1897 - 1901 Handwritten Diary Mound City Newton Kansas Young Seamstress " Darkeys "
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| Reference Number: Avaluer:2899 | ISBN: Does not apply |
WELCOMETO SALLY’S DIARIES: Upfor auction today is an absolutely fascinating handwritten diarywritten by a young woman living in Harvey County Kansas near Burtonand Newton Kansas. Itdoesn’t say her name but there are a lot of clues in the diary thatwill help in your research. The photo you see of Main Street in Newton was taken about the time this diary was written. It was copied by me off the web but I just wanted to share it as it shows what life was like in the town that our au...thor frequented during the time this diary was written. Thediary contains 105 handwritten pages and was kept in a large (5 1/2”x 11 1/4”) ledger style journal. She begins her entries on June24th, 1897and as the diary opens up I believe she’s in eitherMound City or Blue Mound Kansaswhen the diary opens upand then heads home for about a month and then back to “The Mound”as she calls it. Thereason she’s at “The Mound” is because she’s a “DressCutter” and seamstress and boards with two others, Chas and Nellie, who are also in the business I believe andare also married. Ithink their boarding room is either the attic or a room upstairs. Infact, Nellie wrote a poem and titled it, “Thelife of Dress Cutters.” I’vescanned that page and it’s fascinating as it’s all about theirworld in “The Mound.” Here’s just the first verse….“Upa flight of stairs, were two lonely pairs. They sat at the shutters, bewailing the life of lonely dress cutters.” Now, in another handsomeone wrote the year 1899 on the first page but it doesn’t matchup with the month and day that our author puts. But, the year 1897does so I believe it is this year. This section of the diary ends onNovember 2nd, 1897. Then 3 years pass and her new section begins, January 1st, 1901. She ends this section on March 31st, 1901. It’s during this time that she enters a contest of some kindand seems to be quite the popular girl as you can see from thisentry…..“March4th, 1901. Mama said my name was up in the contest for the most popularyoung lady in Harvey Co. to go to Buffalo and that Burney McMannssaid he would work for me so here I go. I wonder what success I willhave?” (When theNewton paper came out she was ahead in votes with 56) Thisdiary is so full of life concerning the great Midwest in the late1800’s. She uses the word “darkey’s” for the AfricanAmericans quite often, sewing for them, attends their festivals, etc.Much of her life is spent back home on the prairie or farm with hermother and father and what a life it was. Afew other additional facts: Says on October 27th1897, that she was engaged a year ago. Her birthday is February 28.There is so much to this diary, as her daily entries sometimes takeup too full pages and those entries are so full of emotion as youwill see in the following example excerpts…….1897(?)“June24th, I am determined to go home. O how miserable I am. Alice so cross. Iwent down with Nellie to get a waist. She wants to go with Mrs. Floryto Parsons and got angry because I would not come right back and workon her dress but went down and enquired about the rout. Shall go byMadison to Emporia then to ____. I had to work hard on her waist andshe was angry because I did not do more. In the evening MissNeatherby came to look at the system. I told her we would not raisethe price until August then she said she would not take it until theweek after the first. This made Alice angry and I could not be tooill kindly though if by her…….I cried myself to sleep…” “June28th, I got breakfast. Nellie and Charles wrote. Alice acted so unkind Icould not endure it any longer so washed and told them I was goinghome. They were surprised. Nellie said a child of hers could neverstart after such storm but I put my addresses in my watch and bidgood by to Mrs. Flora. Was off. Nellie and Charles went with me. Ihad a long and tiresome journey to Madison on the mixed train.Conductor was very kind. Took me to the best hotel. I had to pay $.50for my supper. The proprietor, a young man, carried my valise to thetrain and helped me on. I met two young girls that were going toEmporia. A Miss Martinale and Calvin. We had a jolly time. Then camemy long and miserable wait from 1:30 to 2:10 with no one in the depotonly loungers going in and out. One young man asked me when I wasgoing. I said sometime after twelve.He asked where and Isaid west. He said I don’t think it would hurt you to tell me thecolor of your house and the place you live at. I said I didn’t knowas it would or wouldn’t so I was not going to waste my breathtelling him. An old lady took to 1-5 train and she walked around thedepot with me so I got rested. Some miserable darkey’s gawked andmade remarks about me.”(She arrives home the next day. Several people cried when they sawher)“July14th, Made mamma a shirt. Cut the pattern for Irene. Lee nearly caught uswhile I was taking measurements. I can hardly sew on our machine.Mack came out in the evening. I did not treat him very well. He wasgoing away early but I told him he had better not then Chanwanted to go to bed on the floor in the sitting room and commencedspreading down the cloth before Mack. I go angry and never talked soin my life or never was much more angry. Mack went as soon as hecould.” “August20th, A pleasant day. Got ready, bid them goodbye and Mrs. Tracey andmama took me to Wichita. We went through Sedgwick and got dinner thisside of Valley Center at a house. They were very pleasant and weenjoyed our dinner. Got into Wichita at 4:30, went to the depot, gotmy ticket, checked my valise. While there a girl in a red silk dressgot against the painted walls and got her dress all covered. Went tothe livery stable then got mama a skirt. Took supper at a restaurantthen went up