Friday, Dec. 20, 1935

Terrible cold this morning, real zero weather. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came, he went to Waterloo, Eggs 26¢. Mr. & Mrs. Cyrus Holcomb of Belleville, nee Lela Deuker have a little baby girl born at the hospital on last Tues. 17, Lela has a beauty parlor on W. Washington St. Berti took a chance for 5¢ on basket canned goods; at Eichenseer’s. The Catholic School children has there play tonite; ends school for 2 weeks.

Sunday, Aug. 18, 1935

Went to Red Bud; Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came this afternoon for the firemen’s pinic [sic]. Mr. Barnphole of Okawville came & pap went along out to Henry’s with him, had a little argument about the colt out there; then went to Red Bud to see Becker Ins. agent. We went to the pinic [sic] about 4 oclock, & nothing much doing, but they had a big crowd in the evening; had 400 lbs. fish, all gone, sold all the books, $150. – chances, the prizes were raffled about 11 o’clock & were won – Enamel Heater – Wm Kemp of New Athens R2, $10.00 cash, party from Belleville, fancy quilt to Noel Roscow $5 cash – Mrs. L. Deuker Belleville, 100 lbs. flour – Joe Griffin Hecker, fancy quilt – Mascoutah – case Mound City Beer, Olivia Gregson 50 lbs. flour – Reitz – Waterloo, case Beer – New Athens – 1 ton coal Helen Miles – Belleville. The dance was crowded, Pals of Harmony, Horse Prairie in the afternoon, & Probsts from Athens called in. Aunt Mary got blanket playing bluey. Dudenhoeffer were out to. Henry & Leona went along to Belleville with Walter & Hilda took her home, the kids stayed here all night.

Friday, May 25, 1934

Mr. Kolmer was here yesterday, looking for seed corn, we had none. Miss Ethel Deuker of Washington Park, E. St. Louis, is recently recovering from an operation on appendix. Mrs. Fred Papenberg is a patient at hospital in Belleville for a day, Dr. Wagner gave her gas, to pull all the upper teeth but 6 out, every one has an abscess on, she has awful trouble with them. Miss Bessie Parker, is very ill with cold. Aunt Mary says the frost killed watermelon, pickle & few tomatoe [sic] plants, last night, everything is OK here. Lester Gregson while hauling milk one day last week, had a wreck, another car, going in the same direction, hit the back of his truck, he now has it repaired, the other car was a total wreck, all damaged, no one was hurt. We took Uncle’s ladder & things home this evening.

Thursday, Nov. 30, 1933

Thanksgiving Day. We went to Red Bud church. Then went on to Aunt Mary for chicken dinner & supper, backbones, Iceberg lettuce, cranberries. Oh Boy! Did it taste good; Cream cake, pumpkin pie. Hot Dogs! Hy. Meng came, paid for his hog. 23¢ lbs. at $3.75. Hy & family came left the kids, here & we went along with them to Brezzy Hill to Myrtle Rau, Quentin Schroeder, wedding dance, bride wore white & veil, bridesmaids wore green, blue. Country Club Orc. from there we went to Oak Grove, to Mudd & Hendrick wedding dance, & crowd, Oh My! on both places, string band. Myerscough & Deukers where all there. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary, Josie, came up, so they played, pinochle till 12′ o  clock. Henry sends his milk to Waterloo Creamery now.

Saturday, May 7, 1932

Papa got crushing done this morning. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this afternoon & then we went to Mrs. Leona Deuker’s sale got a hoe for 45¢. Most everything else brought a fair price. Oscar Matzenbacher got the kitchen range for $36.00. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary stayed in Hecker, all nite. There is a play & dance at Broad Hollow Grange tonite, the Deuker girls are in it, they are going to move to Edgemont, where we heard Lela is going to start a beauty parlor & Ethel is going to teach the Hirst School & board, by Mayben [?] Pickett, who is going to move in Kammler’s house where Deuker’s live, Harold has a home & all furnished, so they are going to move in with him & keep house for him, he got divorce from his wife.

