Nancy's 1898 Diary

Nancy Brown’s diary entries for September 1898

Nancy’s handwriting is extremely hard to read, especially names.

Sep 1 – Lou, Leone & Mildred came from Pas. Caned 1 bu. peaches. Paid 1.00. Terrible hot.

Sep 2 – Awful hot.

Sep 3 – Hot. Lou & children went on 8 p.m. train. Cora Harris struck by engine. Ankle broke.[80]

Sep 4 – I went to Lous on 5.40 a.m. train.

Sep 5 – Rained last night. Cora as well as can be expected. I came home on 3-45 p.m. train. Claude went to Chicago to night.

Sep 6 – Mrs McKinney here all day. Dr[81] here to supper. I ordered ointment for Ma.

Sep 7 – Winnie McKee took Clara riding. Clara stopped to Mr Comstocks stayed all night.

Sep 8 – Cool & plesant. Lela had Eda, Winnie McKee, Mona Mace & Emma Harris to tea to meet Clara Wilkins who is visiting us.

Sep 9 – Eda & Mother[82] took Clara & I riding. We stoped at their house the first I have been there.

Sep 10 – Clara Wilkins gone home 9 a.m. been here 2 weeks Monday. Lela went to Lous 12-19 p.m.

Sep 11 – Mother took her feather bed for good this time.

Sep 12 – Lela came from Lous 8-55 a.m. Lou no better. Cora doing fine. Uncle Robt[83] came here from Pas this p.m.

Sep 13 – Uncle R- left for home on 11-55 train. I put up a lunch for him. Letter from Bess. 25.00.

Sep 14 – I called on Mrs Winslow and Mrs Elena Briggs. Stayed with Mrs Wagner all night.

Sep 15 – I went and looked at coal heater before coming home. Very hard rain while I was in hard ware store.

Sep 16 – Made 2nd batch of catsup yesterday. Lela & I called on Mrs Mace this evening, first since she came home from Boston[?].

Sep 17 – I went up home[84] 6-00 p.m. Ethan & Hannah came over to Medicine show. I went home with them. Maude Adams & Herb Clark spent eve at Lous.

Sep 18 – Hannah & I caned 13 qts peaches.

Sep 19 – Came home on early morning train got home 6-10 a.m. Letter from H.A. this a.m. & picture from Claude of he and the boys.

Sep 20 – Lela did not go to Chicago, we are all so dispirited. Letter from H.A. and one from Bess. 25.00.

Sep 21 – Bought 1 bu Golden _____ for 1.00. Worked all day at caning & making grape juice. Have 33 qts peaches.

Sep 22 – Made pear pickles preserves and garden salad. Has rained all day. Hank worked in the curing house this eve. Been gone 5 months.

Sep 23 – Co. C came home[85] 1 p.m. Mr & Mrs Hewitt here to supper and evening. Also Mr & Mrs Ford, Mrs Tunney with Mrs Lombard, Frank & his grandpa. Ethan got the wheel to night.

Sep 24 – H.A. went back on 6-25 a.m. train. Lela went to Burg on 6 p.m. train. Mrs McMahan here this eve. Its very lonesome.

Sep 25 – Very nice & plesant.

Sep 26 – Lela home on 6 a.m. train. Ma no better. Bessie bought a mandolin.

Sep 27 – Ethan and Lois here to dinner & supper. She came to do trading. Ethan bought 2 bu peaches to make pickles of.

Sep 28 – Making pickles this a.m. Little Harold Rogers run over by street car on Portage St. died 7-10 p.m.[86]

Sep 29 – Mrs McMahan & I went up at Mr Rogers[87] last night. Hannah came this eve from Aunt Helens.[88] Fit Lelas silk waist.

Sep 30 – Hannah home on 7-15 a.m. train. Harold buried 2 p.m. at River Side. Lela bought her a nice black skirt.

——-

[80] The 9-9-1898 edition of the Kalamazoo Daily Telegraph on page 3 noted the following: Miss Cora Harris of Shelbyville has a compound fracture of both legs, a dislocated right ankle, a broken shoulder and several bad cuts as a reward for rescuing her pet pug dog from the cars. The dog escaped uninjured and the woman is at the point of death

[81] Neighbors, Mary Elizabeth (Stephenson) & Dr. Martin VanBuren McKinney

[82] Valentina (Seifert) Neumaier

[83] Her mother’s brother, Robert Crawford

[84] She often refers going to her parents’ home as “home”

[85] From the Spanish-American War

[86] Michigan death records confirm that Harold Rogers, age 3, was run over by a streetcar on September 28, 1898 in Kalamazoo and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo, Michigan

[87] Harold’s parents, Levant & Carrie (Flick) Rogers

[88] Unknown at this time; research continues

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