Diary of John Arch Collins
1915
January 2, 1915. I went over to the mill and sawed some for Papa to make a husk frame for his grinding mill. It was about night when I got home. tonight I went over to Mrs. Jackson Ervin's. There was to be some girls there, but they didn't come. Stopped at David Nesbitt's as he has a sick child.
Jan 9. I went over to Will Sims' to a party. We had a very good time, but it was late when I got home.
Jan 10. Sunday. Went to Troutman to preaching, and went over to Mr. Troutman's. Taken dinner and got home about dark.
Jan 21. I went to Statesville. I hitched my mules to Lonnie Ervin's surry, and Tom, Ernest, Fed, and I went to the hog, horse, and cattle show. It was about night when we got home, and Fed and I went to a cotton picking tonight.
Jan 22. Arthur Sims came over home. We worked till two o'clock and then we got dinner, and went up to the Clodfelters and spent the night. We all went to a singing at Mr. Jacob Troutman's.
February 1, 1915 I went to Statesville. I went before the commissioners, and they paid me for the fill which we made at Stumpy Branch, and it was $243.82. Ernest went with me.
Feb 2. This morning I went and paid some hands for work on the road fill at Stumpy Branch.
Feb 8. I went to Statesville in the buggy to see the commissioners and got a job taking out some stumps on the Cornelius Road. Fed went over to Catawba County with the team and hauled a load for Mr. Robert Rogers.
Feb 10. I worked the newground till noon. After noon I worked at some stumps for the county on the Cornelius Road. fed worked all day, and Ernest helped with the stumps this evening.
Feb 20. Went up to Mr. Cartwright's to see the children. Got up there a while before night.
Feb 21. Sunday. I am at Mr. Cartwright's. Stayed there all day with the children, and stayed there all night.
March 2, 1915. Working on the road near Stumpy Branch. We worked all day, and I got my last contract done.
Mar 14. Sunday. Went to Sunday School this morning and came back to Papa's for dinner. Then came on home and went to see my best girl.
Mar 28. Sunday. Went to Sunday School this morning, and after noon I went up in the Troutman Graveyard neighborhood, and it was a pleasure to me.
April 9, 1915. Went to Statesville to the County Commencement, and there was a large crowd. We sure had some fun. Bert Parker came home with Fed Nesbitt, and I taken a girl home.
Apr 14. Tonight we went to the Neil Schoolhouse to the close of school. They had a very good time.
Apr 17. Went to the Kennedy School closing. Had a fine time. Alvie Collins and I went after some girls. I brought Grace Troutman and Alvie brought .... Alvie came home with me and spent the remainder of the night.
Apr 25. This morning I went to Sunday School. Fed went over to Papa's. After Sunday School I came back home and got dinner and after noon Alvie Collins came up here, and he and I went to see our best girls. We sure had a nice time.
May 3, 1914. The children and I went over to Papa's and stayed all afternoon and came home, and then they stayed tonight. Went to Troutman to the School closing, and the children stayed with mother.
May 4. Went to Mooresville and taken some chicken and eggs. The children went with me. Ernest and Fed went to Statesville to get some brick and cement for my milk house.
May 7. This morning the creek was out and a lot of ditches broken. I have been at home all day. The children are here. Floyd Stinson and Mr. Brotherton have been here.
May 9.Sunday. I went to Sunday School this morning and came back home and got dinner. Taken Hazel over to Papa's and Alvie Collins came along and I went with him to the Troutman neighborhood to a singing at Jacob Troutman's. It was after night when I got home. This is one Sunday evening that I will well remember.
May 12.This morning it is raining. The day has been cold and cloudy. Fed has gone to the K.... Branch School closing, and I stayed home with the children.
May 14. This morning I went to Scott's School closing, eight miles above Statesville. I taken Miss Grace Troutman with me. It was late in the night when we got home, as we stayed for the night exercise, and we had a fine time.
May 20. Hazel and I went over to Sister Bell's and stayed all night. [Hazel is the diarist's oldest daughter....-ed.]
May 22. The children and I and Katie went to Barium Springs. Katie is one of the diarist's sisters....-ed.]
Jun 6, 1915 Sunday. Went to Rocky Mount then came home, and after noon Alvie Collins came up here, and he and I went up the country to see some girls, went to a singing at Mr. Mark Troutman's and had a nice time.
Jun 19. This morning Conway and I cut my wheat, and Fed Nesbitt shocked it. Ernest and some of the other boys are cutting some on yon side of the creek. Kate is here getting dinner for us. We got done about 11 o'clock, but we ate dinner and then all went on over to Papa's. Fed and the rest of the crowd put up a load of clover hay, then they cut a piece of wheat for Papa, and I went up to Cousin John Collins to stay all night and was at an ice cream supper at the Ostwalt Schoolhouse.
