Year: 2019

26th – Mary came home today. Went up after I hauled a load of hay & cut wood.

24th & 25th – Cut sprouts. Stopped at Marys on way home but she wasnt there yet. Mary seems to be living with her Uncle Ed McCormick and helping her Aunt Sallie in Chillicothe during the week, and then she comes home to her parents’ house on the Bench property on Fridays or Saturdays. Correction: While she might be helping…

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23rd – Cut sprouts & went to prayer meeting. Drove Button.

22nd – Hauled a load of corn for the calves & worked in the stables. Geo. & Old Charley cut sprouts & John went down to Kisler’s & got the pile driver. Here is the mysterious Old Charley again. He was mentioned a couple of times last summer, and he’s not a horse because he is working with horses or…

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21st – Took a load of wood to Mrs. L. Porter. There are a few Porters in Livingston County, Missouri, in the 1900 federal census. It isn’t clear if Jesse means Mrs. Porter’s first name begins with L, or if her husband’s first name begins with L, as etiquette dictates that a woman is socially known as Mrs.-Husband’s-First-and-Last-Names. There is…

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20th – Went to S.S. & went to Mary’s.

18 – 19th-hauled wood.

17th – Pa went up to Aunt Vina’s to her birthday dinner. Geo. & I ricked wood at the cut-off. Geo. got sick. “Ricked” is a verb for to stack or heap. This is likely George Bench because in a few weeks, Jesse starts listing “Geo. DeLapp” and “Geo. B.” Cousin George has not gone home yet.

16th – Ground corn. Went to Marys, but she wasnt home.

15th – Geo. & I hauled 2 loads of Hay & cleaned out the stables. John peddled a load of apples out in Chilli. Frank, Charley & I went to a surprise supper at Nove White’s. A surprise on the whole family. Had a good time. Imagine three Bench boys just showing up at your house. Do you have enough…

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