Friday, Aug. 17, 1934

Baked bread & coffee cake. Henry & family came up he plowed. Rob. stayed up, had lunch, supper. Leona came back this eve. & brought the kids up, they stayed here with pap; we went along with them to the carnival at the Country Club, sure beautiful, free dance, musci [sic] by Dixie Blue Boys of Belleville. Mr. Ivo Rapp & Eunice Blackburn, were married at the priest’s house here this evening 5:30. Clem Parker & Ivonne Rapp, the attendants. Oh Boy! wedding on Fri. Al. Rittmeyer sales agent for brusches [sic] was here, left us a sample brush.

Monday, Aug. 13, 1934

Eunice Blackburn’s birthday. Hilda Staufenbiel’s. We washed, ironed. Uncle Fred was here this afternoon, he took Aunt Mary & Lonie out to George Parker’s, to visit Mrs. who is sick. George Wagner & family came over this evening, ate watermelons, we was up at Belleville at a meeting first. Heat is terrible today.

Friday, June 15, 1934

Papa hauled load posts home, he & Rosalia went out to Henry’s this afternoon, had lunch, there. They didn’t get started cutting till 3 o’clock, till they had the new binder set up works fine. papa helped shock. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this evening; they got a letter today from postmaster Loehr of Waterloo, to come to Waterloo tomorrow afternoon, that Wm. & John Hempe, received the paper from the government, & will pay up everything. Mr. Loehr came out this evening to talk things over; the bonds aren’t in yet, come in a few day’s. Mr. Louis Dehn, was here for eggs, we only had a few; he is going to buy dewberries from Gus Blackburn 75¢ bucket.

Monday, Nov. 13, 1933

We all went out butchering at Henry’s, Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary, Emil helped, a pretty big one he killed, to sell tomorrow again. Bertille went to town, got a money order to Chicago Mail Order for shoes for Aunt Mary. Blackburn have a different car, chev. coach, Storall’s a Deluxe Delivery. Elmer Kammler has Harry’s, he got a second hand Chev. Clem Parker has Geo Kuhns ford coupe; & several others got others.

Friday, Oct. 27, 1933

Uncle Fred, Aunt Mary came here then they went to Buehlers. They came back this evening, & took us along to Blackburn’s SchoolHouse, had hallowen [sic] program, the children had & teacher Miss Burgess served lemonade, & people brought cake, pie, dougnuts [sic], & then lunch was served, to the following – Mr & Mrs. Cleveland, Leona & kids, John & George Henkel, Mrs. Kenneth Kemp, Ivo Rapp, Eunice Blackburn, Hy Ronneberg & family, Bill Sensel’s family, Mrs. Christ Buehler & kids, & us. Miss Blackburn baked a cake & put in it a cloth a pin as a guess, Leona made the right guess, & got a cake soap, hallowen [sic] trick, I say. Ha!

Monday, May 8, 1933

Henry came here, & we went along with him to Hershel [sic – Herschel] Blackburns funeral, to church & cemetery, we didn’t go out to the house, we thought the roads would be bad, but they said the roads are good; it was a very large funeral, & very sad one. The pall bearers where Grover Cleveland, Buddy Napier, Elmer Papenberg, Dilbert Mueth, Henry Sensel, Alfred Eckert; all boys of 14. Henry was here for lunch. We drove out to Ronnerberg’s looked at the corn there; it is Reheis. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up to work in there garden, planted cabbage plants out, came over here for supper, brought chicken along. Josie Gregson birthday.

 

[editor’s note: Herschel Blackburn was born in 1919. He died just shy of his 14th birthday; hence the reason why Bertille mentions that all his pallbearers were 14.]

Saturday, May 6, 1933

Uncle Adam is 84 yrs. old today. Bertille is all broken out with the measles or the 48 hr. Freezels as they call them. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary where here for dinner, then we all went to Snook by Waterloo to a sales forclosures [sic] sale by Mr. Metzger, he forclosed [sic] him & sold out. The Hecker All Stars rented a piece of land from us & are working on it today, getting ball ground in order. An Inquest was held at Blackburn’s this afternoon. The Birkner boys where called as jurors, Uncle Fred was called to, but wasn’t at home anymore when they called for him. It is a real nice day & evening. Eggs are only 10¢ at Connor’s today.

Friday, May 5, 1933

Report came over the phones this morning that Hershel Blackburn was dead, he was lying beside the plow yesterday, kicked by a mule, this morn. is dead. Papa went up town. Mr. John Whiteside had a run away with horses & wagon, & he was drug along under the wagon, his skull is split, & in a poor condition. We went to Belleville this afternoon, Rosalia got a spring coat for $1.95  6¢ sale tax; at Quality Store. We received a card from Creses, saying that she is spending a few day at home, we should come & see her, she is going to Chas. Sensel’s barn dance May 6. It is the paper the marriage of George Whitkamp 33 & Hilda Fritz 22 where married last Sun; afternoon Apr. 30 in the Evangical [sic] church, Mrs. Joe Geodelle & Gus Fritz the attendants.

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 1932

Ed Meng was here & got the horse to rake his hay. Papa is hauling wood. The New Athens Cleaners where here, suits cleaned for 75¢. Some people here wanted to buy potatoe [sic] onions. Bertille went up town this eve, mailed a letter to Aug. Blackburn $3.00 check for road rent. This eve, we all went out to Uncle Fred’s, ate watermellon [sic].

Friday, Aug. 26, 1932

It rained last night, we cut in 2½ saurkraut [sic] this morning. Rang over the lines this morn, that Geo. Lorberg is going to have a shooting match next Sun. on ducks, & pigs. Papa got a letter from Gus. Blackburn, for $3.00 that papa owes him for road rent 1 yr. ago; they had called it straight, till now it want his pay. Papa hauled a load of wood & he seen Gus, so he is going to pay him in the near future. A fellow from St. Louis was here & bought 12 doz. eggs & 9 lbs. springs 13¢ & eggs 15¢. Bertille went over to Renneckers with the papers.