Diary of John Arch Collins
January 6, 1909. Went to the gin and got my bale of cotton and seed. Papa went with me and taken his team as the roads were so bad that my load was too heavy for my team. Come home and ate dinner and fed our horses, and unloaded, and then went to Troutman to the Junior's Meeting. We also had an oyster supper there.
Jan 9. This morning I went and helped Lum Maness saw wood, as he helped me last evening, and after noon I hauled wood. Mr. Elias Putnam died yesterday at the home of F.O. Henson, and will be buried tomorrow. He was an old man, was all ........the bloody war which was fought between the North and the South, and was a man everybody liked.Jan 14. This morning, up in the day, I went over to Papa's and taken his milling home and got the pea thrasher and John Clontz had broke it, so Lydie Ervin [sic: Should be Leide. Leide Ervin was known to have been quite vexed at the universal and manifold misspelling of his name. --ed.] was with me and he said he would help me fix it. So after noon Ernest come over here, and he and I went there and fixed it, and made a pulley for our dust belt.
Joseph Leide Ervin with his wife Francis Alice Brantley
Ervin and their daughter Mary Alice (here about 15),
on the front steps of their home at Bell's Crossroads.
This photo was taken around 1937.
Jan 15. This morning I went over to Papa's and got a pea box to thrash peas, and also got Guess Campbell to help me. Come back and thrashed them, and then I went to the store and got Mother a bottle of medicine and went on and got Lydie Ervin to sharpen my mattock. Come back and ate dinner and taken the medicine to Mother and then Guess and I worked on the newground till night. Papa and Ernest went to Statesville to take some cotton seed and to pay John Allison $50.00 which we promised to pay him for making a land trade for us.
Jan 24. Sunday. Bessie and I and the baby went to Lydie Ervin's and stayed all day. We enjoyed ourselves very well. Papa and Ernest came over a while tonight.
Jan 25. This morning I picked cotton, and after noon I plowed. I went and paid the Sherrill girls for picking beans, and to get them to pick some cotton for me. I went to the store late this evening to get the baby some cordial, as it is not well.
Jan 29. This morning it was raining when I waked up. I haven't done anything till noon, only tore down a shed behind the crib and sold Lydie Ervin some lumber, and after noon I went to Troutman with a load of lumber.
February 2, 1909 Killed my hog. He was 5 1/2 months old and weighed 184 pounds. Papa helped me, and Luther Nesbitt helped us scald it. Papa come home with me and helped me cut it up and salt it, and after noon I helped Bessie with the sausage and loaded our wagons to go to Troutman to load our lumber.
Feb 3. Loaded lumber. Ernest, myself, and Frank Young loaded it. Len Troutman measured it. It was about dark when we got done.
Feb 10. This morning I intended going to Statesville, but it was so windy I didn't go. I went to Troutman and taken some cotton to the store. I bought me a pair of everyday shoes for $1.50 and an oil can for $1.00, and oil for $.18, and some bed ticking and some other things.
Feb 13. I went over to Lydie Ervin's and stayed there till after noon and then came home and went up to the schoolhouse to the Farmer's Union, and then went on to Doolie to the store. Come home and went over to Lydie Ervin's and got the baby's cradle which Lydie and I made.
Feb 14. Sunday. Stayed at home all day and went over to Ernest's a few minutes late this evening to see Ruth's picture. John and Robert Barron went home from here this morning. They spent the night here last night.
Feb 15. Plowed some this morning, but it was too wet and I stopped and went over to Ernest's after my wagons, and went on over to Lydie Ervin's to get a table he made for me. Also taken him sixty-four feet of lumber this evening, and I hauled up some wood and got some prime.
Feb 16. Helped Bessie wash and tended to the baby. We also scoured the kitchen. We loaded our wagons to go to Troutman to load a car of lumber in the morning.
Feb 23. This morning after I got my things done up, I went over to Papa's and stayed for a while, as Bessie is not home. I went down to George Ead's to see if I could borrow some of his little boys. But I didn't get to see him. Come back home and done up my work, and went over to Mr. Lee Rankin's as he is dead. He died this morning at two o'clock. He was 75 years old and some over. I stayed a while and then went over to Will Sims'.
Feb 24. Come home from Will Sims' this morning and done up my work, and then went back over to Mr. Lee Rankin's and helped with the corpse. We started to the church at ten o'clock, and the funeral was preached at eleven o'clock. There was a very good crowd for it to be such a bad day. This evening we filled up the boiler.
Feb 25. Sawing at the mill. Frank Young and George Putnam helped Ernest and I. Papa was also there. We sawed some oak logs for ourselves and some for Lydie Ervin. Pickets and columns. The rest of the day we was sawing George Putnam's logs.
