Torrance Diary - 1876

Jan. 5 - Papa and I went to a prayer meeting at old lady Kirkpatrick’s, came home in moonlight.

Jan. 7 - Papa, W., and I visited Mr. Rankins, one of our church members.

Jan. 8 - Called on Mr. Carter and Wm. Johnsons. Weather has been remarkably mild. No freezing.

Jan. 10 - Very cold. Washed, clothesline broke.

Jan. 12 - Getting Mother’s and Mary’s trunks packed. They left on the 6:28 train. This has been a long day. Papa hauled fodder from McCormic’s.

Jan. 17 - We swept and cleaned all the house yesterday. Plastering falling off in the parlor. I must write a card to Mother tonight. I have commenced to make Gracie a blue woolen dress.

Feb. 1 - First sleighing weather this mild winter. We have no sleigh here, must use buggy. Jimmie hid Gracie’s dress.

Feb. 5 - Dr. and Mrs. Brown over here for dinner. I had a severe toothache through the night, was real sick in the after part of the day. Took morphine for the first time, made me very sick.

Feb. 14 - There has been so much rain lately it is almost impossible to get a wash day. We need turpentine and ammonia today (?) of boiling.

Feb. 16 - We sent J. and N. to school, had a quiet day. Papa wrote I think the first sermon since we came here; it’s a good one.

Feb. 18 - I am troubled with pleurisy since last evening. Papa churned.

Feb 19 - Bad last night again. Had a chill about 10 o’clock. In bed all day today. Dr. Brown dressed blisters.

Feb. 21 - Very weak. Papa married two couples today; he was away from 9 ‘til 9 except for a few minutes around 4 when he stopped on his way from one wedding to the next. On his way home after dark the buggy ran off a steep place, threw Papa, and horses came four miles to the railroad. Bill Bowers brought them home. We were so worried about Papa. We were just an hour in terrible suspense when in came Papa, mussed but apparently not much hurt. It was a sorrowful sight to see the grief-stricken countenance of the four older children. No one cried.

Feb. 24- Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson here. They brought lard and butter pickles. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison brought a dressed chicken. I have not spoken out since the fright. People very kind. We have great reason to be thankful for our spared lives through the perils of the past.

Mar. 3 - Jimmie’s 10th birthday. He gets his first Bible today. It is a reward for committing the Catechism. He is slow to learn, indeed, slow at everything. Takes continual prompting to keep him at a book. He came near to getting this Bible on his 9th birthday, only lacked about three pages. This year we have been getting the International S.S. lessons and we tried to get them well, but they took so much time that the Psalms and questions did not get sufficient attention. Ella, Nettie and Jimmie are very much interested in Bible reading. Those S.S. lessons awaken a desire for more knowledge of the Bible. We must double our diligence and not leave the good old paths. I am glad to see them interested in the Bible but we must not forget the good old Catechism. Willie knows the best of any child we have had at his age. He will be 5 next Sabbath the 5th. He does not know all his letters; he is growing rapidly. My health poor, so throng with work, cannot teach him. He learns verses from the Bible by being told. Perhaps he will know as much when a man as those further advanced in youth.

Mar. 4 - I went with Papa to Mr. English’s sale. Furniture went high; we got none.

Mar. 5- Sabbath. Willie’s 5th birthday. Papa went on horseback. This is the first Sabbath that all the children were all at home with me at one time since we moved here. We spent a busy day.

Mar. 6 - Took a pill last night, it run me very hard. Baked. I am too weak to work.

Mar. 7 - Washed. E. put out the clothes, many of them dirtied. Dr. was in to see me. I am very weak and have rheumatism. Papa and the children do most of the work.

Mar. 18 - Washed Ella’s head. Dr. was in making a friendly call.

Mar. 28 - Terrible snow storm out of the North. We were all at church on Sabbath. No teams there but ours, it was as much as ours could do to take us.

