JULY 1878

July the first Day   Sent for the Dr Brother Pain come        big rain dressed a girl glad 
(   )Callie     did not Sleep a wink last night went home with Anna     Staid all night    Pea come
[BTM] Rhoda delivered the first child for John and Sarah Yandell Totty my great grand parents.  Her name was Callie, most records show her name to be Martha, I have her down officially as Martha Callie Totty b: 7-1-1878.

July the 2 Day    Come home met up with Ras McCracin     Ras talked some  feel Sorry for him     got home glad of that       Lillie went to Bens    Ben worked for Alan   Mary Jane Sick all night
[BTM] This Ras McCracken "may" likely be the brother of Margaret McCracken Spradling the wife of William Spradling and brother to David Spradling, Rhoda’s father.  Wonder what caused Rhoda to feel Sorry for Ras, did he lose some of his family?   Mary Jane is the daughter of Ben and Louisa Totty Gage

3 Day      washed in rain water       Frank worked for Ben   Mrs Springer  Spent the evening       I went with her to her garden     I am thinking about going to Ferdinand Gages      Fraid I will not enjoy it much but I don’t enjoy Staying here under the circumstances think I will go and risk it
[BTM] Ferdinand Gage is the father of Ben, husband of Rhoda & Capt’s dau. Louisa.
What could be the circumstance’s Rhoda is having a problem with?  What was she risking?

4 Day of July     Cool and pleasant       Lillie went home with Jase      Ben worked for Alan     Cook for Bourland      Pea come after me and the old man to go and See Ada  we went found her very Sick      Staid all night     I am uneasy  about her   rained this evening
[BTM] Ada Irene Traylor is the oldest daughter of Bart & Matilda “Tilda” Totty Traylor.

5 July      Come home Stoped and Seen Bettie She looks like death in the primer      Lillie Staying with her      John come Said Sarah has fever      I have a head ache  dreading Sickness      rained a little
[BTM] Sarah was having problems from the birth of Martha Callie.    Rhoda seems to show a pattern of getting a head ache in stressful times.  Wonder if that is where I got that gene!

6 Day      old man and me went to Bens      Frank went to Barts       Alan went to the Burg    I fear Ben is about to back out from going to Eastern Texas      I want to go
[BTM] Ben may likely be uneasy about leaving with so many in the Totty families sick.

7 Day   Sunday       Lillie come home      I was glad to see my baby      Frank and Alan gone to Singing      me and the old man cooking beans and reading       Bourland and Bally gone to the Spears      Lillie went to see Sarah  Dr Stallsworth there      I am so uneasy about Sarah  I cant but think She will die
[BTM] great grandmother Sarah must have been really sick for gg g-mother Rhoda to think she would die.   Rhoda never said if Capt. Totty also read the Bible, but with his beautiful handwriting he was a very educated man and like Rhoda “must” have read a lot.
New name of Spears shows up, could be either of the Spear’s family found in the 1880 Montague Co. Census Prect 3 Forestburg Twp.   In HH#165/169 was S. J. Spear’s age 47, wife Nancy H. 38, Lurena 19, Nancy 17, Marion W. 14, Mary V.M. 10, Malissey 6 and Michael C. 4, all born in Kentucky.     In HH#257/278  was Andrue Spears 38 KY, his wife Lucinda 38 KY, Thomas 13 Tx, Marthey 11 MO, James 8 Tx, Lillie 5 Tx twin, Mintie 5 Tx twin, and Amos age 4 Tx.   Could this be part of your ancestors Carolyn??

8 Day July       hot this morning look like dry hot weather was about to Set in       I got on the mule and went to See Sarah       Mollie went with me    found Sarah better than I expected      come home found no body here feel like there was somebody dead      every thing is So Still       me and Mollie took dinner with Anna  had homny
[BTM] I have this mental picture of Rhoda being so anxious to check on Sarah that she got on a stubborn mule in order to go see for herself how Sarah was doing.   I can just picture her riding down the road on a mule.   If fact I think I will paint a picture of her making that trip.