March 19, 1909. This morning I fixed my Irish potato patch and planted five rows of it, and thought I would wait a while before I would plant the rest. After noon I plowed with the two-horse plow, breaking up cotton stalk land. George Putnam came over here this evening and cut my hair, and I cut his.
Mar 21. Sunday. Stayed at home all day. Lydie Ervin, Conway, Homer, and Reuben come over here and stayed all evening.
Mar 25. I haven't done much today, as it is too wet to plow and it rained last night, and the wind blowed awfully hard and has blowed hard today. After noon I hauled two loads of strips from the mill for wood and measured a load of lumber for Lydie Ervin to take to Mr. Kennedy and Tom Brantley.
Mar 28. Was about home most of the day. I went over to Papa's to see if he had got back from Charlotte and to know how much he got for his steer. He weighed 1430 pounds, and he got 4 1/2 cents a pound. Aunt Polly Nesbitt was over here this evening and stayed a while.
April 2, 1909. Plowing some for corn and some for oats on yon side of the creek. Ernest and Frank Young was also over there plowing and cleaning up some.Apr 4. Sunday. Stayed at home all day. We had company. Ephraim Ervin and wife was here, and Papa and Reuben and Mother also over here a while this evening.
The store at Bell's
Crossroads as it appeared
in the mid-1950's
Apr 7. Drilled oats till noon, and got done drilling three and a half acres till noon, and after noon I taken the drill over to Papa's and then come home- finished planting Irish potatoes, and George Putnam and I went to Troutman to the Junior meeting, and after the meeting George and I taken the ... Degree. Got home about one o'clock. George and Levada stayed all night with us.
Apr 8. Plowed till noon and after noon it looked so much like rain, and I didn't go back to the field. And it did rain. [I] Helped Bessie about her washing.
Apr 13. This morning it was cloudy and commenced raining and rained nearly all day. I went with Tommie Sherrill to a hawk nest. We killed a squirrel but didn't get the hawk.
Apr 20. Planting cotton and got done. George Putnam run off rows for me, and I planted and used a sack of Guano 3-8-3.
Apr 25. Sunday. Bessie and the baby went to preaching at Rocky Mount. Come home after preaching, and Tommie Ervin and his family come and stayed a while, and John and Robert Barron come and stayed a while.
May 1, 1909. It rained, and I raked up some leaves to bed my stables, and after noon it was clear and I went to Doolie to Mr. Alley's [store] about some goods, as we are going to put up a stand at the Kennedy Schoolhouse the eighth of this month. Robert Barron and his wife come over here and stayed a while this evening.
May 4. Hauled wood for George Putnam and after noon I helped him burn it off. Mr. Lee Cline helped us.
May 5. Planting corn all day. George Putnam run it off, and I planted. Reuben dropped some beans for me, and we got all I have got planted.
May 7. Worked the road from here to the bottoms, and after noon went to A.S. Alley's store and got a load of goods, as we are going to have a lemonade stand tomorrow at Kennedy Schoolhouse. Mrs. Cartwright and Blaine and Barron come down here today.
May 8. Went to Kennedy Schoolhouse to the Commencement and run a stand, and sold over $5.00 worth. There was a large crowd, and everything went off quite well.
May 16. Sunday. Stayed at home until late in the evening, and then went over to Papa's a little while, and then we had company today. Fanny Ervin and Lydie stayed all day with us.
May 21. Rained nearly all day, but hasn't rained hard. I went over to Vada Putnam's and got milk and heard while I was over there that John Ervin was to be tried at Mr. Stinson's for rape. So I come back home and went up there. They had his trial and turned him loose.
May 30. Sunday. We went over to George Putnam's to stay all day, and when we got there Will Sims and Florida was there with their baby, and it has the whooping cough, so we come up to Mr. Wyatt's. I left Bessie there, and went after Charley Brown to come and see my cow, as she has a young calf and they are not doing so well. He come and I taken him back, and then went on to Papa's. Stayed the rest of the day.
June 6, 1909. Sunday. Stayed at home till after noon and then went and spent the evening with Mr. Clodfelter. Lloyd Cloniger run away and went to Washington today. He fooled Neal Bradshaw and married one of the Wagoner girls.
Jun 9. This morning I went over to the shop and got George Putnam to help me drive an old shoe on my horse, as Papa and the boys had come over to the mill. I come on and we stacked some lumber till late in the evening. I went over the creek and sprouted some.
Jun 10. This morning I taken a scythe and cradle down to Uncle Davis Collins to get him to put a finger in it, and come home and sprouted and hoed corn the rest of the day.