July 10, 1915. Went up to Buffalo Shoals to a picnic and taken Miss Grace Troutman with me. We sure had a nice time. We went to Statesville to the Chautawque (sic), but it was almost too late, so we went to a moving picture show before we came back home.
Jul 17. I went to a birthday picnic at Jacob Lippard's. Then went to .... to a picnic this evening. Went by and taken Miss Grace Troutman with me. We sure had a nice time.
Jul 31. Went to the State Farm to a picnic and came back to Mr. Tom Clodfelter's to a party. Brought Miss Grace Troutman with me from the picnic to the party, and we sure had a nice time.
August 5, 1915. Went to the river and fished almost all day, and we had a picnic. There was a large crowd of women, girls, boys, and men. We sure had a large crowd and a fine time.
Aug 8. Sunday. Went to Sunday School this morning, and after noon I went up to Mr. Jacob Troutman's to see Grace, and we went to preaching at Troutman and tonight at the Perth Church.
Aug 10. This morning I taken my sister, Levada, to the hospital for an operation. We got there about 8 o'clock, and she was operated on by 10 o'clock. She should be all right, but I am at D.E. Kennedy's in town.
Aug 11. This morning finds me in town, and went over to the hospital to see how sister is. She is doing fine, and getting along nicely.
Aug 13. Went to the Troutman Schoolhouse to a reunion held by the Troutmans. Conway went with me, and we had a fine time. There was a singing at Mr. Jacob Troutman's tonight, and we stayed for it.
Aug 18. I went to Statesville to see Levada as she is in the hospital. Fed worked this morning. Then went up to Troutman for the sale.
Aug 28.I went to Statesville. Went in the buggy. Went to the hospital, as Will Sims' taken his little girl Vera, to have her tonsils cut out. She got along fine. Brought her home tonight.
Aug 29. Sunday. Went to Troutman to preaching. Went home with Grace Troutman and spent the evening, and we went to Bethel to preaching. It was about 12 o'clock when I got home.
Aug 30. Cleaned up the house and furniture, and I had Katie and Ann Sherrill helping me. It taken us all day, and we worked hard.
Aug 31. I worked around the house all day until about 11 o'clock. Then I went to Statesville to get some things and my license for Miss Grace Troutman and myself.
September 1, 1915. This morning I have been working around the house, and Fed has been helping. Papa pulled fodder but come home at noon, and I got married this evening at 5:30 o'clock to Miss Grace Troutman at her home, and we spent the night there. Mr. and Mrs. Troutman give us a nice supper.
Sep 2. This morning find me at Mr. Jacob Troutman's with my darling wife. Come to my home for dinner, as Mother and some of the other home people fixed it for us after noon. They all went home, and we gathered some beans, and Fed plowed almost all day.
Sep 3. I have helped Grace with the fruit all day. We have canned 12 jars of peaches and made some jelly. Fed plowed this evening.
Sep 8. Made fodder in the creek bottoms. Fed and I worked all day, and got along very well. Lloyd Troutman and sister come and spent the night with us tonight. This is the first visit to see Grace and I.
Sep 9. Pulled fodder in the bottoms all day. Fed and Grace went up to his father's today and got back home about 6 o'clock.
Sep 11. I cut with the disk harrow till noon. Fed helped Papa and the boys pull fodder, and this evening I went and ground corn, as Papa was in Mooresville. Fed went off to Troutman to play ball.
Sep 22. This morning Fed and I went over to Hamp's. We worked some corn and got two loads of tops, and after noon I went up to Troutman to the township meeting of the School Committee, and Fed picked cotton.
Sep 29. This morning we hauled up some corn, and then we hauled out some manure until this evening, and then I went and got the disk harrow and cut some land. Fed and Ernest went over to Hamp Bailey's and got the rest of our tops.
October 4, 1915. This morning I was making a fire in the stove, and Carrie Collins, Ernest's wife, called me and said Ernest was dying. So I run over there as fast as I could, but he was dead when I got there. Had fallen from the breakfast table, and was just as well, seemingly, as he ever was yesterday and this morning. So up in the day, I went with Arthur Sims and Tommy Ervin up to Troutman after a casket for him, and then we have been around Ernest's and home.
Oct 5. This morning I went over to the graveyard to show the men where to dig Ernest's grave, and then come back by Ernest's home, and then come back home, and after noon, or about eleven o'clock, we all went over there. Went to the burying. Mr. and Mrs. Troutman and Lloyd was here. There was an awfully large crowd at the burying. the church would not hold more than a third of them. They had a short service in the yard. It was the largest burying I ever saw. After all was over we come by with Carrie and stayed a while, then come on home.
Oct 6. This morning, as it is raining, I haven't done anything. Was over at Ernest's place this morning and this evening also.
