Luke Keith’s diary entries of February 22 – March 31, 1878

Feb 22 – Rainy morning. Hank Johnson called her at night. Worked in shop some.

Feb 23 – Drawed three loads wood. Not very cold.

Feb 24 – At home all day. Henry came down. Hannah went down to Jacksons.

Feb 25 – Snowed some. Nancy and Claud came over stayed all day.

Feb 26 – Worked in shop on wheels. Fine day.

Feb 27 – Fine day. Finished my wheels. Eugene[53] came to Hanks.

Feb 28 – Very fine day. Went down to Comstock after my grist. Me no get him. Edna[54] came on noon train. Eugene came over with me. Sarah and hannah went over to burg.

Mar 1 – Went over to burg after the girls Nancy, Hannah and Edna. Drawed one load straw to Browns one for myself. Fine day. Ernest got my wagon to go to Kalamazoo with some beef.

Mar 2 – Carried Nancy home. Edna Crawford went home. Chored round all day. Mr Perry Cornell died to day.

Mar 3 – At home all day. Eugene here. All well. Claud went home. Will Brown carried him over. Mr Cornell buried to day.

Mar 4 – Eugene went to day. Ethan went over to burg with him. I choped all day. Fine pleasant day. Rev. Russell Tomlinson of Plymouth Mass Died to day.[55]

Mar 5 – Drawed some wood. Sarah went up in woods.

Mar 6 – Sawed wood in forenoon. Very fine day. Made blocks for Theodore at noon. Rained in afternoon.

Mar 7 – Chopt wood. Cut down black oak. Fine day.

Mar 8 – Carried Sarah and Mrs Betts over to burg. Barber came over. We pulled up the currant bushes. Warm day. Jim went down to Katharines.

Mar 9 – Mercury 74 Abz at noon. Worked in hogpen. Warm day. Went down to Browns at noon got butter and milk. Mart and Lucy came up got some pictures. Ida Barber came over stayed all night. Lucy stayed.

Mar 10 – At home 66 Abz. Lucy and Ida here. Alvin and Ida Lee[56] here. Went over to burg at night after Sarah and Mrs Betts. Ida went home. Rained like fun.

Mar 11 – ____ cut currant bushes in fore noon. Carried Lucy and Hannah over to burg at noon. Verry warm day.

Mar 12 – Worked round. Drawed apple brush out of the orchard. Ethan put up wind mill.

Mar 13 – Went up to Jo Flanders after currant and raspberry bushes. Took dinner at Flanders. Rained some. Ernest got his buggy. Left Skeleton buggy and took my watch.

Mar 14 – Worked round garden. Set currant bushes. Worked in shop some on wheelbarrow. Claud came over helped set currant brush.

Mar 15 – Worked in shop some. Went over to burg up in woods. Drawed some wood. Filed saw for Ernest.

Mar 16 – Made fence around west garden. Some misty. Mrs Ralph[57] here all day. Ernest got his Skeleton. Bot 21 lbs Soap grease of Whiting.

Mar 17 – Cloudy morning. Henry here. Hank Brown came over just at night.

Mar 18 – Drawed some wood. Chored round. Worked in shop some. Browns folks here in Evening.

Mar 19 – Trimed appletrees. Fine day. Had a big time at the burg red Ribbon gathering.

Mar 20 – Fine. Pleasant morning. Drawed brush out orchard[?]. Rained some in night.

Mar 21 – Shelled some corn. Turned cloths stick for Nancy. Libby and Emma Allen[58] here to day. They went up to Jim Milhams[59] at night.

Mar 22 – Cloudy morning. Went up to Henrys to mill. Ethan and Claud went. Carried five bushels corn. Very fine day. Jim went down to Howlets schoolhouse to hear Mr Ross read.

Mar 23 – Went over to burg after Nancy. Mrs Betts went over with me. Went to Comstock after my Buckwheat. Fine day. Lois and Will came. Henry came down stayed all night.

Mar 24 – Will carried Mrs Betts over to church. Cold day some snow flying. Henry went up to Mr Flanders. Jim and Will went down to A Browns. Jim got Kicked by a colt.

Mar 25 – Cold morning. Chored round. Allen Simmons brot wheels here to have boxes set. Lois and Will here. Made over Fathers[60] old Jack plane.

Mar 26 – Went over to burg in morning. Got rimmer. Set boxes in wheels. Night Express off the track between Galesburg and Kalamazoo.

Mar 27 – Went over. Carried rimmer home. Got Nancy and Claud. Simmons got wheels. Carried our folks down to A Browns. Warm day. Pulled grubbs some in afternoon west of garden.

Mar 28 – Snowed like fun. Not much done. Lois went over to Nancys at noon. Will went up to Harts. Miner Bellringers in galesburg to night. Blocked out axhelves.

Mar 29 – Worked in shop some. Pulled grubs west of garden. Broke whiffletrees.[61] Sarah went to burg. Lois and Will came back. The publicans caucus to day.

Mar 30 – James went down to Browns got his team. Rolled west lot. Finished pulling grubs in west lot. Democratic caucus to day. Snowed like fun in afternoon.

Mar 31 – At home all day. Lois and Will went home. Not very cold. Isaac Hizer came down to see about trading buggy for watch.

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[53] Eugene Crawford, the son of his wife Sarah’s late brother, Edwin Crawford and his first wife, Louisa Hall

[54] Edna Alice Crawford, the daughter of his wife Sarah’s late brother, Edwin Crawford and his second wife, Mary Hamilton

[55] Massachusetts Death Records confirm that Reverend Russell Tomlinson died in Plymouth, Massachusetts on March 4, 1878

[56] Alvin Lee was his first cousin and it is believed that Ida Lee was Alvin’s niece, the daughter of his deceased brother, John Warren Lee

[57] Neighbor, Emaline (Stone) Ralph

[58] The daughters of neighbors, John S. & Amanda Louise (Worden) Allen

[59] James Milham was the half-brother of Martin Milham (see footnote for February 3^rd entry)

[60] His late father, Charles Luke Keith Sr.

[61] The pivoted horizontal crossbar to which the harness traces of a draft animal are attached and which is in turn attached to a vehicle or an implement