Dec 3 – At the Tomlinson House. Folks all gone to church. Hat Holbrook here. Mercury 17 Abz in morning.
Dec 4 – Frank and I went to Portage Bridge. Eat our lunch at lower falls at 12 noon. Went to middle fall. Saw Letchworths residence. Went up to Bridge across it, under it and all around. Went down onto the piers. From piers to deck 200 steps. Length of middle pier 200 feet.
Dec 5 – Cool morning. Went down to the High Banks with George in afternoon. Not well. George and Marion[93] went down to Leroy[94] just at night. Susan S[95] was faling fast.
Dec 6 – Went up to Been House helped Frank load car and Screen some beans. Hiram May[96] Died to day Aged 79 years.
Dec 7 – Helped Frank some at been house. Snowed some. George and marion dont get home.
Dec 8 – Snowed quite hard in morning. Mercury 20 Abz. Went up to beanhouse and cidermill. Had the last cheese on the press. Cold rainy night.
Dec 9 – Washing to day. Snows and blows, mercury 4 Abz. No cars[97] out this morning. Got a dispatch from George Sprague[98] Susan is gone.
Dec 10 – At Tomlinson House. Cold wintry day. George and Marion at Leroy.
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[93] His niece, Marion (Sprague) Tomlinson
[94] LeRoy, New York
[95] George Tomlinson’s sister, Susan (Tomlinson) Sprague
[96] Michigan Death Records reveal that Reverend Hiram May died December 7, 1876 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York, and is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Pavilion, Genesee County, New York. Since Luke was originally from New York, it is assumed that he knew Rev. May
[97] Trains
[98] George Finley Sprague, Susan’s husband
Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 