Monday, Nov. 6, 1939

Pretty warm. We butchered 176 lb. hog. Leo & family & Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary helped. Bill [Klein] stopped in, was down to see Hy. Bruns about tractor. Mr. Hill came to get news from yesterday. Hogs today $6.65.

Monday, Aug. 14, 1939

Washed, ironed; canned peaches, tomatoes. Wittenauers plowing & cutting hay today. Mauff was here. Jac Orlet stopped took 1 bu. peaches along. pap picked 4 bus. today. Hy Bruns came brought basket back. We went to Kleins this eve; pap looked at horse & heifers they have for sale.

Thursday, Aug. 10, 1939

Nice day. Went to Belleville, sold 4 bus. peaches potatoes apples tomatoes, pickles, eggs, summer sausage, sold everything. Leroy Haudrich have baby girl born this morning. Picked peaches sold bu. to Hy. Bruns; bu. to Joe Watchels, 1/2 bu. to Renneckers, pk. to Lauts; gave Hy. bu. some for canning & preserves.

Sunday, June 25, 1939

Went to mass. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary stopped awhile. Pap went over to Emil’s awhile this afternoon, he is invited to Lesters for ice cream. Bill [Klein] & Bert [Bertille] went to Leo’s, they are cutting oats today. Sure lot of people working. Krehers & Watchels combining, some working corn; Renneckers lawning. Mrs Bruns working garden. Isn’t seem like Sun. Floraville have fish fry pinic [sic] & dance benefit of there church there. Henry came this eve. going to combine tomorrow, has been started since Sat. afternoon, & also today he said.

Monday, April 18, 1938

Nice day, washed, ironed, etc. Pap strawed potatoes. Today Easter Mon. should be the wedding of Henry Bruns & Marcella Whiteside & also that of Fred Wiegand 23 & Doroth Kleber 22, Mr & Mrs. John Wiegand attendants for Fred Wiegand & Lyle Rausch a girlfriend for Bruns; they have about 50 for supper at Bruns. Steve Stiffler was here of business, paid the last for his horse now.

Good Friday, April 15, 1938

Went to service at 7. & this afternoon from 1:30 stations & sermon at 3 oclock. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary were up morn. afternoon, working garden. We planted out 16 tomatoe plants. Caught 18 fish out of pond, boy! swell dinner. Berts [Bertille] work shoes came fit fine. $1. from Chicago Mail Or. Seen in Messenger. Fr. J. Orlet & St. Marys Choir, will broadcast Sun. on Messenger hour WJMV. Fr. Joe going to build the church larger & have a tower for bells; were now there outside on brick floor. $25,000 plan. Marriage license of Hy. Bruns 35 & Marcella Whitside 19 were in paper yesterday. Bert [Bertille] baked cake, for Red Bud cake sale tomorrow.

Thursday, June 17, 1937

Rain last nite & all morning showers. Bert [Bertille] washed few clothes & dresses, A. [Aunt] Mary’s front door curtains. Ed. Watchel & Lester Bruns both have new second hand cars. Mrs. Jake Helfrich is being buried this morn. at Paderborn, church at St. Mary’s [ed. note – should be St. Michael’s], then out to cemetery. She is Louis Mueth’s daughter, sister to Mike, John & Joe. Helfrichs have 12 children 7 boy & 5 girls. 1 girl died; pretty large family. Jake is manager carpenter for Relief Work. on the W.P.A. Project at Belleville. She was 43 yrs. ill 3 mons. taken to hospital on Mon. Fr. Orlet has charge of funeral, Fr. was sick to, had touch of pneumonia, but is better again now. Went to Waterloo 13 bus. wheat @ $1.18 best price; got paint for house, stopped at Henry’s; he is building a toilet, in ground one. Went to Wagner’s, Berniece fainted this morn, turned real blue & pale, called doctor, he says stomach trouble, she ate to green cherries yesterday; Mehrmann got the eggs @ 16¢. we had 8 dozen.

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1936

Cleaned chicken house. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary were here all day, had dinner, he took wheat to Waterloo got 98¢. Pap & him went to see Armbruster’s at Paderborn, to buy hogs, there’s were all sold; so then they went to Red Bud to Burdgorfs bought 2 ours 205 lbs. @ 10¢; brought them along. Klein’s bros. came bought sow & pigs $60.00. Pap & Uncle went out to Henry’s sharpened butcher knifes & get things, tools. Alois Havey came, pap paid him, $6.00 for repair chimney, guttering, spouts. The foundry man at Belleville ain’t working yet. Loyd Pabst & Al Voges brought load corn yesterday. Lester Bruns have a baby girl born last Thurs. Jan 9. Mrs Pour is maid. We went to Red Bud Mon. nite to see the purina show, Hidden Harvest, sure good, about 500 people attended at City Hall Mr. Luhr, Zizfel, managers. 3 attendance prizes were given, pap won 1st. 25 baby chicks any kind, H. Hess 2nd 25 lbs. startina, 3rd Rusel Lee feeder chick.

Monday, April 15, 1935

We washed, ironed, & what a day terrible windy & cold, my! clothes freezing stiff on the line, imagine, sun shining. Papa went up town with the eggs; got 21¢. They say there was ice 6 in. last night. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came, he spaded his garden, she helped us quilt, Mrs. Rennecker also came over, on a visit, & helped to quilt, so we finished it & took it out of the frames; sure pretty. Cotton Reifscheinder of Belleville, delivered our 2 heifers for $28.00 this afternoon; Papa went to Red Bud to Zipfel & got chic & laying mash. Uncle & Aunt & Rennecker had lunch here; eggs this afternoon 20¢. Mrs. Euler is over in E. St. Louis at St. Mary’s Hospital, she had a tooth pulled, & it never grew shut, must be some kind of a growth or cancer in her mouth, taken there last week, she had extry [sic – x-ray] taken at Red Bud, but they can’t do nothing for her. Mr. Eugene Bruns was removed home Sat, from Belleville hospital & is getting along fairly well. Jonny Henkel bought a seperator [sic], going out threshing this season with tractor. At the School Election, Sat out there Gus Blackburn, was elected director with 14 votes, Fred Reheis 1 Emil 1 vote. Cleveland term was expired. Aunt Mary sent two Easter Greeting, one to Mrs. Ros Winters at Kentucky & told them they were planning on visiting them this summer & also Frank Jermings at Shumay [sic] Ill; I guess they surely will be surprised!

Thursday, April 11, 1935

Ironed. Quilted all day. Papa took the eggs up 20¢. Cloudy & rainy all day; it rained heavy last night. Eugene Bruns is getting along fine. Lucille Rausch was also in a accident, in St. Louis, was hurt somewhat, she is working by Edwin Spalt; over there.