May 2, 1894 thru May 3, 1894

If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. 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. 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 ..... especially with input on Bert's coded entries?

Wednesday, May 2, 1894 --- Bert declares it "a cool nice day to drag", and indeed he spends the day dragging - about 7 acres in the forenoon. Russell does the sowing with the drill. In the afternoon both Russell and Bert dragged a field at S. C. Avery's place. The day ends with chores of course.

Thursday, May 3, 1894 --- A hot day, and Bert went to Milo Dye's place and got 15 bushels of seed oats to sow on the Avery place. Presumably Russell sowed these oats, and Bert spent the rest of the day dragging. Bert reports that he "commenced to grunt". I presume this to be a sign of some sort of medical problem. A medical dictionary defines grunting as abnormal, short, deep, hoarse sounds in exhalation that often accompany severe chest pain. The grunt occurs because the glottis briefly stops the flow of air, halting the movement of the lungs and their surrounding or supporting structures. Grunting is most often heard in a person who has pneumonia, pulmonary edema, or fractured or bruised ribs. Given his symptoms described over the next few days, I would guess he had pneumonia or a severe cold?

Bert's codes are a bit hard to decifer? He tends to spell badly anyway, and there may be some additional errors in his use of his code? Our earlier deciphering of 19.8.9.20 as s.h.i.t seemed to fit nicely in an entry about hauling manure, so a straight substitution code - A=1, b=2, etc. seems right.

18.21.19.13.15?.12.12, 13.15.5.15.4.25.5
rusmoll m oeo dye ???????

I assume this code translates to Russell Moses Dye - Bert's employer.

Bert then reports that R. Moses Dye took the old sow off. A sow is a female pig, and the second code here translates well --- 20.15 2.15.1.18 --- to boar. This would refer to taking the sow to visit a male pig at somebody else's farm for breeding purposes. The smaller three or four number code makes no sense to me -- 19.14.2.8 ---- snbh

Any help with reading these numbers or with decoding options will be appreciated!