FEBRUARY 1879

February the 1 Day of 1879 
Frank gone to the Burg    Mollie come brought the lamp 
birth day would have been 33 to day if he had been living 
…me  old man wrote articles of agreement between them us long as the 
Law almost..   I don’t think he will Stay one month don’t care if he don’t
[BTM] Their deceased son Robert H. TOTTY would have been 33 years old if he had lived.
The pages are so deteriorated that a lot of the page is missing.  Seem’s Rhoda and her husband Frank Marion wrote some type of note, or article of agreement,  but who are “them?” as Rhoda stated.   Could this be a new overseerer? boarder?

2nd Day  Sunday  thought last night I was going to die with sorethroat 
gone to see Bettie and Tilda Frank dressed up and went off 
..mes old man lying on his pallet reading I finished reading
….ronomy glad to get through the jewish Laws  So tedious read ten 
…pters in  Joshua     Ben and Louisa come Bettie come home with Lillie
…ley come to Set in   I was glad they all come I was lonely
[BTM] The sentence runs together, so hard to break down her thoughts for sure.  After Rhoda suffered with a sore throat during the night, she went to see her daughters Bettie and Tilda.   Frank got dressed up and went off, maybe to court Mollie Springer.    Capt. is likely feeling poorly again and lying taking it easy on his pallet.    Rhoda was reading and finished reading Deuteronomy and ten chapters in Joshua.    Ben and Louisa Totty Gage came to visit and likely dau. Bettie Totty Tillman came home with Lillie.  Who came to set in? 

      woke up with chill on me was very sick all day Bettie Staid
…. E   Louisa went home
[BTM] 3rd Day

…Day   Frank carried Bettie home  George got the wagon  I feel a little
……. this morning got no fever     raining     Pea come back with Frank
[BTM] 4th Day Rhoda could likely be feeling a little better since she had “no fever” when she woke up.  Pea must have been at the TILLMAN home and came back with Frank when he took Bettie home.

.….ay  Cold  Pea went to Pella  Frank and Wesley worked in their clearing
………  got neuralgia  took opium and went to bed  boys all gone to
[BTM] 5th Day      This could likely be Wesley Bradley, husband of  Nancy T. Reeves Bradley, or their son Lewis Robert Wesley Bradly that is working with Frank in “their” clearing! 

…………to night   me and Lillie Slipping about………………………..
………………..…….of ne…….got up after dinner   all going on in the
…………monotonous Style
[BTM] 6th Day   Capt. must be ill again for Rhoda and Lillie to be slipping around being quite. Rhoda sound’s bored again.

…. .y  old man went to the mill to get a cutter    Pea gone to 
Mathis after tobacco    me and Lillie done a pretty good washing
[BTM] 7th Day     Sounds as though Capt. and Pea were planning to work on cutting tobacco or some other crop, maybe cotton?.  To early for corn, any other idea what Capt. Totty would use the cutter for? 

8 Day   Cook got his meat   White Swaped cotton Seed   John and Sarah come
[BTM] Does the TOTTY family keep or process meat for their neighbors in their smoke house.   White swapped what for cotton seed?    Great grandparents John & Sarah Totty come to visit.

9 Day  Sunday  I coughed So bad last night I took opium  Sick all 
…..Sarah done the cooking   Faster Sent and got his cow    old man
gone to Bens     Frank gone to  meeting    Pea and Wes playing
Lizzie Cheser and Mary Jane and Gus come to See Lillie
[BTM] Notice every time Rhoda or Capt. took opium, they felt bad the next day.    Sarah Ellen Yandell Totty, wife of John Whitfield Totty was doing the cooking since Rhoda was feeling poorly.  I do not find a mention of the surname FASTER in the Census records in Montague Co., he may likely be from a near by Co. coming to get his cow.       Elizabeth Chesser and Lillie’s cousins Mary Jane and Gus Gage were neighbors coming to play with her.  Wes may be the son of Nancy Reeves Bradley and her husband Wesley.   Nancy was the daughter of Nancy TOTTY REEVES, daughter of Robert and Sandal ANDREWS TOTTY.
 