Wednesday, Jan. 6, 1932

We went up to Belleville & sold 30 doz. eggs 23¢ & 2 for 45¢ sold all. Tonight is telephone meeting at Deueker’s. We all went. The members weren’t all present. Henry & family came up, played pinochle, they came here first & we weren’t at home, so they thought maybe we was by Louis Armstutz so they drove down a piece & turned around in front of Elmer Kammler house & got stuck, papa took the Whippet down & put the chains on & pulled him out. George Wagner & Steve, Louis Armstutz, Philip Jatho helped him.

Thursday, May 21, 1931

Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up to pump the water out of there cellar, he made a hole in the kitchen floor to put the pipe on the pump down, he has it all out now. They had lunch here with us.  There was a boy here wanted some votes to become a doctor, he had 47 more votes to get, he has to have 2,000 & then he get $500.00 bonus to study, you buy a book or magazine, & it has so many votes, from 1 to 8 vote, that’s the highest, he said Fr. Grootens gave him 7 & Sister Superior, Lela Deuker, that is all he mentioned.  We didn’t take none.  The butcher Sethl from Smithton was here & looked at our hogs, they are only 5.45 he said.  Clara Wagner gave us some flowers to plant out, touch-me-nots.  Eggs are 13¢.

Monday, May 11, 1931

Yesterday morning Henry Volkmann & wife while going home from church with the buggy met with a accident, there was a car coming from both directions, & the one drove to close & took the wheel off the buggy, it is just funny no one was hurt, & the buggy is altogether in a wreck, it happened almost in front Kuhn’s house, they settled it right there.  Bertille went to church this morning.  Papa & Rosalia went up in the woods.  Bertille went up to the school hall to see the play or rather moving picture show, given by the Cathestists [catechists] of New Mexico & Calif, Texas, it was good.  Tonight they will be in Paderborn.  The weather is sure funny, it rains, then the sun shines, real April & May Showers.  Harold Dueker is in St. Mary’s Elizabeth Hospital for appendix.  Rosalia & Bertille went up to Mamie’s took her along & then went to the show, the crowd increases every night, instead of giving the blanket away tonight, he is going to give 2 tomorrow night.  Vic. Eichenseer took his medicine & improved a lot.  Eggs are 12¢.

Monday, Feb. 9, 1931

Today is Thirteen Hour Adoration.  Uncle Fred brought Aunt Mary up then he went home.  Henry & family were up too.  Aunt Mary was here for dinner then they sewed a dress for Rosalia, until it was her hour to go to church.  Uncle Fred came up & got her again this eve.  Rosalia & Bertille went to church to the closing.  There were 3 priests, one was the Smithton priest.  Bertille was at Mamie’s to get her dress pattern, & then she went to Ted Eichenseer’s & got it from her.  Mrs. Deuker is on the sick list.  Ethel called for Dr. Smith from Red Bud this evening.  Papa took 12 doz. eggs to store this afternoon & got 13¢ some price.

Wednesday, Feb. 4, 1931

Papa went out to the cemetery this morning, because they are going to start to plow it over today.  But we don’t want it done to our lots.  Rosalia fried down sausage this morn.  There wasn’t anybody at the cemetery today.  Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up & then we went over to clean their place.  They were here for dinner.  We were just washing dinner dishes when all at once, we heard there was fire at Mrs. Deukers house.  So we all ran down there & fire was a blazing, the house burned to the ground & the shed & barn would of went too if they hadn’t called the Smithton Fire Apartment [Department].  The water was to scared or’s they could have saved the house.  They saved all the furniture down stairs, their clothing was all up stairs, that they couldn’t save.  Mrs. Ruhl just about went wild about it.  They stored all their stuff in Kammler’s Hall for the evening.  They were here this afternoon & looked at Aunt Mary & Uncle Fred’s place, it suited them allright but the rent was to high.  They went down to Barthel’s house, but the chimneys were condemned, so they couldn’t get in there.  Deukers was going to call Harold out & then talk it over with them.  Tonight they went to Walter Parrot in Red Bud.  Olivia Gregson & baby was here this afternoon while Lester helped to move the furniture.  This evening Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary, Henry & Leona & kids were all here.  The kids stayed at home with Papa, & the rest of us went to the dance down at Wiegand’s House.  Herzog gave it.  Bill Freund & Creses took Rosalia & Bertille along there.  It was a crowd there from all over.  They said there was about 500 people at the fire today.  Bill & Philip Freund was there too.  They were working at Ganleys.