Thursday, August 22, 2019

January Entries in the 1900 Diary of John Foss & Isabelle (Huff) Foss of West Hollis, Maine


January entries in the 1900 diary of John Foss (1860-1934) and Isabelle (Huff) Foss (1869-1929), "Belle", who farmed at West Hollis, Maine.  From the entries, it's plain to see that they were a hard working couple.

The couple made use of a blank diary for 1894 to record their 1900 entries.  Fortunately, the days match up.



John and Belle, who married in 1890 at Hollis, Maine, had two daughters:
  1. Myra Helene Foss (1892-1976), who would marry George Woodbury McKenney 
  2. Annie Evelyn Foss (1900-1988), who would marry Lewis Isaac Woodman
From a collection of five of their diaries covering 1899, 1900, 1902-1904 and John's 1913 account book.  See an overview post that features:
  • family history of the Foss family
  • links to entries for the rest of January 1899 and other diaries from 1900, 1902, 1903 and 1904
  • an alphabetical list of surnames in the diary and an approximation of how many different people of that surname were mentioned in the diaries
  • an alphabetical list of individual people mentioned in the diaries, some countless times

1894 diary used for 1900 entries

The person making the entry is identified in brackets.  Throughout the diaries, John made occasional entries, but Belle made the majority of them. 

People mentioned in the entries below are identified or tentatively identified the first time they appear. If you have corrections, alternate identities or additional information on anyone mentioned,  please leave a comment or contact me directly.


Holdover from the 1899 Foss diary

Saturday, December 30, 1899:  [Belle]  A very cold day.  John hauled manure and wood.  A June day.

Sunday, December 31, 1899:  [Belle]  Cold down to 0 in morn.  John home all day.  A July day.

Monday, January 1, 1900:  [Belle]  A snow storm, cold and blowing.  John and Cecil gone to Will Deering's.  H. Smith & Cecil here this forenoon.
  • Will Deering - presumably William Brooks Deering

January 1, 1900 - [John]  Began snowing 5 am. Snowing hard 6 pm. I have been over in Johnson woods to see about logging with Will Deering and C. E. Warren.
  • Johnson woods
  • Will Deering - presumably William Brooks Deering
  • C. E. Warren - presumably Charles Elmer Warren
January 2, 1900 - [John]  Stopped snowing in the night and we got our sleds out in the forenoon and went with logs in the afternoon. There was one foot of snow.

January 3, 1900: [John]  Went with logs today.  ___ to Swetts to dinner. Twas very cold. Twas 4 degrees above zero.
  • Swett's - perhaps related to the Ida Swett mentioned later on in January 1900


January 4, 1900 - [John]  Have been logging today. It was warmer.

January 5, 1900 - [John]  Dot was lame and I went and got her shod. It was warmer. I have been cutting wood to the door. It looks like rain.
  • Dot - presumably John's draft horse
January 6, 1900 - [John]  Have been logging. Went 3 times. It was warm and good sledding.

January 7, 1900 - [John]  It has been nice sleighing today and we have been to ride.

January 8, 1900 - [John]  I have hauled logs today. A fair day, pleasant in the forenoon. Took Daisy to Warren's in the evening.
  • Warren's - perhaps the home of James Franklin Warren and Loantha C. (Bennett) Warren
January 9, 1900 - [John]  Have been to the Center. It was very cold and poor sleighing.


January 10, 1900 - [John]  Hauled wood. It rained in the morning. ___ [Fell washed or Fell. Washed] Collins sold his cow to Frank Coal [Frank Cole ?]
  • Collins
  • Frank Coal - possibly Frank S. Cole, son of Owen W. Cole and Catherine M. (Bailey) Cole
January 11, 1900 - [John]  Have been logging. It w[as ?] cold and hard sledding and we have give it up for more snow.

January 12, 1900: [John]  Have been logging. It hailed last night. There was two inches.

January 13, 1900 - [John]  It was nice sledding. We went 2 times. It was overcast and looked like snow.

January 14, 1900 - [John]  It has been fine today. Fell.  Charles been been _____
  • Charles - several possibilities
January 15, 1900 - [John]  It was warm and nice. I was logging.


January 16, 1900 - [John]  It snowed this morning. There was five inches. I am going to the center.

January 17, 1900 - [John]  It was fair and cold. We went with logs. Sleds went hard.

January 18, 1900 - [John]  It snowed this morning and we did not go. It stopped and so we went this afternoon.

