Oct 1 – Edwin Flanders and wife called for Hannah to go to the cemetery. Mrs Little and Lois Burk called were on their wheels. Lou and Mildred went up to Mrs Ralphs this P.M. Mary (Schroder) Carson was buried to day.[96]
Oct 2 – Worked at patterns. Pleasant.
Oct 3 – Worked at patterns. Pleasant. Will Clarks birthday.[97] The Electric road is graded from Battle Creek to Kal-.
Oct 4 – Varnished some patterns. Went to the Burg this evening. Charley Towsley and Bert Warren are moving three old buildings off from Battle Creek street so as to put up a brick block for stores and a brick hotel. Frank York died to day.[98]
Oct 5 – Hile Loveland[99] blew his left hand to pieces this evening while trying to take a snap shot picture. Hank and Nancy’s 27th Wedding. Got the corn in the barn from the garden and husked it. Will Ridler dug 9½ bushels of potatoes for us. (Our share). Went to the Burg this evening.
Oct 6 – Took Lou and Mildred to the 5.22 A.M. train. They will visit at Mr Neumaiers until the noon train north on the G.R. & S.R.R. Then they will go home. Went to the Burg this evening. Ida gave me two plants for Nancy. Repaired the rye bin this P.M. Mice had made holes in it.
Oct 7 – 17 years.[100] Mr Elwood died to day.[101] Washed shop window. Celebrate 25th Wedding Anniversary at Cull Townes this even’g. Hannah and I went to the Burg this evening. Harry Streator called to get me to make a model for him. First I have spoken to him in ten years.[102]
Oct 8 – Hannah and I went down to Marts this P.M. Frank York was buried at Maple Dale cemetery[103] this P.M.
Oct 9 – Puttied two of the shop windows. Harry Streator brought over drawings for his Mile board model. Chicago day. Big time in Chicago.[104]
Oct 10 – Washed the long window in the shop and did a little work on another. Drafted for H. D. Streators advertising Mile and Guide board model.
Oct 11 – Worked at the model to day. Saw Herbert Keith[105] over to Seal Strubles[106] to night. Will Ridler began husking corn in the east lot.
Oct 12 – Hannah wanted to go up to Frank McClarys this morning. We got as far as the Marhoff place and met Lillie so we came back home and she came down here. Herbert Keith [called] on us this A.M.
Oct 13 – 81°. Worked at H. D. Streators model. He called here this A.M. to see about it. Was on his way to Paw Paw. Are having warm weather but dry and dusty.
Oct 14 – 84°. Worked at model some. Went to the Burg this P.M. and again this evening. Quite warm.
Oct 15 – Pa’s 86th Birthday. He is quite smart working at something a good deal of the time. Hannah and I visited at George Milhams for the first together. I never was there before. Clara Owens and children were there also.
Oct 16 – 81°. Worked at the model for Harry Streater. Surprise party at Jim’s for Cora it is her birthday. The surprise party did not come off as Walter was very sick. Began raining just at night is pretty dry.
Oct 17 – Kal- Free Street Fair opened up to day. President McKinley was there an hour this evening. Rained all night (1 11/32”).
Oct 18 – Worked at core box for Rotary engine patterns. Gertrude and Hannah feel a little off toward each other these days.
Oct 19 – Rainy to day. Big crowd at Kal- street fair. Hannah went this P.M. Went after her this evening to the 6 oclock train. Worked a little at core boxes.
Oct 20 – Went to Kal- third street fair. Floral parade was fine. Saw Philion walk up his spiral tower on a 28” ball. Saw a Biograph[107] for the first time.
Oct 21 – Went to the Burg this A.M. Took Hannah to the 12.55 train. She and Ettie Tompkins went to Kal-. Went after her to the 6.17 train. Had an introduction to Mrs P H Whitford at Loises.
Oct 22 – Pleasant. Clara Owens and Mary Brott were here to day. Clara expects to go back to Cincinnati soon.
Oct 23 – Aaron Hogeboom and Cora Harris came here from Mr Ralphs this A.M. and staid until evening. They rode over to Lois’es with us will stay there to night. Harry Streator called in the shop a few minutes.
Oct 24 – Worked at the models for H. D. Streator. Pleasant. This has been a very nice month ahead of Sept.
Oct 25 – Finished H. D. Streators two models. Leone Ralph had a little girl baby this even’g but it was dead.[108] Hannah and I went to the Burg this evening.
Oct 26 – Raked leaves to put around the pumps this A.M. Finished a core box this P.M. Etta Tompkins was over this P.M. Rainy. Miss Belle Jackson was here quite a while to have Hannah do some work for her. 2 years to day I set out the little elm east of the house.
Oct 27 – Ma is not well. Rainy. Worked at a core box to day. Harry Streator got his models this P.M. Fannie Read and Mother was here to see about sewing to day.
Oct 28 – Went to the Burg this A.M. after the clothes. Finished a core box this P.M. Mabel sewed to day. Ma is sick with bowel trouble.
Oct 29 – Pleasant this P.M. Lois and Dell came over this P.M. Ma feels a little better. Wrote to M. F. Lee.
Oct 30 – Hannah and I went to the Burg this A.M. Worked at the barn pump to get it so it would not freeze this winter. Cora Harris came down to walk home with Gertrude to night. Pleasant. Went up to Isaac Schrams and got his pipe wrenches.
Oct 31 – Worked at pump at the barn. Finished it so I hope it won’t freeze this winter. Halloween. Hannah and I went to the Burg.
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[96] Michigan death records and FindAGrave.com show that Mary (Schroder) Carson, age 30, died of pneumonia on September 29, 1899 and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Galesburg, Michigan
[97] His nephew, William Clark. He turned 35
[98] Former neighbor. FindAGrave.com reveals that he died in Brady, Michigan and was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, Comstock, Michigan. His obituary in the Kalamazoo Daily Telegraph mentioned that he was 43 at the time of death from Bright’s disease (kidney disease) and had been a musician with the Ringling Brothers’ circus band
[99] Neighbor, Stephen Ahiel Loveland
[100] Believe this is another cryptic note about his failed romance with Nell Bristol. An entry in Ethan’s father Luke’s 1882 diary for October 7 mentioned that “Ethan and Nell went to Kalamazoo”
[101] Michigan death records and FindAGrave.com show that James Elwood died in Comstock, Michigan on October 7, 1899 and is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, also in Comstock
[102] Harry Streater once bent Ethan backwards over a fence and even when Ethan begged him to let go, Harry held him down. Ethan had trouble with his back ever since. Perhaps this was why they hadn’t spoken in ten years
[103] He is actually buried in Maple Grove Cemetery
[104] President William McKinley visited Chicago on October 9, 1899, to lay the cornerstone for the Beaux Arts-styled building, which was completed in 1905. Every year on October 9, Chicago used to celebrate what it called “Chicago Day” which commemorated the Great Chicago Fire of 1871
[105] His cousin, John Herbert Keith
[106] Selem Struble was John Herbert Keith’s father-in-law
[107] An early form of motion-picture camera and projector combined
[108] The daughter of George & Leona (Ackley) Ralph; however, no record of birth/death was found
Letters & Diary Entries From the 1860s through the 1890s 