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Below is the seventh web page of text from a journal that David Henry Frost kept from 1878 to 1880. There is a link to the next page near the bottom of this page. There is also an index of all of the pages. |
[Retyped by David Frost, (B, Victor)]
Mar. 11 [1880]
I finished the Fables and commenced the Ancedotu[?] in my Latin Reader today. We have got to pronounce[?] in Greek. Jennie has a new black dress, Sadie's[?] made over. [Marion]
[Mar.] 12 [1880]
This morning the chimney caught fire. The children were very much frightened. It is very cold and windy. We took our last singing lesson to-day. We got a trundle bed to-day, but it has no eastons[?]. We did not have much school to-day, because it was so hard to warm the room, on account of the wind. E. M. F.
Apr. 12 [1880]
Monday. Jennie went to her school to-day, about eight miles north. Manie and I recited our Greek lesson to-night, in participles. It is very windy lately. We forgot to bring home the papers to-night, but as the new Latin dictionary, the third volume of Green's[?] History of the English People. A History of Our Own Times, and another thing came to-day, I guess Pa can get along. Especially as he has the "15" puzzle to puzzle him. Cora
April 15 [1880]
Our calf is just a month old today. We found some buttercups today for the first time. Artie.
[April] 20 [1880]
I got some candy, a purse, and a chair. [Cora]
[April] 22 [1880]
Henry went away. [Cora]
[April] 30 [1880]
We received a letter from Uncle Sam, saying Cornie[?] Joseph[?] died Sunday morning, the 25th,
the same morning the little Hoyt baby died. Cora
I made a mistake: it was Monday morning the 26th the little girl died. [Cora]
1880
May 1
Jennie came home today. Pa got a new broom. Manie and Pa went up to the farm yesterday to
set out some strawberries. Artie
Thea said "I don't know but one green[lower case, but I think this is a name] who was born
in May, and I don't know her very well; her birthday is on Artie's birthday." I got a letter
from Henry to-day. He was going away from Dysart, and did not know where he would be next.
He also sent back some of his clothes. [Cora]
May 2 [1880]
Sunday. A very pleasant, warm day. Cornelia
May 6 [1880]
Cora and Nelie went away yesterday. They are going to visit Mrs. Cam[?] a few days, Mrs. Bliss one day, then go on to Kansas. Henry has been sick at Ida Grove, Iowa. Papa is going with Cora and Nelie from Grinnell to Omaha. Jennie is doing the post office work now. Carrie is teaching her. I am going to start to-morrow morning to attend the Benton county[lower case] Normal Institute. E. M. F.
[May] 25 [1880]
Cora and Nelie are in Kansas. Cora is not[?] able to teach school this Winter. Jennie has gone to the [?] County Normal, at Toledo. We have not heard from Henry lately. Cora seems to be enjoying herself. [Marion]
Oct. 15 [1880]
The first of September I commenced keeping the family account. During the month of September it amounted to twenty eight dollars and six cents. This month so far it has amounted to $23.76. That does not take into account the cost of the horse and buggy and harness that Pa[?] bought on the 4th of October which was $85[?]. [Carrie? This section was not signed, but it was indented. No previous sections had been indented like this, and the following entry is indented for each paragraph, and is signed by Carrie. This section is at the bottom of a page, and the same date, and apparently same handwriting continues on the next page - the date is repeated]
1880
Oct. 15
Our horse's name is Tom and as he is a brown horse Pa said we might call
him "Tom Brown". He is quite gentle but not very fast. Jennie and Marion drove him sixteen
and a half miles and back last Tuesday. Tuesday we received letters from Cora.
We have not heard from Henry for quite a while except from other people
that have seen him.
It is quite a pleasant day to-day. Marion is teaching the children up
stairs. To-morrow will be Henry's thirtyeth birthday.
Last Sunday night we saw a rainbow the first time any of us ever saw
one at night. Carrie
Oct. 16 [1880]
Henrys birthday. Last night it was very windy and the house shook. It is very windy to-day and it is snowing also. The first snow of the season. It is quite cold. We received several letters from Cora. One for Pa, Marion, Thea, Artie, Ethel and two for Jennie. Carrie
Oct. 17 [1880]
Last night Pa went up to Mr. Shay[?] and brought alot of hay, and made the cows and horse and [?] warm. Ethel Frost [written in a very untrained hand]
Oct. 29 [1880]
To-day Pa received a letter from Cora, Ma one from Cora and one from Henry
and Jennie and I each one from Cora. Henry is at Sac[?] City and that letter was the first
one we had from him in some time. It is quite a pleasant day.
We had a short call from Freddie Hovey.
