MAY 1878

May the first Day    2 years to day I have kept a diary   Frank and Alan gone to the Burg  John Totty come    old man and him and Lillie playing dominoes
[BTM] This documents that all of Rhoda’s diaries were kept together and are in the process of being transcribed for ALL the Totty Cousins and related families of Montague County, Texas.  What a wonderful thing Rhoda accomplished for her descendants!   “If only” she had more supplies and could have expanded on the happening a little more at length.

2 Day    John took the cow home     Dutch and Frank found their horses before breakfast      Cloudy this morning      Mollie and Mag at the well washing      thunder but no rain yet
3 Day    rain a little last night    wind from north this morning  cool      Pea come got the saddle     brought me a letter form Jane Gage  I was glad to get it     think yet I will go      Frank planting corn again
[BTM] The previous month I speculated that Rhoda was writing a letter to Nancy Hoover Gage, but it may likely be that she wrote to Nancy’s daughter Lucy “Jane” Gage in Upshur County instead.   Rhoda intimated that she may go visit yet.

May the 4 Day   John got corn      Frank and Alan working the road     Pea and Lillie gone to the picnic      Jase and Bettie come    Jase gone to the burg     wind from north west dry as Steadum        Cold this morning
5 Day      had a Stuffed Turkey for dinner      nearly all theChildren was here     Bettie Sick to night   uneasy about her     the rest all gone home   Frank and Dutch went home with Jase   Bettie 25 to day
[BTM] Great way to celebrate a birthday, Stuffed home grown Turkey and her whole family there with her, sad that she had to be sick.

6 Day   wind blowing dust and Sand flying hurts my eyes    Bettie gone home   Pea come Sick with cold throat core      Bally Spent the evening
7 Day   dry as ever this morning      Mrs Springer  Spent the evening     thundering to night      Frank got Lillie a dress      Pea went to Jases      John come Staid   Sarah Sick
May the 8 Day     good doin last night   mens tounges running like bell Clappers some telling one thing and some another     old man and Me went to see Bettie and Tilda enjoyed the ride    come back    Saw Bobs renters  just moved in      Parks and Mose got cotton seed
[BTM] Even back then men were found to gossip right along with the women.  Wonder what they were wagging their tongues at?<VBG>

9 Day   Frank planting corn    Pea come  him and Alan went to Crosses    Frank went home with Dutch Staid all night
10 Day  old man gone to the Shop..   boys planting corn I washed and went to Ballys   Moly just got back from Pella     talked Some 
[BTM] Don’t know if Rhoda wrote the name wrong or if Moly was someone new to talk to.

11 Day  Cloudy this morning   Bob brought the mule    old man rich as crosses now    Frank and Bourland hauling plow timber   Alan gone to the Burg    Lillie gone to -Sue- Ida gone to meeting to night
[BTM]  Rhoda wrong Sue then marked the name out and wrote Ida. 

May the 12 Day  Sunday  Annas birthday  28 today  getting ready to go hear brother Gower preach   went Saw him baptized Ben Hodges      felt glad have great confidece in him..      Jase come got cotton Seed
[BTM] Ben Hodges was a neighbor of the Totty families.

13 Day     old man planting Cotton     Wind from north this morning      Walker commenced in his land
14 Day    Cold and cloudy  looks like Snow      Bart got Cotton Seed   him and Jase took dinner      Bally Spent the evening      her and me went to the garden got a mess of irish potatoes
15 Day    John and Sarah come this evening       Frank and Alan gone to Springers to night     heard John Roberts children dead
[BTM] John Roberts was married to Matilda Estes, daughter of Mansfield Estes, son of Matilda Easley Estes Totty, the mother of Capt. Frank Totty.

16 Day May      Sarah Staying with me      Hunt got the cradle to clear wheat      Frank and Alan plowing    Snakes got my Turkeys  I am vexed about it
[BTM] The turkeys may have been the same ones Rhoda and Capt Totty staid home to count as hatchlings. 

17 Day     Sarah helped me wash      Bart come Said Tilda was Sick    Sorry to hear that Pea and Lillie gone after plumbs
18  Day     big rain and Storm    Sarah and me run down in the Cellar     old man gone to the Burg   John and Sarah gone home      Frank gone to Jases     I hope I will hear from Tilda and Ada
19  Day   Sunday      John come we all went to Bens     Bettie was there      Boys and Lillie went to Singing    George Springer took Supper 
20 Day   all hands planting the thicket      Chadwick come to get corn  we planted the collards
21  May      rain again got Lillies dress cut out      set out Slips    old man  Staid but Saw a Tasal corn
22   Day      Lillie carried the dress to Bettie      Me and her went to Mr Crosses this evening      Bourland planted his Cotton over
23  Day      Sick this morning did not get up to breakfast     feel a great dread  as if something terrible was going to happen      feel better tonight much better evening    Pea gone to Jases   Parks got Cotton Seed     thundering in the north
24 Day  old man went after Pea      me and Lillie went to Bens     Louisa and Anna went with us to Chessors      Spent the evening in company with Mrs. Chessor and Mrs Taylor       got home very tired   got supper went to bed   Slept very little
25 May    got a mess of beans      Pea went to Bens had his hair cut    Frank gone to the Burg   Lillie got a boquet of wild roses   George Springer took supper     raining to night
26 Day  Sunday     Louisa Anna and Tilda come   Lillie gone to See Duck     boys Singing..  black cloud coming up
27  Day     Choping Franks cotton      Me and Lillie went to Mr Springers     Come home   I went to Norris s      Me and Mrs Cross Staid all night with Manda
28  Day     Come home Lillie had the work all done up      Steve Parks got Cotton Seed   Crawford got the compass      boys got done chopping Franks Cotton
29 May     old man and Pea hoed out the    garden me and Lillie washed and went dewberry hunting
30  Day     warm and cloudy  thunder cloud come up      all hands quit the field this evening   rained very little      Lillie gone to Bens     I helped the old man hoe potatoes
31 and last Day of May     the conqueror left Mrs Springers yesterday     I done nothing but potter round and cook       old man thinned  corn    boys all plowed..  new moon to night last night in May Month gone       I feel glad as I am that much nearer the kingdom of rest     I am tired of life
[BTM] What a sad note to end the month with.  Rhoda must really have had a bad case of depression to be “tired of life”.  Makes me want to cry for her and all her lost dreams. 
 

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