January 1, 1907

Tues Jan 1^st 1907  New years day  Moderate Cloudy & thawed some  I gave Mother $2 & She went down town AM & I gave Leslie one $ & he took the morning 10 AM train to visit Harriet at Delta [Keokuk County, Iowa] & we all took dinner by invitation at Amandas & a real good visit & dinner  Lyman Bradford just getting over a Severe sickness was able to be there & Maude Bradford from Minnesota  we are all in good health & have Small reason to Complain  I raised the past yr plenty of Strawberries & raspberries & blk berries currants & gooseberries  a good garden  85 bu of fine potatos & 21 Shox of Corn & got it in & most of it in the barn in fine order  we got 25 or 30 bu of Apples from our old farm & probably the last we will get from there as I have Sold the farm  277 acres for $60 an acre & recd $1000,00 down  I couldn’t look after it any more & the buildings were going to rack & no one Seemed interested in looking after them but me & I Couldn’t  it was with many pangs of regret that I let the old farm go where I Spent my best manhood days did my best work & my best planning & raised a big family  I am very thankful that we are all So well provided for Especially Mother & I in our old age  our income is now much more than our needs  My [Civil War] pension was raised this last year to $12,00 per month & as I leave most of the money in my farm at 5 per ct the intrest will be much more than the rent  Roy was paying Hicks yet has the Hughbanks place rented & I get 2/5  I got 200 bu of good oats & about 800 bu fine Corn  my barn nearly full of good hay & plenty of Straw & from that place punkins  my financial affairs are in good Shape  I have fifteen thousand Six hundred & twenty dollars yet in the old farm  over four thousand dollars in the bank & three thousand three hundred & forty dollars at intrest  twelve and a half Shares of Stock in the Wellman Savings bank & three Shares in the Keota Savings bank  An Extra good investment  I get a ten per ct dividend Each first of Jan  I got Certificate for $30 yesterday  also $98,40c from Connie Bradford intrest  my 4 houses here in town bring me in $45,00 a month  Surely we have much to be thankful for & little to Complain of  we have as good health as old people can Expect  My great regret the past year is the very poor & feeble attempt Vic made in the university in Studying medicine  he Staid less than 2 months & would Stay to Study any longer  So he came home after Spending $150,00 or more & all for nothing but perhaps it was best for him to quit when he did if he had no mind nor inclination for Such work  the Sooner he quit the better, since he has a good position as clerk in the Wellman Savings bank & I do really hope he will be Steady & keep this job  we have our furnace room in the Cellar near half full of good dry wood  furnace & Stove & 6 cords green wood north of the house & 2 or 3 loads in the alley & lots of kindling in the buggy house  we have a bu of good turnips  3 Sweet punkins  Some Squashes  I resigned the Secretary of horse Co [committee?] & got out of being Commander of the post  I was Secy about 20 yrs & Commander 9 yrs  good bye to the old yr  Welcome the new  May we all be as well off one yr from now                                                               

Advertisements

January 1, 1906

Monday January 1^st 1906  A partly Cloudy pleasant winter day  the boys & I are invited to Nellies to dinner  we arose late at 8 AM & breakfast at 9 & Nellie had a good dinner but I was not hungry  I visited awhile with her & old Mrs. Stinchcomb & then went to Holdens awhile & visited with them & Alma Scott & came home hardly realizing that it is New years  we have had nice weather this fall & mostly good roads  My health has been Extra good the past year & I & the boys raised 125 bu of fine potatos at digging time  a good garden  plenty of Sweet corn of 3 plantings beans in great plenty  near a load of punkins & Squashes  plenty of Strawberries  a light crop of Raspberries & blk berries  Carl raised me a Slim crop on the Hughbanks place  I got my mow nearly full of fair hay & 5 tons I Sold to Ooll Taylor for $23,35 on $4,50c a ton  about 400 bu good corn & 200 bu of good oats  I concluded to change renters & rented to Finly Hicks  he pays 2/5 rent delivers my Share in Wellman & gives me half the hay in Wellman  My place is all fenced now with barb wire Except ¼ mile on the East Side  I have moved my old store bdg [building] from Nira to Wellman & made a dwelling of it 28 x 28 – 18 ½ ft high & cellar under all with a good 16 in Stone wall  a good & well built house with a drilled well 62 ft deep  good pump & 2 cistern pumps in the house & cellar  Rented to James Bidwell furniture dealer at $12,50c a month  I raised 2 bbls nice turnips here at home  my corn up at the pasture was nearly a failure  about half was Sweet corn & I cut it all up & the Sweet Corn moulded & rotted in the Shock  I want no more Sweet Corn fodder  I Saved some nice yellow corn to plant to cut up & plenty of nice Sweet Seed corn  a very heavy long rain Came on my Shock Corn while laying in bundles after husking & it made it nearly worthless  our last girl Nellie was married this fall to Warren Palmer  we have long talked that Soon our last girl would go & now it is a thing of the past but we ought to be thankful  6 sons in law & neither one Swears drinks intoxicants nor uses tobacco & all Church members but one  I have very little if any money in the bank & have 3490,00 at intrest & 3000 time deposits at 6% & I owe at the bank $500,00 at 7 %  we have our cellar the furnace room nearly full of wood  good & dry  Stove & furnace & a good big pile of both outside  plenty of wood & plenty of Evry thing & I am truly thankful for it  we have kept our resolve to have family worship the Entire year & would now feel lost without it & I have faith that our prayers are answered  may we in Evry way be as blessed in the year to Come

