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

June 23rd, 1894 thru June 24th, 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, June 23rd, 1894 - Another hot day, and Bert cultivated potatoes until 5 o'clock, on Russell's place, and then they tinkered around in the barn till chore time. (I'm finding myself confused about the time in some of Bert's entries.  I think I'm remembering another day recently when he did something till 5, and then did more stuff later?)  After chores, he and Russell went to Naples, where Bert got a pair of shoes for $1.50. and a 5 cent glass of soda  water.

Sunday, June 24th, 1894 - "Hot as dutch love"  This phrase I was able to find - not sure of the exact origin, but it evidently was commonly used - see postcard below!

Bert goes back over to Uncle Robert's place, and  takes Allie back home.  Allie (Alice) is Uncle Robert Burnett's daughter - Bert's niece - age 19.  Uncle Robert is Bert's mother's brother.  Leman Babcock was over at Robert's place, and Bert brought him back home - in the rain.  Bert complains about getting his new buggy muddy! He has only had it about a month.

 

June 21st, 1894 thru June 22nd, 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, June 21st, 1894 -- Short entry - cultivated potatoes, fixed fence, done chores - Hot

Friday, June 22nd, 1894 - "Hot, Hotter, Hottist"  Bert "staked" some rail fence, and then got two more loads of rails, and fixed some more fence.  Bert went to the woods and cut some poles to go on the top of some wire fence. I'm guessing the rail fence was something like the one in the picture below?

 

Later, Bert's brother Herman - my great grandfather - brought him 65 cents worth of Glycerine and Whiskey.  65 cents sounds like a pretty good price for a pint! - I'm wondering if this was area home brew - maybe even Herman brewed it?  (Glycerine is added to cheaper grades of alcoholic beverages to make them more "smooth".  I find this interesting as I'm fairly sure that alcohol never was part of my Grandmother's life - Herman's daughter.  I'm wondering if maybe the men folk had their drink "hidden" from the rest of the family,  This is  the second mention of alcoholic beverages by Bert.) 

Bert built some more fence around the garden area, and then Russell and Bert put up a wire fence "acrost the rode" from the house, and let two of the horses - Kit and Glory - outdoors for the first time this season. Then chores of course.  Bert ends the day's story with "Amen".  I think he thought this was a lot to have accomplished on a "Hot, Hotter, Hottist" day!