9  Day    Bart and Tilda come  men all went to Hodges to work at the thresher   Dolly and the Springer girls come this evening   Mr OCane come to Springers to day  I have been Sewing –to- getting ready to go to Eastern Texas   Pea come home from Rosses   Ben and Louisa  Come Staid all night had a crowd and plenty of mosquitoes      Ada had fever
[BTM] I can find no body named O’Cane, anyone know anything about the O’Cane family?  Rhoda has her mind set on going to Upshur Co. on a visit.

10th July     men all went to the thresher again     Me and Tilda and Lillie been at home       Ada Sick again to night       mosquitoes Singing like bees      do hate to hear them 
11  Day       very warm     Bart went home      Pea got ready to Start to the picnic     gave out  went to Crosses to night      Alan gone to Bens to night     Ada Still got fever    Ida come this evening     Snakes after the chickens
12 Day       Boys all gone to Friend Ship to the exibition      old man  Tilda Lillie and me Staid at home had a peach coblar  for dinner       I went to See Bally..   told her She looked like death in the primer      boys all come home in the night but Pea he Staid
13 Day     Ben come about gave out going our trip      Ben Sick      old man gone to the Burg      Frank went to mill    Alan worked at Springers       thunder Cloud and rain      been the hottest day of the Season
14th  July  Sunday      John and Anna come last night      Pea not got home yet      old man and Frank went to hunt him     me Anna and Tilda went to Bens enjoyed it very well under the Sircumstance      come home found Mr and Mrs Taylor  here had Spent the evening      John and Anna gone home     Frank not come back      Pea and the mule all the topic of conversation      I am very tired of it       they come in the night
[BTM] Pea must have been feeling his oats on his 16th birthday to stay in Friendship that long, but yet he was still young enough for his father and brother to go track him down because of  all their worring over him or was it the mule?

15  Day     Bourland moved       Frank gone after the Dr for Cock       Bart and Tilda gone to Johns heard Sarah was worse   I am nearly crazy about her      I went to See Bally before she left     Mrs Whitly was there Spending the day
[BTM] How sad for Rhoda that her best friend is moving.  It must have been hard on her to see her leave.

16  Day     Ben and Louisa gone to Johns   children here..     hot morning     went to See Mrs Cook     Willie C and others come   Bart and Tilda come said Sarah was better  I have some fever to night
[BTM] Jane Cook was the next door neighbor of Bob and Bally Bourland.  Willie C. was the brother of Capt Totty and half brother to Mansfield Estes.   Sarah seems to be on the mend. 

17  July     Started to See Mansfield found him very bad  Dr Porter there giving a great deal of medicine   very important and pompy     he left  we sent for Cox    he come in the night     John Roberts and Tilda come   I cant think Mansfield will get well but may be Cox will help him
[BTM] John Roberts was married to Matilda daughter of  Mansfield Estes, she was named for his mother Matilda Easley Estes Totty.  Rhoda seemed to have been very close to Capt. Totty’s half brother and the rest of the Totty kin.

18  Day   Doctors all here pow wowing   all want to be the big man but Cox   Mansfield no better took too much  don’t to ever be any better     Mr Totty went home      big crowd here     I have fever this evening      I have been looking round at Mansfields wealth     he cant Stay with it and what good will it do him now
[BTM] At 61 years old Mansfield has lived his life well to amass his wealth.   In that time period, 61 years was a average life span, but what a young age it would be now.  Rhoda was faithful to her brother in law, staying by his side during his illness even when she was ill herself.

19 July     Doctors here this morning all the kin folks and friends come or nearly So     Mansfield no better     I heard from home     old man come Staid all night    I got some goods from Rosston
[BTM] gg grandfather F. M. Totty must have been sick with worry over the last one of his brothers and sisters to be alive.    He took turns being with Mansfield and working.

20 Day     old man went home    I had a Chill   got the head ache to night     Mansfield Still alive and that is about all..     crowd all day     John Estes come to day
[BTM] John Estes was one of Mansfield’s son come to see his father.   Rhoda was having another stressful day causing her another headache.

