Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives

Source: October 1983 Volume 21 Number 4, Pages 137–146

Day-to-Day Life on a Family Farm at the turn of the Century

Annie Potts Walker

Page 137

For almost three years, from September 1, 1897 through July 9, 1900, Annie Potts Walker kept a daily record of the weather and her activities.

At the time she was living with her father, Havard Walker, on the old Walker farm, "The Meadows", in the Great Valley of Tredyffrin Township. Other members of the household included an older sister, Mary Jane (or "Mary J.") and a nephew, Walter Havard Walker, then 19 and the son of a younger brother, William, who had passed away. Another brother, Jesse, had moved to Pittsburgh after graduation from the Polytechnic School of Philadelphia, and was head of the Shifflee Bridge Building Company, which he had founded. He later returned to Tredyffrin to live on the same farm.

Havard Walker, 82 years old at the time his daughter began this record, was a sixth-generation direct descendant of Lewis Walker, who is reputed to have been the first settler in Tredyffrin. He had served on the school board, except for one term, since 1854, and was to continue on the board until his death in April of 1902. On the day of his funeral all the Tredyffrin schools were closed, and the pupils sent roses in his memory.

The other persons mentioned are for the most part neighbors - and in many cases relatives as well - or are otherwise identified.

The record gives a picture of the day-to-day happenings on a family farm just before the turn on the twentieth century. One of the most surprising features is the mobility of the family, with frequent trips to Norristown and Phoenixville, as well as to Philadelphia by train (always "in the train", not "on" it.)

A transcription of the record, line by line, begins on the next page.

Page 138

1897 Annie P. Walker

Sept 1st Weather fine, sunny in the afternoon. Mary J, & I finished weeding the strawberry bed. Took off some peaches.

Sept 2nd Heavy rain, with thunder & lightning at three o'clock in the morning. Clear with north wind in the afternoon. Cousin Mary Hoops buried at the Valley grave yard. A beautiful day.

Sept 4th Clear all day. Walter went to West Chester after the blanket he & father left in the hotel last week. Jesse came this evening.

Sept 5th Weather cool at night, warm in the middle of the day, clear. Wm Stevens & wife 8c Nathan R. Walker & wife were here to tea.

Sept 6th Weather clear. We washed this morning. Nathan Walker & nine men came to thrash & were here to dinner, & the nine men were here to supper. Mary J. was to Morristown for provision, & while she was gone callers came Elizabeth Hallowell, Esther Hampton & Bertha. Jesse went away this morning.

Sept, 7th Wind, east, weather clear, & warmer. The thrashers find shed & went away about four o'clock this afternoon. I took a basket full of peaches off one of the trees in the yard, two limbs broke on another peach tree from the weight of the fruit. 288 bus of wheat & 100 of rye. It was the second year we thrashed by steam.

Sept 8th Weather fair, warm, & sultry, wind east. Ironed this morning. Mary J. has been assisting with the milking for several days, some of the cows have the cow pox very badly, & are very troublesome to milk.

Sept 9th Very warm & sultry, clear. Father & Mary J. went to monthly meeting this morning & to Maggie Thomas' this evening. Carrie Thomas passed meeting.

Sept 10th Very warm, dear. I went to Philadelphia this morning, was-not very much inconvenienced by the heat, came up at two o'clock.

Sept 11th Wind west, still very warm, did the usual Seventhday work. This afternoon commenced a bureau scarf of drawn work for Carrie Thomas. Walter took 51 bus of wheat to Norristown, got $.90 a bus for it, if it had not so much garlic in it could have gotten .93 for it.

Sept 12th Cloudy & cool, temperatures fell twenty degrees since yeaterday. Went to meeting this morning. Mary J. & I went to Pennypackers this afternoon, had a very pleasant call. Jim Richards was here to supper.

Sept 13th Warmer, wind southeast. Washed this morning, mowed the lawn this afternoon. The men cleared out the trash & weeds in the quarry & commenced to cut corn.

Sept 14th Cooler this morning, wind north. Were interrupted this morning by a call from Dr Underwood a descendant of the Walkers of York County. He at present resides in Washington City, He stayed to dinner, & afterwards visited Rehobeth & other places of interest connected with the family. Also visited Valley Forge. Father was his conductor. This afternoon Mrs McPherson & Edith called.

