Diary of John Arch Collins
January 5, 1908. Sunday. Bessie and I spent the day with Levada and George Putnam. Papa went to Uncle Davis Collins, and he and Uncle Jim Ervin went to Mr. Alley's this evening.
Jan 7. We haven't done anything today because of the rain, except after it cleared off, Will Sims and I washed my buggy harnesses and greased them.
Jan 15. I hauled some wood to the Allison place, and Papa hauled wood for Mr. Wyatt. Ernest and I went to P. Ervin's to a chopping. Will and Florida went and scoured out the house to move in.
Jan 20. Sawed at the mill. Filled up the boiler this morning and fired up and went to sawing. Ernest fired, and John Evans and I done the rest. We sawed furniture lumber.
Jan 24. This morning the wind is blowing and it is so cold that we can't stand to be out at work, so we haven't done anything today, except I went to the mill and built a fire under the boiler to keep it from freezing. It has been the coldest day we have had this winter.
Jan 31. It snowed so deep we had to stop working at the mill.
February 5, 1908. This morning it looked so much like it was going to be bad weather, I hauled some wood. It was sleeting and snowing this morning. I helped thrash some peas after noon. George Putnam helped us. Ernest went up to Mr. Wyatt's and got $10.50 that he was due for some lumber.
Feb 9. Sunday. Bessie and I went to preaching at Rocky Mount. Katie and .... went in the buggy and Mr. Barron walked. The preacher taken his text in Rev. 11:3 After noon I went to A.L. Kennedy's to see Will.
Feb 10. This morning it commenced snowing and snowed all day. The snow is about four inches deep. It stopped about 3 o'clock and rained until night. I went to the schoolhouse after Bessie, as it was so bad. Papa and I finished thrashing peas. We made about 41 bushels.
Feb 11. This morning I taken Bessie and the children to the schoolhouse, and went after them this evening. (perhaps refers to children Bessie taught, or other family members..-ed.) We haven't done anything today as it has been so bad. Mrs. Effie Parker died this morning at 7 o'clock. She has been ailing for some time, and it was due to heart trouble.
Feb 12. This morning I taken Bessie to the schoolhouse, and then went on to Mr. Thompson's to get him to take some tax receipts to collect. I then come back to Rocky Mount to Mrs. Effie Parker's passing. After it was over, I come home and went after Bessie and the children. They were at school.
Feb 19. This morning it is raining and rained till up in the morning. I haven't done anything, except I helped Lum Maness skin a calf, which died for Ernest last night.
March 3, 1908. Building a stove flue and fixing the chimney, and put up some ceiling at the Allison house. Dewitt Putnam did the brick work for me. Papa went to Mooresville with a load of lumber.
Mar 13. Hauling logs. Ernest and I hauled with the horses and drug out with the cows. Ernest went to the depot late this evening to get some medicine for Papa. He is sick with something like the grippe.
Mar 19. Went to Troutman after a load of fertilizer for Papa. Ernest and I went, and we taken a load of crossties. After noon, I got George Putnam and his horse, and drilled three acres of oats. John Evans harrowed some for me before noon, and he tried to plow the oxen this evening but could not do any good.
Mar 20. This morning it is raining and rained all day. It sleeted and snowed all night. The peaches are in full bloom. I think they are all killed.
Mar 21. Hauling straw from Papa's. John Kennedy and I hauled two loads of straw and a load of pea hay. I brought my hog home this evening. John Sherrill died today about one o'clock of pneumonia. He taken sick the first of the week.
Mar 22. Sunday. Katie, Bell, and Wilmuth Nesbitt come over here and stayed a while. I went over home to take Papa over to see John Sherrill before they started with him to the graveyard, but as Papa was not well and the wind was cold, he was afraid to get out, so I come back home and Bessie got dinner ready, and we went to the burying. He was buried under the Junior Order. There was the largest crowd I ever saw at a burying.
Mar 23. This morning it is still raining, and I went to the store and got some things for Bessie, and some shoe leather. Come home and fixed Bessie's shoes, and went over to Papa's after a turkey and got some milk. I also got $1.45 from Maggie...for sawing.
Mar 27. Sawing at the mill. Ernest fired, John Evans offbarrowed, Roy Parker turned logs. We was sawing on our house bill. Papa went to Mooresville to mill. George Putnam moved to John Sherrill's to stay with Mary as she had no one to help her.
Mar 30. Planting gardens and Irish potatoes. I planted some Red Bliss in the garden and some of the ..... potatoes behind the granary.
