July 6 thru July 9, 1886

As always, click on the picture to enlarge for easier reading of original. Feel free to contact me with corrections, additional information, or comments. Click on the map link to the right of this entry to see more about where places are. Other information can be checked out with the links to the right, including a great family picture of everybody circa 1886, and a picture of the whole family several years later - circa 1900 ???

Tuesday --- Henry rakes and puts up more hay, and draws 6 loads. D. D. Clark comes by and arranges with Henry to pay him 3 cents/quart for his raspberries. He is acting as sort of a middle man, and will provide the baskets, and the crates, and will take them to the train in Bloods. Henry probably figures that is a better deal than doing the hauling and providing his own crates. He got 5 cents a quart last week at Slatterys.

Wednesday -- They draw more hay, and do more cultivating. Sarah and Lois continue picking berries for R. Smith. Mills mows thistles in the pasture. Don's note: I used to cut thistles in the pasture for my grandfather - William Olney - Bart's son. I got paid 50 cents for my work. The cows will eat the grass, etc. but will avoid the area near the large thistles that will poke them! Nate Polmateer comes by and borrows a rip saw, a bevel square, and a 1 inch chisel.

Thursday -- Mills, Cad, and Henry pick potato bugs off the potatoes again, and get them "nearly all off." Henry and Sarah go to Ingleside to the blacksmith - Avery - and get two shoes repaired, and they get Old John weighed - 1050 pounds with the harness. I'm not sure why they would do this. Possibly to subtrach his weight when weighing a load of goods like potatoes, hay, etc? They stay over for prayer meeting. Sarah goes to Bloods to get sugar from Slatterys.

Friday -- Sarah and Henry and the children pick the Tyler raspberries, and D. D. Clark comes by to pick up the berries - $1.92 for 64 quarts. He also buys some currants for 75 cents. Clark promises to bring by 10 crates for picking raspberries by Tuesday. Over the rest of the month they will sell a total of about 1200 quarts of raspberries to Mr. Clark. I can't find any information or pictures of Tyler Raspberries except that they are a common variety of raspberries at the time. Henry cuts some grass, and tops off the hay stack on the Tenny place. Omar works in the potatoes.