Jun 13. Sunday. Stayed all day at Mr. Cartwright's, and Ernest and I went over to Mr. Stirewalt's to see .... about teaching our school.
Jun 21. Plowed cotton till ten o'clock, and then went and seen Fed Nesbitt about helping me cut oats. He come and we finished what was ready and tied them up and shocked them, and then Fed cultivated some peas and I plowed in the corn.
July 8, 1909. This morning Bessie and I worked on the School Tax Book, and after noon I hoed cotton and corn. Papa, Homer and John Young helped me this evening.
Jul 9. This morning I taken the School Tax List for Mr. Harwell to count up, and then come home and plowed the rest of the day and mowed the yard off, and the Irish potato patch.
Jul 11. Sunday. Went to preaching at Rocky Mount, and after preaching we went to Papa's and stayed till about night, and we also went out to George Putnam's and made some ice cream.
Jul 13. Laying by corn on yon side of the creek till noon, and after noon it rained, and right late I went to the corn mill at O.O. Harwell's. Fed Nesbitt helped me this morning.
Jul 22. This morning-- put a pair of shoes on my horse and hauled some wood for stove wood to thrash wheat with, and have worked around the house this evening.
Jul 26. Worked at the sawmill and got ready to saw till about eleven o'clock, and sawed the rest of the day. Conway got his finger smashed by the carriage running off, and Will Sims was there, and he worked after noon for us.
Jul 27. This morning when I waked up it was raining, and rained till six o'clock, and didn't rain any more. I went to the corn mill after noon and come back. The boys was playing ball, so I played some.
Jul 29. Went to a picnic at Mooresville. Bessie and the baby went with me. There was a large crowd, and everything was quite nice.
August 13, 1909. Haven't done anything today. We all quit to go to preaching at Rocky Mount, as the meeting is going on there. We went to preaching tonight too.
Aug 14. Went to Mr. Frank Jones' this morning after a pig, and after noon went up to the schoolhouse, as I am appointed school committee. We was sworn in before Mr. Stinson, and we also had a Union meeting.
Aug 15. Sunday. Stayed at home till late in the evening. Went over to Ernest's to see his baby. He is sick but seems better now, and went on to Papa's, but they was not at home. We come by the Crossroads, and stopped a few minutes at Mr. Wyatt's, and got home about sunset.
Aug 19. Taken the school census in Fallstown Township District Number 5, and I got done about 1 o'clock, and was sick this evening. Papa had a lawsuit with W.F. Nesbitt, and it cost him and the boy $30 and costs. Papa and Dock and Ernest hauled some logs this evening.
Aug 23. Stacked some lumber this morning and also went to Troutman this morning after some medicine for Bessie, and after noon we finished our lumber and then commenced taking our mill up to move it over to Mr. Nesbitt's place.
September 3, 1909. Sawing at the mill, and we stopped and put in a dust belt that stopped up a good while. Lydie Ervin helped us put it in, and we was about half a day putting it in.
Sep 4. Went to the mill, and it commenced raining, and we went up to Lydie Ervin's and stayed till it slacked up, then come on home and got dinner, and after noon we sawed at the mill.
Sep 7. Pulling fodder for Papa. Dock and I pulled until about half past three o'clock, and it commenced raining, and we come home and hauled up a load of corn we had cut, and I went over to Lydie Ervin's and got some staples he had for me, and worked some on my frame.
Sep 12. Sunday. Went to Statesville to meet Bessie and the baby. Her papa brought them down there.
Sep 14. Sawing at the mill. Fed Nesbitt helped as Ernest was working in his hay, and we sawed some for Mr. John Haithcock.
Sep 15. Sawed at the mill till noon, and after noon we dug in the well. The water gave out, and we had to dig it deeper. Ernest pulled fodder till noon, and after noon he helped in the well.
Sep 16. Dug in the well till noon and we got it done. Fed Nesbitt, Ernest, Papa and I worked all the morning. It rained, but we struck water and we have not stopped till we got done. It taken us until about half past two o'clock in the afternoon. I helped Bessie wash some, and Dock worked some on the wagon shed what time wasn't raining. Mr. Lonnie Nesbitt paid us $15 today. Ernest got $5, Dock got $5, and I got $5.
Sep 22. Sawed at the sawmill. Papa, Fed, and Frank Young offbarrowed. Ernest fired for me.
Sep 27. This morning I went over to Lydie Ervin's and got him to help me fix my wagon bed, and after noon I picked some peas, and went and got some hands to help me pick cotton.
October 12, 1909. Went to Statesville to the Barnum and Bailey Show. Bessie and the baby went with me. We went in the buggy and drove to the tobacco warehouse. Mr. Cartwright was there. The show was good, the largest one ever in Statesville.
