Nancy’s handwriting is extremely hard to read, especially names.
Oct 1 – Cloudy. Made chilli sauce. Lela home this p.m. Rained all the afternoon & eve. I went to Pas on 6 p.m. train. Ethan met me. Andrew Burdick buried to day.[89]
Oct 2 – At Pas. Pa and Dell went for mineral water. Lois stayed here.
Oct 3 – Came home on 5-20 a.m. train. Found Claude here, came 2 p.m. yesterday.
Oct 4 – 2nd street fair opened 9 a.m. by blowing of whistles & ringing bells. Claude, Lela & I spent the noon hour at the Art department in Auditorium. Lela $25.00 from C-.
Oct 5 – Ethan, LaVerne, Floyd, Leone & Marian here to fair. Lela not working this p.m. Nice floral parade. Floyd bought an air gun. Eda here to supper. Lela went to Chicago 6-25 a.m. train Thursday.
Oct 6 – General Shafter[90] & two aides and daughter[91] came. Hannah & Lois down to day. H- stayed all night. Children went home this noon. Bought 1 cord beach[?] & maple wood $2.24.
Oct 7 – “Peace Jubilee Day”.[92] Burroughs, Shafter, Brice, Rice, Noble, Whiting & Todd spoke at the Park. Began raining about 5. No concert to night. E & H went home 6 p.m.
Oct 8 – I ironed & made mother a chemise. Claude did not get up till after 11. Mrs Rogers give me Harolds picture. Letter from H.A., Lela & Bess. $60.00.
Oct 9 – Claude went to Burg on W.P.[93] wheel. Back to dinner. Eda spent evening here. Claude gone to Chicago 1 a.m. train.
Oct 10 – Plesant. Bought ½ bu quinces for .25. Bought a coal heater “Art Garland”. Called on Mrs Evers, first I have seen her since he died.[94] Pieced comfortables. Aunt Hannah Chase 90 years old yesterday.[95] Stove cost $29.85.
Oct 11 – Rained all night. Cleaned Mothers room. Went to Mrs Chapples this forenoon.
Oct 12 – Worked on comfortables to day. Went over to Mrs Rogers a little while this p.m.
Oct 13 – Lela came home from Chicago on 4-10 a.m. train. Got a new hat & fur collarette for herself, a black satin waist for me.
Oct 14 – Cold & Rainy. Cleaned Parlor & part of setting room.
Oct 15 – Finished cleaning setting room. Had new stove put up. Lela wrote to her father[96] that I would go to Chicago Monday.
Oct 16 – Had fire in new stove. Edith & Franklin & Mr & Mrs N[97] called this afternoon.
Oct 17 – Canned quinces & made jellie. I left for Chicago on 2-13 train. Mr & Mrs Merriman sat behind me. Lois & Dell went this morning.
Oct 18 – In Chicago. Bessie and I went down town got things for her silk waist also some for Lela & ____ yoke for me. We all went to Wills and had supper. Clarence Schroeder[98] also Arthur Burroughs married.[99]
Oct 19 – Claude home to day. Its “Peace Jubilee Day” & business is closed. Bessie and I sewed to day. Dr McKinney called at the gallery. A very rainy week.[100]
Oct 20 – Bessie & I over to Jims to spend the day. H.A. & Claude to supper. Mrs Meredith[101] there. Mrs Wm Burdick died.[102]
Oct 21 – We sewed to day. Bess & Mary went down town in afternoon. H.A., Bess & I went to Dearborne saw “A Woman Hater.”
Oct 22 – Lois, Ina & Gertrude to dinner. Jims folks and Mrs Meredith to supper. H.A. & I to Chicago Opera House. Saw the 4 Cohans. I left Chicago 11-30 p.m. for home. Mrs Burdick buried.
Oct 23 – Plesant. Got home 4-50 a.m.
Oct 24 – Very plesant. Got ___ting flanel for Bessie two night dresses. Lela & I spent evening at Ediths. Will & Carrie[103] there.
Oct 25 – I sewed all day for Bessie. Lela home this afternoon. Rained all day.
Oct 26 – Rain & a little snow. Sewed for Bessie. Cut her black briliantine waist out. Etta Tompkins here a little while. Lela & I down to Mr Ford this eve.
Oct 27 – Froze last night ice 1/8 of an inch. Very plesant to day. Lela home this afternoon. Lizzie & Ruth came 2 p.m. They, Lela & I went to cooking class. Mrs Moses called told about M- R-.
Oct 28 – Hannah came 2 p.m. Hung Lelas black ______. Lela got samples of silk for her to take to Cora. Lou telephoned about butter & eggs.
Oct 29 – Hannah went home 7 a.m. Ma is some better.
Oct 30 – Home all day. Dark & rainy.
Oct 31 – Lizzie & Ruth went home (to Augusta) 11-55 train. Halloween night. Bessie writes she had 5 teeth out Saturday suffered terribly.
——-
[89] Michigan death records show that Andrew Jackson Burdick died in Kalamazoo, Michigan on September 29, 1898 and FindAGrave.com shows he is buried in Mountain Home Cemetery in Kalamazoo
[90] William Rufus Shafter was born in Galesburg, Mich. He served in the Union army during the Civil War and in 1867 joined the regular army, rising to become brigadier general (1897). Shafter was teaching school in Michigan when the Civil War began. He accepted a commission with a Michigan volunteer unit and by war’s end, he had earned the rank of brigadier general of volunteers. In the Spanish-American War he was placed in command of the army that in June, 1898, invaded Cuba. After hard fighting at El Caney and San Juan Hill, the expedition entered Santiago on July 17. Shafter was much criticized, however, because the expedition had been poorly prepared and ill-equipped and the mortality rate from disease was high. Shafter retired in 1899 and was advanced to major general on the retired list in 1901. In 1895 Shafter received the Medal of Honor for meritorious service in the Civil War. Shortly after his promotion to major general in 1901, he retired to his sixty-acre farm adjoining his daughter’s ranch near Bakersfield, California. On November 12, 1906, Shafter, terribly overweight, died at his daughter Mary’s home from an intestinal obstruction complicated by pneumonia. He was buried next to his wife at the presidio in San Francisco, California. His films include: “Surrender of General Toral” (1898) and “Major General Shafter” (1898). In both films he played himself. (From FindAGrave.com)
[91] Mary (Shafter) McKittrick
[92] Celebration of the country’s success and end of the Spanish-American War and honored the troops
[93] Will Pendleton
[94] See July 28th entry
[95] Hank’s aunt, Hannah (Brown) Chase
[96] Don’t know why she referred to her husband Hank that way
[97] Neumaier
[98] Michigan marriage records show that Clarence Schroder married Gertrude Olin in Richland, Michigan on October 19, 1898 (not October 18)
[99] Michigan marriage records show that Arthur Burroughs married Mamie (Wood) Starr in Plainwell, Michigan on October 19, 1898 (not October 18)
[100] This last sentence was written across the October 19, 20 & 21 entries
[101] Malvina (Johnson) Meredith, Cora (Meredith) Keith’s mother
[102] Michigan death records show that Lucinda (Cory) Burdick died October 20, 1898 in Galesburg, Michigan and FindAGrave.com shows she is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Galesburg, Michigan
[103] Will and Caroline (Neumaier) Pendleton
Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 