January 30 thru 31, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Tuesday, January 30, 1894 --- Eight below freezing and Leman and Bert do the chores as always.  Bert, Leman, and John "pick over" potatoes till noon.  note - sorting potatoes is a constant process in the winter months as some start to rot and like the "one rotten apple" line, bad potatoes are a big problem.  They then hitched up the colts to the bob sleigh for training.  Then then "roasted our shins till chore time".  They then did the evening chores.  "The wind howled and the snow flew all day"  I'm not sure how many colts they have, though possibly at least 3 since they removed 6 wolf teeth earlier.  Their bob sleigh may be a fairly large one.

Wednesday, January 31, 1894 ---  They do the morning chores, and then have to shovel out the road for the first time this winter.  Leman and Bert then went to Naples with two loads of the potatoes they sorted yesterday.  "Grandmother died tonight"  Bert has lost his mother and his grandmother this month!  John has lost his wife and his mother!  At this point I don't know her name?

January 28 thru 29, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Sunday, January 28, 1894 --  frost in the air this morning and it was twelve above zero  Leman and Bert do the morning chores as always, and then Bert went up to Herman's.  He then went over to Russell Dye's and changed his "under cloths".    He then went back to Herman's for dinner, and then back to Russell Dye's and got a sack of chestnuts.  He then returned home for the night.


Monday, January 29, 1894 ---  Another cold morning and another day of chores.  Pa went to Naples with a load of potatoes.  Leman and Bert drew three loads of straw.... not sure from where to where?  It was a snowy afternoon, so the time got spent sorting potatoes.  John Babcock went to Naples with another load of potatoes.  They then did the evening chores.  And, in another example of Bert's style of writing "outside the lines", Bert notes "and today I let my watch run down".  If you recall, he carefully set his watch at Suttons a couple of days ago.  Sutton's was a jeweler at the time, and probably sold clocks and watches.  Don's note:  Back in the 1950's, I bought a pocket watch at Suttons with 50 cents that I earned cutting bull thistles from the pasture on my Grandfather Olney's farm about 2 miles from where the events of this diary happen.  Suttons is still in business in Naples, NY today.

January 26 thru 27, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest. If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.

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Friday, January 26, 1894 --- Cold, Cold this morning. Pa went to Naples and got one team shod, and sold some potatoes. Leman went to Italy and got the other team shod. Bert stayed in the house, and worked on the spring seat, He also made a replacement slat for a bed stid (sic). (bedstead)   Bert also helped with the chores as usual.


Saturday, January 27, 1894 --- Bert and Leman did the chores, and each took a load of potatoes to Naples. For some reason they did not have any dinner. They loaded potatoes to take to Naples tomorrow. While in Naples today, Bert set his watch by the time at Suttons.

January 24 thru 25, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Wednesday, January 24, 1894 --- The wind blew strong from the south.  Leman and Bert each took another load of hay to Prattsburgh in the forenoon, but it rained in the afternoon, till about 5PM, when it turned to snow.  


Thursday, January 25, 1894 ---  "The wind blew and the snow flew" and Bert and Leman did the morning chores.  They then each took another load of hay to Prattsburgh.  In the afternoon, John Babcock took the last load of hay.  Leman and Bert spent the afternoon in the woods to find and cut a pole to make a wagon "tung" (sic).  It looks like they plan to train the colts to pull a wagon?  They then did the evening chores.  It was 8 above zero tonight.

January 22 thru 23, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Monday, January 22, 1894 --- Bert declares it a fine day again, "but the roads was slippery".  Leman and Bert went to Prattsburgh twice with loads of hay again.  They then loaded up two more loads of hay ready to take to Prattsburgh tomorrow.  Leman went down and spent the night with Rose (?) McConnell.


Tuesday, January 23, 1894 --- Another nice day.  Leman and Bert did the morning chores, and then both went to Prattsburgh with two loads of hay for pa.  They did not get back from the second run until after dark.  They had supper, and then loaded hay for the next day.

January 20 thru 21, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Saturday, January 20, 1894 --- "The wind blew forty miles momet"  I'm not at all sure what that means, other than it was probably very windy?  Leman and Bert haul two more loads of hay each to Prattsburgh.


Sunday, January 21, 1894 --- "the wind blew lather to shave", and it rained, then hailed, and then snowed!  A pretty bad patch of weather!   Bert goes over to Russell Dye's place, and then down to L.S.(?) Horton's, and then back home. So far Bert has made no mention of church activities on Sundays, or any other day?

January 18 thru 19, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Thursday, January, 18, 1894 --- "The wind blew a gale from the south all day and it thawed a little".  Leman and Bert each took a load of hay to Prattsburgh for "pa" - John Babcock.  They then did the evening chores, and then loaded up two loads of hay to take to Prattsburgh tomorrow.  It rained a little at night.  Above freezing all day. Note Bert's sort of artistic layout of the last line.  (He will be doing that quite a bit.)

