Thursday, Dec. 24, 1936

Cleaned & fixed the ducks, 7 & 8½ lbs. they weighed. Went to Belleville Rose went to dentist, went to church. Sure a nice day, so warm we have windows & doors open. Robert Laut has his electric put in & has a radio, installed. Slopy [sic] weather & roads. Leo came down this evening, we light the Christmas tree.

Wednesday, Dec. 23, 1936

Cleaned 2 ducks, fixed Christmas tree electric lights. Mauff vegtable [sic] man was here, we didn’t buy anything, pap went up town, got oranges, nuts. Rose got Christmas cards from Irene Helfrich. Bert got 1 from Omer. Pap tried his luck on box candy 10¢ & fruit cake .02. Pap & Rose went out to Henry’s got load oats. Beautiful day.

Thursday, Oct. 22, 1936

Pap went up in the woods with the tree man, he brought some honey & we strained it got 3 glasses. Ed. Schineder looked at the horses. We went out to Henry’s he butchered; we brought some along; had beef soup dinner & liver. Cold today, & nite. Tipton has euchre tonite. We paid electric light bill $1.00 for 8 kilowatts hrs. Leo came & we all went out to Henry’s; played cards, pinochle, 6 games. won every one, had fresh sausage & cake. We took all the flowers out, pretty cold tonite.

Monday, Sept. 28, 1936

Raining all day & cooler. Henry & Leona went to Belleville. Billy stayed here; boys were at school. The town lights were put up today, we had lights all over town tonite, at 5:05, turned on over at New Athens. Mr. Bill Kammler died, yesterday morn, of a cancer & stroke, will be buried tomorrow afternoon at the church & cemetery. Mr. Guker of Red Bud brought Joe Walcthel radio up $42.50 pretty nice, Philio, also brought a $17.00 here, its small Philio, nice an loud, we should keep it for a week, till Sun. morn.

Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1936

Pap went out to help Henry make a silo & fill it. Steve Renneker brought corn knife back. Mr. Chas. Schilling 23 & Mary Mathew 19 are getting married at Waterloo 8 ‘o clock mass this morn; double ring. Omer Schilling & Dorthy Schneider attendants. Rose & Bert went in to see the wedding, which was pretty nice; dressed in white & pink, carried flowers. Went to the dance at Dreamland, nice crowd, & pretty hot. Schoenborn & Skaer’s playing musci [sic]. Ben couldn’t play; Edna died last nite, is going to be shipped up & buried at Waterloo. Josie Keller came for supper. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came they all went to Red Bud church pinic [sic], she won a quilt & Josie pillow slips playing bluey. Putting in electric light posts.

Wednesday, April 8, 1936

Pap & Rose took load wheat to Waterloo got .80¢ bu. Pap helped Henry bring the mare up to Meng’s today. We cooked 2 kettles soap, cleaned yard, strawed potatoes. A man here selling Latex for sores, to wrap around just like rubber. Odil Eichenseer & Illinois Light & Power Man was here, pap signed up for a metoer [sic – meter]; he says there will be electric lights in Hecker by May 15, be nice. We went to Lent Devotion tonite at Red Bud. Mrs. Rennecker finished her 2 quilts for Manier’s. In Georgia from the tornado there was a man & wife & 11 children found all dead, were buried in a single row 35×7 ft.

Monday, March 30, 1936

Colder this morning. Papa & Rose took load wheat 85¢ to Waterloo. Ed Rehlings & Hartmanns have electric lights from Waterloo now. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary were up this afternoon, he helped in the woods. Henry is hauling it together this afternoon; they had supper here. Levi Ganley came & looked at our haystacks, he wants to buy some. Papa took the mare over to Ed. Meng’s this evening. Eggs 15¢.

Sunday, Dec. 25, 1932

Henry went along to Red Bud church, Leona stayed here with the kids & got breakfast ready. We went out there for dinner chicken stuffed; played cards in the afternoon. It is so nice warm today. Clarence Wagner came down this evening. Rosalia & Bertille went up to Eichenseer’s, Mamie showed us her Christmas tree, with electric lights on, then we went down to the program in the Evangical [sic] Church, it was right nice, they had songs, diagloues [sic – dialogues], speeches, the church was packed, some had to stand in the back.

Thursday, Dec. 22, 1932

Rosalia & Bertille went out to Henry’s got a tree, & fixed it up this morn. Papa went to Hecker this afternoon & bought peanuts, candy & oranges, & paid the Whip. Ins. $5.80. We popped corn & strung it for the tree. Bertille went & mailed a few cards at the post office this evening, & brought some along back, from Josie Keller for us & Uncle Fred, & Mrs. Creses Freund from St. Louis, she is working at 13 Danford Il [? – unclear]. There is service at the Hecker church we didn’t go. They put the tree-up & decorated it at the Evangical [sic] Church, the have electric lights & also at the school house, the play is tomorrow night.

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 1932

Uncle Adam & Emil butchered today Papa & Henry & L. Gregson’s helped. Rosalia & Bertille went out & stayed at Henry’s, helped Leona sew shirts for the boys. had dinner & lunch there. Papa had lunch & dinner at Uncle Adams they finished butchering about 3 o clock, he came home with Levi Gregson’s. A dealer in Westhinhouse [sic- Westinghouse] Automatic electricity from Belleville was here advertising he had a small plant in his car he started it up & showed how it works, for electric lights irons etc. Rosalia Bertille went up to Mamie’s this eve. to see her quilt, cookies & orangeade where had. Lawrence Cortner was here to buy some pigs, he had been here this afternoon but nobody home, so he came back this eve. but he didn’t buy them yet.