Dec 1 – Mercury 8 Abz. Went to Kalamazoo took Hanks stove down to them. Mrs Brown went. Very Blustring. Jim and Bell Starr came up with me. Lum Robinson started for home. Saw Dob Zinsky[?].
Dec 2 – Cut some wood. Put ladder together in Evening. Cold and blustring he snow very hard some.
Dec 3 – Drawed two loads of wood on sleigh. Jim called here said he had sold his team to Will Brown. Ed chopping. Dr Babcock buried to day.[110]
Dec 4 – Ed chopping. Cold day. I drawed wood.
Dec 5 – Mercury 16 Below zero. Went over to burg in morning. Jim shingling for Dell. Ed Schram chopping.
Dec 6 – Mercury 2 blow zero. Went over to burg in morn. Jim shingling for Dell. Ed chopping.
Dec 7 – Drawed wood in forenoon. Went down to Marts in afternoon. Nice day.
Dec 8 – Fine day. Drawed wood. Ed no chop some. Fanny Town came over in afternoon.
Dec 9 – Drawing wood. Not much snow. Very nice weather.
Dec 10 – Drawed wood in forenoon. Got all down that was cut. Snow about gone. Leon[111] here stayed all night.
Dec 11 – Leon went up to Batey.[112] Glen came down with willow[?] in morning. Leon came back stayed all night. Dell put some shingles on Barn.
Dec 12 – Leon and Glen lef for home.[113] Rained some.
Dec 13 – Not much done but chores.
Dec 14 – Snowed and blowed hard. Very rough day. Went down to Caywoods and Mr Flanders. Paid Ed $— for butter. Mate Ford came here.
Dec 15 – Cold snow about — inches deep. Hannah went to Dr Ma– to sew. Took Sarah down to Mrs Browns. Filed saw for Jim. Hung ax for Herb Earl.
Dec 16 – Cold day. Worked in shop some. Smoothed up axhelves. Ethan went to burg in Evening.
Dec 17 – Finished up axhelves and chored round. Sarah went up to Ha–. I went up took tea with them. Snowed and blowed.
Dec 18 – Worked in shop some. Finished up my helves. Ed Schram called here.
Dec 19 – At home. Went over brot Lois over. Some stormy.
Dec 20 – Mercury at zero. Took Hannah over to train she went to Kalamazoo.
Dec 21 – Mercury 34 Abz. Went over to burg in Evening after Hannah and Lelah. Shelled corn for feed.
Dec 22 – Mercury 5 Abz. Went down to Mrs Browns. Took letter down to Lizzy with sample in. Hannah went up to Wm Ralphs.
Dec 23 – Went over to burg in morning paid my tax $6.78 cts. Went over at noon got money order cashed. Went over to Lois in Evening.
Dec 24 – Went down to Marts to mill. Took 7½ bushels corn and oats ground. Sent books to Claude, Lelah & Bes, Jay and Verne[114] and Marts children.
Dec 25 – Worked on toboggin for Claude. No good he break some. Not very cold.
Dec 26 – At home. No one here. Cold winter weather. Good sleighing.
Dec 27 – Mercury 13 Abz. Went up to Theodores got board for toboggin. Oscar, Mary Ann[115] and Glen here to day. They left for home.
Dec 28 – Mercury 3 below. Went over to burg. Got shoes for Sarah. Cold day.
Dec 29 – Mercury 3 Abz. Went over to burg in morning got calender. Mrs Beley Wright Died this morning 7 oclock.[116] Went over to burg in Evening.
Dec 30 – Mercury 15 below very much cold day. Sarah & I went to Kalamazoo she stayed to Nancys. Bot articks $1.25. Very cold. D. and Jim came.
Dec 31 – Mercury 13 below. Went over to burg in afternoon. Ina went home. Mrs Bela Wright buried to day. Very cold day. I done nodings not much to day ver mooch goot sleigh plendy snow some. Lou sent me money, pay some money. D went home on noon train.
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[110] FindAGrave.com shows that Isaiah J. Babcock died December 1, 1886 and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Galesburg, Michigan
[111] His grand-nephew, James Leon Keith, the son of James “Oscar” & Mary Ann (Batey) Keith
[112] Presumably to visit his grandmother, Betsy (Olds) Batey, in Pavilion, Michigan
[113] Bloomingdale, Michigan
[114] Lou’s children
[115] His nephew’s family; see footnotes to August 25th and December 10th entries
[116] Betsy (Fisher) Wright. Michigan death records reveal that she died in Galesburg on December 29 and FindAGrave.com shows she is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Galesburg, Michigan
Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 