January 19, 1900 - [John]  It rained in the morning but it stopped so we went with logs. It was warm and the snow went fast.

January 20, 1900 - [John]  It rained today. I have been up to  ___ [Edgecombs' ?] this forenoon. I went over to Johnson in the afternoon. It rained hard all night.
  • Edgecomb - if this was the surname Edgecomb, perhaps related to the Sarah Edgecomb mentioned in the 1902 diary
  • Johnson - presumably the aforementioned Johnson woods
January 21, 1900 - [John]  It cleared off this morning. I went up to the Mason place today. I went in to Jim's. He told me all about Nellie.
  • Mason place - a farm and woodlot which John either worked or leased
  • Jim - presumably James Benson, husband of Maud (Nelson) Benson
  • Nellie


January 22, 1900 - [John]  It has been fine today. I have been logging.

January 23, 1900 - [John]  It has been very warm. We have been to the river two times and went to Fletchers' with one load for Brad.
  • Fletcher
  • Brad - possibly Bradford Scribner (1845-1910) or Lindley LaPierre Bradbury (1867-1935) or ?
January 24, 1900 - [John]  It has been very cold today. We went to the river this forenoon and skidded logs this afternoon.

January 25, 1900 - [John]  It has rained today and froze to the trees. Everything is covered with ice. I have been to the post office this afternoon and sent a letter to Frank Bracket.
  • Frank Bracket
January 26, 1900 - [John]  It cleared off this morning. It is all clear ice. I went to the center and got a barrel of flour. The wind blows and it is very cold tonight.

January 27, 1900 - [John]  Has been very cold today. I have been chopping wood. I cut one cord. Nora has been down.  ___ [Collins ?] went and got his cow down to knight [either "tonight" or to Knights' ?]
  • Nora - presumably Lenora Asenath Huff, "Nora", who would marry Lewis Elmer Burnham in 1906.  Nora was the sister of John's wife Belle
  • Collins - perhaps the same Collins from the entry of earlier this month
  • Knight - perhaps John meant "night"; if not, then the surname Knight


Sunday, January 28, 1900 - [John]  It has been warm today and I went over to Jed Benson and we went up to James. He was in a peck of trouble. He wants to sell ____
  • Jed Benson - possibly a nickname for Jeremiah Benson, brother of James Benson
  • James - presumably James Benson, brother of Jeremiah Benson, and husband of Maud (Nelson) Benson
Monday, January 29, 1900 - [John]  It snowed last night and then it rained this forenoon. I have been putting on finish up in Myra's room.
  • Myra - John's daughter Myra Helene Foss, born in 1892
Tuesday, January 30, 1900 - [John]  It froze up last night and we went toggin [toboganning or logging ?] today. It has been cold. Paid Ida Sweat board.
  • Ida Sweat - presumably Ida Swett or Ida Sweet
Wednesday, January 31, 1900 - [John]  It has looked like snow all day and has snowed some but we have worked all day.

Thursday, February 1, 1900 - [John]  It has been very cold today. The wind has blowed very hard but we went two times. Bryan spoke in Portland last night.
  • Bryan - presumably Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska, who would lose to Republic William McKinley of Ohio in the election of November 6, 1900
Friday, February 2, 1900 - [John]  It has been very cold today. I have been three times. It is very good sledding.


Again, if you have information to share on any of the people mentioned, including the Foss family itself, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Advance to February 1900 or return to December 1899



Wednesday, August 21, 2019

1893 Photograph of a Field Owned by Charles Wright of Swanville, Maine; with Extensive Writing on Reverse


1893 photograph of "A field on the farm of Charles Wright, Swanville, Maine".  The photograph may depict Charles Wright, at left, and other family members, out for a drive to see the field's output.

On the reverse: "Charles Wright sold to George Woods 1914. George Woods sold to Leon Webster 1921".  "Woods" might have been "Wood", as some records show a George Wood living in the area.

The reverse also has information on how Mr. Wright brought the field back into production in 1891 with the application of 800 lbs of Stockbridge Seeding Down Manure.


"This photograph is of a field on the farm of Charles Wright, Swanville, Me. Mr. Wright says the piece was completely 'run out'.
"The acre shown in the picture was broken in the Spring of 1891, dressed with 800 lbs of the Stockbridge Seeding Down Manure and seeded to oats and grass seed.  The crop of grain was sufficient to pay for the Fertilizer used and also pay large wages for all the labor done on the acre that year.
"In the Summer of 1892 the hay was estimated by Mr. Wright at two tons. The picture is of the 1893 yield which was again estimated at two tons.
"No other dressing has been used than the 800 lbs of Stockbridge mentioned above."

