One word comes to mind when I read these entries. Well, many come to mind, but WORK seems to be the overall theme here. Lots of work. This was clearly a working farm. A hard-working farm. In fact, I'm tired just reading and transcribing these entries.
Now, she mentions they bought a bull from the Franklins. There are a couple of Franklin households right there in Collins so I imagine this is who she bought the bull from.
Another thing that stands out to me in these entries is the fact that the livestock aspect of their farm seems to be larger than the farming aspect. And another thing is that Great Uncle Donald insisted they were poor. Very poor. But? They rented a telephone in 1918. They bought an organ too. Or maybe she donated money towards their church's organ because $6 is pretty cheap for an organ. That seems more plausible. She's not clear about this. [And I need to get my hands on some Story County and Collins newspapers to figure this out. You know that if the church needed a new organ, that was in the papers.]
But? Clearly they worked hard for what they had, and I find some of these and future entries very interesting. [Remember: I cheated and read ahead.] And I'll explore them a little more in later posts. And I wonder who got the fur lined coat? And what was the title of the book that was bought March 9th? And whose was it? Was it a good read? And whose glasses were those? Yours, Pearl? Were they the ones pictured above? Or did you purchase drinking glasses?
Pearl continues to tease me. But? She keeps me coming back for more. Well played, Pearl. Well played. [Did you play the organ, too, Pearl?!?]
~Caroline
[Page 23; The pages are lined and pre-numbered.]
Jan. 1st 1918
Bought
Jan 2 Expenses $4.60
“ 9 store bill .50
“ 12 “ .78
“ 5 work on wagon $5.00
“ “ coal + tar paper $11.50
“ 15 salt + blanket 5.25
“ store bill .60
“ 23 “ “ .45
“ “ glasses $6.00
“ 26 traded with butter $5.23
“ 29 bought bull of $50.00
Franklins
Feb. 1 store bill $5.75
“ “ harness 1.65
“ “ fur coat lined $15.90
“ “ store bill & shoe
repair 1.35
“ 8 apples .25
“ 13 store bill $1.35
“ 12 shoe repair .70
“ “ wash machine $6.00
“ store bill 1.58
“ 18 organ $6.00
“ 20 fish + other expenses $3.85
“ 23 expenses $2.88
“ 25 harness $50.00
“ “ show repair .75
“ 28 harness oiled $1.00
Mch. 2 horse shoeing $1.75
“ 9 shoes & book $4.56
“ 13 telephone rent $9.00
“ 23 wheat $5.
“ 26 potatoes $3.00
[Page 24]
Apr. 2 Seed & tankage $15.50
“ 23 lumber + wire $20.
“ 27 potatoes $1.96
“ 29 toothbrush + paste .65
May 5 expenses, coal + 2 $28.05
“ 14 hog waterer $20.
“ 5 sheep $85
“ “ lumber sawing $9.00
“ thrashing bill $50.
“ pasture 50
“ hog $35
Sept 2 sheep $28
28 oil and tank $36
Oct 5 sheep $50
potatoes $40
gates $22.50
tankage $5.50