Tuesday, March 10, 1936

Pap went out & helped Henry sew oats, had dinner. A fellow from West of Waterloo was here wanted to know the road to Uncle Freds, he wanted to buy a wagon etc, but he never got out there; They were up this afternoon, making a garden, also did we, planted out onions, lettuce peas, radishes, & helped Aunt Mary with there garden, she took ½lb. butter along. Eggs are 15¢ today at the store here. Windergast barn & shed in the blackjacks burned down today; the Hecker fire department was called, but Waterloo was there about 10 mins before, so they did the work; they were burning weeds, & the wind took a spark on the old shingle roof on the barn, & started in to burning; the fire department here, went the wrong way. We sewed oats in the chicken yard; sure nice weather now.

Sunday, Jan. 12, 1936

Went to church. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary made a short call. Louis Birkner’s family of New Athens were visiting them today. At 11:30 today report came to Mrs. Renneker, that Peter Dehn’s house was on fire, he was at the house at the time, looked out the window & seen fire on the lawn, he called for help, saved a few things, & house burned to the ground, old one & new one, the wind was so high, it carried sparks over to Owen Fahey’s hay shed & that started burning from the bottom, but they got it out & plows around it, Steve & Gus Klotz & papa went over to help this afternoon roads are terrible muddy. Stutz & Keller of Near New Athens looked at the horse, said they see us later.

Wednesday, May 8, 1935

Rain this morning; then sunshine & windy. We went to Belleville, Rose & papa went to Dr. Wagner dentist, Rose got wisdom tooth pulled, terrible one, took at exray [sic] first, it grew backwards she was in the chair 2 hrs; having it pulled out, cost $5.00 wit exray [sic] $2.00 & medicine; she came home, went to bed. The stove foundry men aren’t working today, on a strike up there again, its awful. It sure is dangerous in Belleville now, there looking any time for the electric plant to blow up, people watch day & nite, found dynamite sticks all over the yard already, search every strange car that passes by, orders is if they see any one, should shout right away, its awful up there. This evening at 9:30 alarm ring, fire at Mrs. Staufenbiel’s house, papa went over; fire department came & soon had it out, burned hole in the roof on Volkman’s side, the nurse had put a grease rag in the stove & damper opened it went straight up, sparks set fire on the roof. Mr. Volkmans is getting along pretty good now, fever is gone but he is awful weak; he asked what the noise was when they started water on the roof, they told him, washing machine was going out in the shed. Good many people came right away, helped Roy was up L. Armstutz car was backed out of shed.

Tuesday, April 16, 1935

Pap is setting posts. We finished patching & are binding the quilt. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary were here, working in there garden; & sewed seeds. Walter Wittenauer came, for corn & hog contract signing, he is on the committee; did very little here, looked at the colt. Joe John stopped, we didn’t buy anything. This morning about 7:30 fire alarm was sounded, Gambach’s chimney was burning, no damaged done, fire department was right there, but didn’t have to use it much; put salt on the flame, in upstairs kitchen stove; alarm ring over the town lines was called. It is town election, today but no one came here, so they didn’t go to vote. Eggs are 20¢. Berti took some up to Mertz Store.

Saturday, March 30, 1935

Papa got the deed all fixed up, for the land that he bought from Alice Brand for $15.00. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came about 10 o clock & papa went along with them to Okawville to Ben Kuhn’s sale. Raining all afternoon. Mr. Justin Zipfel brought us our baby chicks, $8.50 – 269 $22.65, all nice; he told us that Bill Vogt’s brooder house burned down Thurs morning, 270 chicks & everything; coal oil burner they had..they had just put the chicks in on Wed. night & 2:30 everything was allright, & when they woke up, it was burning. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary had supper here, came about 5 o’clock; the sale was postponed till Wed; to much rain, there also. So many people sick in bed with bad colds, fever, & headaches; especially the children of the Public School here, its one than the other. Eggs are 18¢ by Eichenseer’s this afternoon.

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 1935

We went out to Henry’s quilting, had dinner & lunch. Mrs. Cleveland, Mrs. Gus & Dan Geodelle, Aunt Mary were all helping. Floyd lighted a match to the straw stack & burned it down, it was terrible, wind was in the west; we tore the rail fence all away yet; quite a few men came to help, from that line, & some kids stunts, there were playing in the stack, had houses. We all went out again this evening, helped quilt; men were out. There is a euchre in Paderborn “Here Comes Charlie” a play by Tiptown parish at Oak Grove, we didn’t go to either one. Mr. Burmeister came & loaded our heifer up took it along to Strecks; for $35.00.

Friday, Dec. 14, 1934

Papa hauled wood, this afternoon got a load wheat to crush. Berti cleaned house, baked molasses cookies. Mr. & Mrs. Quentin Schroeder have a baby girl born Sun. morning at St. Mary’s Hospital, first born, Henry Schroeder grandparents & also Frank Rau, Hey. Schroeder soda factory man at Waterloo. The two story farm house of Paul Crook on his farm near Burksville was burned to the ground Tues. morning starting at 9:30, & spread so fast nothing could be saved, only the clothes what they had on, no furniture & nothing.

Saturday, June 2, 1934

Papa got crushing done. We went to Belleville this afternoon, got white shoes; coming home by Lipperts our car started in to knock, connecting rod burned out I guess. Hugo Probst pulled us home, to the shed, he is going to get the car Mon. & repair it. Leona brought the boy’s up to stay with papa, we went along with them to Donahue’s free anniversary dance, Keohler’s Orchestra, large crowd, Oak Grove wasn’t much, few cars, popeye didn’t come, they said, Blossom City Boys played. It rained a little & wind. In north St. Louis, it stormed, 7,000 bales cotton was destroyed through fire. In Minnesota, were it was so dry, they had snow several inches.

Tuesday, May 22, 1934

There was an awful fire in Chicago at the Stockyards, last Sat. afternoon about $10,000,000 damage the paper says. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came, went to Red Bud load wheat & to doctor helped papa, had dinner, lunch, supper. Mertz finished the job, all on, for $87.40 papa paid him. Planted tomatoe [sic] plants, pickles. Wheat 78¢ today. Uncle hauled 2 loads; in his car.

Thursday, Dec. 14, 1933

Went butchering at Henry’s, had lunch, dinner, finished about 2:30. Helfrich hauled corn again. Mr. George Hepp is 100 yrs. old today, & healthy & strong; him & Henry Hepp, his son, keep house together. This evening about 9′ o clock we got telephone, fire at Henry’s, so we all got up & hurried out, George Wagner, went along, but they had it out already, the road men burned stump pile, in the field,  & high wind from the south, blew, a spark, & burned up some lumber, & chicken coops, behind the toilet, Al. Geodell, Emil, Al Cleveland, G. Henkel, Ed. Schieder, all where there, then they out the fire out, the stumps.  Henry was in bed; & got up to shut the door over in the kitchen, & seen the fire, so they called for help, right away; it could of been lots worse, then what it was, hadn’t been for him being up.