21 Day     Mr Totty come back     Doctors here cant do any good    got no hopes of Mansfield       been the hottest day thats been yet
22   July      Solomon Said better to be at the House of mourning that at the House of mirth      Mansfield died 10 minutes to 1 oclock      his children all here but one     all gone now of the brothers and Sisters but Mr Totty     looks like he would feel lonely      I heard from home   Tilda Sick    Frank looking for fever     feel uneasy     old man and Lillie come 
[BTM]Great to see Rhoda go to her Bible in a time like this, she must have prayed a lot for Mansfield and all his family.   This documents that all Capt. Totty’s brothers and sisters have all died with Mansfield being the last to go.   This was leaving F. M. Totty as the last child of Robert and Matilda Totty to be still alive.

23  Day      took a last look at Mansfield as he lay in his coffin      Started home     feel bad got fever  come home   glad to get here     no body feels well     hot and dry  be glad to See it rain     cloudy at sunset  to night     Jase come to day     Said Bettie was up
24  July     Still hot and dry      Frank missed his chill    gone to Stay with Louisa   Ben gone to fort Worth      Bart gone to Burg     here I feel a little better      glad of that hope I will get well     had first mess of Sweet potatoes for Supper
25  Day     Frank brought Louisa     She done a big washing     Me and Tilda tried to help her  but nearly failed      old man went to the Burg      John come Said Sarah was Sick again     Bart come this evening    Still hot and dry     lightning to night
26   Day      Bart and Tilda went home Tilda Sick    me and Lillie went with them  to Jases      met Billy Baird      rained this evening couldn’t go home      Staid all night
[BTM]Billy Baird would be William Campbell Baird, s/o Samuel M. and Sarah Sandal Totty BAIRD d/o Robert & Matilda Totty and the sister of Capt F.M. Totty.  He had married his cousin Nancy Jane Baird d/o Samuel’s brother Joseph A. Baird.   Joseph Baird was married to Matilda Reeves d/o William & Nancy Totty Reeves d/o of Robert and Sandal Andrews TOTTY.   Talk about keeping close ties in a family.

27 Day of July      Jase and Bettie come home with us      old man went to mill     Jase went to the Burg      heard from Sarah     very bad   sent for the Doctor   my heart aches for John and her to night      Margaret come glad to see her
[BTM]According to my records their young daughter Martha Callie Totty must have died and that is why Rhoda was so sad for both John and Sarah.  Martha Callie Totty b: 7-1-1878 d: 7-27-1878 at 26 days old.   Could Margaret that Rhoda and written about be Margaret Estes, daughter of Mansfield?

28  Day  Sunday     the rain   Sunday Frank went to to Figits     Lizzy Chesser come to See Lillie     Pea and Lillie carried the Children home     Alan went to Johns     Sarah better 
[BTM] Pea and Lillie carried John and Sarah’s children home to them, these would be the children by Johns first wife Martha-Matilda Walker.

29  Day      looking for the eclipse this evening       big rain last night     old man and boys gone to the mill     eclipse come on total      I felt perfectly awe struck when the Sun ceased to Shine on our earth     Stars Shined to night      Mart was afraid to go home  was glad to See the Sun Shine
[BTM] Who was Mart?

-29-  July  Bairds come John come brought his family
[BTM] the date 29 was written then marked out, so this entry should go with the date of 29 above.

30 Day       men at work on the room      Billy and the girls went to Bens      hottest day that’s been this year      I feel like I cant hardly live     So hot to be cooking     See no chance to get out of it as long as I can move round 
31 Day      finished the room       Jim Harville come after me to go and See Tilda thought I could not go felt So bad         heard again that that She was about die  got on a horse and went found her better   So glad      Staid all night       old man  Ross  Margaret and Lon was there
[BTM] Was this Tilda, Rhoda’s daughter? or another Tilda?    What was the given name of  “old man Ross”??    His wife was Rebecca and Margaret was his daughter as documented in the 1880 census as widow Wainscott.    Are the above mentioned, part of the  Ross family buried in the Totty Bean Cemetery. 

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