Wednesday, July 22, 1931

Papa & Rosalia duged [sic] potatoes this morning.  Bertille baked bread & coffeecake.  This afternoon the threshing machines where all going to start again, but around 1 o clock we had a shower rain, so that put them back another day, I guess.  Just before noon today, there was a car passed here, with 4 ladies dressed as gypsies.  Clifford told us they took $15.00 from George Neff, the two of them where in Eichenseer’s store.  Clifford brought our mail along too.  Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary was here again this evening, he went to Red Bud.  It rained mostly all night.

Tuesday, July 21, 1931

This morning our cistern is full again.  Papa went up town this morn.  We dug a bucket full of straw potatoes, & planted some more pickle seed, & turnip seed.  Papa & Rosalia fixed fenced this afternoon.  Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary where up again this afternoon.  We all had lunch there.  We helped her scrubb [sic] the porch & rooms.  I seen in the paper today that Clarence Rittinhouse 26 & Arthur Meuth had a serious accident last Sat. night at 10 o clock.  On the Belleville bridge right south edge of town, he met a car & the lights blinded him & he side swiped a third car coming, & his machine ran of the pavement & down the bankment of, the down in there, the machine caught fire & Rettinghouse was burnt arms & legs, he still in the hospital & the ambulance was called to take Mueth to the hospital, but he was discharged after treatment.  Rettinghouse & Zollmer the car which was damaged they will settle it between themselves.

Monday, July 20, 1931

Today is wash, iron & patch day.  But the weather don’t look so nice this morning.  Leona called this afternoon & said we should come out & bake the cakes, & pies for threshing, so we bake 4 cakes, 11 pie shells.  Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary was up this afternoon, papa had lunch with them this afternoon.  Papa sold 17 lbs. springer for 25¢ a lb. to a man from Belleville.  It started raining this evening & kept it up all night, we sure did need it too.  Papa took the clock of off the stove to get it fixed once.  Bertille went over to Mrs. Rennecker this evening & brought her there Red Bud paper back again.

Sunday, July 19, 1931

We all went to Belleville to church this morning.  We had a little shower of rain this afternoon.  Rosalia & Bertille went up to Mamie’s, then we walked the streets awhile, she came along home with us.  Uncle Fred brought us some more plums this morning we got 5 qts & 11 glasses of Jelly now.

Saturday, July 18, 1931

Milton Wagner has a new plymouth, sporting it around, it is a coach.  Papa fixed a place in the garden to sew pickle seed.  He put tiles down for the water to soak to the bushes.  Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up, then we all went to Belleville, they where here for lunch.

Friday, July 17, 1931

We all went out to Henry’s this afternoon, got our hair cut.  Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary was up this evening, they where here for supper.  They planted a patch of beans today.

Thursday, July 16, 1931

Today Ed Pabst’s is threshing, papa has to go down around eleven oclock & also Eichenseers.  Edwin Reheis has a little girl since last Sat.  Rosalia & Bertille went to church this morning when Hy. Braun was getting buried.  It was a large funeral.  This afternoon we went out to Parker’s, they didn’t take it to church, they went from the house to the cemetery.  The baby was 7 mo. old.  Koch had both funerals.  Papa went to Pabst’s, he had dinner there, we got 62 bus. for our share but we are 5 short now.  So I don’t know how it will be now.  Vic & Odillo hauled it here, they where both here for lunch.

Wednesday, July 15, 1931

Leona & the kids where here for lunch this morning.  We heard that George Parker’s baby Virgil died, they had him at the hospital, had trouble with the teeth, they wouldn’t come through.  We cleaned the chicken house, papa is setting posts.  Henry went threshing today.  The machine was by Parker’s yesterday, but account of the baby died, they moved up to Kemp’s & are threshing there now, & from there to August Blackburns’s.  There was lady here this morning selling a bottle vanilla for 99¢ & a set sugar bowl & pitcher.  We washed the machine this afternoon & fixed the tire.  Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this evening, they told us about Pete Hoffman, from Mayestown, he was driving a wagon & fell off & broke his back, the horses ran away.  A man down by Red Bud, they didn’t know his name he was ground all to pieces through the seperator [sic].  Mr. Keonig from Columbia was here, he was the guy that was looking for the score book, ball games.  He took it along.  Henry had found that book by the school house some place.

Tuesday, July 14, 1931

Papa went out in the woods this morning to get some poles.  Today Slyvester [sic – Sylvester] Miller & Hilda Bertram are getting married.  Leona went to church to see it.  Her sister & brother where the attendants.  We got the report this morning that Henry S. Braun died last night at 7 o clock & will be buried Thurs. morn.  We heard he had heart failure & indigestion trouble & then again we heard, he went to get a drink of water by the well & fell over dead.  Clarence Wittenauer was here, he wants 3½¢ to haul wheat from Pabst’s to our place & takes 3 to Red Bud & 4 to New Athens & 5 to Freeburg.  So Papa got Eichenseer’s to haul it, they will do it for 3¢.  Bertille was by Mrs. Rennecker about a half hr. this evening.

Monday, July 13, 1931

Today is wash, iron & patch day.  Papa went out to Henry’s to get the posts for a shed, Henry brought them up on the wagon.  This afternoon Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came, they where here for lunch, & supper.  He helped papa with the straw shed.  The Karr Range Co wind [? – unclear] through this afternoon & played the radio, it was nice.  George Wagner & the kids where here this evening.  Bertille got a recipe book from Mrs. Rennecker this afternoon.  Alfred Stahl had awful bad luck the other day.  Some thing caught fire & it came up to the seperator [sic] & started burning the fire stuff there & he tried to fight it, & got his hand all scorched & burned & also his arm, he hooked the engine too it & broke 4 links, so there it was, so the water wagon came then & it got it out, then he was on the engine & fell off & broke the same arm.