Friday, January 19, 1894 ---  Leman and Bert do the chores as usual, and in addition each take two loads of hay to Prattsburgh

January 16 thru 17, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Tuesday, January 16, 1894 --- "So foggy you could see a little bit."  ( a perfect example of Bert's sense of humor and interesting ability to "turn a phrase".)  Leman and Bert do the morning chores, and then Bert cleans out the colt's stable.  Leman does the butter churning, and then goes down to the hollow to "git" the horses shod.  Bert and John clean up some oats and put up a "grist".  (A grist is a quantity of grain that has been cleaned -chaff and hulls removed - for grinding for either cattle feed, or flour for household use.)  Then Bert cleaned out the "bull ranch".  (I assume this is another example of Bert's sense of humor - using the expansive term "ranch" for what was probably a fairly small barn stall for the bull used to breed the cows.)  Charley Corey came by to get his bull and his "farrow" (sic) cow. (I'm assuming this is one of Bert's frequent mis-spellings - fallow would refer to a cow that had not been bred yet?)  They then put up a load of potatoes that night.  The fog has held on all day.


Wednesday, January 17, 1894 --- Leman and Bert go to Naples.  Bert takes the grist to the mill to be ground, and Leman takes forty bushels and 10 pounds of potatoes (2200 pounds - over a ton) and sold them for 45 cents a bushel..... a little over $18. Bert spends 10 cents on beef.

January 14 thru 15, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Sunday, January 14, 1894 --- A fine day - "Sun shone fine all day."  "I helped nock (sic) off six wolf teeth."  (Note:  Wolf teeth are quite small vestigial teeth in a horse's mouth.  They are located in front of the main set of rear teeth.  They would have been removed to prevent future problems with a bit in the horse's mouth.  Wolf teeth would be pushed around by the bit, and cause soreness.)  Bert then went over to Herman's to see how much money he owed him.  (Bert must have not kept very close financial records?)  He also "commenced taking my extract".  I'm thinking maybe the malt extract "tonic" was intended to treat the "colic" and "stomach ache" he mentioned a few days ago?


Wednesday, January 15, 1894 ---  Bert gets up at 4 in the morning.  I don't know if this is early for him, or his usual rising time?  It rains in the afternoon, but Bert declares it a fine morning.  Leman and Bert sit in the house and tinker with a spring seat --- probably a leaf spring mounted seat for a buggy, wagon, or sleigh?  "pa went to penn yan to draw writinings (sic) for his place"  Penn Yan is the county seat of Yates County, where they live.  Maybe this trip is to do paperwork on the purchase of Charley Corey's place?  This is about a 20 mile trip one way. By horseback or sleigh this is a fairly lengthy trip.

January 12 thru 13, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Friday, January 12, 1894 ---  Twelve degrees above zero.  Bert and Leman draw three more loads of firewood from the woods, and then do the noon chores.  They then had dinner (noon meal).  They then hunt up some sacks to draw potatoes in.  They then do the evening chores, and then go to visit Mr. J. G. McConnells.  The temperature remains at twelve degrees all day!


Saturday, January 13, 1894 ---  Ten degrees this morning - Bert walks to town (Naples?) to get a half a dozen safety pins (4 cents), and a bottle of extract of malt for $1.00.  (Note:  Extract of malt is most usually used as a key ingredient in making beer.  Perhaps Bert makes his own home brew?)  He caught a ride home with his father, and then went to Russell Dye's place and then to M.B.Dye's (Milo) for supper.  Bert then went over to Russell's to stay the night.

January 10 thru 11, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Wednesday, January 10, 1894 --- Another fairly typical day.  Bert and Leman do the chores in the morning, and then go to the woods and cut some more firewood.  They also split the wood, and corded it up - three cords.  (A full cord is a large amount of wood. It measures 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by eight feet long (4' x 4' x 8') and has a volume of 128 cubic feet.)

Bert and Leman do the evening chores.  John Babcock went to the "hollow" to get kerosene... not sure if Bert is referring to Ingleside?  Ingleside was known as Riker's Hollow previously.  I'm guessing he bought kerosene from James Avery in Ingleside?

Thursday, January 11, 1894 --- They do the morning chores as usual, and then sit in the house a little while.  (I'm not at all sure why Bert mentions sitting in the house so often. They seem to have a different work ethic than my great great grandfather Henry C. Olney - a neighbor of theirs.  Or maybe Henry just never mentioned rest periods in the same way that he never much mentioned doing the daily morning and evening chores?)  They then went back to the woods and cut and split more firewood. (Note this would have been done with axe and two man crosscut saw.... no power chainsaws in those days!)  They then hitch up the horses, and "drawed" a couple of loads of firewood back to the house.  They then did the evening chores.  Bert notes that it snowed, and "the wind is a rising" tonight.