Apr. 11 - Cut Papa’s hair. We were all out a while, staking off yard for trees and shrubs. Papa is going to Paxton tonight.

Apr. 13 - Papa returned early, before breakfast, brought some box elder trees and some shrubbery from Mr. Bicket’s. Mrs. Gunther was here all day. The children are earning money these days gathering the sticks out of the yard. A letter from Mary says Joseph is ill, diarrhea. Maria is moving to Irwinsburg.

Apr. 20 - All the family visited Mr. Morrison’s for the first time, brought home flowering shrubs and plants, two chickens. Pleasant day and good visit. Hugh sent us a box this week with 80 raspberry plants, 60 strawberries, and some parsnips. A letter came from Mary; Mother will come soon.

Apr. 22 - We have had a man two days ploughing garden and making road. We planted some garden today. Mr. Wickham making portico.

Apr. 24 - School commenced. Four oldest attend.

Apr. 28 - Papa, Jimmie and I were at a Centennial supper at the Methodist Church last evening.

May 4 - Jennie Morrison came to help me get ready to go with Papa to Philadelphia. I am worried at the thought of leaving my children, especially the babe.

May 16 - Papa and I bid goodbye to all the children and left on the morning train, 6 o’clock. My heart had just been aching for a week, is now ready to burst. I never left a babe for a night before save one, in a storm. I was absent but Papa was with him.

May 28 - Heard M.M. Gibson preach an excellent sermon on Rev. 22-14. The blessedness of the righteous. Then in the evening a history of missions in the last 100 years, very good. Mr. T. heard the discussion on the use of instrumental music in the worship of God.

May 30 - Decoration Day. Packed our trunks, wrote to Jimmie and Mary.

June 1 - Spent most of the day on Centennial grounds. Saw knitting stockings by machinery, filling spools of Coats thread, and many other things done by the power of the great Centennial engine in the Machinery Hall. Centennial badges of silk worth one dollar. Saw a stature of yellow stone. It was a fountain, a little boy and girl holding an umbrella over them to keep off the rain that was pouring over them from the trop; it went up through the handle. The glassware, earthenware, silver, gold and china are very beautiful. Saw Gen. Washington’s bed, tent, uniform, cane and sword. Then we saw a representation of a mother bent over a cradle, the babe was dead, the coffin was at her right hand. The father stood looking at her in distress. The minister had his arm around another child about eight years old. I think they were Swedes. There were stuffed sea lions and seals, and a white whale. There were wild cats, deer and elk. So many things that I cannot call them all to mind. We saw great guns and a cannon and many implements of war that I had never before saw. Beautiful human images in showcases to show the work of the various sewing machines. In the Women’s Pavilion they were making two-ply carpet and making pictures in silk of the building. We brought one home. There were beds, bureaus, tables and other furniture carved in flowers by ladies with a knife. This was from Cincinnati. The tent with the rhododendrons from London was very fine. We brought home some moss that grows on trees in Mississippi. The main house was made of 40 kinds of timber. The mantelpieces, some marble and other imitation, were valued at thousands of dollars.

June 8 - Papa took Jennie home, paid her 10 dollars for her five weeks. She did her own sewing and visiting while I was away. We have made the two-ply carpet for the sitting room. Have the house nearly all cleaned.

June 16 - Papa preached. After the service the Missionary Society was organized.

Aug. 12 - Weather has been hot. Considerable sickness, stomach and bowels. Rained hard yesterday.

Aug. 13 - Sabbath - When Papa was most through with his sermon one of our horses fell in such a way as to nearly break its neck. Nearly all the men ran out but were soon quietly seated again, not so sleepy as before.

Oct. 11 - The weather is cold. We have kept fire going constantly for two weeks. We finished making tomato butter. We make plenty of butter now off Mr. Gurther’s cow. E. (Ella) has finished her tidy. Mr. Daylor plastered the parlor. The corn is cut. I have made two shirts, a chemise and a calico dress.