December 10, 1903

Thursday December 10, 1903  4 deg Above zero this morning  A Calm Moderate Cold day & Sunny  did not thaw  Ralf came for Bell at 10-30 & they went home  I gave Bell some apples  we kept all Stock up to day for the first this fall  I warmed water for them at noon  Frank Roy’s hand brought wood & was here to dinner  Carl came PM & hauled a load of manure to the Hughbanks place & the manure is now all cleaned up  McReynolds called & sold me a paper 5c  I got 25c pork for dinner

January 1, 1903

Thursday Jan 1^st 1903  An Ideal New years day  the finest I can remember & Mag & I went by invitation to Jesse Longwells to New yrs dinner  were late getting there as R. R. Craig Called to do Some plumbing repairs & I Staid with him too long but we had an excellent dinner & an Extra good Social visit  E. F. Smith & wife & H. B. Kreger & wife also there  we got our mail at dark tis Eve  too busy visiting to get it sooner  we commence the new year with good health all of us for which I am very thankful  Bell has been Staying at home most of the time Since Early last fall  I have Spent much money this last Summer & it has been one of the worst Seasons I Ever knew  rain rain & more & storms  I bought 14 ½ acres land joining town on South & paid $1400,00 cash  I built a nice new Square house on my Adams lots 11,70 house & 170,00 for barn  cellar under all  26×26 cistern well  barn walks &c  built by Contract by O. T. Taylor for $1340,00 & I paid Bill Rhoades Extra for well & cistern & he done a very poor job on both  the cistern leaks bad & the well caved in & cost me $10 to fix & much trouble work & anxiety  we took a trip Mag & I to see Harriet & Sylvia & John & Ellen Brewer  I went 9^th June & came home 27  Mag went before to Harriets & in Oct we Started the 2^nd & returned the 14^th  we went to Washington DC to National Encampment GAR & it was a most delightful trip & is described in this book  in Oct the oat crop was midling fair but in wet places couldn’t possibly be cut & much of it Spoiled in the Shock  I got 214 bu midling oats from the Hughbanks place  14 nice Shox corn at Larew place  9 Shox Sweet corn at Maudes & 3 at home & about 20 bu soft corn at Larew place & 35 bu fine potatos & 29 from Hughbanks place & at least 12 at home  there is 50 acres corn on Hughbanks place  I get 2/5  it will go 35 bu to the acre  is not husked yet  I have 3075,00 at intrest mostly 6%  I owe 1887,00 at the W S Bank [Wellman Savings bank] & have time certificates to the Amt of $4490,00 drawing 6% & very little on Sight deposit  I have been close run for money for sometime  we have 10 or 12 bbls fine apples  45 bu good potatos  plenty turnips in the cellar  my cave in well fixed & I feel in good fix genly [generally?]  I Sold Larew home for $200 6% one yr to H. Mantz  I have no Complaint to make & am very thankful to the giver of all for my good health & prosperity

January 1, 1902

Isaac writes his year-end report about 1901.