January 8 thru 9, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Monday, January 8, 1894 --- Bert declares the day "a little windy and bold".  He helps with the chores on his father's farm, and then sits in the house till around noon.  He then went up to brother Herman's place, and then on to Russell M. Dye's place where he works.  He got his dinner (probably his meals are part of the deal working for Russell Dye) and also got $5 in money.  This is probably part or all of his pay for the month?  He notes receiving $5 in the cash accounts pages in the back of the diary.  He then goes to Ingleside and settles accounts with James D. Avery  ( 8 years ago Henry C. Olney bought kerosene from Avery.  Avery was also the blacksmith that did the work on his horses.)  Bert gives Mrs. Avery $2.75 to balance store accounts through today, and then goes home for the night.

Tuesday, January 9, 1894 --- As is often the case, Bert declares it a fine day.  He does the chores as usual, and notes that pa went to Charles Corey's again today about his farm. (I'm not sure if John Babcock is buying or renting the farm?)  Leman  and Bert saw firewood, and then do the evening chores.

January 6 thru 7, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Saturday, January 6, 1894 ---  A cold day again.  Bert sits around the house till noon the day after his Mother's death.  He then goes up to his brother Herman's place, and then over to Russell Dye's place to get his clothes for the funeral.  He works for Russell Dye.


Sunday, Janaury 7, 1894 --- "A cold raw wind today and my dear mother was buried today a long and lonely day"

January 4 thru 5, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest.  If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.
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Thursday, January 4, 1894 --- A nice warm day.  Bert notes that it was 12 above freezing.  As usual, he helped with the morning chores.  His father, John Babcock, goes over to Charles Corey's again and bought a farm from him.  Bert spent part of the day in the house (resting from not feeling well, or maybe sitting with his sick mother?)   He then went into the woods, and worked on cutting more fire wood, and then came in for dinner.  He handled the chores "alone tonight".


Friday, January 5, 1894 --- Bert notes that it is "muddy".


He then notes that "Mother died this forenoon twenty minutes past eleven."  This note is surrounded be a frame of hundreds of dots.

Below is a handwritten note - written by her husband John - giving the particulars of Eliza's death and burial.  I'm not sure of the original source of this note, but I have digital images of several notes written by John Babcock giving family record type information.  These were sent to me by a distant cousin.

Bert goes to Herman's later.

January 2 thru 3, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest. If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.

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Tuesday, January 2, 1894 ---  Bert comments that it is a fine day, but he is not feeling to well, and spends some time sitting around the house.  He helps with the chores and churns some butter.  He also splits some wood  and puts it in the wood house.  He also helps with the evening chores.  Bert mentions that pa (John Babcock) goes over to visit Charley Corey to discuss buying a farm. 

And in another example of his sense of humor about illness, Bert comments that "i am injoying a season of the belly ache"

Wednesday, January 3, 1894 ---  Another fine day, and the sun shines bright all day.  He helps with the chores as usual,  and he cleaned out the hog pen.    He also went into the woods and cut down five trees, and left one standing.  (Possibly he was thinning the woods for fire wood, and leaving some to grow bigger without competition from the neighbor trees.)  He then trimmed branches on four of the five trees he cut down, and prepared them to saw into firewood.  Bert and Leman do the evening chores.  Leman is his brother.  He has another brother Herman Babcock.  Bert concludes by saying he is feeling better tonight.

January 1, 1894

I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest. If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.

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Monday, January 1, 1894 --- Like pretty much all farm diaries of the era, Bert includes mention of the weather pretty much every day. In fact this diary includes "Wea." and "Ther" on either side of the date printed at the top of each page. Bert notes that it is 10 below zero, but he considers it a "fine day". You'll notice that Bert does not use capital letters much. He is at home today, and helps pa (John Babcock) with the chores, including drawing water to wash with. My guess is that drawing water would have meant bringing buckets of water from a nearby creek or spring? The water would have then been heated on the wood stove. Wash usually refers to what we would call doing the laundry, and my guess is that is the case here because Bert notes that "anna came down to do the wash." We do not yet know who Anna is. Anna comes to do the wash because Bert's mother Eliza is very ill. "Dr. Preston came up to see ma."

He does some wood splitting and puts the wood into the wood house --- usually some sort of covered shed type building attached to or very near the back door of the house. He also helps with the evening chores. Bert mentions the chores most every day. Chores would have been the day to day required jobs to keep a farm and family life going. Feeding and milking the cows, feeding and watering the horses, chickens, pigs, and any other farm animals. Gathering eggs, cleaning out the manure, etc. Also included would be hauling in water, bring in firewood, etc. for the household needs.

Bert received a gift of a pocket ink stand from his father.

And in what we will see is sort of a typical wry sense of humor - especially about his own health - Bert notes that "i am injoying the colic" Spelling is not one of Bert's strong writing skills, but his views on life will prove most interesting.