From brief online research, hopefully correct - corrections gratefully received:

Charles Wright was possibly Charles E. Wright (1855-1939), son of Hiram Wright (1821-1878) and Lydia (Heath) Wright (1823-1901). The lady at far left looks elderly and may have been Charles' mother Lydia.

The record for Charles E. Wright in the J. Gary Nichols Cemetery Collection, ca. 1780-1999 shows that his father Hiram was "Born Strong, Maine".  Charles and his parents are buried in the Grove Cemetery at Belfast, Maine.

Hopefully a reader will have a theory as to the identity of George Wood(s).  

Leon Webster was presumably Leon Russell Webster (1895-1959), who, by the time of his purchase of the field in the photograph, had married Helen May Wyman.  Leon and Helen are also buried in the Grove Cemetery at Belfast, Maine.

If you have information on any of the people mentioned in the photograph, please leave a comment or contact me directly.


Tuesday, August 20, 2019

December Entries in the 1899 Diary of John Foss & Isabelle (Huff) Foss, "Belle", of West Hollis, Maine


December entries in the 1899 diary of John Foss (1860-1934) and Isabelle (Huff) Foss (1869-1929), "Belle", who farmed at West Hollis, Maine.  From the entries, it's plain to see that they were a hard working couple.

John and Belle, who married in 1890 at Hollis, Maine, had two daughters:

  1. Myra Helene Foss (1892-1976), who would marry George Woodbury McKenney 
  2. Annie Evelyn Foss (1900-1988), who would marry Lewis Isaac Woodman
From a collection of five of their diaries covering 1899, 1900, 1902-1904 and John's 1913 account book.  See an overview post that features:
  • family history of the Foss family
  • links to entries for the rest of January 1899 and other diaries from 1900, 1902, 1903 and 1904
  • an alphabetical list of surnames in the diary and an approximation of how many different people of that surname were mentioned in the diaries
  • an alphabetical list of individual people mentioned in the diaries, some countless times


The person making the entry is identified in brackets.  Throughout the diaries, John made occasional entries, but Belle made the majority of them. 

People mentioned in the entries below are identified or tentatively identified the first time they appear. If you have corrections, alternate identities or additional information on anyone mentioned,  please leave a comment or contact me directly.



 Thursday, November 30, 1899:  [Belle]  We were up home in the evening and Cecil Thanksgiving day.
  • Up home - presumably the home of Belle's parents George P. Huff and Sarah E. (Bean) Huff, but possibly the home of John's parents Silas Foss and Lucy H. (Bryant) Foss
  • Cecil - possibly Cecil Leighton Haley, who would marry Eva Mahala Smith in 1903
Friday, December 1, 1899:  [Belle]  A rainy day.  John had a bad cold, sick.

Saturday, December 2, 1899:  [Belle]  Myra up home.  John hauled hay from Mason barn.  H. Smith helped him.
  • Mason barn - usually called the "Mason place", a farm with fields and woodlot presumably leased by John Foss
  • H. Smith - possibly the "Had" Smith or "Hod" Smith who appears in other entries
Sunday, December 3, 1899:  [Belle]  We stayed in all day, up to Cecil's in evening.

Monday, December 4, 1899:  [Belle]  Cold rain and cleared off in afternoon.

Tuesday, December 5, 1899:  [Belle]  John put his brush around [presumably banking the house]


Wednesday, December 6, 1899:  [Belle]  John went to Ctr in forenoon. It snowed in afternoon.  John bought Sugar, 50 cts.

Thursday, December 7, 1899:  [Belle]  John began cutting timber today, B. Scribner's.
  • B. Scribner - perhaps Bradford Scribner (1845-1910) of Hollis and Waterboro
Friday, December 8, 1899:  [Belle]  John hauled manure.

Saturday, December 9, 1899:  [Belle]  Had the hog killed today. G. Hamilton.
  • G. Hamilton 
Sunday, December 10, 1899:  [Belle]  John had callers to see his oxen and cut up the pork.  Mrs. Foss went to meeting.
  • Mrs. Foss - presumably Lucy H. (Bryant) Foss (1837-1901), wife of Silas Foss and mother of Belle's husband John Foss.
Monday, December 11, 1899:  [Belle]  John in the woods. I went to Ctr.  F. Cole called in, bought the oxen when John got home.
  • F. Cole 


Tuesday, December 12, 1899:  [Belle]  Cloudy and rain in the afternoon.