Sept 15th Clear & cool, very dry & dusty. Took off corn to dry. This afternoon Father & Mary J. went to Norristown. Kinzey's from Bridgeport & Mary Jane Johns were here a few minutes, but not in the house. Dr Dengler came to see the cows.

Sept 16th Clear, warm & sultry. Father and Mary J. were at meeting this morning

Sept 17th Thunder showers last night, clear & warm this morning, wind changed about two o'clock to west & is quite cool with high wind. Cows getting better very little rain last night

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Sept, 18th Cool clear & pleasant, very dry

Sept, 19 Clear & cool. Temperance conference at the meeting house this afternoon. Address by Joseph S. Walton which was very much liked by the audience. A short address by Jos. Scull The audience was small, Annie Way, Annie Bean & Jos. Scull were here to dinner, & the first two to supper, Father talcing them to the train at Naple after.

Sept 20th Clear & cold, wind northwest, feels like frost if the wind falls. Mary J. took up the begonias this evening.

Sept 21st Clear & cold. Mary J. went to Norristown to narket. Father went to Macnamee's at Strafford to a funeral. Walter took 80 bus of wheat to Paoli to sell, is to have ninety cts. a bus for it. Aunt Anna Jones & Lily, & a cousin from Indianapolis, Emma Potts, were here to dinner. We had fire on the hearth in the sitting room, & in the evening I made some fire in the dining room stove.

Sept 22 Clear & cool, wind east, cloudy this evening. Walter took eighty bus of rye to Paoli, at forty-two cents a bus. Mary J. took up some plants.

Sept 23rd Wind northeast, cold & rainy. Received invitations to Carrie Thomas's wedding (Mary J. & I).

Sept 24 Cloudy all day, warmer. Walter took out 84. bus of wheat.

Sept 25 Clear & mild a beautiful day. Walter went off early this morning for the city. I finished the drawn work in the bureau scarf I am doing for Carrie Thomas. Tom took the last load of wheat, altogether it has amounted to 228 1/3 bus taken to Paoli,

Sept 26 A very pleasant day clear& mild quite warm. This afternoon Father & I went to Providence Meeting House to attend a special meeting by Isaac Hillborn. He spoke well. I had never been there before & quite enjoyed both the ride & the visit to the old meeting house. In the grave yard is a long row of graves of the Robinson family.

Sept 27 Cool & north wind. Washed & ironed.

Sept 28 Frost this morning. Brisk north wind. Father & Mary J. went to Norristown for provisions. I finished the bureau scarf for Carrie Thomas. Walter commenced to drill in his wheat. Lucy Bright came to bring a letter, received by cousin Mary Walker from Jennie Evans Smith of Emerson Ohio, saying she & her husband contemplated paying us a visit.

Sept 29 Clear & cool. Frost this morning. I picked a basket of peaches off the trees in the garden. Mowed the yard for the last time I think. Mary J. ft I hemmed napkins for Carrie Thomas, & M. J. marked them.

Sept 30 Clear & cool. I spent all the forenoon picking apples for cider & applebutter. Mary J. & I pared & cut apples for tomorrow.

Oct 1st Got up at four o'clock & got the cider on & boiling before six o'clock. The applebutter was done by two in the afternoon. Weather quite warm.

Oct 2nd Cloudy & cool wind northeast. Made another kettle of applebutter. Will came at noon, in the afternoon went to Pawling & stayed all night. Did not rain any.

Oct 3rd Clear. We went to meeting, found Will here when we came home. Hannah Mary Davis & Mary Feart came to call, stayed to supper, & had it early for Will to go to the station. Mary J. took him to Strafford to take the train for Phila. Mary J. set the plants in it was so cold.

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Oct 4th Clear with a heavy frost. I cleaned the sitting so the plants could be fixed for the winter. Mary J. finished marking the napkins for Carrie Thomas. About noon Mary Peart came to take some photographs of the yard, with the flowers, she took two views one looking up the terrace steps & the other from the top of the yard. Lucy Bright called for a few minutes in the early evening. I made a coal fire in the dining room.

Oct 5th Clear with heavy frost & a little ice, Ue washed & ironed &s preserved peaches.

Oct 6th Fair & warmer. Father & Mary J, went to Merion Meeting, to hold preparative meeting. They took some flowers to Joseph Thonas's for decoration.

Oct 7th Fair & pleasant, with some light clouds, & a little sprinkle of rain this morning. We went to meeting & from there Father took Mary J. & me to Jos, Thomas's for Carrie's wedding which took place at twelve o'clock. It was a very pretty & solemn wedding. Ue came away about three o'clock.

