.
Sep 28 – Pleasant morning. Went down to Skinners, got some peaches. Went over to burg in Evening. Paid Emma Sumner[69] forty three Dollars $43.
Sep 29 – Husked corn. Pleasant day. Carried 2½ wheat over to mill. Nancy put on her quilt.
Sep 30 – Pleasant morning, no frost yet. Husked corn. Hannah came home. Mrs Brown and Jule here quilting.
Oct 1 – Husked corn. Ethan and Jim went to Fair at Kalamazoo.
Oct 2 – Husking corn. Finished South lot. Fine day.
Oct 3 – Carried up corn into Cornhouse, 38 bushels. Browns folks here in afternoon quilting. Hank came in Evening. Lois came down in afternoon, helped Nancy quilt.
Oct 4 – Cool, first frost, 31 Abz, pleasant day. Ethan and Hannah, Hank and Nancy, Sis and Jim all gone down to Browns. Mr Spires Died this Evening.
Oct 5 – Drawed corn in forenoon, husked in afternoon. Had a shower. Henry and Sate came in the rain. They were going up to Battle Creek to get Dol doctered.
Oct 6 – Cloudy but warm. Jim and I husked corn. Ethan and Hank went over to Mr Arms.[70] Mrs Brown and Jule up here, got quilt of. Lucy called here, she went to burg. Henry and Sate came back. Mr Spires buried to day.
Oct 7 – Husked corn, drawed in some. Hank and Nancy went home. Had some squirels for dinner. Cullin Town married to night.[71]
Oct 8 – Finished drawing in corn in forenoon. Finished husking my corn. Got hard cold.
Oct 9 – Sick with cold. Jim husking corn for A. Brown. Ethan picking apples. Fine day.
Oct 10 – Fixed Hog pen so I could put hogs in. Ethan and Sarah went down to Orsons. High wind part of the day.
Oct 11 – Rainy morning. Put Hogs in pen this morning. Stormy day. Frank Lee Shot himself to day.[72] He was hunting in Jacksons woods.
Oct 12 – Durkee called and got report for supervisor to Assess on District No. 7 for incidental Expences.
Oct 13 – Shelled two bushels new corn to take to mill. Chored around house and barn. Ethan and Sarah went down to Charles Lees[73] to Franks funeral. Fine day. Ambrose Fields[74] brot in on cars[75] to night. He Died in Ohio.
Oct 14 – Put box on stove boot. Got some apples up to the corner. Brot some wood of the hill.
Oct 15 – Went to mill to Comstock. Carried two bushels new corn, got one ground into _____, the other fine meal. Joel James[76] came here, Stayed all night. Nice day. He was selling washing machines Territory.
Oct 16 – Carried Joel over to burg. Came back and picked some tomatoes and carried them over to Barbers. Sarah went over. Ethan picking apples down to Browns. Jim went down to Catharines. Carried petition over to An Eliza Deckers.
Oct 17 – Dug potatoes. Fine day. Ethan and Jim husking for Brown. Received letter from Oscar.
Oct 18 – Fine morning, very little frost. Charley and Will[77] here. Sarah and I went up to Flanders,[78] went round by Brick School house.
Oct 19 – Dug potatoes. Ridler husked corn in South lot. Ethan and Jim husked corn for Brown. Brot Apples up at night.
Oct 20 – Dug some potatoes. Carried sis down to Catharines.
Oct 21 – Dug potatoes. Fine day. Ethan and Jim husking for Brown. Went down to Browns in Evening. Repaired Blinds for Mr. Ralph.
Oct 22 – Dug potatoes. Boys husking to Browns. Mr Ralph got his Blinds. House Warming to Shimdts. Warmed up the Big House. Ridler and Will husking, finished the South lot. Fine day.
Oct 23 – Sarah went up to Mr Ralphs. Jo Lee came up here. Finished diging my potatoes. Alfleda came home. They had a concert at Methodist Church in Evening. Brownell got the Jack Knife.
Oct 24 – Carried potatoes down cellar. Warm day. Went over to Burg, bot Beef bone, got Alfledas watch cleaned[?]. Rained in the night.
Oct 25 – Warm day. Went down to Catharines after Louesa.
Oct 26 – Took wagon to pieces. Made steps to East Door. Ridler finished drawing his cornfodder, cleared both lots. George Tomlinson[79] called here in afternoon bout a our. Rained some.
Oct 27 – Repaired Em Ralphs chair. Drawed pumpkins. Jesse Earl, Martin turner, and Mr Latta called here in afternoon. A. Brown finished husking corn to day.
Oct 28 – Rainy. Ethan and Jim went down to Browns to work. No work to day, sick, head, back and belly ache.
Oct 29 – Sick, no work. Ethan and Jim to Browns drawing cornfodder. Cold, high wind.
Oct 30 – Cold, some snow flying. Ethan down to Browns. Filed saw for A. Caywood. Snowed some, stormy night.
Oct 31 – Snow two inches deep this morning. Dillenbecks Auction to day. Cold raw day. Not well. Went over to burg in afternoon. Snowed and rained, cold, bad storm.
——-
[68] Michigan Death Records reveal that Charles Harris, age 28, died of Typhoid Fever on September 26, 1874; FindAGrave.com shows that he was buried in Riverside Cemetery, Galesburg, Michigan
[69] Neighbor; the 1880 Census shows that she was a school teacher so perhaps she was teaching in 1874 and that was her payment for services rendered
[70] Believe he is referring to Hank’s uncle, William Arms, Cynthia Brown’s husband
[71] Michigan Marriage Records show that Cullen Towne married Sarah Antoinette Adams in Comstock, Michigan on October 7, 1874
[72] The Michigan Death Records reveal that Francis Lee died October 11, 1874 from accidental discharge of gun
[73] Charles Lee (1797-1878), Francis Lee’s grandfather
[74] FindAGrave.com shows that Ambrose Field died October 10, 1874 and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Galesburg, Michigan
[75] The train
[76] His maternal first cousin
[77] His grandsons, Charles and William Clark
[78] Neighbors, Joseph & Amanda (Hobbs) Flanders. After Luke’s first wife, Minerva (Payson) Keith, died, Joseph & Amanda took in their children, Henry and Lois Keith. From letters from that time, it would appear that Lois was then sent to Minerva’s parents while Henry lived with the Flanders family. According to Carol (Boyer) Stafford, the Flanders raised Henry even after Luke married his third wife, Sarah (Crawford) Keith. They wanted to adopt Henry but Luke said no; however, it looks like he lived with them throughout his youth. This seems to be corroborated by the 1860 census showing “Henry L Flanders,” who I believe was actually Henry L. Keith, age 16, living with Joseph & Amanda
[79] The husband of Luke’s niece, Marion Sprague
Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 