Wednesday, December 13, 1899:  no entry

Thursday, December 14, 1899:  no entry

Friday, December 15, 1899:  [Belle]  Snow and rain crust.

Saturday, December 16, 1899:  [Belle]  John drove his oxen off this morning. Cecil went to take him back with Jere.
  • Cecil - presumably Cecil Leighton Haley, who would marry Eva Mahala Smith in 1903
  • Jere - John's draft horse
Sunday, December 17, 1899:  [Belle]  A Cloudy day.  Nora and Cecil here in forenoon. Snow in evening.
  • Nora - Belle's sister Lenora Asenath Huff, "Nora", who would marry Lewis Elmer Burnham in 1906


Monday, December 18, 1899:  [Belle]  Fogg.  John off looking for oxen.  George Swett went with him.
  • George Swett
Tuesday, December 19, 1899:  [Belle]  John is at home, went to Ctr, got things for Christmas.  Rain all the afternoon.

Wednesday, December 20, 1899:  [Belle]  John going after oxen today. H. Smith went with him.
  • H. Smith - possibly the Hod Smith or Had Smith who appears in other entries in the diaries
Thursday, December 21, 1899:  [Belle]  Up to Mason place.  John went after Dr. Fellows for Clara Linscott.
  • Mason place - a farm that John Foss either worked or leased
  • Dr. Fellows - presumably Dr. John A. Fellows of Hollis and Buxton
Friday, December 22, 1899:  [Belle]  John and I went to moderation.  Rained all the afternoon.

Saturday, December 23, 1899:  [Belle]  John at home.


Sunday, December 24, 1899:  [Belle]  A cloudy day.  Nora down.

Monday, December 25, 1899:  [Belle]  Fair and bright.  John gone up to Mason place cutting wood.  I went up to Mother's in afternoon.
  • Mother - Belle's mother Sarah E. (Bean) Huff (1841-1909)
Tuesday, December 26, 1899:  [Belle]  Today is 2 day of Christmas.  Sunshine, 18 above 9:15 AM.  It looks like snow.  John gone cutting wood.  A feb day.  [more words erased]

Wednesday, December 27, 1899:  [Belle]  John gone to Ctr.  A Cold morn.  12 above 0.  Fair and sunshine. A Mar day.  Sugar 50 cets, a tank of oil.  John went to Lodge.  A day for Mar.

Thursday, December 28, 1899:  [Belle]  A fair day.  John home cutting wood. April

Friday, December 29, 1899:  [Belle]  A fair Sunshiny day.  John up to his place cutting wood.  6 degrees above 0 this morn.  A May day.


Saturday, December 30, 1899:  [Belle]  A very cold day.  John hauled manure and wood.  A June day.

Sunday, December 31, 1899:  [Belle]  Cold down to 0 in morn.  John home all day.  A July day.

Monday, January 1, 1900:  [Belle]  A snow storm, cold and blowing.  John and Cecil gone to Will Deering's.  H. Smith & Cecil here this forenoon.
  • Will Deering - presumably William Brooks Deering
Again, if you have information to share on any of the people mentioned, including the Foss family itself, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Advance to January 1900 or return to November 1899



Monday, August 19, 2019

November Entries in the 1899 Diary of John Foss & Isabelle (Huff) Foss, "Belle", of West Hollis, Maine


November entries in the 1899 diary of John Foss (1860-1934) and Isabelle (Huff) Foss (1869-1929), "Belle", who farmed at West Hollis, Maine.  From the entries, it's plain to see that they were a hard working couple.

John and Belle, who married in 1890 at Hollis, Maine, had two daughters:

  1. Myra Helene Foss (1892-1976), who would marry George Woodbury McKenney 
  2. Annie Evelyn Foss (1900-1988), who would marry Lewis Isaac Woodman
From a collection of five of their diaries covering 1899, 1900, 1902-1904 and John's 1913 account book.  See an overview post that features:
  • family history of the Foss family
  • links to entries for the rest of January 1899 and other diaries from 1900, 1902, 1903 and 1904
  • an alphabetical list of surnames in the diary and an approximation of how many different people of that surname were mentioned in the diaries
  • an alphabetical list of individual people mentioned in the diaries, some countless times


The person making the entry is identified in brackets.  Throughout the diaries, John made occasional entries, but Belle made the majority of them. 

