Feb 1 – Cold windy day. Took Lizzie over to cars. She went to Battlecreek to Mrs Grahams. Jim went to Kalamazoo.
Feb 2 – No work. Jim chopping for Mrs Brown.
Feb 3 – Went down to Marts. Nice day some wind. Mart grinding. Got letter from D.[23] Jay[24] very sick.
Feb 4 – Mercury 11 Abz. Jim took Hannah to Kalamazoo she went up to Shelby.[25] Jay very sick. Lois went up to Shelby. Edwin Flanders[26] brot me a Wiandot Rooster.
Feb 5 – Mr Right drew wood in fore noon paid him 75 cts. Hannah up to Shelby.
Feb 6 – At home. Rainy day. Jim went down to Alvin Lees[27] to see Julian Darling.
Feb 7 – Went over to burg after Hannah. She no come. Jay no better. Rany day no work.
Feb 8 – Mercury 55 Abz rainy day. Went over to the office got no letter. Hannah no come. Jim went up to Howlands Burg after Nellie Giddings. Some thunder in morning. Stranger got his violin.
Feb 9 – Mercury[28] very nice pleasant day. Went up to Levy Woods with Cyrus Streator. Nice October day.
Feb 10 – Went over to burg after Hannah. She no come. Fifty years to night I bot my violin paid $30.00.[29]
Feb 11 – Cold stormy day. Went to Shelby Ville. Found Jay no better.
Feb 12 – At Shelby Ville. Jay no better. Jay Died about five oclock P.M.[30]
Feb 13 – At Shelby. Cold day. Nancy[31] and Lois here.
Feb 14 – Left for home half past Twelve noon for home. Nancy went on Eight oclock train. D. started with Jay at twelve noon got home a bout six Evening.
Feb 15 – Jay Buried to day up East on the Old Flanders farm.[32] Ethan paid Mr Lewis $2.00 the minister.
Feb 16 – Pleasant cold day. Ethan, Jim and Lizzy went to Kalamazoo. Ethan and I went up to Jays grave in morning. Ethan paid Oatman $2.00 & Labit[33] $4.00. Mrs Rumry Buried to day.
Feb 17 – Not very well no work. Rainy day. No one here.
Feb 18 – Went up East to grave yard all right. Cold and stormy. Bot coffeepot of Dick Lamkins 80 cts.
Feb 19 – At home all day. Hard cold no work. Hannah came home in Evening.
Feb 20 – At home. No one here. Cool cloudy day.
Feb 21 – Not very well hard cold. Went over to burg in morning. Came around by the grave yard.
Feb 22 – Nice day not very cold. Went up to Levy Woods. Heard from Jay.[34] Old Mrs Olin buried to day. Mary Allerton Married.[35]
Feb 23 – Rather a cool day. Took Ethan over to burg he went up to Shelby Ville. Peat[36] one year old to day. Ed Schram got his ax.
Feb 24 – Not very well. No work but chores. Ethan and Jim up to Shelby Ville.
Feb 25 – Took Sarah over to Lois. No snow some wind.
Feb 26 – Cold stormy day. Hannah came home with Ed Flanders. I went over to burg with Ed after the mail.
Feb 27 – Mercury 13 Abz. At home. Cold blustring day. Mrs Quays team ranaway ran between the cherry tree and fence and stopt them. Schuyler had them.
Feb 28 – Mercury 11 Abz nice pleasant day. Harry[37] took Hannah to Kalamazoo.
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[23] His son-in-law, Daniel D. Harris, Jr., known as D or D.D.
[24] His grandson, Jay Keith Harris
[25] Shelbyville, Michigan, where his daughter Lou’s family lived
[26] Edwin Flanders, the son of Joseph Flanders (see footnote to January 29th entry)
[27] The son of Charles & Juliana (Davis) Lee. Charles Lee was Luke’s paternal first cousin
[28] Luke didn’t enter the reading of the thermometer
[29] Worth about $800.00 in 2019
[30] Jay Keith Harris was 3 years 10 months old when he died of scarlet fever. Michigan death records record his date of death as February 14, 1887 contrary to Luke’s entries. Jay was originally buried on “the Old Flanders farm” but later moved to Oak Grove Cemetery. Family story is that the quinine (I think it was) that they gave Jay during his illness preserved his body. Why they opened the coffin during the move is unknown, but his body was perfectly preserved. They wanted Louese to come and see him, but she refused
[31] His daughter, Nancy (Keith) Brown
[32] According to the Riverside Cemetery records on RootsWeb.com, Joseph & Amanda Flanders were the pioneer homesteaders of the property
[33] Henry Labbitt, the undertaker. See copy of his ad from the 10-30-1880 Galesburgh Express attached
[34] The Keith family, as well as several of their neighbors, were believers in Spiritualism and participated in seances, so it is presumed Luke is referring to his grandson who died on February 12th. See Nancy Brown’s February 26th letter which also seems to refer to this
[35] Michigan marriage records show that Mary Allerton married Addison Irving Plank in Galesburg, Michigan on February 22, 1887
[36] Luke’s diary entry for February 23, 1886 reads: Fan had a calf to day it droped 12 noon.
[37] Neighbor Harry Streator
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Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 