Oct 8th Clear & cooler. Jennie Evans Smith and her husband Horace from Emerson Ohio arrived about noon, Walter bringing them from the station on his way from Wayne.

Oct 9th Clear. Father took Horace out this morning to see the sights. This afternoon Father, Horace Jennie & I called at Richards's. The three Richards girls & Jim spent the evening here. The first meeting of the Literary for this season was held this evening but we did not attend.

Oct 10th Went to meeting this morning, from there to cousin Joes to dinner, from there to Ed. Conards to supper taking our Ohio cousins with us. Clear & cool.

Oct 11th Cloudy but no rain, high southeast wind, very dry & dusty. Father & I took the Ohio cousins to Caleb Hallowells & left them there for a visit of a few days. From there they will go to the city. We came home to supper.

Oct 12th Warm & sultry with southeast wind commenced to rain about ten o'clock. We washed, but did not get the clothes dry. Father & I went to Norristown this afternoon. Mary J. cleaned some house. We brought the wax plant in. Father bought a new lightweight overcoat.

Oct 13th Clear & cool. Cleaned two rooms in the forenoon & ironed in the afternoon.

Oct 14th Father & Mary J. went to monthly meeting this morning returned home about 1.30 bringing Emma Walter with them. They met her at Strafford on their way to meeting & took her with them. This afternoon Mary J. & Emma went to call on Mrs Anna Holstein, had a delightful call. Weather clear & pleasant. The report of the overseers at Carrie Thomas wedding was given at the monthly meeting by Wm West, as follows. The marriage was conducted with solemnity & moderation, the license had been procured notice sent to the court & the the certificate recorded, with the remark also that a number of ministers were present who gave good counsel.

Oct 15 Warm & clear. A strange cousin, Nathan U. Walker, from Wellsville Ohio who came yeaterday to visit the original home of Lewis Walker in this country, & who stayed here all night went away this morning. We started a collection toward raising a stone to mark the grave of Lewis Walker who gave the ground for the meeting house & graveyard. We think if the descendants interested, each contributes .ten cents we can easily raise enough. Mary J. & Enma went to Norristown this afternoon. They crossed the river at Port Kennedy & went by way of Jeffersonville, because a new paving is being laid on DeKalb street & it is unpleasant driving that way.

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Oct 16th Clear & very warm. Father & I went to cousin Susanna Roberts's to a dinner party given in honor of her eightieth birth day. Lydia Stevens & Isabel, Pauline Lewis, a Harry Wells, & we were the only guests besides the immediate family.

Oct 17th Clear & very much cooler with high wind. I stayed home this morning from meeting expecting Mary White & Warren Walter, They arrived about eleven o'clock. We enjoyed a few hours of their company, they started to return at 2.00 expecting to reach home at 5.30. They drove. Emma went on the train & left at about three o'clock, Mary J. took her to the station. After they started Father ' walked up to Cousin Joes for a little call.

Oct 18th Clear & cold almost freezing. We did not wash. Father & I went to Norristown this morning, Mary J. & I picked apples this afternoon, apples are scarce, but we think we will have enough to last us through the winter.

Oct 19th Washed, Weather dull, wind east. Father has a cold, Walter worked on the road hauling spalls.

Oct 20th Cloudy & threatened rain all day but did not amount to much. We cleaned our room this morning & ironed this afternoon. Father was sick & laid around most of the day, seems better this evening. Mary J. pared the last of the peaches this morning. Walter went on the road again.

Oct 21st Cloudy & dull not very cold. Father & Mary J. went to meeting this morning & to Maggie Thomas's sale this afternoon. Everything was offered for sale, the lot, stock & farming equipment & household goods. The lot was offered for bids twice, but did not get beyond $3000 & was not sold. Everything else was sold, some of the goods for very little.

Oct 22nd Cloudy, wind northeast, cool. Father & I went to Norristown, got paint to paint the middle room, entry & stairway. It started to rain when we were coming home & has rained nearly all the rest of the day. We cleaned Walter's room & I quilted some.

Oct 23rd Cloudy, wind northeast. Father & I went to Norristown this morning on business at the bank in regard to Mrs Stevens1s check. Swept this afternoon. Mary J. put a pane of glass in the meetinghouse window. I got ready to go to the Literary this evening but my cold seemed so much worse I decided not to go. We all have colds.

