Saturday, Aug. 14, 1937

Made catsup, canned 3 qts. tomatoes. Went to Red Bud to Beckers Mill got check cashed, got new fan belt put in Chev. $1. went to Paul Crook looking for pigs, but were just delivered this morn. went through Tipton to Pluegers, but he moved last Sat; doesn’t live there any more, moved 10 miles away; went to Waterloo to church. Henry & boys were up this afternoon got wagon; last nite they were at Waterloo big W.L.S. Show at Pautlers Hall; I had forgotten all about it. Send bu. peaches small ones with Henry; pap picked 2 bu. little more. got in mushmellons & 1 watermellon [sic]. Hugo Probst is building new house on his lot, tore the old one away; also J. Kreher’s, Siedle is building that, contract job; but Probst just day labor. J. Reheis, Klein etc. We went over to Geo. Wagners awhile. Mary & Anita were out to. Clif Stahleber had a accident with his motorcycle at Pautlers, back wheel locked through [sic – threw] him quite a distance; hurt pretty bad.

Thursday, Aug. 12, 1937

Beautiful day, cool, but no rain, had an awful storm at New York last nite radio reports. Washed, ironed, patched, washed bottles, canned 1 qt. & pt. tomatoes. Pap went out to Henry’s . Stoeckel finished everything this morn., paid him for everything worked 86 hrs. @ 25¢ hr. $21.50; he painted, fixed roofs & chimneys & window frame filled in spaces that was needed etc; here & Henrys together. Public sale by Harrisonville this afternoon. Mehrmann got 10 doz. eggs. 17¢.

Wednesday, Aug. 11, 1937

Canned 12 qt. peaches, 1 green gage, cooked catsup. Painter finished this morn.; this afternoon working out at Henrys pap went out to filling in the outside cracks & spaces; took basket peaches along out. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary stopped, moving Christ Buehler to Red Bud – his truck, Jake Klein’s & Werner Kammlers, them, Elmer Parker, Adam Eckerts helping to move. Ruma Catholic church has pinic [sic] today. Wm Wiegand was here going to move down on his farm, thought he could run his cows passed here. Uncle Fred & A. Mary came from Buehlers here.

Saturday, Aug. 7, 1937

Pap went to barber shop. Stoeckel painter is out all day. Pap went to Burksville sale; Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came Bert [Bertille] went along to Fr. Feldmann & brothers sale at Red Bud. bought box jars etc. for Rose [Rosalia] for 20¢; wasn’t much of a sale. Nic Frisch has sale to, that is over near New Athens. R. Besher & Fern Gully; family are moving on that place. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary came Bert wasn’t along to Log cabin, supposed to be a wedding dance, couple from E. St. Louis, but they never came at all, Webers Bro. playing & no crowd, we came home ten o’clock.

Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1937

Pap went to Waterloo, get crushing done. Painters are here again; Canned 1 qt. pt. tomatoes, cooked catsup. Cloudy and awful warm. Tipton has there church pinic [sic] at Donahue’s now today instead of Paulter’s park at Waterloo, chicken supper 4-8. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary are helping Oscar Birkner’s move today. Grahlerrs moved out Sun; rest of stock yesterday. Hy Birkner moves tomorrow, down at Oscar’s, & Clem Parkers going to move were [where] Henry lives, & also rent the ground there. Henry rents ground from Uncle Fred; he & A. Mary came, we went along to Donahues to church pinic [sic], didn’t win a thing. A. Mary got set of 12 knives & forks, playing bluey. They had to raffle $100 – 1st prize & $35 – 2 prize, selling 5¢ chance & book tickets & $1., & some times sack flour & sugar & beer, Hamacher won case beer at one time; pretty nice crowd. A. Mary bought bowl chicken 25¢, back & necks & wing; we ate it when we got home. They had dance, starting about 10 ‘ o clock, charging 10¢ from gents, ladies free. Hempe musci [sic].

