July 7th, 1894 thru July 8th, 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.

Saturday, July 7th, 1894 - Bert worked in the morning - chores, and sharpening a scythe and some "machine knives".  He then seems to take the rest of the weekend off.  More time off than usual.  He changes clothes, and then goes to Prattsburgh, and buys a few things, before heading over home - his father's place to spend the night.  He buys some boot taps for 15 cents, and nails to attach them for 10 cents.  I would think  these would have been for the purpose of making his boots last longer. ( I remember putting metal "taps" on my boots when I was a kid.)  Also bought a fly net for $1.75.  (I'm thinking some sort of netting to go over the bed to keep out flys and mosquitoes?)  And 2 cans of fish for 37 cents.

Sunday, July 8th, 1894 - Bert and his brother Leaman took a walk on Sunday morning and then just sat around and talked till after noon.  Then they hitched up Bert's buggy and went for a ride - First down to Branchport and down the lake shore road to visit the place "Uncle George" used to live.  My friend Rose Thorsen probably will let me know who "Uncle George" is?  They came back home a bit and then headed over to visit the Dye's in Prattsburgh.  Bert comments that he was in Jerusalem, Italy, Pulteney, and Prattsburgh today.

July 5th, 1894 thru July 6th, 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.

 

Thursday, July 5th, 1894 - Bert put Paris Green on the potatoes till around 9AM.  He then spent some time splitting wood, and then off to Mr. Hiller's to borrow another sifter, and then helped Russell load some straw bales at Mr. Avery's.  Then back home to poison potato bugs till chore time.

Friday, July 6th, 1894 - morning chores followed by churning some butter.  Hoed the garden, and then hitched up the stone bolt to haul a barrel of water to the potato patch.  Not sure why.  He then "went poisoning potatoe bugs till noon".  Afternoon spent cultivating corn and potatoes at Milo Dye's place.

July 3, 1894 thru July 4, 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.

Tuesday, July 3, 1894 - Cultivated potatoes at Mr. Avery's place (I believe in Ingleside?) and also on Russell Dye's place.  Russell went to Prattsburgh to get Paris Green, and a Paris Green sifter. He comments that there was "none in town".  Paris Green was a very poisonous green copper and arsenic compound C₄H₆As₆Cu₄O₁₆ used especially formerly as an insecticide and pigment.

 

 

I don't know if it was a difference in farming practices, or what, but 8 years earlier in 1886, my great great grandfather Henry C. Olney talks about the family, including the kids, going out and collecting the potato bugs by hand and putting them in jars. Organic farming before they had a name for it?

Wednesday, July 4, 1984 - Bert does more potato cultivating, and "cleans up" 5 bushels of buckwheat to sell to Nat Clark for 75 cents a bushel.  He also borrowed a sifter from a neighbor - R.C. Phillips - and "fed the potatoe bugs some paris green and plaster." Below is a Sears catalog item that might be the sort of "sifter" used?

Interesting note that July 4th is not mentioned as being a holiday, or anything other than a regular day. 

July 1, 1894 thru July 2, 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.

Sunday, July 1st, 1894 - Bert mentions going to church twice today.  Bert does not seem to be a terribly regular church goer, so this seems a bit unusual.  I'm not sure what church he attended.  It may have been the Ingleside Christian Church, the Old School Baptist Church in Ingleside, or possibly the Italy Valley Church which was just around the corner from where he lived.  If my Dad, or Rose Thorsen, or anyone else, have any info on the church attended by the family, I'd love more information.  He also mentions getting "winter greens" which I would take to refer to wintergreen hard candy?  Wintergreen hard candy would have been common at the time.

Monday, July 2nd, 1894 - Back to work - cultivating corn, potatoes, and preparing the flower bed.

June 29th, 1894 thru June 30th, 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.

Friday, June 29th, 1894 - Bert declares  the day hot - ending in LARGE PRINT!  He worked down in the town of Italy on the roads as part of Milo B. Dye's tax payment.  I remember a similar practice when I was working on my great great grandfather's 1886 diary.  About the same time of year Henry and some of his neighbors do several days of road work in lieu of taxes.
Picture below of a road crew in North Carolina, working out taxes - unknown date.

Saturday, June 30th, 1894 - Another hot day - mentioned in even larger print!  Bert works with a team of horses on more road work for the elder Mr. Dye's taxes in the town of Italy.  He works on this until around 2PM, and then eats, and goes  to work cultivating potatoes for the rest of the afternoon till chore time.

Author's note - check the link below. 
 Oddly enough, in Mexico today, if you are a working artist, you can pay your taxes in art work!

June 27th, 1894 thru June 28th, 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.

Wednesday, June 27th, 1894 - Bert declares it a "nice cool summer day", on which he did more planting work on the summer crop of buckwheat.  He does do chores as always, and "shuts up five sitting hens" to prevent them from trying to hatch eggs.

Thursday, June 28th, 1894 - This time a hot day, but more chores, and more buckwheat planting - this  time on E. Hanyer's place.  Not sure if this was working for E. Hayner, or if Russell Dye is maybe renting land from E. Hayner to grow his own crop?

June 25th, 1894 thru June 26th, 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.

Monday, June 25th, 1894 -  Bert helps with the chores, and  then helps get the sheep in the barn for shearing.  (This confirms that they were washing the sheep/wool a few days back when  they put the sheep into the pond. -- Exactly a week ago!  Homer Fisher sheared them (probably required some practice/skill to do this smoothly and without harming the sheep?)  Russell tied up the wool.  Bert spent the day dragging 5 acres of buckwheat ground, twice.  He then helped with the chores as usual.  He also got the buckwheat seed from Milo Dye's place.

Tuesday, June 26th, 1894 - Bert helped with the chores again, and also helped get more sheep into the barn for shearing. A second day of shearing - not sure how many sheep they had, or how long it takes to shear a sheep.  Here is a link to a video of  shearing sheep with hand clippers.

You can buy some sheep shearing scissors on Amazon here!

Bert cleaned up the buckwheat seed, drilled the 5 acres, and then went down to Sheldon Fishers to pick up Russell's roller to roll some of the buckwheat before doing chores.  Rolling would have packed down the buckwheat seed into the ground to ensure good germination.  Chores as usual