Saturday, February 28, 2009

February 28 thru March 3, 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!

Sunday Sarah and Henry go to church in the morning and in the evening. Omar and Hattie Warren also go in the evening, along with Jen and Hiram Avarrey (sic). There is a conference meeting after the evening preaching. Note: Ingleside Christian Conference was a big sort of revival meeting with special guest preachers, etc. held in the summer when I was a kid - 1950's. Not sure if it is still held, but I would suspect it is.

Monday, Omar, Bart, Mills, and Henry all work on cutting and storing ice from Ingleside - probably Evergreen Farm? Sarah makes fried cakes and pies. Frost gets into the cellar - probably a sign of a pretty good cold stretch.

Just for fun I went looking for evidence of the pond on Evergreen Farm, and have created a link to an aerial view of the farm... the pond is quite large, and near the road - present day Route 53. It is pretty much exactly 4 miles between their place and the pond. Click here to see the aerial view, or the link to the right in the collection of relevant links. Cutting and storing ice was the normal cold storage system in 1886. Even large cities relied on ice cut from lakes, ponds, etc. and stored for later use. In 1886, there were around 200 commercial ice plants in the US - all cutting and storing ice. Believe it or not, refrigeration technology on any large scale would not exist for another 20 years or so. Railroad cars, and trucks were still cooled with ice into the early 1940's!


Tuesday and Wednesday the ice work continues - cutting, drawing, and packing in the ice house which is about half full by Tuesday evening. Looks like a total of 8 loads of ice by Wednesday afternoon. Mrs. Nickles sends Sarah a line canceling a planned visit to them by the Lawtons and others. Maybe she caught Omar on the way by with a load of ice? Omar and Jen go visit the Warrens Wednesday evening, and Sarah and Bart go to meeting. Looks like Omar and Jen went to meeting too with the horse... probably took Hattie Warren.

I've been wondering about how they found their way around at night in those days? We've seen lots of night time visiting! Dad says the horses knew their way around, and would find their own way home even at night - even if the "driver" were asleep! Wednesday night March 3rd 1886 was for example a waning crescent moon -- less than 3% moonlight even on a totally clear night! And based on Henry's weather comments on Wednesday and Thursday - light snow both days - it probably wasn't a clear night! For the truly demented among you, the moon phases for any month from 3999 BC to 3999 AD, can be found here. I just love the internet!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

February 24 thru 27, 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!

Note--- I've added the location of the school house to the map, probably the Tenney place too since Henry refers to the Tenney schoolhouse.

Another note --- Dad says the folks I've been calling the Terneys, are the Tenneys ----- my bad! I've gone back and corrected all the previous entries.

Wednesday -- Sarah and Henry go visiting again -- this time to the W.E. Weld family - Evergreen Farm. David Strong family is there, along with the T. Simons family. They get home around 6PM, and have a surprise birthday party for Omar. I assume it is a birthday party because Omar turns 24 on Friday -- Not sure why the party wouldn't be on Friday.... maybe the date I have for Omar's birthday is wrong?? The party is organized by Hattie Warren - his girlfriend, and future wife.

Thursday --- Omar takes grist to Naples. Bart and Mills cut wood. Jen cleans up from the party, and Sarah makes collars for shirts and dresses. Henry works some more on the lumber wagon -- putting springs on the seat.

Friday - Sarah and Henry go to Aaron Drakes. The Lawton's are there too.

Saturday Omar and Bart pull limbs and small poles (saplings) out of the woods, and pile them on something???? Mills goes up to Ingleside to the blacksmith, to get hardware to hang the seat on the lumber waggon (sic). Bart takes 7 1/2 dozen eggs to Teals for cash at 18 cents/dozen. - $1.35 I think Teals is the store in Ingleside?? No Grange meeting that night.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

March 8 thru March 11, 1886 - revised

My apologies for accidentally publishing "March 8 - 11" out of sequence. --- "Mother Goose". I tried to un-publish the original, and re-publish in the correct sequence, but it is not working! Uttering Henry's "Mother Goose" thing isn't working! I guess that like Henry, I just need to add this note, and go on. Click here if you missed Henry's reversal of days back in January. Check the comments too.