George Oakleaf Handwritten 1898 Diary and 1899 Diary Ohio + 1 Photo

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George Oakleaf Handwritten 1898 Diary and 1899 Diary Ohio + 1 Photo:
$125.00

George E. OAKLEAF, Two diaries, one for 1898 and the other for 1899, along with a photograph by F. H. Sweetman of Pioneer, Ohio (though this person is not related to George Oakleaf). The 1899 diary of George E. Oakleaf indicatesthat he lived at West Lodi, Seneca County, Ohio. George E. Oakleaf was born in 1866, the sonof Valentine Oakleaf and Caroline Fender; he married S. Elizabeth Oakleaf andthey had three children; and he died in 1944 in West Lodi, Ohio. Some of the other places mentioned areRepublic, Bellevue, and Tiffin.

The1898 diary, with the title “The ExcelsiorDiary for 1898,” provides both dated diary entries on the left, as well as cashaccounts on the right, as follows: Jan. 14th, manured 2 stables andhusked corn; Jan. 20th, did chores & tinkered; Jan. 21st,roofed hog pen; Jan. 26th, worked at mill; Jan. 31st,split firewood & made hen’s nests; Feb. 5th, fixed pig pen; Feb.11th, pulled stumps & went to Lodi; Feb. 24th, drawedwood; Mar. 1st, cut [i.e., pruned] grapes; Mar 4th, wentto fireside funeral; Mar. 14th, ditched & burned brush; Mar. 26th,fixed stair steps in corn barn; Mar. 28th, cleaned clover seed; Apr.6th drawed hay and went to Hoover’s baby’s funeral; Apr. 9th,made fence posts; Apr. 12th, plowed for oats; Apr. 25th,sawed rails and tinkered; Apr. 26th, moved privy and tore downgarden fence; May 7th, drawed manure; May 11th, startedplowing for corn; May 25th, drawed rails; June 8thsheared sheep; June 23rd, raked & piled hay; July 8th,got barn ready for wheat; July 15th, cradled oats [with a “cradle”being a cradle scythe or grain cradle], cleaned cisterns; July 17th,went to meeting at Reformed Church; July30th, tinkered; Aug. 3rd, plowed; Aug. 20th,Lizzie & I went to Praria [?]; Aug. 21st, spent Sunday on thePraria; Aug. 26th, Lizzie & I went after peaches; Aug. 28th,went to missionary festible [festival]; Aug. 31st, mowed weeds,early cultivated; Sept. 8th, drawed manure; Sept. 21st,sowed wheat; Sept. 24th opened water furries [?]; Oct. 1st,barn raising; Oct. 5th, worked at pig pen; Oct. 8th,cleaned stables; Oct. 11th, tinkered & picked apples; Oct. 16th,Lizzie & I went to Bloomard Fair; Oct. 18th, tinkered, made cider;Oct. 19th, husked corn and boiled apple butter [which is a highlyconcentrated form of apple sauce]; Oct. 21st, split firewood; Oct.29th, husked corn and drawed in corn and butchered a pig; Dec. 6th,drawed firewood and worked at hog pen; Dec. 9th, went to mill withcorn & oats. Some of the purchasesduring 1898 are as follows: binder twine, 72¢; brush, 40¢; care of horse, 35¢;church collection, 10¢; cigar, 5¢; condition powder, 30¢; drink & cigar,30¢; haircut & shave, 25¢; horse feed, 20¢; machine oil, 1 gal., 40¢;minister fees, $3; nails, 20 lbs., 6¢; nails & spikes, 45¢; oil &turpentine, 34¢; pair of boots, $2.75; pair of overalls, 50¢; pair of pants,50¢; pair of shoes, $1.20; padlock, 35¢; picket fence, $8; seed, $2; service ofhorse, $8; straw hat, 25¢; suspenders, 1 pair, 25¢; watch chain, 5¢; watchcleaning, $1.30; wire & staples, 74¢; wool twine, 16¢. Some of the items sold during 1898 are as follows:cider, 27 gal., 27¢; cow, $29; hickory tree, $4.22; pumpkins, 75¢; wood,6 cords, $4.50.

The1899 diary, which measures about 3in. x 5 in., has an entry for every day of the year and those entries aretypical farming type entries. Thefollowing are a few excerpts: “Clearand thawing some. Was to Lodi tending the lawsuit of John Hoover and Skeels. Fair and warm. Southwest wind. Worked in thewoods cutting fire wood. Rob Zepernick began to work by the month. D. Sherck tocut wood in the afternoon. Rainy andsnowing. N. wind. Went to the shop in morning to fix wagon to take to Republic.Went to the store in afternoon. Had some boots half soled. Warm and fair. Southwest wind. Lizzie and Iwent to Mr. Skeel’s birthday party. Warmand cloudy. Rain in evening and night. Southeast wind. Lizzie and I went toBellevue to attend the funeral of Uncle Jacob Eichenlamb. Washed sheep in morning. Lizzie and I went to Republic to Decorationand Aunt Barbarie. Built fence in orchard.Warm and fair. Southwest wind. Cleaned out barn to draw in wheat. Lizzieand I went to Republic in evening. Robertwent to spend the fourth. Came back by Wednesday at 9 o’clock a.m. Warm and fair. Southeast wind. Lizzie and Iwent to Tiffin to hear Bryan speak. Robhusked corn in forenoon and cleaned out stable in afternoon. Lizzie’s fatherand mother here of Sedalia Mo. Came here on a visit. Cloudy and cold. West wind. Went to reformchurch in morning. All went to Mr. C. Hensinger in afternoon. Colder and snowed during morning. Had a whiteChristmas morning. Strong West wind. Lizzie and I went to goose roast at D.Sherck’s. D. Sherck and I went to Lodiin night for the doctor and to examine of Joe Buchenwalter’s death in evening. Stormy. Cold west wind. Went to Lodi inmorning, then to Buter’s (?) School for Superintendent Gooding to hold aninquest over Joe Buckenwalter. We to church council with Levi Bennihuff inafternoon.” Some of the names mentionedare: Cary Eichenlamb, Dave Sherck, Emery Richter, Andrew and SadieShederly, Zolla Kerr, Hiram Hipler, John Hoover, Sorinda Everhart, RobertCorner, Early Curry, Robert Painter, Levi Bennchief, Eli Meyers, Moses Wiekert,and Perry Tompkins.

Excellent insights into late 19th century America.