Alsa a call from Carrie Wooster[?], Mrs. Wooster and Mrs. Snyder. Wednesday
Jennie and Marion went out to Jennie's school to see about a boarding place and to make other
arrangements. The school she is going to teach this Winter is about seventeen miles north
west. The girls got back about eleven o'clock Thursday[?] morning. They spent Wednesday
night at Mr. Beal's. Carrie Frost
Nov. 2 [1880]
Election day and a very pleasant day. Carrie Wooster and her mother spent part of the day with
us and we had a very pleasant time.
Jennie's school is to begin the twentyninth[?] of the month. Carrie
Nov. 3 [1880]
Great Republican Victory. Yesterday the Republicans got a majority of 196 over the Democrats
of Belle Plaine. Over the Greenbackers 313. The Republican votes 362. Democrats 164.
Greenbackers 49. Arthur
[A few editors notes.
This is written quite large, even larger than Arthur's last entry.
Arthur is 11 years old, but shows his early interest in politics. Note that his
obituary
speaks a little of his political interests, and
Kate's (A, Carolyn)
journal
talks even more about his political nature. Given some of the comments made by David Henry
earlier in this journal, it sounds like it is a family trait!
Unfortunately his math skills appear to need more work than his politics!]
Nov. 23 [1880]
The sixteenth of this month was Theodora's birthday, she was thirteen. Jennie gave her a cat
cake cutter and let her make some cat cookies. Jennie made some pies and out of some of the
pie crust she made some cat tarts. We poped[sp] corn and Jennie bought some candy and we had
raisins and Jennie mixed them together. Then they had chickens. The children had the table
set for them and Ralph Hoyt [?] rest of us ate afterwards. Mrs. Hoyt was over to tea and Ralph
and she spent the evening. Jennie and Marion gave her some mittens. I gave her some table
cloths and napkins.
To-day Mr.[?] Wilson called. Freddie made us a little visit to-day, came
just before dinner and stayed until about three. Carrie
Dec. 4 [1880]
Jennie went away the 27th of Nov. to teach school. Marion went this morning to teach.
Marion is to be gone three and a half months and Jennie four months. Jennie will teach in
Tama[?] County and Marion in Big Grove township this county.
Jennie had quite a pleasant day for her ride. Her school is seventeen miles
from here. Pa, Ma, Theodora, Arthur, Ethel and I are the only ones at home now and we are
the only ones that expect to be at home this Winter.
Pa has taken Marion out to her school and so he is not here just now.
Freddie Hovey was here last Sunday and she[clearly she, not he] wrote in
our Autograph Albums. Carrie
[Dec.] 9 [1880]
On his way home one of the horses died though he was driving only at the rate of four miles
an hour.
Yesterday it was 7° below zero and this morning it was 12° below
at our house and Ralph Hoyt says it was 14° below at Mr. Autobrook's[?]. We received
letters from Cora yesterday. Carrie
1880
Dec. 28
Christmas there were only six of us at home. Those were Pa, Ma, Theodora, Arthur, Ethel
and I. Henry, Marion, Jennie, and Cora were absent . Marion and Jennie are teaching but were
too far away to go after them. The children went to the Christmas tree and Pa went with them,
that was Christmas eve. Thea got a bible on the tree and Ethel some thing to put around her
neck. Christmas morning Theodora got a knife and fork, a book, a dolls hood, a doll that
Artie made for her some things that Ethel gave her and candy and nuts.
Artie had some nine[?] [?], a book, a cat pen[?] wiper[?], a knife and
fork, a soap hammer from Ethel and some cand[y] and nuts.
Ethel had a dolls hood, a book, a cat pen wiper[?], a knife and fork, a
piece of velvet, a picture book, and candy and nuts. Pa had a pin cushion from Artie, a
pin cushion from Cora and a picture holder from me, and a cow[?] from Jennie[?]. Ma
had a neck thing from Cora, a holder from Artie, a calf from Jennie and a fine tooth comb
from me.
I received a pair of shoes and two dollars from Pa, a pin cushion from Artie and some little
things from Ethel. Cora also sent me a little mat[?] for my bureau and Jennie sent me a
ribbon for my neck[?].
Pa, Ma and I also had our share of the candy and nuts.
[This ends at the bottom of page 30 of the journal, which is all that I have. It appears, from the photocopy, that there is more written on the other side, so I assume the journal goes on. Actually I believe it continues on through 1883. I will do my best to find more. I will also try to find out who has the original, as I may be able to correct various illegible items and find mistakes I've made without realizing it.]
Last revised September 27, 1998.
Note this is the last of the journal that I have, so there is not a link to the next page.