April 1, 1908. Plowing and drilling oats before noon. After noon, I drilled some and got done for this year. Bessie went to George's late this evening after some milk. Papa and Mother went over the river to the Old Soldiers' Reunion. They certainly had a good time.
Apr 17. John and I fixed a bridge and hauled up a load of wood. Then John plowed some around his house, and I worked some around the house. Bessie is not well. Katie is here tonight.
Apr 29. Working on yon side of the creek. Ernest and I cut ditches with the disk plow, and Papa and John Evans and Lee Young hauled brush and made drains in the bottoms. Press Neill finished his contract today on the creek banks.
May 3, 1908. Sunday. Went to Papa's today. This was his birthday. He is 55 years old, and we give him a birthday dinner. All of his children was there except Ether. Bessie and I come home about 4 o'clock and watered our things, and went up to Mr. Wyatt's and stayed until sundown.
May 4. Plowing on yon side of the creek. I plowed for myself till noon, and John cleaned up some for himself, and after noon, I went up to the store after some salt. John plowed for himself, and after I come back, I sprouted in my corn land.
May 5. Plowing for John on yon side of the creek, and he plowed the oxen until Papa had to have them. Then John plowed the mules, and I went and got Ernest's horse and brought the planter over here so I could go to planting in the morning.
May 6. Planting cotton seed. Planted on yon side of the creek and got done, and we have some to plant for John. We didn't feel well today and didn't get along very well.
May 7. This morning it is too wet to plow, so I went over to the shop and sharpened some plows, and come home and ate dinner and went to Doolie with some pullets, and to get some sugar.
May 8. This morning I harrowed some in the bottoms, and John sprouted some in his cotton land till I got through. Then he went and harrowed his cotton land till dinnertime, and I sprouted, and after noon I run off cotton rows for John Evans, and he planted. We finished cotton seed today.
May 15. This morning I taken some lumber to the schoolhouse, and put up a lemonade stand and hauled some for some seats, and after noon I come home and Bessie and I went up to the store and fixed for the last day of school. Blaine come and is going to stay until Sunday.
May 16. Went to the close of school at the Kennedy Schoolhouse and sold some stuff. We done a good business as the day was cloudy and rained some. The school was taught by Mr. J.R. Barron. It was such a good one.
May 20. This morning it is still raining. I was wanting to work the roads and went up to the store, and the hands come back, as it was too bad to work. After noon I went to Mr. Alley's store. Jessie Alley run away last night and supposed to have been married. No word has been heard of her yet.
May 25. This morning Bessie and I come home from her father's. We left about 8 o'clock and got home about 3 o'clock. Stopped in Statesville and fed.
May 26. Harrowing cotton all day until late in the evening. I went to Troutman to the election on prohibition, and I voted a dry ticket. Wilmuth Nesbitt hoed cotton for me this evening.
May 30. Harrowed cotton and at noon John Evans and I went over to the Grandpaw place and got some cherries and come back and I finished harrowing over my cotton for the first time. Went over to George's (almost certainly George Putnam --ed.) late this evening and got him to cut my hair.
June 1, 1908. Cultivated cotton till noon, and after noon Papa and I went and cut on the meadows in Mr. Alley's bottoms.
Jun 21. Sunday. Stayed at home most all day. Lonnie Evans and his wife was over here this morning a while. After noon Bessie went up to Mr. Wyatt's, and I went over to Aunt Polly Nesbitt's and stayed a while.
Jun 28. Sunday. Bessie and I went to Hamp Bailey's and spent the day. We went by the Sutgar's Ferry and come back by Sherrill's Ford. There was an eclipse of the sun today.
River Ferry: This is Hannah's
Ferry crossing the Yadkin river near Mocksville,
circa 1900
Jun 30. Plowed cotton till late in the evening and then I picked some blackberries, and then hauled a load of slats for stove wood. John Evans got over his cotton today.
July 7, 1908. This morning I worked the road that goes out to Bell's Crossroads and went to Doolie to take some butter, and after noon I sowed some peas and hauled up some oats.
Jul 11. Plowed in peas. John Evans come at 8 o'clock and put in seven hours today. I let him have 7 lbs. of meat and a half gallon of molasses.
Jul 18. This morning I went to the Reunion at J.P. Collins. There was 250 people there, and we had a nice time. I taken my dogs by Monbo, but didn't take them. (? --ed.) Wants me to take them back next Friday. Mrs. Cartwright and [J.R.] Barron come this evening.