Oct 21. This morning I went to Troutman, taken some butter and got some sugar with it, and I also got us some shoes, got Bessie a pair and myself a pair, got home and Mr. Cartwright and Blaine come to buy a mule from Pink Ervin, so I went over to Pink's and got him to bring the mule and come home with me, and he agreed, and Mr. Cartwright got the mule.
Oct 30. Shucking and cribbing corn. I had a shucking last night, and lacked about two loads of getting done. I had Frank Young helping me finish, and we cribbed it until four o'clock.
November 1, 1909. Plowing in the bottoms for wheat. Homer helped me. He had one of Ernest's mules and one of Papa's. Plowed till noon. After noon I mowed some creek banks and got him to plowing. Then I went to Mr. Kennedy's and exchanged some wheat, and I got the smoothing harrow at Papa's. Papa, Ernest and Conway are at court.
Nov 2.
This morning I went over to Papa's and got the drill and sowed some wheat. Homer harrowed the land for me. We got what we had ready drilled till dinner, and we plowed some more. Homer plowed all evening, and I went to help Mr. Sherrill shuck corn a part of the evening.
Nov 3. This morning Papa came over here and helped me finish sowing wheat, and then I let him have my mule to cut some with the disk harrow, and I picked cotton this evening.
Nov 5. Went up to Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright's. Bessie and the baby went with me. We went in the buggy and stopped in Statesville to feed, and we got to Mr. Cartwright's about 4 o'clock and found all well.
Nov 8. This morning we started home, and came home from Mr. Cartwright's. We got back a while before night and found all well. The roads are dry and hard.
Nov 18. Hauled a load of lumber for Tom Kennedy this morning, and after noon I killed a hog, and Ernest killed one. We taken them over to Papa's to scald them, and about the time we got one hung, Conway was down in the woods after a squirrel, and the gun went off and shot one of his fingers off. Ernest taken him to Troutman to the doctor. My hog weighed 265 pounds.
Nov 19. Went to the store and helped Bessie with the meat all day. Also went to the sawmill this evening to loose some piping, to keep it from freezing.
Nov 23. Went to Troutman this morning to take my buggy to get it fixed. Come home and picked cotton the rest of the day.
Nov 25. This morning I went with Tom Sherrill hunting and killed six rabbits, and we taken them to Troutman, and Bessie and the baby went with me, just to be riding about.
Nov 27. Hauled logs for Will Allison. Ernest hauled with cows and I hauled with a pair of mules and Ernest-- Ernest's and mine.
Nov 28. Sunday morning. This morning I went over to Papa's and out to George Putnam's, and got him to cut my hair, and come home, and Bessie and I went over to Mary Sherrill's and she wasn't home, and we went over to Sherrill's Ford and back by Papa's and on home.
December 4, 1909. This morning I picked some cotton and hauled some wood. John Ervin and some of Mr. Stinson's children helped me pick cotton. Mrs. Cartwright and Barron come this evening.
Dec 5. Sunday. This morning I taken my horse and buggy over to D.R. Nesbitt's, as he and Irene Lipe are going to marry today. Then I come home and went down to Ervin Town. I stayed around a while and come home and ate dinner, and then went to Troutman to preaching, as the Juniors had a sermon, and marched from the hall to the church.
Dec 6. Sawing at the sawmill all day. Sawed for Mr. John Haithcock. Papa fired, Ernest turned logs, Aria Sherrill offbarrowed, and I sawed. Mrs. Cartwright and Barron went home from here his morning. John Sherrill picked cotton for me today.
Dec 11. This morning I fixed my haystack to keep the turkeys from tearing them up, and then went to the store. Come home and picked cotton the rest of the day. Mr. Stinson's children and Jay Byers helped me.
Dec 24. Taken Bessie and the baby to Statesville, as her Papa is going to meet them there, and did. I come back home and went to Rocky Mount to the Christmas Tree, and stayed all night at Papa's.
Dec 25. Was over at Papa's most of the day. There was a crowd there, most all day out and in. Bessie and the baby are at Mr. Cartwright's.
Dec 27. Will Sims and the little boy came and helped me cut some wood. Will and I got some dinner and hauled up a load and went up to the store, and to Mr. Wyatt's. Come back, and Conway stayed all night with me.
Dec 28. This morning I went to Statesville to meet Bessie and the baby, as her father is going to bring Bessie to town. They got there about two o'clock, and we got home a little before night.
Dec 29. This morning it is awfully cold, and I am not doing anything. It is the coldest day we have had this winter. The wind is blowing cold, and it is clear. The land hasn't thawed any today.
