Aug 1 – Mercury 104. Hannah came home from Howlands Burg. I went down to Katharines. All well.
Aug 2 – Worked in garden some. Chored round most of the day.
Aug 3 – Went over to burg. Worked round house and garden.
Aug 4 – Cut weeds and grubs along the fence up the hill. Hot day. Allerton[77] thrashed. Ethan and Hannah went to Kalamazoo.
Aug 5 – Went down to Mrs Browns. Helped Jim clean up wheat. Rainy forenoon. Cut weed on hill.
Aug 6 – Went up to Mr Flanders in afternoon. Sarah went. Ed took pig down to Rial French.
Aug 7 – Took Fan up to Mr Flanders to get Jersey calf.[78] Went down to Katharines in afternoon after Hannah. Sarah went down to see Minnie Randal.
Aug 8 – Nice day. Jim and Hannah went to Kalamazoo to see Lou.
Aug 9 – At home choring. Not much work to day.
Aug 10 – Took Hannah down to Mate Fords.[79]
Aug 11 – Mercury 96. Mr Joseph Whitford buried.[80] Henry Crawford[81] came here this morning. He went home on the Eleven Oclock train.
Aug 12 – Ethan and Jim went to Kalamazoo after Lou. Robert Crawford[82] came to day. George Turner Buried to day.[83]
Aug 13 – Robert here. Went over to Burg after Lous trunk. Robert and I went around the squair. Rained in Evening.
Aug 14 – Cloudy some mist. At home. Robert here. Very warm.
Aug 15 – At home. Hot day. Robert and Sarah went over to cemetry.[84] Mary Ellen Allerton[85] and Carrie Plank[86] called here in Evening.
Aug 16 – Took Robert over to the train. Rainy morning. Robert left for Canada.
Aug 17 – Sarah and Lou went down to Mrs Browns. I helped Jim repair the grainry.
Aug 18 – Cut and drawed some wood. Ethan and Jim went to Kalamazoo to see the Sham Battle. Cord Beach got hurt.
Aug 19 – Took Sarah and Lou up to Em Ralphs. I Repaired chair for Em.
Aug 20 – At home. Went down to Mr Browns in morning.
Aug 21 – Harry Crawford[87] came on 7 Oclock train. Carrie Plank and Mary Allerton here in afternoon. Lois came over. D came. Went over to burg in Evening. Ha[d] a heavy shower rained in night.
Aug 22 – Cloudy looks like rain. Harry Crawford here. All well.
Aug 23 – Not much work to day. Jim commenced plowing East lot. George Hubbards baby died this morning.[88] Carry Plank here.
Aug 24 – Hannah and Carey went down to Mr Allertons. Lou and children went over to Lois. Oat Hills mother Died to day.[89]
Aug 25 – Took Lou over to Mr Ralph. Robert came back from Canada. Glen Keith[90] came on noon train. Mrs Hill buried.
Aug 26 – Ethan went to Kalamazoo. Harry went with him. Robert went up to Nelt Blass.
Aug 27 – Mercury 102. Took Robert over to burg he went to Chicago. Carrie Plank came here stayed all night.
Aug 28 – Mercury 99. Carrie went up to Gull Lake to attend the Grange Picknic. Jim plowing. Lou here.
Aug 29 – Had a heavy shower. Went down to Katharines.
Aug 30 – Let Jim have six bags full of corn. Mr Hampton here to dinner tin pedler. Hannah took Carrie Plank to Kalamazoo.
Aug 31 – Lou and children here. Jim plowing. Very warm.
——-
[77] His neighbor, John T. Allerton
[78] Fan was his cow. Presume he was taking Fan to the bull
[79] Neighbor, Mary Ann “Mate” (Thompson) Ford
[80] Michigan death records show that Joseph Whitford died in Charleston, Michigan on August 10, 1886 and FindAGrave.com shows he is buried in Lawler Cemetery, Augusta, Michigan
[81] His wife Sarah’s brother
[82] His wife Sarah’s brother
[83] Michigan death records show that George Turner died in Kalamazoo from a fall from a scaffold on August 10, 1886 and FindAGrave.com shows he is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Kalamazoo, Michigan
[84] Most likely the Galesburg Old Cemetery where their mother, Nancy (Comfort) Crawford Betts, was buried
[85] The daughter of neighbors John & Caroline (Rapelje) Allerton
[86] Carrie Plank was the daughter of William & Harriett (Groat) Plank who had been neighbors of the Keiths in Comstock until they moved to Grand Rapids in 1873
[87] The son of Hiram & Kate (Atcheson) Crawford; Hiram was Sarah’s brother
[88] Michigan death records reveal that Floyd Hubbard, the six-month-old son of George & Alice Hubbard, died in Galesburg, Michigan on August 23, 1886
[89] Michigan death records reveal that Sarah (Watters) Hill died August 23, 1886 in Galesburg, Michigan
[90] His grand-nephew, the son of James “Oscar” & Mary Ann (Batey) Keith
Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 