JUNE 1876

1      warm and Thundering    I washed to day     Mr TOTTY gone to work in his HESTER corn        musquitos to night by the thousands and tens of thousands and thousands of  thousands
[BTM] Mr TOTTY mentioned above is Francis Marion TOTTY b. 1827, HESTER is one of their neighbor; there are two HESTER families found in the 1870 census.

2      quite warm      early visit this morning Mrs HESTER  Mollie and Maggie come before I got the dishes washed       Still Thundering       Frank M. gone to the Ball his father not a liken it a bit      Still lightning but no rain here yet lightning north and south
[BTM] Frank M. is Frank Marion TOTTY b. 1857, son of Francis Marion TOTTY b. 1827, the ladies mentioned are neighbors and friends.  Mollie is Mary Elizabeth SPRINGER who later married Frank M. TOTTY.

3      wind from North this morning rain to day     Bettie and Jase come down  we made a big Chicken pie for dinner      looked for Brother GOWER  but he did not come     all gone off since the rain    left me alone with the little children       I feel verry lonely and down in the mouth     am I to spend the remmant of my days in this confinement  if so I hope they will not be many        may the Lord help me to be patient      Cold this evening siting by the fire    need more wood      wind from the north
[BTM]  "Bettie" is Mary Elizabeth TOTTY b. 1853, dau of F. M. TOTTY & Rhoda and "Jase" is  Jason TILLMAN b. 1852, her husband.   Mr GOWER is likely a neighbor and friend from Tennessee.   From this entry it would seem that Rhoda was a very lonely lady, missing the fellowship of close neigbors and friends and at times prone to attacks of depression.

4     Mattildas birth day     cold wind from north      went up to Jases then to Bens and back to Jaces and then back home    found Louisa geting diner had a verry nice evening       John took his baby and  went home with HARVILLE 
[BTM] Matilda Jane TOTTY was married to Barton Ackman TRAYLOR and the dau of Rhoda & F. M TOTTY.  "Ben" is Benjamin A.GAGE husband of  Sarah Louisa TOTTY, dau of Rhoda & F.M. and the brother in law to John Whitfield TOTTY who went home with John HARVILLE husband of their sister Anna C. TOTTY.

5     Mr TOTTY went to count     mrs BOURLAND spent the evening with me     Anna come home with  John and staid all night 
[BTM]  Capt. F. M TOTTY often went to court regarding his survey, jury etc., Mrs BOURLAND would likely be the sister of Mollie SPRINGER who was married to "Sam" Samuel Robert BOURLAND.   John may be John W. TOTTY, bringing his sister Anna C. TOTTY HARVILL(E) back home with him or either her husband John HARVILL(E).   John W. had recently been widowed in 1877 when his wife Matilda aka Martha Ann WALKER died leaving the 4 minor children. 

6       Me and her took all the children and went to Jases     Louisa and her children come over in the evening        we had quite a lively time
[BTM]  Rhoda and Mrs BOURLAND took all the children to see her daughter   Mary Elizabeth "Bettie" (TOTTY) TILLMAN and her husband "Jase".   Sarah "Louisa" (TOTTY) GAGE is another  dau of Rhoda and F.M. TOTTY

7     High wind from South    me and Anna went to Mr SPRINGERS after dinner    Sallie and Mattie was here to day      HARRY got home yesterday
[BTM]  Mr SPRINGER would be Franklin Anderson SPRINGER father of "Mollie" aka Mary Elizabeth  SPRINGER TOTTY.  Who is HARRY?

8     washed today got done at 3 oclock     John and P went home with John and Anna     see HARVY? or HARRY?s  heard of cattle whilst I am writing       corn Silk in the field
[BTM] This entry was faint and hard to make out the name, it could be Harvy or Harry.  His herd of cattle must be on the TOTTY property or very near by for Rhoda to see them while she was writing in her diary. 

9     high wind from south begin to watch the clouds      Frank went to the store and bought some things      Old sow eating up my chickens I am mad at fido and howdy     going to stop their rations       fell down and hurt my self verry bad     Baby sick all night
[BTM] fido and howdy is likely names for her dogs who were not doing their job watching out for things. 

10    Jase saw a corn silk and run home and put on his biled shirt     come back walking    chicken with its head pecked     Billy and Eppie come down to day and Jase and  Bettie staid all night
[BTM]  Billy is William Reeves BEAN and his wife Eppie Horn BEAN.

11    norther again cold siting by the fire     Bob come down to day and took dinner      Big rain
[BTM] Rhoda is most likely speaking of Robert  "Bob" Bean their neighbor and friend and the brother of Billy Bean.