People mentioned in the entries below are identified or tentatively identified the first time they appear. If you have corrections, alternate identities or additional information on anyone mentioned,  please leave a comment or contact me directly.

 

Tuesday, October 31, 1899:  [Belle]  John gone to plough for W. Gilpatric with oxen.
  • W. Gilpatrick - perhaps William Gilpatrick (1843-1920) of Hollis, Maine; and perhaps the Gilpatrick who had a woodlot John would later harvest
Wednesday, November 1, 1899:  [Belle]  Rain all day. John went to mill. John bought me and Myra boot of a traveling shoe dealer.
  • Myra - Belle's daughter Myra Helene Foss
Thursday, November 2, 1899:  [Belle]  John gone to plough for E. Tarbox.
  • E. Tarbox - possibly Edward A. Tarbox (1850-1920) of Hollis and Waterboro; husband of Jennie B. (Hooper) Tarbox
Friday, November 3, 1899:  [Belle]  John finished ploughing of E. Tarbox.

Saturday, November 4, 1899:  [Belle]  It rained all the forenoon.

Sunday, November 5, 1899:  [Belle]  John and I up to Mason Place.  Charles Haley come and payed John.
  • Mason place - presumably the Mason farm, where John worked in the fields and woods; he may have leased the farm
  • Charles Haley - possibly Charles E. Haley (1857-1939) of Hollis and Limington


Monday, November 6, 1899:  [Belle]  Town meeting. John bought a bbl flour.

Tuesday, November 7, 1899:  [Belle]  John going to plough for W. Benson.
  • W. Benson
Wednesday, November 8, 1899:  [Belle]  John helped Jim Benson plough.
  • Jim Benson - presumably James Benson, husband of Maud (Nelson) Benson
Thursday, November 9, 1899:  [Belle]  John picked up apples and went to Ctr.  Myra went to have her teeth out.
  • Myra - Belle's daughter, Myra Helene Foss, born in 1892
Friday, November 10, 1899:  [Belle]  John ploughing his old orchard today.

Saturday, November 11, 1899:  [Belle]  John went to moderation this forenoon, got his shirts.  It is snowing this afternoon for the first snowstorm.  I went up to school and come home with Myra.


Sunday, November 12, 1899:  [Belle]  Snow all the forenoon. Sun came out in afternoon and wind blew.

Monday, November 13, 1899:  [Belle]  John moved down the apples. It was a cold morn, 16 above zero.

Tuesday, November 14, 1899:  [Belle]  John gone to Ctr. We washed.  He went to mill in afternoon.  Sugar, 50 cts.

Wednesday, November 15, 1899:  [Belle]  Cold and cloudy. John cutting wood in woods.  Jim hauling.

Thursday, November 16, 1899:  [Belle]  I went down to Fluent's with butter. John hauled wood.
  • Fluent's - possibly the home of Hiram H. Fluent and wife Ella F. (Smith) Fluent; or Edwin Augustus Fluent or Edgar Roy Fluent
Friday, November 17, 1899:  [Belle]  John went and got cider made and corn ground.


Saturday, November 18, 1899:  [Belle]  John hauled wood. He has got 17 loads.

Sunday, November 19, 1899:  [Belle]  I went up home.

Monday, November 20, 1899:  [Belle]  John up cutting wood.

Tuesday, November 21, 1899:  [Belle]  John at home. Fanny Ricker and her mother here.
  • Fanny Ricker and her mother
Wednesday, November 22, 1899:  [Belle]  A rainy day.

Thursday, November 23, 1899:  no entry


Friday, November 24, 1899 - Tuesday, November 28, 1899:  no entries

Wednesday, November 29, 1899:  [Belle]  I went up to Smith and got Sugar, 25

  • Smith - presumably the store of Constine D. Smith (1851-1917)


 Thursday, November 30, 1899:  [Belle]  We were up home in the evening and Cecil Thanksgiving day.
  • Up home - presumably the home of Belle's parents George P. Huff and Sarah E. (Bean) Huff, but possibly the home of John's parents Silas Foss and Lucy H. (Bryant) Foss
  • Cecil - possibly Cecil Leighton Haley, who would marry Eva Mahala Smith in 1903
Friday, December 1, 1899:  [Belle]  A rainy day.  John had a bad cold, sick.