Oct 24th Cloudy & dull this morning commencing to rain about noon but not steadily until about four o'clock. Father & Mary J. & I walked to meeting this morning. We had quite a full meeting. Mary J. & I went to Albert Crawfords this afternoon to see Mary Corson, she is terribly afflicted with rheumatic gout & is not able to walk, or use her hands but very little. We reached home about five o'clock. Walter went to Phila. to see his mother.

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Oct 25 Stormy & rainy all day, we did not wash, but painted the staircase & the two passages above, & got ready the middle room for painting. Jim Richards was here a short while in the afternoon.

Oct 26 A little dull this morning but cleared about eight o'clock. We washed & ironed, Received a letter from Jesse saying to meet him at the station, as he expected to spend the night with us, but he did not come, but sent word that he had been called to New York Father was at the Teachers Institute at Norristown.

Oct 27th Clear. Mary J. & I painted the middle room. Father went to Institute this afternoon. We gathered in the last of the sweet corn, & tomatoes ripe & green. I have been getting only one egg a day for about two weeks.

Oct 28 Clear & warm. Mary J. started for Chelten Hills this morning, going as far as Norristown with Father she expects to stay until to-morrow.I fixed up the middle room, & this afternoon quilted some. It is cloudy & looks like rain this evening.

Oct 29 Clear & pleasant. Father went to Institute this afternoon. Mary J. came home with him, & Priscilla Heacock came with her.

Oct 30 Clear & cool. Father went to Paoli this morning took Priscilla with him, he took her to Valley Forge too. This afternoon I took Priscilla to Colket Walker's to see little Mary.

Oct 31 Clear & cold this morning with heavy frost & ice. Warmer this evening, with indications of rain. All went to meeting this morning Mary Walker came to see Priscilla & was here to dinner. Mary J. took Priscilla to Strafford to go down in the 3.3O train. She called at McPhersons on her way home.

Nov 1st Rained all day. We did not wash, but finished the painting, did the stairway passages & hall. Father went to meet the School Board. Walter went gunning, shot six rabbits, brought four home.

Nov 2nd Rainy this morning. Mary J. & Father went to Norristown to market. I washed. After dinner it cleared we put the clothes out & they dried ebough to iron.

Nov 3rd Clear & pleasant, We ironed. This afternoon we finished the quilt.

Nov 4th Clear & cool. We cleaned the dining room Thomas Stilfield cleaned out the flue of the parlor chimney, there was an obstruction built in to accommodate the pipe from the fireplace stove, & it was so choked up with dirt that it would not draw, he had to tear out a part of the wall in the room above where the register was & removed the obstruction & dirt & opened the flue, then he walled up the gap & the register flue. The strives were brought from Norristown, & put up for the winter. Mary J. churned & made butter & went to meeting. Mary J. & I went to Jos. Thomas's to see Ed on business this evening. Finished husking corn had very heavy crop crib full & a lot in wagon house.

Nov 5 Clear, wind east, cloudy this evening. Mary J. & I cleaned the kitchen.

Nov 6 Rained last night, clearing today. Did our usual Seventhday work. Will Ferris came this evening walked from the station at Strafford. Father want to meet him, but he came in a later train. He took me to the Literary, which met at Janes Abrahams. The exercises were well selected & well rendered. The entertainment was principally musical. I made a fire in the sitting room stove.

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Nov 7 Clear & cool. Father & Mary J, went to meeting Will went to Valley Forge to church. Walter went away right after dinner. Aunt Annie Jones & Lily came about three o'clock were here to supper. Mary J. took Will to Strafford to take the train for home.

Nov 8 Rained all day. We washed this morning. This afternoon Father took me to Ed. Conards where I was invited to meet Isaac Walker Dr Force & Mr Zessenger from Girard College & Dr Greenwalt from Phila. Had a pleasant evening socially. The gentlemen went back to the city in the evening train, after supper. Winfield Conard brought me home.

Nov 9 It was very rainy this morning. Father & I went to Phila. to quarterly meeting. We went to Walters' to dinner, came out in the 3.40 train to Strafford, where Walter met us. The weather cleared this afternoon with high wind.

Nov 10 Clear & pleasant. We ironed this morning. Father & Mary J, went to Norristown this afternoon, for provisions &c. Tom finished sorting potatoes, a light crop. The apples are not keeping well.

Nov 11 Wind east. Mary J. churned and made butter. I painted the steps. Emma Huse & Annie called for a few minutes. It commenced to rain about noon & rained hard the rest of the day.