12    Billy and Eppie left this morning       FUGIT was here to day     wind still from north     John  found his sow and old sow gone     chickens have some peace now      its night now all quiet Old man reading his paper     I am feeling verry lonely      girls all maried and gone boys no company       all gone to bed and when up talking about corn and cotton     good old social chat with the girls gone they all have homes of their own and some boddy else to talk to yet why should I be low spirited matters could be worse for we are all well and hearty and got plenty to live on

13    Realy cold this morning all hovering round the stove       wind high from north some verry strange knocking on the back of the chimney  this evening I thought it was Pea and went out to see  but saw nothing     I told the Old man about it to night after supper and we was siting by the fire      he laughed and said it was after me     just then it wraped again loud enough for John to hear it plain in his room       the old mans eyes opened verry wide    Still cold..     Blankets on the beds like winter
14    Still cold    high wind from north    all hands gone to plow out Johns corn
15    washed to day    clothes dry     thundering this evening    Rain plenty    ground wet
16    wind still from the north has been the longest cool spell I ever saw in June     I went to Parson DAVIES at night and rode sogy    had Marene for an escort he and me and sogy made a heavy turnout
17    Come home this morning     rode sogy     had the Parson as an escort      another heavy Brisk wind still from north      cold enough to sleep under a blanket
18    John kind of spruced up and went to Southwoods to meeting this morning..     Cloudy to day and sprinkling rain       Jase and Bettie come down after dinner       Jase killed a big rattle snake in the field      Bart and   Tilda come home with John and staid all night
19     Cold again this morning but wind from South   warm this evening   Bart went home and left Tilda..      Pea went with him      glad of the swap.
 20    Frank M. Started horse hunting  this morning        me and Tilda   Lillie and all the children went up to Jaces and then to see Manda and her baby       I am sorry for poor little George
[BTM] Tilda and Lillie are Rhoda's daughters going to visit another daughter and sister Bettie.    Amanda Perrin BEAN was the wife of Robert BEAN they were the parents of George BEAN.

21    Warm this morning     Bettie  Spent the day       Tilda come back to night I had the Neuralgia and took opiom
[BTM] This drug was used mainly for Maleria back then, Rhoda was the local mid wife for the area and always kept herbs and drugs in her big white apron, in order to care for the sick when she was called on.

22   been sick all day       Louisa come down and staid all day her and Tilda done the cooking  I was so glad to have them with me        Frank got back this evening    no horses
23    washed this morning Tilda helped me..   I went to Mr BOURLANDs after dinner spent a verry pleasant evening in company with Mrs SPRINGER
[BTM]  Samuel R. Bourland  was married to the daughter of  Mrs Springer aka Elizabeth Zilpha (Smith) Springer mother of Mollie (Springer) TOTTY and Zelphia Balzory (Springer) BOURLAND.

24    Bart and P come home    Willie come with them       Mr. TOTTY gone to Forest burg  boys all gone up the creek to go in washing       verry warm beginning to watch the clouds again      old sow eating up my chickens again   I told the old man we would both go to the bad place I was afraid if he did not put her up       he said he would put her up and he made a pen
[BTM]  Bart is Rhoda's s-i-l, P is her son Lewis Pete aka "Pea" TOTTY.  Mr. TOTTY aka old man, aka F.M. are all nick names for  her husband, depending on her mood at the time she is writing in her diary.

25    went to what they call campbellite arbor      met a goodly number of Christians had the hapiness of communeing at the Lords table with our Strange brother? and sisters        felt so much at home with those iteligent Christians feel so thankful to my God for this happy day..   Jase and Bettie  Bart and Tilda all went home this evening  Willie come home with Frank
[BTM]  Jase and Bettie TILLMAN are dau and s-i-l, Bart and Tilda TRAYLOR are also her s-i-l and dau.  Who are the Strange brother and sisters? 

26    John took May over to Barts this morning..      good rain to day  old men in high spirits again..    I fear now they will be sad for it is raining       I think one of the bigest rains I ever saw at  this season      Creeks runing through the field..       I am almost crazy about Lillie her eyes are almost closed though  She does not complain of much pain..      it  is night all gone to bed but me I am too uneasy to sleep     Lillie is sleeping and I hope she will be better in the morning=     it is still pouring down rain
[BTM] Rhoda's son, John Whitfield TOTTY took his daughter May TOTTY over to his brother in law and sister's home.   Lillie is Lelia R. "Lillian" TOTTY WELCH youngest daughter of Rhoda and Capt TOTTY.

27    Still raining  Jase and Bettie and Mollie SPRINGER took dinner with us to day Lillies face still swollen though she has no fever and I think she is better
28    Still it rains  Lillies face not quite as bad as it was near 9 oclock at night the rain falling in torents upon torents
29    Mr SPRINGER and Sim HESTER here before I got up to look at the sea of water in the field      every boddys farm looks like it is runind      water up to the tassels in some places     I saw the boys  black heads as they was swiming over  Mr CROSSES cotton       it has been a day of excitement     every one that comes in has the same theme farms ruined by the high water
[BTM]  Mr Springer, Mr Hester and Mr Cross are all neighbors living around the TOTTY family.   Sounds like they had a big flood wash away the fields and ruin all the crops.

30    Excitement stll high   fences gone..      rain again to day    Mr and Mrs SPRINGER Spent the day with us   Bob taken breakfast and dinner with us
[BTM] Bob BEAN often stop's over for a visit to the TOTTY family, as does the SPRINGER family, excitment was still about the flood or high water that just ruined so many of the fields and crops.

Transcribed from Original Diary by Birdie (Totty) McNutt ©1999
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