Saturday, December 2, 1899:  [Belle]  Myra up home.  John hauled hay from Mason barn.  H. Smith helped him.
  • Mason barn - usually called the "Mason place", a farm with fields and woodlot presumably leased by John Foss
  • H. Smith - possibly the "Had" Smith or "Hod" Smith who appears in other entries
Sunday, December 3, 1899:  [Belle]  We stayed in all day, up to Cecil's in evening.

Monday, December 4, 1899:  [Belle]  Cold rain and cleared off in afternoon.

Tuesday, December 5, 1899:  [Belle]  John put his brush around [presumably banking the house]


Again, if you have information to share on any of the people mentioned, including the Foss family itself, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Advance to December 1899 or return to October 1899



Sunday, August 18, 2019

October Entries in the 1899 Diary of John Foss & Isabelle (Huff) Foss, "Belle", of West Hollis, Maine


October entries in the 1899 diary of John Foss (1860-1934) and Isabelle (Huff) Foss (1869-1929), "Belle", who farmed at West Hollis, Maine.  From the entries, it's plain to see that they were a hard working couple.

John and Belle, who married in 1890 at Hollis, Maine, had two daughters:

  1. Myra Helene Foss (1892-1976), who would marry George Woodbury McKenney 
  2. Annie Evelyn Foss (1900-1988), who would marry Lewis Isaac Woodman
From a collection of five of their diaries covering 1899, 1900, 1902-1904 and John's 1913 account book.  See an overview post that features:
  • family history of the Foss family
  • links to entries for the rest of January 1899 and other diaries from 1900, 1902, 1903 and 1904
  • an alphabetical list of surnames in the diary and an approximation of how many different people of that surname were mentioned in the diaries
  • an alphabetical list of individual people mentioned in the diaries, some countless times


The person making the entry is identified in brackets.  Throughout the diaries, John made occasional entries, but Belle made the majority of them. 

People mentioned in the entries below are identified or tentatively identified the first time they appear. If you have corrections, alternate identities or additional information on anyone mentioned,  please leave a comment or contact me directly.



Sunday, October 1, 1899:  [Belle]  I went to Waterboro, Nora and Myra.  A cold cloudy day.
  • Nora - Belle's sister Leonora Asenath Huff, who would marry Lewis Elmer Burnham in 1906
  • Myra - Belle's daughter Myra Helene Foss, born in 1892
Monday, October 2, 1899:  [Belle]  A cold cloudy day, below freezing this morn.  John gone to Clark's for J. G.
  • Clark's - presumably the store of lumberman Charles Franklin Clark (1844-1917)
  • J. G. - presumably the Joseph Gilpatrick, mentioned in the next entry
Tuesday, October 3, 1899:  [Belle]  John gone to M Place, ploughing. Cold and cloudy.  Went to Clark's for Joe Gilpatric.
  • M place - presumably the Mason farm, where John worked in the fields and woods; he may have leased the farm
  • Joe Gilpatrick - possibly Joseph Henry Gilpatrick (1874-1924)
Wednesday, October 4, 1899:  [Belle]  John and I went to Ctr, got Sugar, 50 cts.

Thursday, October 5, 1899:  no entry

Friday, October 6, 1899:  [Belle]  John hauled Corn and husked.


Saturday, October 7, 1899:  [Belle]  John ploughed up in pasture.

Sunday, October 8, 1899:  [Belle]  A Cloudy day.

Monday, October 9, 1899:  [Belle]  A rainy day.  John got his oxen shod.

Tuesday, October 10, 1899:  [Belle]  John ploughing today.

Wednesday, October 11, 1899:  [Belle]  John up ploughing and harrowing.

Thursday, October 12, 1899:  [Belle]  John went to Ctr today.


Friday. October 13, 1899:  [Belle]  John ploughed.

Saturday, October 14, 1899:  [Belle]  John went up to Sawyer's Mountain.
  • Sawyer's Mountain - at 1213 feet, Sawyer's Mountain in Limerick and Limington was once used as a whale oil light for Portland harbor
Sunday, October 15, 1899:  [Belle]  We went down to __ [Rickers' ?]
  • Rickers ? - if what is written is actually Ricker, it's interesting to note that another entry in the 1899 diary mentions a Fanny Ricker 
Monday, October 16, 1899:  [Belle]  John ploughing.

