Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
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Source: April 1984 Volume 22 Number 2, Pages 73–76

Day-to-Day Life on a Family Farm at the Turn of the Century (III)

Annie Potts Walker

Page 73

It is the spring of 1898 as we continue Annie Potts Walker's day-to-day record of the happenings on the Walker farm in the Great Valley in Tredyffrin.

It was in April of that year that the Spanish-American War started; her entry for April stated simply, "Fair today. I cleaned the house. The war between the United States and Spain is on."

Of much more immediate concern was the illness of her 82-year old father, Havard Walker. In the entry for May 3 she noted, "The Dr. came this morning, says Father has the influenza, he ordered medicine every hour." It was not until June 1, four weeks later, that he was able "to come down stairs about an hour this afternoon for the first time ", and it was another two weeks before he was able, on June16, to attend "meeting for the first time since he was sick".

As noted in the introduction to the previous segment in the January Quarterly, on the night of May 8 the waif who had shown up in January left, just as quietly as he had arrived. In her entry for the following day she noted, "When I came down stairs this morning I found John Watson gone, he took the most of his clothes with him. It was a great surprise to all of us." (In the introduction to the previous installment, incidentally, the name of the boy was incorrectly shown as "John Wilson" rather than "John Watson".)

The entries for the last three weeks of April and for May and June are included in this issue.

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Apr 10 Pleasant this morning. Mary J. & I walked to meeting. Thunder showers this afternoon. Aunt Annie & Lily Jones were here to supper.

Apr 11 Clear & cool. Father & I went to Norristown this afternoon. Showery this evening.

Apr 12 Clear& pleasant. Mary J & I went to Phila to do shopping. Bought a clock for the sittingroom. Jesse came home with us.

Apr 13 Cloudy. Jesse went to the city this morning We ironed & I cleaned the middle room.

Apr 14 Pleasant this morning. Mary J. & I went to monthly meeting at Radnor. Mary Anderson & Annie Hallowell came home with us & took dinner. They went away about five o'clock. It is raining this evening.

Apr 15 Fair. Jesse came again this evening.

Apr 16 Clear & pleasant. Jesse went to the city this morning, & came up this afternoon, I met him at the station. We worked some in the yard Mary J. mowed it for the first time this spring. We bought a new horse, name, Frank four years old.

Apr 17 Clear & pleasant. Father Mary J. & I went to meeting. Father & Mary J. went to Roberts's this afternoon.

Apr 18 Clear & windy. John & I cut two cedar poles for clematis, & carried them home from the quarry. Father was out nearly all the morning, Jesse went to the city this morning.

Apr 19 Cloudy & rainy

Apr 20 Fair, I cleaned house. The war between the United States & Spain is on.

Apr 21 Fair, I cleaned the garret.

Apr 22 Cloudy. Mary J. went with Wests to Menyunk on meeting business. I went to Strafford & Wayne with the marketing. Walter was busy with the oats.

Apr 23 Fair. Jewel is sick, had to give her medicine all night.

Apr 24 Rainy. Mary J. John & I went to meeting.

Apr 25 Rainy. We put the clothes out & they got partly dry.

Apr 26 Rainy. Horses are nearly all sick

Apr 27 Fair with high northeast wind. He cleaned house.

Apr 28 High northeast wind with snow, hail, & rain all day, very cold & disagreeable. Mary J. went with Jos. Thomas to David Havara's funeral. Father & I went to the grave yard.

Apr 29 Northeast wind but not quite so cold as yesterday.

Apr 30 Wind west & pleasant. Father is sick. I think he took cold fifthday. Mary J went to the meeting house this afternoon to a funeral, Isaac Richards mother.

May 1st Clear & much warmer. Mary J. & John went to meeting. Ellie & Ed Conard, Jim Richards & Ellen Davis were here to tea this afternoon. Father seems better.

May 2nd Fair. Father got up this morning but went to bed again about eleven o'clock. Mary J went to Norristown this afternoon to tell the Dr to come.

May 3 Wind northeast. Mary J. went to Phila to quarterly meeting. The Dr came this morning, says Father has the influenza, he ordered medicine every hour.

May 4 Rainy, wind northeast. Father feels very badly restless at night.

May 5 Rain. Dr was here to-day, says the fever is broken Father very weak.

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May 6 Rainy. Father rested better last night.

May 7 Rainy & cold. Father slept most of the day, is restless this evening. Stormy this evening Thunder &lightning.

May 8 Cold northeast storm. Mary J. & John went to meeting. Dr came this afternoon.

May 9 Clear & cold this morning. When I went down stairs this morning I found the kitchen door open,& upon investigation found John Watson gone, he took the most of his clothes with him. It was a great surprise to all of us.

May 10 Another clear day. Dr says Father is in a fair way of getting well. Father seems very weak to-night, has no appetite.

