August 1877

August the First Day        I think has been the hottest day we have had this year   Frank ploughed in the Yandell cotton        Mr Totty been sick all day       Ann very weak and low spirited  thinkes she will never get well
[BTM]  Frank ploughed in the cotton of John Whitfield TOTTY’s father in law.  This was noted in the diary for July that,  Mr. Yandell had died.   Ann is Rhoda & Capt’s daughter Ann Totty HARVILLE.

2nd Day of August      got up went to Bens before day       Staid till after breakfast come home      Harville and Anna went home with Jase         John and Sarah come tonight       extremely warm again to day
[BTM] Rhoda mentioned going to her son in law Ben Gage for the day.  John Whitfield and wife Sarah Yandell TOTTY are visiting his parents.

3rd Day of August      Wallace took dinner and talked some    I went to Bourlands eat half a watermelon    Billy Bean and Mose was here this evening     Alan Staying all night    Bourland caught a stray horse     Lillie went to see Duck this evening
[BTM] Duck is the nickname for Julia Springer, sister of Molly Springer Totty, Samuel & Bally Springer Bourland is another sister of Molly Springer Totty.      Mose is likely Moses Spencer, son of Daniel & Indiana Parker Spencer and the same Moses who was living in HH of FM & Rhoda Totty in the 1860 Cooke County, Tx census.

4th Day     horses gone old man gone       Frank hunting them       Jase and Bettie       Bart and Tilda come over       Fugit come after me in the night       I went    Staid till morning dressed a girl
[BTM] This is Night Fugit/Fugate.

5th Day    went to ves Tibits with Tilda Baird     come home this evening every thing wrong and fore most
[BTM]  Ves Tibits is most likely Sylvester TIBBETS the son-in-law of Nancy TOTTY REEVES?    Tilda Baird may be Matilda Jane Reeves Baird, another daughter of William S. and Nancy Totty Reeves,  and  the grand-daughter of Robert and Sandal Andrews TOTTY.

6th Day      ole man   John   Bart and Hildrett went to the Sale     Anna come to night      hot no name for it  to night
7th  Day   Rain and wind from north       Frank very sick this morning      Anna and Tilda Staided home    Mr Totty gone to survey for Freeman     Tilda Baird and her folks come
8th   Day      Mrs Springer and all the girls Spent the evening      Tilda went to Bobs
August the 9th     Mr Tolly and Bourland brought their hogs home       Frank very sick 
10th Day extremely warm    Hildreth pulling fodder       Peas Sow brought her pigs up      Hessie come after Hildreth      John brought Franks mule home       Anna sick
11th Day     Warm no name   hot is the word       John and Lane took dinner        Dr Williamson at Youngs to See Mrs Young        Daniel Spencer here this evening to borrow the mule to move
[BTM]  Daniel Spencer is the half brother of Rhoda Spradling TOTTY, the author of this diary.

12th Day Sunday     Jase and Bettie come down      Saw two cotton bowls opened to day      went to see Mrs Young       Bourland and Bally Spent the evening        Frank went to Jases        I am feeling quite well to night    So thankful for it
13 Day of August      went to Bens before day Staid until evening     dressed a boy      [here she drew a baby and wrote the name Frank]
[BTM] Frank Totty GAGE was delivered by his grandmother Rhoda this night.  Frank later married a Montague girl Nora Pearl Yearwood on Dec 11, 1897 in Wise County, Texas.

August the 14th     pleasant to day      Frank got back had no chill to day       old man  sore eyes  been in the bed most all day     Hildreth pulling fodder    I cut out a pair of pants
15th Day    went to See Louisa and her babe         Lillie went home with Bettie       I come home fully resolved to chang my way of living       Cool to night
16 Day      Went to See Mrs Springer    Spent the evening   Molly come home with me   Hildreth finished the fodder       Jase was here this morning with his hogs
17th Day     Bob went to Decatur after Manda       Nan HUDSON come and Staid with me       old man and Frank went to the Store  got me some ink
[BTM]       Bob is son of William and Caroline Reeves BEAN, and Manda is his wife Amanda Perrin BEAN. Rhoda was always so proud of getting her writing materials.  Nancy is also the daughter of William and Caroline Reeves BEAN who married Martin Hudson.   Nan and Bob are the grandchildren of William S. REEVES and Nancy Totty REEVES and great grandchildren of Robert and Sandal TOTTY.

