Sunday, Oct. 29, 1933

Uncle Fred, & Aunt Mary where up for dinner, then we went riding to see if we could get corn, went to Adam Eckerts he wants 50¢ bu; Herzog on Fritsche’s place, she won’t sale none they say, has over 1000 bus, & won’t sell; to Papenberg’s, nobody home, went to Henry talked awhile there, hard road opened that far, went to Barthels place, then past Joe Gregson’s home, also pass Voges, Brauns, then home, still didn’t buy no corn. We went out to Uncle Fred’s this evening, Mr. & Mrs. Oscar Birkner & family, Christ Buehler’s family, Frank Birkners family, Hy. Spalt; were there, the ladies had 6 hand pinochle game Mrs. Oscar Birkner has 1500 trump; the men had social conversation.

Monday, Aug. 7, 1933

We all went out to Henry’s, & papa went back home, we washed, ironed. Mrs. Cleveland came awhile in the afternoon. It rained a little. Henry brought me home as far as Kemp’s, couldn’t get through the hills no more so I called up home from there & papa got me & Rob. Papa helped Uncle Fred put on a new roof on chicken house, he had lunch, dinner, & lunch, I & Rob, had lunch there. We went to Red Bud took 4 chickens, 12 lbs. & a cake along for the church pinic [sic] tomorrow. Jung stopped got our eggs 10 ¢ doz. Mr. Hill & Spalt & Willie Geodell where all here on business. Spalt to see about telephone lines.

Saturday, July 1, 1933

Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary where up took the rest of there onions out in there garden; we helped, they sold them to Braun’s got 94¢ for 51½ lbs. New Athens have home coming today. There was a fire at Kaltwasser’s today, Spalts are threshing at Wacthel & Armstutz set there & spark flew out & started the weeds to burn, they got it out with shovels & water, Joe Wacthel got his hand burned a little. It is so awful hot again. John Reagean & family moved in John Hepps house here in town.

Sunday, April 23, 1933

We went out to Uncle Freds for dinner & supper. In the afternoon we all went over to the cemetery, Ed Scheinder family & some relation & Phil & Henry Braun where there they went all through the house & barn, so did we. Scheinder is going to rent the place. We went to Uncle Adam’s & Aunt Mary & Uncle Fred rode along with us there this evening. Jonny Kreher’s sure must of had some dance the other night. Frank Birkner was so drunk. Isadore Helfrich was going to take them home she was no better, he run up the lumber pile; so Henry Spalt took them home. Last Sat, Krehres [sic] & Kemp where cutting a tree down between the hills & it fell the wrong way & smashed the top in on George Wiegands machine & another one yet.

Wednesday, February 1, 1933

Rosalia & Bertille went out to Uncle Freds remodeled dresses, had dinner & lunch. Bertille baked lemon pie there. We heard the Accidentals, Chas Hill & them played over the radio at noon hr; they had a good many tunes requested from all over, some from Waterloo, Sly Miller was one having his birthday today, they advertised the dance what he is giving at Brezzy [sic] Hill tonite. Mr. & Mrs. H. M. Hill & John Horn, from Hecker, & some from St. Louis, East St. Louis, Mo, different parts of Illinois, it was nice. Papa took dinner along & went out in the woods. Adolph Spalt’s had a pond digging frolic yesterday. Dr. Irwin died & will be buried Fri. morning. Mr. & Mrs. Wm. Grohmann christened there baby girl Lucille Mildred last Sunday. Mr. August Ettling’s mother died at Smithon [sic]. There is quite a few people that is on the sick list at present. It is in the paper that a $25,000 suit was brought against Mr. & Mrs. Julius Armbruster of Smithon [sic] by Dominick Klein, for slander, saying that Klein’s owend [sic] a couple farms, then go out begging from people, or state.

Wednesday, Sept. 14, 1932

Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Spalt of Pine Lawn have a little baby girl born Aug. 31. Papa went down to Hy. Armstutz, to haul out crushed corn. Henry was up & got 4 barrels of whey. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up & then went to Robert Lauts, Victoria Schaefer is there; she called out there to them & told them to come. Herman Pinkel of Waterloo died & was buried today.

Saturday, Jan. 16, 1932

Papa went up to the Farmers Telephone meeting at Griffins this afternoon. They elected Adolph Spalt pres. Kenneth Kemp vice presi. Purtle Sec. Ben Heyl Tres. We & Renneckers went over to Wagner’s & played cards, Steve had 1500 trump & missed 1000 aces, in one deal, didn’t see them. It broke up about even.

Friday, Dec. 18, 1931

Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came here, then we all went to Mrs. Reheis funeral, it was awfully large. We got a written invitation to attend a Birthday Dance at Brezzy [sic] Hill Sat. nite Dec. 19 no name. Ben Heyl’s & Spalt’s had a wreck in town, tore the wheel of Spalt’s machine, while Heyl was turning in to Braun’s.

Friday, Sept. 4, 1931

Today Rosalia is 20 yrs. old.  The bunch came & surprized [sic] her, where: Mr. & Mrs. Henry Birkner & family, Henry Brand & family, Fred Papenberg & family, Alf. & Elsa Eckert, Rosalia & Rita Braun, Clem & Elmer, Bessie Parker, Hy. Hillsheim, Odillo & Mamie Eichenseer, Christ Buehler & family, Henry Spalt, Mr. & Mrs. Steve Rennecker, Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary.  The basement was cleared & dancing begun till 12 o clock, Uncle Fred & Henry furnishing the musci [sic].  Beer, cake, where served.  Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary where here for lunch& supper.  It is also Mrs. Geodell’s birthday, they had the celebration Thurs. evening.  Fr. Grooten gets in trouble with everybody, Richert was fined $15.00 & all night in jail for having plum wine, Jack Ganley was arrested, cutting the wires on Hillsheims machine & one thing another, lots news in Hecker, in 1931.  But ain’t so claims it.

Sunday, August 30, 1931

We all went to the pinic [sic] about 2:30.  Had supper there, then went home & done the feeding & went back again, the Skaer’s boys played until 10 o clock.  We met Irvin & Jake from St. Louis, there.  The quilts were raffled to Mrs. Adolph Spalt, & to her sisters from St. Louis.  In the bleuey [sic] stand they gave a 32 piece dinner set, it was won by Leo Cortner.  Mrs. Adolph Rittmeyer died about 4 o clock this evening, her father died also on a pinic [sic] serveral [sic] years ago.  Mr. Jake Mueth [ed. note: “Jake Mueth” is crossed out] of Belleville died, & Mr. Grossman of Smithon, [sic] Marshal Hill’s fatherinlaw was found dead in bed this morning.