Oct 7.I was out all day taking the school census in Fallston Township, and got through.
Oct 8.I taken the school census in the Bell's Crossroads School Community until noon, and after noon Fed and I pulled some fodder. Grace and the children was up at her father's today.
Oct 20. This morning Grace and the children all went over to Papa's and stayed all day, as it was raining. This evening I come back home and got the team and wagon, and went after my molasses at O.O. Harwell's.
Oct 22. I hauled corn for Carrie Collins, and Fed pulled, and we got done with her corn. Conway also helped. Later this evening Fed went to help Roy Parker shuck corn, and I hauled up some stove wood.
Oct 23. I hauled corn from the bottoms, and Fed pulled till noon, and this evening we all went over to Carrie's as she had a cotton picking and a corn shucking, and it was after night when we got home. Cullie and Ira Clodfelter come home with us and spent the night with us.
Oct 24. Sunday. Stayed at home until late afternoon, and then Grace and the children and I all went over to George Putnam's and spent the evening.
Oct 25. Pulled corn and hauled most all day. We got done about the middle of the afternoon, and I went to Troutman after some beef and cabbage, and Fed and Conway finished.
Oct 29. I cut with the disk harrow all day in the wheat land, and Fed picked cotton till noon, and this evening we went and helped Shirley Dingler shuck corn.
November 1, 1915. I went to Statesville today to take up the school census, and to get some repairs for the wheat drill. Fed picked cotton.
Nov 4. Drilled wheat for Mr. Barron Kennedy all day. Got all he had ready. It was 8 3/4 acres. He paid me for it. Fed picked cotton.
Nov 7. We went to preaching and Sunday School at Rocky Mount this morning, and after noon the children and I taken Grace up to her father's to spend the week. It was about night when we got back home, and we are here tonight by ourselves.
Nov 9. This morning the children and I went to the show at Statesville and stayed for the street parade and taken dinner at Robert Mills', and then we got home a while before night. We done up the work and went over to Papa's and stayed all night.
Nov 11. Put in some rye for the chickens and drilled some this evening. Fed was around here till noon, and after noon he went to Davis Overcash's to a corn shucking. Mr. Lock Lippard was down here to see about the school and ate dinner with me.
Nov 12.I have been around the house with the children as Grace is not at home, and I got dinner, and this evening the children and I went up to Mr. Troutman's after Grace. We went in the wagon and brought the things.
Nov 13.I hauled some wood to the schoolhouse this morning, and some this evening, and went to mill, and then I went up to Troutman to get Nellie Blanche a school book and some other things.
Nov 14. Sunday. We have been home all day, as it is cloudy and drizzled. Rained some today. Lock Lippard is here tonight. Tom Ervin was over here a while tonight.
Nov 15. This morning I went up to the schoolhouse as school started this morning, and Nellie Blanche started this morning. Lock Lippard is the teacher, and this evening Fed and I cut some fence posts.
Nov 17.This morning I hauled and put up some fence posts, and this evening I worked some in the garden, and then hauled some wood to the schoolhouse at Bell's Crossroads.
December 1, 1915. This morning I went up to Troutman after some cottonseed hulls and got a thousand pounds at 60 cents per hundred. I also paid D.W. Troutman $20 for fertilizer I got last fall, and the rest of the day I have been around home.
Dec 2. I have been around the house all day doing the work and cooking, as Grace is sick and in bed.
Dec 3. I have been in and around the house all day doing the work, as Grace is sick and not able to do the work.
Dec 5. Sunday. Stayed at home most all day, as Grace is not well, and her father and mother come down and stayed a while, and also Clifton Troutman and wife and child was here.
Dec 12. Sunday. Have been at home all day. Fed, Grier, (I don't know who this is! Can someone out there help me?) and Conway come over and stayed a while. Grace and Mr. Grose and the children are here. The land is covered with about 5 inches of snow.
Dec 17. This morning I shelled ten bushels of corn, and Earl Lipe come and helped me saw some wood for the fireplace, and then I went to take my corn over to Papa's to have it ground, and then I come back and hauled up two loads of wood.
Dec 22. I have been around the house all day. Henry Page has been here this morning and paid me $7 on his note and owes $4.02 yet. I was at the[Bell's Crossroads] store a while this day. Mr. Grose went home this evening and J.N. Barron come for him in his machine.
Dec 25.Today Grace and I went up to her uncle, Quince Troutman's to a birthday dinner, and we sure had a nice time. We got home about five o'clock.
Dec 28.This morning Will and Clarence Ervin come over here and we went a-bird-hunting. Homer was with us. We hunted till noon, and come and ate dinner, and intended to hunt this evening, but it rained all evening, commenced about 12 o'clock, and the boys all left.
Dec 30. Have been around home all day, as Clate Kyles was here, and also his wife was here and spent the day with us.
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