Nov 12 Clear with high west wind. Father took the marketing to Wayne 6 Strafford, Walter went to George Laird's funeral,

Nov 13th Clear, wind very high quite cold, Mary J, started early this morning to take her Firstday School class to Phila to visit the Academy of Natural Sciences & other places of interest, she returned home about six o'clock, they had a delightful day. Walter went to Phila his afternoon.

Nov 14th Clear this morning, clouded up this afternoon & commenced to rain this evening We went to meeting this morning. The Quarterly meeting committee visited our meeting this morning, Annie Smith & Sarah Linvill came home with us to dinner. Mary J. took them to the station at King of Prussia this evening.

Nov 15 Rainy. We did not wash. Mary J.& I went to Norristown & bought the carpet for the upper hall ways, we got ten yards. This afternoon Mary J. & Rebecca West went to Flowers on meeting business, Walter & Tom killed a small pig.

Nov 16 It was still rainy this morning we washed. The clouds lifted about nine o'clock, we put the clothes out & they dried very nicely. This afternoon Father had some business to transact at Bank & I went with him, Mary J. did the scrapple.

Nov 17 Fair & cold. We ironed. Mary J. made some sausage.

Nov 18 Clear & cold, ice on tubs & buckets of firm thickness. Father & Mary J. went to monthly meeting. Mary J. took the train at Wayne for Phila, she went to see Fanny Balderston,who is not well. Father visited a school & then met M. J. at Strafford this evening they got home about six.

Nov 19 Clear & cool. Mary J, picked a pair of chickens for market.

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Nov 20 Cloudy & dull. Walter took me to the Literary this morning; it met at Mark Supplees. We got home at 11.30.

Nov 21st Clear & very pleasant. Mary J. and Father went to meeting. Jim Richards & Havard & Hannah Mary & Ellen Davis were here this afternoon, the last two came to bring photographs of parts of our yard taken last summer by Mary Peart. They make very pretty pictures.

Nov 22 Cloudy this morning but cleared about nine o'clock. Clouded up again in thr afternoon, wind north by northwest. Hail & raining this evening.

Nov 23 Clear this morning, west wind, it snowed in the night & the ground covered. Walter took a sleigh ride around the meadow, so he could say he had gone sleighing before Thanksgiving day. It has been quite cold all day & the snow is still on the ground in many places.

Nov 24. Clear & cold this morning. Mary J. cleaned the cellar. I cleared the chicken house & sewed.

Nov 25 Cloudy & warmer. Thanksgiving day. Jesse came from Phila & took dinner with us I took him to the station about four o'clock to return to the city. Walter was away all day.

Nov 26th commenced raining last evening & has rained all day, with a warm south wind, Lizzie Tinny was here awhile this' afternoon. Father took her home.

Nov 27th Wind changed this morning to the west & it is much cooler. Mary J. went up to see the aunt Marys this afternoon, she found them about as usual. Father called at Roberts's.

Nov 28 A cold northeast wind. There has been no one here all day, the first in a long time,

Nov 29th Rainy until evening, when the wind changed to the west & it is now clear.

Nov 30 30 Clear & cold, the ground has been frozen all day. Mary J. & Father went to Norristown this afternoon. Father is not very well this evening I have the rheumatism in my back.

Dec 1 Still cold. Father is better this morning. Walter killed a hog to sell, & also killed a pig for us. The hog weighed 250 lbs.

Dec 2 A cold north wind. Father & I drove to Berwyn this morning, left our horse at the livery stable & took the train to West Chester, where I attended the Teaxhers' Institute & he the Directors meeting. We left West Chester at two o'clock to come home. We got our team & then made a call on Mrs Annie Miller at Berwyn.

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Dec 3 A cold rain,' freezing as it fell. I helped Mary J. a little, with the butcher work, she made sausage & scrapple. My back is still bad.

Dec 4 It has been rainy all day & very icy. Father has been in the house nearly all day. Walter took him to Port Kennedy this afternoon to be shaved.

Dec 5 Colo & clear. Father & Mary J. went to meeting Will Lewis came just before the folks got home,& was here to dinner & supper, & started home just after supper,

Dec .6 Cold & cloudy, west wind. My back is better.

Dec 7 Clear & pleasant. Mary J. & I went to Phila this morning, we each got a dress, I, a black serge & she a sort of olive, maroon stripe. We bought a few Christmas presents, & a cover for a chair in our room. Reached home about 4.3O.