Tuesday, October 17, 1899:  [Belle]  I went up to Will Smith and got some oil.  I bought brown Sugar, 22 cts.
  • Will Smith - perhaps blacksmith William A. Smith (1864-1939) sold oil at his shop
Wednesday, October 18, 1899:  [Belle]  A rainy day.


Thursday, October 19, 1899:  no entry

Friday, October 20, 1899:  [Belle]  Rain.

Saturday, October 21, 1899:  [Belle]  John went to Ctr, got Sugar, 50 cts.

Sunday, October 22, 1899:  [Belle]  John took us ride, we called to W. Deering's.
  • W. Deering - presumably William Brooks Deering 
Monday, October 23, 1899:  [Belle]  John harrowing new ground today.

Tuesday, October 24, 1899:  no entry


Wednesday, October 25, 1899:  [Belle]  John up to Mason place.  I went up to Mother's and stayed to dinner.
  • Mother - Belle's mother Sarah E. (Bean) Huff (1841-1909); Belle called her mother-in-law Mrs. Foss
Thursday, October 26, 1899:  no entry

Friday, October 27, 1899:  [Belle]  John and W. Clark gone to Saco with apples.  A rainy day.
  • W. Clark -  perhaps Walter Ellery Clark, son of lumberman Charles Franklin Clark
Saturday, October 28, 1899:  [Belle]  A rainy day.

Sunday, October 29, 1899:  [Belle]  I went up to Mother's.  It was a rainy day.

Monday, October 30, 1899:  [Belle]  John went to Ctr, got Jere shod.
  • Jere - presumably John's draft horse


Tuesday, October 31, 1899:  [Belle]  John gone to plough for W. Gilpatric with oxen.
  • W. Gilpatrick - perhaps William Gilpatrick (1843-1920) of Hollis, Maine; and perhaps the Gilpatrick who had a woodlot John would later harvest
Wednesday, November 1, 1899:  [Belle]  Rain all day. John went to mill. John bought me and Myra boot of a traveling shoe dealer.
  • Myra - Belle's daughter Myra Helene Foss
Thursday, November 2, 1899:  [Belle]  John gone to plough for E. Tarbox.
  • E. Tarbox - possibly Edward A. Tarbox (1850-1920) of Hollis and Waterboro; husband of Jennie B. (Hooper) Tarbox
Friday, November 3, 1899:  [Belle]  John finished ploughing of E. Tarbox.

Saturday, November 4, 1899:  [Belle]  It rained all the forenoon.

Sunday, November 5, 1899:  [Belle]  John and I up to Mason Place.  Charles Haley come and payed John.
  • Mason place - presumably the Mason farm, where John worked in the fields and woods; he may have leased the farm
  • Charles Haley - possibly Charles E. Haley (1857-1939) of Hollis and Limington

Again, if you have information to share on any of the people mentioned, including the Foss family itself, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Advance to November 1899 or return to September 1899



Saturday, August 17, 2019

September Entries in the 1899 Diary of John Foss & Isabelle (Huff) Foss, "Belle", of West Hollis, Maine


September entries in the 1899 diary of John Foss (1860-1934) and Isabelle (Huff) Foss (1869-1929), "Belle", who farmed at West Hollis, Maine.  From the entries, it's plain to see that they were a hard working couple.

John and Belle, who married in 1890 at Hollis, Maine, had two daughters:

  1. Myra Helene Foss (1892-1976), who would marry George Woodbury McKenney 
  2. Annie Evelyn Foss (1900-1988), who would marry Lewis Isaac Woodman
From a collection of five of their diaries covering 1899, 1900, 1902-1904 and John's 1913 account book.  See an overview post that features:
  • family history of the Foss family
  • links to entries for the rest of January 1899 and other diaries from 1900, 1902, 1903 and 1904
  • an alphabetical list of surnames in the diary and an approximation of how many different people of that surname were mentioned in the diaries
  • an alphabetical list of individual people mentioned in the diaries, some countless times


The person making the entry is identified in brackets.  Throughout the diaries, John made occasional entries, but Belle made the majority of them. 

People mentioned in the entries below are identified or tentatively identified the first time they appear. If you have corrections, alternate identities or additional information on anyone mentioned,  please leave a comment or contact me directly.



Friday, September 1, 1899:  [Belle]  John pulled beans today. A rainy night.

Saturday, September 2, 1899:  [Belle]  A good rain today.