…Day  Mrs Springer Spent the day   Ben come with his wagon   John 
…. Pea went to mill   Frank gone to the Burg )  Wes whispers So reading I 
… hardly write he is reading about the rich man and Lazarrus
[BTM] This may likely be the 10th Day of February when Mrs. Springer came to visit.  Ben Gage come bringing his wagon likely for John and Pea to go to the mill.     Here we find Wes again, this time reading aloud but whispering so that Rhoda could hardly write. 

………Ben hauling rails   Louisa Come after dinner    Staid all night
……….boys  ….. on fence    old man went to the Burg I
……………………………………………………………………………
[BTM] Ben hauling rails so that the boys could likely work on the fence. 

[end of page] 
February the 14 Day 1..79
Cold..    Bob come   Frank give him his note for the n…. of the…………
Old man burning of the grass    excitement up the creek about …………
Lillie gone home with mary Jane..   been looking over my diary don’t
Know hardly how I have lived this long   feel …. thank God that I have
Commited no rash act…… and still hope . that I will not do that I may
live faithful……………….
[BTM] What was the excitement up the creek about?   Rhoda was 55 years old in 1879, and she is surprised that she has lived that long.  They lived such a hard live back then people did not live as long as they do today.  Lillie gone home with cousin Mary Jane Gage.

15 Day   Still cold    Frank gone to the mill    Bart and Tilda come
16 Day  Sunday   went to Bens with Tilda    Lillie went to Chessers
Wes went to Walkers    Frank and Pea gone to Springers   Cloudy 
And misting this Evening   Bettie Sick  I am uneasy about her
[BTM] Family all on the go again except Rhoda and Bettie. 

17 Day   Cold and cloudy looks like Snow
18 Day  nearly sick all day  think my journey on earth is nearly
ended   old man and Lillie Cooking and lothing around   Frank plow
Wes and Pea cutting cotton Stalks
[BTM]  Rhoda’s family really helps her out when she is sick.

19 Day  martins come  flitting round  looks like Spring
John Roberts took dinner   I was glad to See him  Faster come   Chessers horse
Boged in the creek   Molie and mag come by for Lillie to go with them to Bens
Old man made my ash hopper
[BTM] John Roberts was the husband of Matilda Estes, daughter of Mansfield Estes the ½ brother of Francis Marion Totty.   Sounds like the creek had a lot of mud for the horse to get stuck or “bogged down” in, it was hard work getting an animal out when it got trapped in the mud.

20 Day  old man went to the Burg  boys commenced to Sow oats
21 Day  high wind from South cloudy  old man gone to Jases
boys sowing oats   broke the wagon cant go to Clear Creek
[BTM] Capt. TOTTY went to see son-in-law Jason TILLMAN.

22 Day   Pea got Hunts wagon    we went to Betsys found her looking 
for us
[BTM] Betsy Estes must have been expecting the Totty family for her to be looking for them.

23 Day Sunday   Mags beau come took her to Sunday School   Billy 
carried Lillie me and Betsy Staid by out selves and smoked and
talked some   John and Tilda  Come in the evening for us to go home with them
[BTM]  Rhoda and family went to visit Betsy Estes, the widow of Mansfield Estes.  Billy Estes took Lillie to Sunday School while his sister Mag went with her beau.   John & Tilda Estes Roberts came by for them later. 

24 Day  we got in the wagon and went home with them
I had the big preacher there to Stay all night   Hazelet is his na….
…. He is a smart man but money is his suit he was Sick and did 
not preach Sheaver hold forth   Volentine   Grayham  Staid all night Said
Ed Shegog was dead
[BTM] According to the cemetery records Edward Shegog died November 18, 1879, but looks like with the diary record he most probably died in February not November 1879. 

25 Day  went to George Palmers  Said poor Elen die   met I………
Baily had a long talk he gave me some good advise   I found tha…..
….know more about my home then i………………………………….
[BTM] Could this George Palmer and Elen be connected to Nancy Reeves Bradley and her husband Wesley Bradley?   Their son Lewis Robert Wesley Bradley was married to Ollie Dora Palmer.  Is Bailey part of the Palmer family?

[end of page and end of dairy for Febraury 1879]
 
 

NOTE: This copyright© data CAN NOT be reproduced in ANY format for profit or other presentation "without" the express written permission of the the owner and transcriber of these diaries. 
Transcribed from Original Diary by Birdie (Totty) McNutt ©2000