May 11 Showery with south wind. Father seemed so weak & exhausted last night that we sent for the Dr this morning, he came but said he did not think him any worse. He rallied this morning & seems stronger to-night.

May 12 Clear & sultry this morning, a heavy shower of rain about five o'clock this afternoon. Priscilla Streets came over from Wyncote to see Father. She came to Norristown on the train & from there on her bicycle. Aunt Annie Jones & Will were here this evening, also Colket Walker & Lewis Richards.

May 13 Clear & warm. Father has been delirious all day insists upon getting up, some one has to be with him all the time.

May 14 Clear & pleasant. Father quieted & went to sleep toward morning, & has become drowsy & sleeping all day. Aunt Annie & Lily were here to supper. Walter & Tom went this evening, to Norristown to see Buffalo Bill & his rough riders perform.

May 15 Rain all day, wind south& east. Our own Dr is back home from camp, & came to see Father this morning. The wind has shifted to west this evening & it is clearing. Cousin Susanna Roberts & Mary Emily Walker were here this afternoon.

May 16 Warm & sultry rain morning & evening with an interval of sunshine.

May 17 Clear & wind southwest. Ironed this morning. Mary J. stayed with Father, he is very rambling.

May 18 Fair & Warm. Lizzie Tinncy cleaned the sitting room Father has been sleeping all day.

May 19 Fair, showers last night. Father is still quiet.

May 20 Warm & sultry. Very heavy shower of rain this even with thunder & lightning.

May 21 Fair & cooler. I went to Norristown this morning. Dr was here and says Father is better. Jesse came this afternoon. We have to sit up all night with Father.

May 22 Threatening weather this morning but cleared later. Will came this morning & stayed until about five P.M. We had a run of callers all day Father has been very restless all day.

May 23 Rainy, wind northeast. We sat up with Father all night, but he went to sleep about four o'clock this morning.

June 1 Clear, Father was down stairs about an hour this afternoon for the first.

June 2 Clear, Father was not so well this morning, is better this evening.

June 3 Clear & warm. The Dr came up to-day but Father is better,

June 4 Clear & warm. We picked a lot of strawberries but we will not have nearly as many as last year.

June 5 Clear & warm. Father has been downstairs all day & ate supper with the family. Alice Stine was here to supper.

June 6 Clear & very warm. I went to Phila this morning to attend to some business, & afterwards went out to Chelten Hills to attend the commencement at which Esther Heacock graduated.

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June 7 Clear. Ironed & Mary J. went to Norristown to market. Picked strawberries in the afternoon.

June 8 Clear & warm. We preserved strawberries.

June 9 Clear & warm. Mary J, went to monthly meeting, Mary Emily Walker has been very side, is better. Jesse is here to stay all night.

June 10 Clear & warm. I took Father for a ride to Centreville this morning, Jesse went away this morning.

June 11 Rained a little this morning, it is getting real dry. Mary J. & Father went up to Roberts's. Mary Emily is down stairs.

June 12 Clearing & very warm. There was quite a shower of rain last night. Aunt Annie Jones & Lily were here to supper. Mary J. walked over to Davis's to see how Mordecai was, he had had a stroke of paralysis.

June 13 Clear & warm, Lizzie Tinney was here to wash.

June 14 Clear & cooler with a pleasant breeze. Mary J. went to Norristown to market this morning.

June 15 Clear, & cool. It is getting very dry. Mary J. & I finished planting the truck patch with corn. Father & Frank Tinney went to Strafford to visit the school this morning.

June 16 Clear & dry. Mary J. went to meeting this morning after she made the butter. Father went to meeting for the first since he was sick.

June 17 Clear & dry.

June 18 Clear & dry, wind east.We picked a few strawberries this evening. Lucy Bright & Kate Walker were here for a short time. It sprinkled a little rain.

June 19 Wind east. Rained a little last night & quite a heavy shower this evening, a rain much needed. Father, Mary J. & I were at meeting this morning & at the Friends' Association meeting at the meeting house this afternoon. The rain commenced about three o'clock. We had the last of the strawberries for supper.

June 20 Clear & pleasant. Aunt Annie & Lily Jones were here this afternoon & brought a lot of cherries for us, they helped seed them & we put them up had twelve jars.

June 21 Clear & pleasant. The men are at the hay.

June 22 Clear & warm.

June 23 Clear & warm. Father & Mary J, went to meeting this morning.

June 24 Clear & warm. Father & Mary J. went to Wayne with the eggs. Bought a box of soap.

June 25 Clear & warm & windy. I went with Father to Port Kennedy this afternoon, on our way called to see how Mordecai Davis was, is worse.

June 26 Warm & dry. We were at meeting this morning. Lida Walker came home with us. Ellie & Ed. Conard came for her in the evening. Jim Richards was here to supper.

June 27 Warm & dry. I went to the Post Office with Father after we were done washing, Mordecai Davis died this afternoon.

to be continued