Oct. 12 - E. sick since last Friday. Papa and Jimmie went for a load of wood. I brought in all potted house plants. Put away all summer clothing, swept house and wrote to Martha.

Oct. 16 - Papa sick with his winter cold. We polished stoves.

Oct. 17 - We have the Fish boy at work hauling manure. Gracie is troubled at night with pin worms. She comes with her “huned tisses” and just gives one; she says it after Wm. has said she has a hundred.

Oct. 29 - This is a beautiful warm day. Flies thick on the outside of cook house. I did not have on a bonnet today and we washed outside with a fire. We got through with a large washing. The weather has been so cold that I have suffered putting out clothes in mittens, coat and head wrapped up.

Nov. 3 - Dentist Given filled a front tooth for me at home. He was here for dinner. Mrs. Bruce came in off the 9 o’clock train yesterday, and remained over until today.

Nov. 4 - Mr. Marshall and son brought hay and dined here. Dr. Brown was in an hour or more this forenoon. We use a great many apples. Willie often asks for one in a way he thinks Gracie will not understand. This morning he said, “Please, Mama, can I have a fruit?” Gracie repeats almost everything he says. She said, “Prease, Mama, give me a fruit apple?” We were greatly amused at her interpretation. There were no apples in sight nor had anyone been speaking of them. Had our first snow yesterday.

Nov. 17 - E. has very sore throat. Weather bad, rained and snowed. We went all through the house changing beds, sweeping and dusting. Mr. T. scrubbed. I am so glad of his help for I am almost sick. E.’s throat is very bad and she had not been out since Friday and is not able to help much. The weather is stormy today but not freezing. We have had trouble to get our clothes dried for the last three weeks. Have not much rain but weather damp.

Nov. 22 - Mother and Mary arrived after a long visit of ten months to Ohio. Mother looks well. Mary is looking full as well as when she left. They have brought many tokens of friendship from the relatives in Ohio, which are appreciated.

Nov. 28 - Washed; before through Mr. Bruce and his sister came. Papa took him out to view the country. Tomorrow is Gracie’s 2nd birthday. I wish I could make her sayings as they sound. Mr. and Mrs. B. left, and Mr. Farland came in. Oh, I am just too tired, still, I do like company.

Nov. 29 - National Thanksgiving Day. Mr. T. preached in the Methodist Church. Very cold; first severe cold day.

Dec. 13 - The organ has come. Weather mild. Brought house plants up from cellar. Commenced eating beef. Mr. T.’s mother and I went to Mr. McQuinn’s and the Morrison’s in the afternoon.

Dec. 14 - We are going to visit the widow Johnson today.

Dec. 21 - Papa and I called on old Mr. Henry, he has been ill since Sabbath. Shortly after our return we observed a great light outdoors. I wondered that the moon shown so brightly. All at once, Papa spoke of it, and by that time Ella and Jimmie saw through the window. We all rushed to the door and saw a wonderful heavenly phenomenon. It was a streak of light about three rods long, over a yard wide at the front and tapered to a point at the other end. It was composed of balls of light of various sizes, from a foot across to the size of a tea cup. It was going from West to East and vanished in the clouds apparently a short distance from us. We heard a sharp seizing noise and afterwards for several minutes and afterwards as if it were distant thunder in the East.

Dec. 25 - Mr. Hewing died last night; a good old man is gone. We will miss his frequent visits. It seems a pity, when one is so ripe in experience, in knowledge, so good in every way and communicates so well, that they should be taken from us, but our Maker knows best.

Dec. 31 - Sabbath. Papa preached appropriate to the close of the year. A busy year has ended, well may we ask ourselves the question: What stands against us? And what for us? Mr. T. has done more missionary or pastoral work this year than for several years; we have gone together considerable. Our own family are not the better for it. I hope, if all spared to the close of another year, to see a marked improvement at home.