Wednesday, July 15, 1936

Still no rain & hot. Papa buried over 200 fish this morn. Most threshing machines finished yesterday, Schilling’s & Frischkorns did. Clifford Stahleheber & family is here at Meng’s, there all nite, the baby is sick had 106 fever yesterday eve; the Dr. Eckert was over several times, Clifford goes up & down noisy as ever. Bert went to town, & Clara Wagner said baby died at 4:30, she was there with it all nite, till it died; Meng Undertaker from Freeburg has charge of the funeral which will be tomorrow afternoon from Ment’s to Hecker cemetery, Rev. Hosto coming to the house, it was just 4 mons. old, had 2 teeth, & the heat was the cause of the death, Peggy Jean is its name. Papa buried 504 fish that died all today, altogether we buried 534 terrible how they lay around dead. Cooler this evening & little rain, not hardly enough to settle the dust. We went over to Meng’s to see the baby, looks awful cute, laid out so pretty, hands folded; so nice, quite a few came & went. Mrs. Joe Schilling is pretty sick again so they say.

Tuesday, July 14, 1936

Finished ironing. Still hot as ever, days & nites. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came this evening. Mr. Ed. Pabst & Loyd were here, he says he wouldn’t be able to handle our ground this yr. he was by himself Loyd works at Belleville Foundry. Our fish are dying in the pond, throw out 30 pretty nice ones, never got any like them when we were fishing; guess the water in pond is to hot & dirty.

Monday, July 13, 1936

We washed, ironed. So hot, we patched in basement. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came, he dug his potatoes across the street; they stopped in again this evening went to Adam Eckerts threshing; had them for supper; our radio didn’t work.

Sunday, July 12, 1936

Went to Red Bud, Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary had lunch here, another hot day & wind again. Smithon [sic] has Turner Pinic [sic] today. Willie Myerscough of near New Athens was overcome by heat and died this morn. pap’s Solemn Coummioun [sic] partner, they use to live close to Hecker went to church at Hecker. There are 500 people that have died from the heat. Northern states just like deserts, so dry, stock dying so fast that the owners have to bury them; more terrible, the corn dying here. We went to the turner pinic [sic] at Smithon [sic] this evening.