Wednesday January 1^st 1902  A real nice day  Some chilly & partly cloudy with reasonable good roads  Mr Weller called this AM & I called on Comrade Fetrow confined to his house with rheumatism & took him a basket of grapes & we all went to the Baptist peoples at the rink & got our dinner 6 of us including Bell who walked down & is improving & the 6 of us went back in the Evening & got Supper  I took oysters & I bought a can ½ gal cherries 35c  a half cake 25c  a pie 14c  we passed a very pleasant evening  the past Season has been very dry  too much so for good crops especially Corn which was mostly a light crop  I got about 700 bu from the Hughbanks place & sold half or more of it at 57c a bu  I Sold Roy 1500 bu of old corn at 50c a bu & Sold Darnell near 1000 bu of my oldest Corn at 55c a bu  it was some spoiled  I had kept it 7 or 8 yrs  I Sold E F Smith 2963 bu Shelled at 60c bu & Roy boarded Shellers & delivered the corn  I paid Geo Foster $22,20 for Shelling  Smith has paid me none on the Corn  I Sold Smith 944 bu of Corn from Hughbanks place at 50c bu & gave Roy 3c a bu for hauling  he finished 16 Aug & put 80 bu in my town crib & Same date Smith paid me $472,25c  My Hughbanks farm has paid me right well this last season  the Corn was light but price good & I think made me over $6 an acre rent for the corn ground  I have now about $300 in bank on Sight deposit & $3100,00 on time deposit at 6 % & 3270,00 out at interest mostly 6%  I recd a 10 year div [dividend?] on my $300 Keota bank Stock  lately my Wellman bank Stock has never done as well I got a $2 increase on my pension the past yr & Since our hard time with typhoid fever last Spring we have all had good health  I have been real well this winter  no bad colds  Mag is feeling well for her  I built a good handy house to rent last Summer  it cost me $1825,00c & rents to Thos Reany for $12 a month  I bought 2 or nearly 2 lots of Jos Adams for $200,00  My garden mostly done poorly  too dry  I had 6 or 8 bu potatos at digging time  had plenty to use thro the Summer  very little corn  light crop tomatos  no beans  Roy brought me 10 bu potatos from the Hughbanks place & I bought of Romine & Oldaker 10 bu at 90c  raised enough Cabbage for Summer use  have my team Prince & Alex & colt coming 2 in Spring  2 good cows  2 good pigs  450 or 500 lbs a barrel of nice turnips I raised & we had quite a few grapes  canned 15 qts & we had plenty of plums  Some goose berries  May we do as well next year  we have much to be thankful for & little to complain of

January 1, 1900

Monday January 1^st 1900  New years day & Mag lay abed most of the day with headache  I Chopped Sawed & Split Some pole wood all I had & the boys carried it down cellar  I also sorted over Some apples & took a dozen or 2 nice ones to our bank for new years gift  I took Holden an orange & some apples  he is no better in the Eve  Mrs Ed Smith Called  I got 2 books from Werner Co Akron Ohio  the last of 9 I sent for & they are all right  I got beef Steak for Mag & Oysters for the rest this Eve  So far this has been a very fair winter  very little snow & not Extra Cold  no storms & the past year has been good for Crops  I got about 400 bu of fair oats from the Hughbanks place & about 1000 bu of good corn  Roy has paid me $300 rent & will pay me $250,00 more  I have Enjoyed town life reasonably well the last year & my health has been fair  we have all had very fair health  I raised a real good garden  nice green corn & potatos but bought 12 bu potatos at 25c  I built a good Comfortable rent house close by for about 850,00 & have rented it since 9^th of past July for $9 a month  I bought us a nice 2 seat Carriage for $85 & the boys & girls 2 bicycles for $40 & I made a very poor investment  they are allways up for repairs & costly ones too  I increased my Wellman bank Stock 7 ½ shares  I now own 12 ½ Shares worth $1750,00 & I have 3 Shares Keota bank Stock worth $350 & I just got a 7% dividend from Keota $21  I have $3650,00 money at intrest & 2100,00 time deposits in bank & $10,00  Roy owes me total $5800,00 total bank Stock & all $7900,00 & I have old Corn Enough in my Wellman Crib to feed & 300 bu oats 2 cows a young calf my grey team Prince & Mollie not valuable & my pacer Alex coming 3 not valuable an old Sow & 6 pigs & at least 6000 bu of good corn in Cribs waiting for better prices  verily I have no reason to Complain.

September 17, 1899

Saturday September 17^th 1898 A very fine day Martin & I went to Wellman he got his horses shod I got beef Steak & we came home to dinner & PM Mart & Wife & I & Mag went to Wellman I looked thro the house with several among them S T Leighton & Fred Klokenteger I got 3 watermellons 2 doz Banannas 50c Harve cut & hauled a load of white oak poles to Wellman from the Hughbanks timber he has worked 297 days & drew 133 dols & fifty cts