to Mrs. Tracey’s friend, Mrs. Jackson. Was so tiredthen they all took me to the depot. Got there just in time. So againstarted for the Mounds and what for? For better or worse. O say! Gotinto LeRoy at 2, went to the Jackson House. House full. Slept on thelounge.” “August21st, So tired andstiff. Mrs. Jackson woke me up. Took breakfast, got on the trainagain which was as slow as a tortoise. A Miss Swift got on at Colony.she had been up late too so we both gabbed and gabbed. Had quite apleasant time with her. Got here and Nellie was there to meet me. Wewent to the buggy and the first that met my eye was pug, that horriddog. We came up to the rooms. Everything is just as I left it.” “August25th, …….Ohow discouraged I am. Wish I could get out of this.” “September2nd, ….Ibathed, wrote to Mack. We went through the jail, saw a murder. I likehis looks. Went to Mrs. Servises. Came back late. Charles was here.Brought some meat and tea. Got supper, went to bed. Nellie is veryblue. I wish I knew what to do. Such an awful place.” “September18th, Cool. Worked on Nellie’s skirt. Finished up P. Gallops shirt. Adarkey came up to get his pants mended and Nellie was in high glee tothink she was going to earn $.25. She worked hard and when the darkeycame, showed it to him, he took the pants and walked off saying hewould pay her next week. Then a darkey woman came in to have us makeher a waist so we took her measurements and cut the waist……”“September25th, The darkey’s big day. Bright and early the anvil began to sound.Miss Houne came in and took a lesson. We have the waist nearlyfinished. I wrote a hurried letter to Mack. Do wish mama would write.In the afternoon went down to the grove with Miss Tricker. Saw theDarkey minister to Madagascar Island. Had a talk with Mr. Elie. Cameback, got the waist ready for her. It fit lovely, better than Ithought it would but Mrs. Flora had Agnes come in here to see thateverything was alright. It made me provoked and she told the darkeythat we were owing her a lot of money and have that go on heraccount. Just exchange. There was only $.50 to exchange, the restleft. Mrs. F. in a story so the darkey could not pay us this week.There is a darkey dance. We went to prayer meeting but went first tothe darkey church but there was no entertainment there.”“October3rd, I feel very sick. Nellie went with me to Dr. Summers and he have me aprescription. I went back and the rest of the day had a very highfever and was very sick. I wrote to mama and Mack. Then Miss Parmleycame in and I took a walk with her. At night woke up with a highfever and very nervous. I called to Nellie and she came and sleptwith me. How I wish I was home.”“October6th, A day long to be remembered. I am so much better. Helped with thework then sit down to rest. Before I went down, Mrs. Mc N. was tryingto get the baby to sleep when I said let me play him to sleep so Iwent to the organ played Bag Waltz then the Misquote Waltz. When Iheard someone coming up the walk and looked around and there waspapa. I jumped over chairs, stools and clungto him. He asked me if I was ready to go home and I said yes so hesent a telegram saying we would be home Friday. “October7th, …..At10:30 the train pulled out and went at it’s usual rate. Nellieacted indignant and said she would pound Mack’s head off if shecould get him. I told her it seemed like a dream. She said it seemedlike a hideous nightmare but I am glad she will find there is someoneelse besides herself.” (Theystopped at Madison and Emporia. She said she got provoked at mentalking politics.) Theyreach home on the 8thand she almost had to be carried she was so weak. The entries forthis year go until November 2nd.She says at the end of this section, “I wonder if papa will beelected.” Then at a different time she writes under this, “Papawas elected and has been for three years after.” Then when you turnthe page a new section begins and she titles it, “Thebeginning of the 20th, century.” 1901“NewYears Eve. I do hope for a better year, a better life than everbefore. To think less of self and more of others. To give freely oflove and cheer. To see beauty in every lovely duty. To love papa andmama more than I ever loved them.” “January18th, Irene’s birthday. She is 18, a young lady with such a bright futurebefore her. She is going to try and graduate next year. In theevening a few of her friends came out form town and had a pleasanttime. I am beginning to realize that I am no longer a young girl.” “January26th, …..Wentto Newton to hear Sam Jones. I bought a pair of gloves and we tooksupper at the Vienna then went to the lecture and what a lecture. Hecommenced by saying an old Negro woman once said to him, “MistahJones, you is ever bodies preacher and everybody likes to hear you.You is the only white preacher that I ever heard that preaches like adarkey and bless the Lord you have a white face but you have a blackheart!” He then added that his old darkey woman would weigh 300dressed. He said that there were no men now, the honest noble men, only britches. God made two people in the beginning and that is allwe have. He brought out very strong the duty of children to parents, the duty of sister to brothers and of parents to children. Said allchildren needed flogging.”“February7th, ….Mrs. Nation went to one of the towns in Eastern Kansas with fortyof the W.C.T.U.and what do you think, a hundred of the women for the liquor trafficdrove them out of town. I feel that the women of Kansas havedisgraced themselves. When one raises up to put down the wrong, ahundred raise up against her. I wonder what she will do?.....” “March7th, Though Ihave all to make me happy, yet I am so miserable. How I wish I hadnever met a certain young man…..” Well, there you have it and there is so much more to this wonderful diary.The diary itself is in good shape, a bit rough for the wear (wrinkledcover), but good.
