Februray 1878

February the first Day      Louisa Staying with me    old man and Pea went to the burg   Joe Marshall called      Frank cutting Stalks   Alan shelling corn
[BTM]  We got to figure out how Joe Marshall is related to the TOTTY family!   As much as he is found with them, he must be related in some way.  Any idea’s?

2 Day      very important    Margaret come  young brother Mabry Staying with us to night   Joe Marshall and his man here to day to get him   did not    old Kennan and his layout was here today
[BTM] Why was Joe Marshall and his man coming to get young brother Mabry?  The Mabry/Mayberry family was also found in Hickman County, Tennessee.   What does Rhoda mean by “his layout”?   Was Mr. Kennan married or just living with Synthia/Cynthia at this time?

3 Day of February   Sunday    John and Sarah come   went up to Jases to night     Bart and John Martin took dinner       Frank and Pea went to Singing
[BTM] Does anybody know which John Martin took dinner with the Totty’s?  There were Totty-Martin connections in Hickman Co., TN.  Did the Martin’s also come to Texas?  John and Sarah came for a visit, Rhoda does not mention grandchildren when her children come to visit them, it is assumed they also come with their parents [by me].

4 Day    John and Sarah went home       Kennan got corn     Parks after corn     old man went to gin       Pea gone to clear Creek      Mr Totty and me went to see George Springer   Margaret and me been sewing
[BTM] John Whitfield and Sarah Ellen Yandell TOTTY were the son & dau-in-law of Rhoda & Capt and my great g-parents.  Kennan is John of the Indian massacre who lost most of his family.

5 Day    Frank got the cotton home from the gin     hope they are done going to the gin this winter     Billy Bean took dinner was glad to see Billie      heard Jessee Palmer was dead       warm to night
[BTM] Billy Bean is a descendant of Robert TOTTY, Sr. through his daughter Nancy TOTTY REEVES.    Jessee Palmer is a new name mentioned, does anyone know who Jessee Palmer was or where he lived?   I show a Jessee Palmer living in Titus Co., TX and Pope Co., AR in the 1870 census, could one of these be him?  Could AR be the connection, that made John and Sarah decide to move to Arkansas.

6  Day     rain all day     could not go off with the cotton      Billie Bean Staying all night glad to have him Stay with us    looks like old time

*Day 7 through 14 missing

15 Febraury      Margaret  Scoured the floor      Duck Spent the Day with Lillie      Pea went home with George      heard about the capture of the horse thieves      Jase took Supper
16  Day      boys made the yard fence     Mollie Springer called     Lillie went to see Ida    boys gone coon hunting to night
17  Day  Sunday     old man and me went to See Anna     met Sarah and Mathis Jane Totty and her children      Alan and Marg  went to the Burg to meeting      Frank and Pea went to Singing      come home old man Sick had a chill      John Harville come in the night Said John Moore was killed
[BTM] In the 1860 Montague Co. Census there was listed a John Moore age 58 and wife Mary from NC and IL with several children.  Could this be the same John Moore?

18   Day of February     the men commenced to sow oats     Margaret went home     John Totty and Anna Spent the day       Lane come today       quite warm to night
[BTM] Will mysteries never end!   Does Anna and John TOTTY go together as a couple? Who is this John TOTTY???   Could Matthew or William TOTTY, son’s of Robert TOTTY, Sr. have had children “before” they died in the war of 1812.  Could this account for some of the unidentified Totty’s from Tennessee?  Just a thought! 

19  Day  Sick this morning had head ache all night       men sowing oats  John and Sarah come   glad to see them dread to see them leave    Bally Spent the evening  glad to see her
[BTM] This is likely where John and Sarah make plans to move to Arkansas, or could they be just going home and Rhoda hates to see them leave?

20  Day     rain this morning     John and his pap making boards       boys all gone off    Margaret and Sarah cooking chickens for dinner      John and Sarah went to Bens to night   I had fever this evening      Mollie and Mag here this evening
21 Day of February     Frank went to the Burg got flour and rice    John and Sarah went home    pedlar here
22  Day     Sick to day    Louisa come Staid with me    Lillie went home with her     men Still sowing oats      Mr Brown called Marshall got back
23  Day  Mrs Cross Spent the day    Joe Marshall come   Jase and Bettie come down  Still talking about thieves
[BTM] Sarah CROSS was a neighbor of Capt. & Rhoda TOTTY in Montague Co., TX.

24  Day   all hands went to the wedding   enjoyed it very well   Margaret  Staid     Neva come in her place 
[BTM] Rhoda did not mention what wedding they enjoyed, anyone have an idea who got married on this date?  Are Margaret and Neva “hands” of Rhoda, friends or neighbors? 

25 Day    Mrs Bourland come Said Bill was gone     Frank went home with Jase  to Start to Fort Worth in the morning
26th  Day February   Buck choked.   Old man Sick..   Tibits come for me to go to his house  I did not go    John come Staid all night
[BTM] Buck is likely one of their animals, TIBITS would be Sylvester TIBBETS s-i-l of Nancy TOTTY REEVES.

27 Day    old man and John trading Alan out of his hogs      put up my quilt      Louisa come  Lillie went home with her      Pea come home went back to Stay with Bettie
[BTM] Winter weather must be fading away if Rhoda put up her quilt or she just completed a new quilt and was putting it away.

28 Day     planted onions     old man went to Chadwicks     Nerva Washed   I putered about and done nothing   Alan burnt corn Stalks and that’s the way Febraury ended here  don’t know how it ended at other places   Frank Pea and Lillie all away from home feel lonely all the children gone
[BTM] Rhoda ends February on a Depressed note, something about the winter time seems to put her in a depressed mode.

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Transcribed from Original Diary by Birdie (Totty) McNutt ©2000