Jul 21. Went to Mooresville. Went by Doolie to take butter and went on to Mooresville. I got John Evans some flour and a pair of shoes for his wife and son. I also got me a churn and a mailbox. I got home about 6 o'clock, and it commenced raining and rained a good rain.
Jul 24. This morning Blaine Cartwright and I plowed and picked up my Irish potatoes, and I plowed out some ditches, and after noon we went over to Papa's as Bessie had some sewing to do.
Jul 28. Sawing at the sawmill. Tommy Sherrill and James Honeycutt helped us, and Conway and Papa hauled lumber for Mr. Guess Brown. Tommy Sherrill and Conway Collins are here with me, and we went and caught a possum.
Jul 30. Went to Mooresville picnic. My sister, Bell, went with me and Will Sims come back as far as his home. C.C. Maness had a fight, and Maness got hurt pretty bad.
August 4, 1908. Sawing at the mill. John Putnam, Ernest, and Ben Moore and I worked at the mill. There has been an election on the special tax at Bell's Crossroads today.
Aug. 5 Sawed at the mill till noon, and after noon John Putnam and I cut logs till it rained, and Ernest and Ben Moore and Papa and the little boy stacked lumber. We worked about two hours after noon. There was a bad cloud, and the wind blowed, and it rained a right smart.
Aug 12. Stacking lumber before noon, and after noon we cut and hauled. John Putnam, Ben Moore, Frank Young, Ernest, and I worked all day, and Conway helped us. Papa and Uncle Davis went to Salisbury, to see about getting some things to build the other house.
Aug 30. Sunday. We are in Salisbury today, and have put in the day watching the show unload. John Robinson come this morning.
Aug 31. We went after two loads of brick this morning and then helped lay the foundation of the house.
September 11, 1908. This morning I hauled up some fodder and then cut two cedar poles for a hay frame. I then went and mowed pea vines the rest of the day. I moved on the Gilleland place.
Sep 18. Sawing at the mill. Ernest, Fred, Frank Young offbarrowed, John Evans turned logs, and I sawed.
Sep 21. Pulling fodder. Ella Ervin worked in my place, and I went to Mooresville after some flour and meat for John Evans.
Sep 30. This morning Ernest and I went after a shingle bench at Bosts and Cline Co., come back and moved some lumber and got ready to set up some blocks. Ernest went after some medicine for his baby this evening, as it is sick.
October 1, 1908. Cutting up shingle blocks. Worked at it till noon. Papa and I and Ernest helped a while, and they sent after him [Ernest] to go after the doctor, so he went. His baby is bad off. I cut my pea vines and scoured the house this evening. Papa helped me. Mother come over this evening and churned for me.
Oct 2. Little Ruthie Collins died today. This morning I got up and went in the kitchen to make a fire, and Mr. Lum Maness and Conway Collins come and told me little Ruthie Collins was dead. She had been sick but only two days and nights. I done up my work and went over there and stayed around all day. Papa and Mr. Maness went after the coffin.
Oct 3. Went over to Ernest's. Started to Rocky Mount with little Ruthie. It is a sad day with us. Got back to Ernest's about one o'clock. I come home and done up my work, and went and stayed all night at Papa's, as I was so lonesome and felt so bad.
Oct 4. Sunday. Come home from Papa's this morning and stayed till 12 o'clock. Went back and stayed till late in the evening, when I taken Robert and wife over to Mr. Alley's. He is going to take them to Statesville, and maybe on home, and then come on home. Reuben is with me tonight.
Oct 10. Went up to Mr. Cartwright's to see my wife. Robert and his wife are up there, so I taken a surrey with me to bring them back. Left home at 7 and got there at 1 o'clock. Found them all well. Sister Florida's baby was born today, about 2 o'clock. It is her first and it is a girl. (Vera Mae).
Oct 15. Went to Mooresville with cotton and taken some wheat, but didn't sell it. It was bringing 9 cents today.
Oct 16. Plowed on the Gilleland place for wheat, and about 12 o'clock I broke my wing on my plow. I went to Papa's and ate dinner and got Uncle Bill Nesbitt's plow this evening. I got some beef from Tommie Ervin this evening. Tonight I went and joined the Farmers' Union at Bell's Crossroads.
Oct 21. This morning I dug my sweet potatoes, and then I picked cotton. I have Mr. Stinson's children picking, and Ella Evans. We got over here at the house for the second time. Papa and Ernest went to Salisbury this morning with two loads of shingles.