Saturday, July 31, 1937

Went out to Henry’s threshing oats this afternoon. Had them for lunch, got 676 bus. pap hauled some of our share home; Uncle Fred helped him unload. Mrs. Geodelle & Bert [Bertille] & Leona, that was all she had. Isd. Helfrich is pretty sick, had doctor, priest yesterday afternoon; high fever. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary came this eve. we went along to Smithton HomeComing. what a crowd; they said 20,000 people; attendance prize every hr; Henry Rittmeyer was one of the winners, to receive $1. prize.

Thursday, July 29, 1937

Bert [Bertille] baked cake, cooked catsup. Pap went to woods to look for sand. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary came, Bert went along to Chester to the wake of Mrs. John McDermott, who passed away yesterday afternoon at 2 ‘ o clock, at Jacksonville Ill, she had been there for 2 weeks, with a nervous break down, in a private place & nurse, while the nurse was just out, she hung herself with a strap; & died; 29 yrs old; they were married will be 2 mons. on 10 of next mo; tomorrow will be taken to her home at Raddle Ill, about 12 miles from Chester, & will be buried there Sat. morn; we met her 2 sisters & brother, being there at the funeral parlor, 2 girls were all school teachers. We were there from 3 to 5:30, people came in & out; John & Ed were there. Leo & Rose came this eve. & we ate watermelons, that A. [Aunt] Mary brought from Sparta, boy what a good melon, we ate it all 22 lb. Mrs. Mehrmann got the eggs. 10 doz. @ 17¢. A fellow here wanted to sell paint. We got 19¢ for our chicks, 77 lbs. – 3 doz. shipping charges 75¢ on coop. We got a new Chicago Mail Order catalog.

Tuesday, July 27, 1937

Sure cool morn’s & eve’s & so hot during the day. It is 4 yrs. today A. [Aunt] Lizzie Reheis died. Leo & Rose [Rosalia] came, brought wash along, we washed ironed, patched, made chicken dinner, Pap & Leo went to Waterloo with load wheat for Leo, $1.07 bu. then they went to area near Maeystown to look at a plow; but the fellow wouldn’t sell it any more, talked to Metzger’s about a new one. Went down & looked at C. Buehler’s, they don’t know if they want to sell it yet are [sic – or] not, talking maybe start farming again somewhere, Hy. Armstutz came & got coop 36 chicks shipped them to St. Louis.

Monday, July 26, 1937

Went out to Henry’s threshing wheat, got 725 bus. our share is 241 bus. Pap paid Geo. Schilling lumber sawing 2067 ft. @ 90¢ $22.40. Pap & Leo hauled the wheat home from out there. Dr. Miller came vaccinated our hogs $3.00 – for 8 pigs & sow – 25¢ pig. There is so much cohlera [sic] going around. Sam Krehrer [sic – Kreher] is sick & several more. Olive brought coop down going to ship 3 doz. springs tomorrow ; with Mertz. Mrs. Geodelle & Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary, Leo & Rose [Rosalia] all helped at Henrys threshing, 2 lunches & dinner. Birkners had to go to Franks threshing for supper.

Thursday, July 22, 1937

Nice day. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary stopped, then went to get Lena & Wilma Birkner, threshing done at Buehler’s. Pap couldn’t go long to help Leo thresh, on account threshing here. Mrs. Mehrmann got the eggs last nite, 10 doz. @ 16¢, they have to go threshing at Skaer’s today. Hogs sure have a good price, $12.95 today. they were $13. this yr. already; everything going up. Rob. Merz & son of Waterloo painted Uncle Fred’s house & granary roof yesterday. Leona, Robert, Billy [Willis] came Bert [Bertille] went along up to Rose [Rosalia] this morn; had dinner, baked pies this morn. had threshers for lunch, got 258 bus. oats. Buehler’s threshing here, brought the lunch up this afternoon, pap had lunch with them.