Boyd County, Nebraska
May 1, 1923: Started to rain during night and rained off and on all forenoon and cloudy until towards evening, when sun shone bright. The men did chores and took hogs over river and dug horse-radish and in p.m. went to Joe Edwards to get flint or squaw-corn and drove Ginger. I baked and fixed a little horseradish. In evening 2 boys came for gas as they ran out near our place.
May 2, 1923: A bright warm day. The men worked, Chas. at fence. Will finished plowing south of house and in p.m. they moved closet and planted potatoes in garden, plowed garden. Will started to plow on Dave’s. I cut potatoes and we fixed a place for flowers, also put in set onions.
May 3, 1923: Started to rain in morning and all forenoon but p.m. got bright. Ward to work on section for summer and Will not much until p.m., fixed fence on Knolls and carpenter work for me. We went to Wards for water & to feed hogs. I made button holes on shirts.
May 4, 1923: A bright day but cool and not much breeze forenoon but p.m. quite windy as I washed, and clothes had quite a shaking out. Will plowed on the orchard and got quite a bit finished. He used walking plow so all in as I am also. Mr. Pryne of Poddock came looking for a sorrel pony.
May 5, 1923: Bright but quite strong south wind all day and towards p.m. nice and warm. Will finished plowing the orchard and took a rest before dinner and awhile in p.m., all in from walking, then he cleaned barn and fed hogs, went up with cream after supper and got alfalfa seed. C. Ward came for fish lines in evening. I cleaned basement & mopped kitchen & dining floors, and in evening fixed horse-radish, so am all in at night.
May 6, 1923: A bright nice forenoon, but towards p.m. clouded, was cold then. We just stayed home and in evening went for water at Wards. Mr. & Mrs. M. Langan, Dave, Pat, Loretta & Mildred stopped awhile on way home from church. The Frank Motts stopped to see about Will getting sudan seed.
May 7, 1923: A bright cold day and evening N. W. dust storm. Will put in alfalfa in orchard and started to plow across track in p.m. I got eggs at Sherlocks, ironed and put in garden seed. Mr. Pyne of Holt Co. stopped to see where pony was. I planted flower seed also.
May 8, 1923: A bright but so cold day, as was some snow last night and things froze. Will moved hog waterer and plowed corner lot and went to McDuffees and got loose ground planter and had dinner there. I had a headache, so only bread made today. Will plowed across track on his return for alfalfa.
May 9, 1923: A bright day but I was sick so nothing done, but took hens to shanty in evening. Will got harrow at Ableidingers and put in alfalfa across the track. Floyd Sherlock came for their harrow.
May 10, 1923: Cloudy most of day but sun shone warm at times for awhile. Will harrowed place south of house and took harrow back to Ableidingers towards evening. I am better so gave hens eggs and took care of them and fussed with chicks and went with Will to Wards in evening to take Biddy, Lasses & Snip to pasture and got water also in morning. Will fed hogs and got disc at Knolls and Charlie Ward went along to Knolls. Baker salesman stopped on route.
May 11, 1923: Cloudy all day, started to rain at noon and a regular rain in p.m. Will disced place in corn field and started to plant but p.m. rested. I cared for chicks in a.m. and had a headache all day so not much done.
May 12, 1923: A bright day but cold. We went to Spencer in a.m., returned in p.m., had dinner. Will went to plant corn south of house. I mopped and got eggs at Sherlocks. Chas. Ward brought his cow here.
May 13, 1923: Mother’s Day. Was cloudy nearly all day and sprinkled at times and cold. Chas. Ward & Mr. J. Ableidinger came and they helped Will take pigs and old sows over, and brought stock hogs to alfalfa and was some job, so they were all in in evening. I only got meals and in evening went with men to Wards to get water. Mrs. M. Langan & Pat stopped on way to Spencer for a few minutes.
May 14, 1923: Cloudy most of day, sun shone only at times but not cold, so had chicks outside. Will ran a pitch-fork in foot, the right one, that is leg above shoe top last evening, had Dr. Linburg come out this a.m. at 7 o’clock and he cleaned it out. Will rested most of day so better in evening. I went to Wards at 4:30 a.m., got Chas. to milk cows, on to Crabtrees and got Mr. to list in corn this day, then fed hogs and baked bread, so all in when evening came. Kirstines put in corn near house. Mrs. Chas. & Clarence Sherlock came for eggs in evening, had little daughter with them.