18th Day   Manda come home   Nan went with her    Ben was here his baby very sick   Joe Marshall come to night 
19th Day of August  Sunday       Went to See Louisa       old man went to See Bettie       Frank went to Johns Pea to Barts     John and Anna come over       rained a shower this evening
20th Day       Jase and Bettie come this morning        Bart brought the mule and wagon home       boys and Bettie got dinner      I have been Sick to day
21st  Day of August       Went to See Louisa        rode behind the old man       found her very Sick      Frank brought his Cow home      big Storm before day this morning     went in the Cellar in a hurry and let the wind blow all it wanted too
22  Day      Cool this morning       Pea went to the Store got medicine for John      Frank went to Bens   Mollie and Mag here this evening
23rd Day of August       Went to See Sarah found her very sick feel sorry for her to night        heard from Louisa    up Shelling corn      She may to to mill next 
24th Day of August 1877   this day 34 years ago I was married      I was then so gay  cheerful and full of hope   So hapy in my white muslin dress    Cheeks needed no paint    almost as red as a rose    the very picture of health and affection     but oh    the change these 34 years have wrought    now a faded heart broken woman     Still Striving to  do my duty without a ray of hope this Side the grave    but there my hope is anchored Sure and Steadfast     may the Lord help me to hold out faithful to the end       Old man Sick to day and of course mad   hope he will be better in the morning    I am writing in the Smoke house to keep from disturbing him
[BTM] Reading this just made me want to cry for Rhoda.   Being a pioneer woman sure took its toll on many women including our Ancestor Rhoda.   Were all the TOTTY men hot headed?

25th Day of August       very tired to night old man quite Sick all day     Frank gone to attend his hogs  not come home     went to Jases to Stay all night       I looked for Bart and Tilda    they did not come   Pea went to mill to day   John and Lane was here
[BTM] Who is Lane that is mentioned here with my great grandfather John Whitfield TOTTY, any one know?

26th Day      old man Still Sick      Jase and Bettie come down     Bart come but did not bring Tilda nor Ade         finished my letter to night had to write in the Smoke house old man would not let me have a light in the room
[BTM] Capt. TOTTY being sick was likely the reason that he did not want light in the room, but thank goodness Rhoda would not let that detour her from writting in her diaries!

27 Day of August    Louisa birthday 33 to day        Jase and Bettie come early      Me and Pea and Lillie got in the wagon and went to the Store with them     bought quite a lot of goods       John and Anna was here while we was gone      heard this evening   John and Pettit is into a row    Bart took May home with him   Jase and Bettie took Annie and got in their buggy and went home
[BTM]  John was in a row with most likely James Pettit the land owner next to John Harville, too bad Rhoda  did not expand on what the row was about.

28th Day of August 1877    Mr Totty better     Sleeping to night       Ben carried Louisas pig home this evening
29th Day   Washed this morning       feel well to night     So thankful       Frank went to the Store got calomel    Pea gone to Harvilles    Mr Totty Still better
30th Day    Ben and Ferd Spent the day       Mollie and Sue Peggie and Ida here      Lillie gone home with Ida        Jase was here had fever       I Saw a Meteor to night light blessed all over the yard
[BTM] For those interested in Science, this is documentation of an historic event of a Meteor being seen on this day.

Last Day of August      glad to See it      hope for cooler weather        Frank Started to the exibition this morning       Pea come home      Alen come to do for um     Lillie come brought Ade     Mr Totty worse this evening

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