A FARMER'S DIARY by CHARLES HENRY CUSHMAN Submitted by Max B Cushman MAY 1895
From Book #1 - dated at Annawan, Illinois. 01 Lydia Bur & I went to Kewanee I took Mr Bowen a load of kindling wood bought 6 bu of potatoes. Jack commenced harrowing to plant corn. 02 I planted potatoes in the forenoon Jack finished harrowing down the 80. In the afternoon I plowed & Jack commenced to plant Jack went to the Maypole dance in Annawan at night. 03 (website note: no entry in what we received for this date) 04 Jack planted corn in the forenoon I plowed it rained in the afternoon we fixed pasture fence. 05 I took Mrs M. & Reava over to Kewanee, came home by Fathers got snme butter & pieplant Jack went home. Lydia & Bur was down to Rocky's 06 I plowed & Jack planted corn. John F. was here to see if he could get a load of corn. 07 I plowed & Jack finished planting on the 80 & planted the 10 acre piece. 08 Jack commenced planting on the 20, I finished plowing. 09 I harrowed & Jack finished planting today. 10 Jack harrowed & I finished planting potatoes, planted the squash seed too. Turned very cold at night. 11 Jack finished harrowing in the fore noon & we all went to Kewanee inthe afternoon I ordered me a suit of clothes at Johnsons for $33 12 Sunday We stayed at home all day Father & Mother was over. 13 I went to Annawan & ordered a car to ship my hogs, went to Mineral & sold 3200 bu of corn in the afternoon I went over to Courie to see when they could come & shell my corn 14 Modest Ben & Jim R Helped haul my hogs to town John W hauled one load in the afternoon I shipped 65. Ella came over 15 Jack & I hauled corn to Annawan for Modest It rained all the afternoon John went home 16 Jack & I built fence in the forenoon. Jack went after a load of coal After dinner, Irve Heape bought two shoats of me. Lydia & Ella went to Kewanee. John brought over a load at night. 17 Jack & Ella went to Annawan after meat & butter. The shellers came out & shoveled, got draft for my hogs amt $609.03. 18 Shelled corn all day Ed & Will McC shoveled John hauled 3 loads 19 We took Ella home & then went to Aunt Sallies for dinner. 20 Jack John & I hauled 3 loads of corn for Hugh Warnick & 6 loads for Shaw. Went to look at my corn & found I would have to plant 30 acres over. 21 Jack commenced planting corn I harrowed and cultivated. John W. hauled two loads of corn to Mineral. 22 Jack finished planting at noon I cultivated & John hauled corn. He went home at night. 23 I hauled two loads in the fornoon John came back and Kimerling sent a team we took four loads in afternoon. Jack cultivated all day. 24 John & I hauled corn We finished hauling there was all together 3526 bu, got a draft on bank for $1593.22 25 I went to Kewanee paid Bowen his rent $1205.25 paid Whitening's note and left $700 in the First National Bank got my suit and paid $33.00 for them paid Jack $70.00 that I borrowed of him. Money left at bank was from the hogs & corn. 26 Sunday Jack went home, we went down to Rockyfellows. Addie & Al come out after dinner. 27 I went over to Fathers took him two pigs dug a ditch so the colts would get water. Jack plowed corn. 28 We plowed corn all day 29 I got two shirts & 3 pr. socks for Jack $1.25 We plowed corn, Lydia & Bur went to Kewanee her Mother & Rena went to New York. 30 Today is decoration day I did not go any where John Emma & the children came over Lydia went with them up to Fairview. Jack went to Annawan in the afternoon. 31 We plowed corn all day.
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