May 15, 1923: Cloudy in morning & evening but day bright & very cold N. W. wind, so cold, couldn’t let little chicks outside. Will finished corn and took McDuffees’ loose ground lister back home, also Ableidingers’ double trees, then went to Spencer and got repairs for lister. I didn’t do much, only fed hogs as all in from yesterday’s overwork. A Mr. Coleman came for eggs in evening.
May 16, 1923: A bright nice day but a little cool in breeze. Will & Mr. C. Crabtree plowed on Dave’s all day, walking gang plows. I washed clothes and got them out to dry before 1 p.m., as was in a hurry as Mrs. J. Ableidinger stopped for me to go to field-meet at Spencer, returned late in evening.
May 17, 1923: A bright day but cold South wind and towards evening cloudy. Mr. Crabtree & Will plowed and harrowed as Mr. Crabtree got Sherlocks’ harrow this morning. I am all in from hurry & wash yesterday, that I didn’t do anything this day. Mr. Coleman and wife stopped for eggs but I didn’t have any. Rudolph Johnson came for Knolls’ grass seeder.
May 18, 1923: Bright forenoon but clouded p.m. and a sprinkle, clouded in evening so rain. The men plowed & harrowed and I cleaned things, made pie and in p.m. put in a few seeds.
May 19, 1923: Muddy early morning so men raised tank and took out some pipe then finished plowing and harrowing on Dave’s in evening and after supper went to Spencer. I went in p.m. with Sherlocks and took things I baked to sale, and was so windy but bright.
May 20, 1923: Bright N. E. breeze cool. We did up work, took a nap and Mr. & Mrs. Charles Sherlock came, also the D. McDuffee family in p.m., talked ice-cream by Will but nothing doing, started too late. We went to Wards in evening to feed hogs.
May 21, 1923: Started to rain during night and continued all day. We got 3 sows with pigs in Barn at Wards and Will got wood from creek and got manure out of shanty on hill where I set hens. I didn’t so much but fussed with chickens.
May 22, 1923: Another cloudy day and rained at times all day. Will hauled corn to hogs across & here and I still only chick-work, put 6 hens in shanty to set.
May 23, 1923: Cloudy all day, stopped raining at noon. Will went up town in p.m. and cleaned coop. We did ordinary work, set out tomato plants.
May 24, 1923: A bright nice day after the rain. Mr. Crabtree rode from town with Will last evening and no work, so came back today to help. He got scrapper at Sherlocks so the men filled in around well and fixed chicken fence and started shed for hogs. I planted squash and melons. Mr. Oscar Carlson for dinner yesterday. Floyd Sherlock, Estell Angel & Romain Rhody visited with Will today. Will has a cold & headache all day, and I am so tired in evening can scarcely move.
May 25, 1923: A bright nice day. The men fixed lister and Will started to list on Bradstreets and Mr. Crabtree started to plow near hog fence southeast corner of place. I washed clothes and not much else.
May 26, 1923: Was another nice day. I baked bread, went to Sherlocks, got eggs, took Mrs. Widdens’ setting eggs up for them to town, and in p.m. mopped & cleaned & made a cake. The men put in alfalfa in S. E. corner as Mr. Crabtree got drill at Ableidingers and Will broke — so got one at Crabtrees. They finished plowing in B.’s alfalfa.
May 27, 1923: A beautiful morning, but wind blew quite dusty before noon and towards evening cloudy but no rain. I went to church at 8:30 a.m. Will did up work, after rested as I rode part way with Sherlocks and got sugar there. They had Tony & family & Wm Gallentine family for visitors. We went to Wards in evening to feed hogs.
May 28, 1923: Cloudy a little in morning, bright midday, cloudy towards evening. Will listed corn on B.’s S. W. corner I helped chore. In p.m. 2 boys & a girl canvassed.
May 29, 1923: Rained terrible during night. Will went to Wards, a Mr. Wesley Hodge, cousin of Mrs. Ward came back with him. We went to Spencer to clean cemetery. An awful shower in p.m. Stopped at Sherlocks to get Floyd’s leggings.
May 30, 1923: This is decoration day, a bright day, quite warm midday. We went to Memorial Services in forenoon and in p.m. walked up track to World Bros. Circus, as we came back at noon rode with Langans in evening. Will had headache last couple of days but better now. Chas. Ward came in morning for tobacco.
May 31, 1923: A bright day and quite warm. Will listed on B.’s over south and W. Hodge plowed hog pasture across the creek as he came this a.m. to help Will. Mrs. C. Ward came over for oil & matches. She is getting ready to wash clothes. I fussed with chickens & cleaned up a little but all in from last 2 days and Will is all in from Lasses’ throw.