Diary: Caleb E. Iddings, 1897

Ther. 31° Cloudy. Wind. N.E & S.E. Monday, Mar 1,^st 1897.

Exceedingly raw & chilly & cloudy all day, threatning rain or snow. I went to the store & P.O. Received a card from Charley telling of Idas continued improvement. Afternoon Willie telephoned for Edward to come & help him, & he drove over to "Fairfield" and may be gone all night. Lizzie Scott was here again. After supper I went up to Henderson's for a can of drinking water ours still being too turbid to drink.

I put a new cord on the old clock, on the "time side", having renewed the striking side some years ago, whilst we were living in Lancaster Co. Pa.

Ther. 37° Clear. Wind. S.E. Tuesday, Mar 2,^d 1897.

This has been a real spring day. the birds singing and the warm sunshine making everything rejoice.

I went to the store & P.O. Afternoon Willie came, bringing Fanny with him. they remained for tea. Edward came home from "Fairfield", and went in the Surry to "Bloomfield" and borrowed about 70 pounds of nut coal. I walked down there in the morning to see about getting it. I also walked to Ashton. Edwd Scott was here for a certificate exempting him from duty on the day of the inauguration in the military parade. J Janney Shoemaker was here and had a tooth extracted. I engaged three cords of chestnut wood from F. Downey.

Ther. 55° Cloudy. Wind. S.E. Wednesday, Mar 3,^d 1897.

Cloudy and threatning until towards evening. indeed it rained or drizzled all day except for a short time when the sun almost shone out, but it soon clouded over again. I went to the P.O. and store, and again towards evening for some coal oil.

Ther. 30° Clear. Wind. Thursday, Mar 4,^th 1897.

Much colder today and clear, with bright sunshine. Edwd & Frank Robison left for Washington to witness the Inauguration of McKinley, who is the incoming President. The boys went on their bicycles. "Old John" was here for advice & medicine. F. Downey's team hauled us 2 cords of chestnut wood

Willie Fanny & Alice Peirce came to supper. After which they drove down to near Spencerville to see the fire works displayed in Washington. Dora went with them. They returned about 10.o'clk, having had a good view of the fire works. Harriet & I could see something of them from our second story windows.

Willie, Alice & Fanny went back to "Fairfield".

Ther. 33° Raining. Wind. N.E & S.E. Friday, Mar 5, 1897.

Edward & Frank Robison reached home about quarter before one o'clock this morning, pretty well tired out. This morning is rainy & disagreeable, some snow and sleet were on the ground

Downey's team hauled another cord of chestnut wood, making the three cords I engaged. Miss Mary Colt telephoned for me to come over and see her aunt (Old Mrs Ellen Manning Cochran). I drove over after lunch Edward going with me. Went to the store & P.O. twice. This has been an extremely disagreeable day, raw and chilly, and is still so at bedtime.

It was fortunate indeed for the Inauguration ceremonies that they took place yesterday instead of today.

Ther. 42° Cloudy & Rain. Wind. S.E. Saturday, Mar 6,^th 1897.

Cloudy & rain again. I wrote to F. Tyson and mailed the letter in the 2_o'clk p.m mail. After lunch, walked to Ashton & rode back with Dr. Agustus Stabler and loaned him Hiram Woodruff's Trotting Horse of America. Afternoon Lizzie Scott was here again. The roads are very muddy & bad, the frost being entirely out of the ground.

We received another card from Charley saying Ida is still improving slowly.

Ther. 28° Clear. Wind. N.W. Sunday, Mar 7,^th 1897.

Clear & frosty this morning Edwd & I went to meeting, & heard a good discourse from Edwd Farquhar.

Willie came & took dinner with us, going back to "Fairfield" before supper.

Ther. 30° Cloudy. Wind. N.E. Monday, Mar 8,^th 1897.

Cloudy & threatning again, with a raw N.E. wind. I was called to see Mrs. Robison. Walked down to Ashton to Bulwar's to see about getting a wood stove for our Spare room. Afternoon filed the wood saw. Edwd rode over to Scott's to take some things for Dora

I moved the stove from the spare room into our room, & made a wood fire in it.

Ther. 40° Cloudy & Rain. Wind. S.E. Tuesday, Mar 9,^th 1897.

Still cloudy & drizzling rain most of the day. I too the back seat out of the "Surry". So as to make room for anything we may wish to carry, such as a trunk, or anything of that kind.

I wrote to Thos H Borden in N. York. Willie came to the mill & called here this afternoon. Edwd has been at work trying to perfect the telephone between our house and the "central" next door. John Hardy (who lives near Clarksville) buried his only son today. "Roles C. Hardy" by name. he was buried in Loudoun Park Cemetery near our old home at "Athol"

Sally Ellicott Jr called to se Dora.

Ther. 37° Cloudy & Foggy. Wind. S.E. & N.W. Wednesday, Mar 10,^th 1897.

Foggy & cloudy early this morning but towards noon the wind changed to N.W. & blew quite hard a real March wind. the sun shone out for a time.

Edwd took Hilles Robison to "Fairfield" to trim trees for Edwd Peirce. I went with them as far as Bulwar's & rode back with Edwd Bentley. Went up to the school house & requested Miss Dora Mitchell to keep the children out of Edwd Bentleys grass field as a play ground. Wlaked down to Bulwar's after lunch again. Edwd & Hilles returned about 5.o'clock and I sent them back to Bulwar's for the wood stove I had bought of him for the spare room.