Dec 8 Clear & pleasant. Ironed this morning & this afternoon drove up to Pennypackers on an errand. Were there about an hour.

Dec 9 Foggy this morning clearing about 11 o'clock Father & Mary J. went to monthly meeting at Radnor this norning, got home about 1 o'clock. Mary J. and I finished laying the brick walk in the front yard. My back feels very tired this evening.

Dec 10 Warm & pleasant, Mary J. raked some of the leaves up in the yard & Tom hauled them away. Father & I went to Norristown. I got the acid for my battery.

Dec 11 Warm, wind south. We had callers this afternoon cousin Samuel Richards his wife & a cousin of theirs from Minnesota, a stranger to us. She came to look up some records of her family, but we could not aid her much, Father not being at home.

Dec 12 Cloudy, but pleasant. Father & Mary J. went to meeting this morning, & this afternoon went to Conshohocken fora call, found the folks at home. Jim Richards was here to supper.

Dec 13 Fair. Mary J. worked in the strawberry bed in the garden this afternoon.

Dec 14 Rained hard all day, wind very high part of the day.

Dec 15 Wind west but not clear quite a shower in the afternoon. Mary J.&I went to Benjamin Abrahams this afternoon to call on Maggie Thomas. Stopped at Ed Conard for a few minutes on our way home. This morning I varnished the wardrobe the washstand & a few other things.

Dec 16 Fair, wind east.

Dec 17 East wind, weather dull, with rain this evening. Father & Mary J. were at Horristown this morning. Got some nuts &c to make some candy & give the Firstday school children a little treat. Lucy Bright was down this afternoon & told us a little baby gir came to Charley Walkers yesterday afternoon.

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Dec 18 Fair & cold. Mary J. attempted to work in the strawberry bed, but found it too cold. I did not go to the Literary as my back was not well enough.

Dec 19 Fair & cold, lie all went to meeting. E. Hern came about one o'clock, & went away again with Walter. Ho one else was here all day.

Dec 20 Dull& cloudy this norning. It commenced to snow about one o'clock, turning to rain in about an hour, continued raining lightly& freezing until evening, is very icy this morning. Mary J. & Father went up to the hill to see Bina, took her some provisions, & clothing.

Dec 21 Wind west, but cloudy all day. We ironed & baked this morning, made some candy this afternoon.

Dec 22 Cloudy & cool. I commenced to work at the cover for the big chair in our room.

Dec 23 Cold west wind with a flurry of snow about noon. I thought perhaps it would be a blizzard, but did not amount to much. I finished the chair. Colder this evening.

Dec 24. Very cold this morning wind high mercury 11. Mary J. & Walter went to Norristown this afternoon. I baked this morning.

Dec 25 A beautiful Christmas day, cold & dear Father, Mary J. & I went to Conshohocken to dinner. Herman, Mattie 6 the children were there. Margaret & Will Miller, & Will Lizzie & their children. We had a very nice time

Dec 26 It was snowing this morning when we got up, & continued until noon. It is warmer this evening 27 & dear. We have been home all day except that Mary J. & Father were at meeting this morning. No one was here.

Dec 27 Clear & cold 11 this morning. Got through with the washing, & made some candy this afternoon. Found E. Hern here when we came down this morning. Sent a cow to be killed for beef.

Dec 28 Clear & cold 1. We ironed & made candy. The beef was brought home this evening.

Dec 29 Fair & cold. Jesse came this evening & is going to stay all night.

Dec 30 Fair. Walter took Jesse to the station this morning to go dowm in the 7.20 train. He then went to Norristown, for a visit of a few days. This afternoon we gave the Firstday School children a treat at the meeting house. Several of them spoke or read selections, after the exercises we distributed the bags of candy & oranges & bananas. I think all of us enjoyed it.

Dec 31 Clear & cold. We spent most of the day getting ready for The Social aid & Literary Society which is to meet here to-morrow afternoon & evening. E. Hern came up from the city & he & Walter have gone to a party at the King hall.

Jan 1 1898 The wind rose with a flurry of snow about ten o'clock last evening. It stopped snowing & cleared about midnight, & has been very cold to-day & evening with a high wind from the west. Most of the members of the Social Aid, who usually attend, were present & we commenced the work for the season. There were about twenty strangers here to supper. The Literary entertainment in the evening I think was

to be continued (next installment - part 2)