Sunday, September 3, 1899:  [Belle]  A thunder shower at night. Ida Watson died this morning.  
  • Ida Watson - Ida (Deering) Watson (1860-1899), who died at Waterboro, Maine. on September 3, 1899, was the daughter of Ezekiel Deering and Abby (Brooks) Deering and the wife of Roscoe Gilbert Watson. The entry of September 6, 1899 mentions Ida's funeral.]
Monday, September 4, 1899:  [Belle]  John brought home his oxen today.

Tuesday, September 5, 1899:  [Belle]  He turned out the oxen and dug potatoes.

Wednesday, September 6, 1899:  [Belle]  I went to Ida Watson's funeral.  John got a load of sawdust.


Thursday, September 7, 1899:  [Belle]  John got Jere shod today.
  • Jere - presumably John's draft horse
Friday, September 8, 1899:  [Belle]  John mowed bushes in his ____ [pasture ?].

Saturday, September 9, 1899:  no entry

Sunday, September 10, 1899:  [Belle]  Will and Myra here for the first time.  Katie came over today.  Baxter Smith died today. 
  • Will and Myra
  • Katie - a few days later, an entry from Belle: I carried Katie to Waterboro today, the Mormon meeting.
  • Baxter Smith - Melville Baxter Smith (1845-1899), who died September 10, 1899 at Hollis, Maine, was the son of Clement M. Smith and Phoebe Blake (Whitney) Smith and the husband of Sarah Josephine Johnston.
Monday, September 11, 1899:  [Belle]  Katie and I went to post office.

Tuesday, September 12, 1899:  [Belle]  John sat up up to Smiths'
  • Smiths' - presumably the home of the recently deceased Melville Baxter Smith, mentioned above


Wednesday, September 13, 1899:  [Belle]  Baxter Smith's funeral today.

Thursday, September 14, 1899:  [Belle]  I carried Katie to Waterboro today, the Mormon meeting.

Friday, September 15, 1899:  [Belle]  I went to office and got Sugar, 50 cts.

Saturday, September 16, 1899:  [Belle]  Mrs. Foss went to Portland today.
  • Mrs. Foss - presumably Belle's mother-in-law Lucy H. (Bryant) Foss (1837-1901)
Sunday, September 17, 1899:  [Belle]  I went to meeting.

Monday, September 18, 1899:  [Belle]  We had a small husking. Partridge 50 cts, Sugar.


Tuesday, September 19, 1899:  [Belle]  John helped Cecil today and evening.
  • Cecil - possibly Cecil Leighton Haley or another Cecil
Wednesday, September 20, 1899:  [Belle]  A rainy day.  John husking.

Thursday, September 21, 1899:  [Belle]  John went to Ctr and we washed.

Friday, September 22, 1899:  [Belle]  A fair day. John got his apple cider made.

Saturday, September 23, 1899:  [Belle]  John hauled in corn and five of us husked in the evening.  Aaron Burnham's reception 
  • Aaron Burnham - presumably Hollis Center Postmaster Aaron B. Burnham (1841-1917), on the occasion of his 3rd marriage - to Martha F. Thomas - on September 17, 1899.
Sunday, September 24, 1899:  [Belle]  A cloudy day.  We stayed at home.


Monday, September 25, 1899:  [Belle]  A lousy day. John at home husking all day.  George Tarbox had his reception tonight. 
  • George Tarbox - presumably George Henry Tarbox (1856-1923) on the occasion of his marriage to second wife Marietta or Etta Davis on September 17, 1899
Tuesday, September 26, 1899:  [Belle]  A good rain.  John husking.

Wednesday, September 27, 1988:  [Belle]  Mrs. Foss got home today.  John hauled stuff for J. Gilpatric ___ [shed ?]
  • J. Gilpatric - possibly Joseph Googins Gilpatrick (1832-1908)
Thursday, September 28, 1899:  [Belle]  John went to Clark's for Joe. G.
  • Joe G. - presumably the Joe Gilpatric mentioned previously
  • Clark's - perhaps store of lumberman Charles Franklin Clark (1844-1917) 
Friday, September 29, 1899:  [Belle]  John went to Ctr for Joe.
  • Joe - perhaps the previously mentioned Joe Gilpatric
Saturday, September 30, 1899:  [Belle]  John finished good Apples up to the farm, 75 bushel.



Again, if you have information to share on any of the people mentioned, including the Foss family itself, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Advance to October 1899 or September 1899 or return to August 1899