Oct 22. This morning I went over to Mr. George Bost's to see him about putting some sweet potatoes in his house, and went back after noon and taken four bushels, and went by the mailbox, and got a card that Bessie was sick, but went on and taken my potatoes, and come back and started up to Mr. Cartwright's. Got up there about 1 o'clock and Bessie had a baby girl, and was getting along all right.(Nellie Blanche)
Oct 23. This morning I am at Mr. Cartwright's and am waiting on Bessie and the baby. They are getting along fine.
Oct 24. Am still at Mr. Cartwright's and all are well as could be expected.
Oct 25. Sunday. I am at Mr. Cartwright's and it is Sunday. Stayed close around all day, as Bessie is confined, but is doing well.
Oct 26. Come home this morning from Mr. Cartwright's, and I got here about o'clock, and found everything all right.
Oct 27. Hauled up a load of corn this morning and fixed a band around a hay stack, and went to Uncle Jim Ervin's and made molasses this evening.
Oct 28. Went to Uncle Jim Ervin's and finished making my molasses till noon. Come back up to Papa's and ate dinner and come on home. Reuben is with me tonight.
November 3, 1908. Went to Troutman this morning to vote, and Ernest and I taken a wagon a piece and brought some lumber and 5 sacks of grain. After noon I went to Doolie to the store and to Uncle Davis Collins' to see when he is ready to go to Salisbury. He was gone, and I come back and loaded the wagon to go to Salisbury in the morning.
Nov 12. This morning I hauled up some wood and fixed for a corn shucking and after noon I had it, and got done before night. Levada has been here all day, and Mother and Florida come after noon and done my cooking, as Bessie is not here.
Nov 14. This morning it commenced sleeting, then it turned into rain and rained nearly all day. I went to Will Sims' and stayed all night.
Nov 22. Started to Doolie to preaching and stopped at Ephraim Ervin's. I stayed all day. Went over to Uncle Davis Collins' a while in the evening. Come home at night.
Nov 27. This morning I went to the store and got some nails and come back and finished laying my floor, and then went over home and got some clean clothing, which I taken over there to have washed, and then I plowed some and went to The Farmers' Union Meeting tonight. C.L. Sherrill joined tonight. I subscribed for the Farmers' Union Paper.
Nov 28. Went up to Mr. Cartwright's after Bessie and the baby. Went in a buggy and got there about 3 o'clock, and all are well.
Nov 29. Sunday. This morning finds me at Mr. Cartwright's. Stayed all day.
December 2, 1908. Come home this morning from Mr. Cartwright's and brought Bessie and the baby. We stopped at Statesville and ate dinner and then come on home. Got here about 4 o'clock and are here tonight. Papa and Mother come over and stayed a while with us.
Dec 5. I have been working around the house, getting up some wood, and went and hauled John Evan's cow off. She died yesterday, or someone killed her. Her head was all broke, as if someone had killed her in the head with an ax. I can't say how.
Dec 6. This morning Papa, Hamp Bailey, Will Sims and Ernest came over, and Bessie and I went home with Papa. All the rest was over there. We stayed till late in the evening, when I came home. Bell and Roy Parker got married this evening. They went to Troutman, and we are going back to Roy's home tonight.
Dec 7. This morning I fixed some shoes, and then Ernest and Uncle John Clontz come over here, and Clontz bought the Grandpaw place. He is to give us $500 and is to pay $200 for the first of Nov., 1909, and the rest Nov. 1, 1910. No interest is to stand till the first money is due Nov. 1, 1909. I went over to Papa's after noon and got my clothing. Come from Salisbury.
Dec 20. Sunday. Went to Will Sims' and stayed all day. Bessie and the baby went with me.
Dec 25. Christmas Day. Will Sims and Florida was over here all day until late in the evening, and then we all went over to Papa's and stayed a while. Will and I and Ernest hunted some today.
Dec 26. Stayed around the house all day. Went over to George Putnam's and got him to cut my hair. After noon went to a meeting of the Farmers' Union art the schoolhouse. Mrs. Cartwright and Ernest and [J.R.] Barron came tonight a while after dark.
Dec 30. Plowed till noon, and a while after noon plowed here close to the house where I had some oats, and about the time I got it done, it commenced raining and rained all evening and most all night. I went to Troutman tonight and joined the Juniors, and I got through all right.
Dec 31. Went to Statesville and rode horseback. I started late and it was 12 o'clock when I got there, and started back home at 3 o'clock. Got here at sunset, and as Bessie and the baby are over at Papa's , I done up my work, and went over there and stayed all night...
