Hiram E. Leonard Diary, August 6 – 12, 1868

“6^th Thursday  fine weather with a shower  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ worne out with trouble.

“7^th Friday  rather damp hay weather a shower last night  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ sick & worne out with trouble.

“8^th Saturday  verry windy & cool  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ sick & worne out with trouble  R B Pollard got home from Chicago.

“9^th Sunday  A cool cloudy morning but more pleasant during the day  I did my choars was at the house the most of the day a choaring round & fixing fence etc went to the office in forenoon & in afternoon & went to bed about 9 nearly sick [in margin] Ben Horth carried Elizabeth to Holmes.

“10^th Monday  rather fine weather but rained a little  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick & worne out with trouble my cows got through Garys fence into his field & he set the dogs & boys ahorseback & run them so that it nearly killed my old cow, and dryed them up so that the old cow gave but a pint at a milking for three or four days & gave not more than a tea cup full at one milking  [in margin] J P Garys dogs & boys run my cows so that it nearly dryed them up.

“11^th Tuesday  rather a fine day but some cloudy  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ sick & worne out with trouble.

“12^th Wednesday  fine weather & cool  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick & worne out with trouble.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, April 9 – 15, 1868

“9^th Thursday  rough weather  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick & worne out with Sister.

“10^th Friday  A cool disagreeable day  I did my choars was at the office all day & came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick & worne out.

“11^th Saturday  began to snow about 3 oclock in the morning & snowed all day & fell about 4 or 5 inches & was like winter  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ and went to bed at 9 ½ sick & worne out.

“12^th Sunday  A cold windy day with the snow aflying  the snow about 4 inches deep  I did my choars went Garys after my colts & went round to Herricks & found them & got them home was about tuckered out went to the office  in the evening came home & went to bed about 9 nearly sick & worne out with Sister.

“13^th Monday  rather a raw day & ground covered with snow  I did my choars was at the office all day came home & 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½.

“14^th Tuesday  rather a cold raw day  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick.

“15^th Wednesday  rather better weather  I did my choars was at the office all day & came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick & worne out.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, November 13 – 19, 1867

“13^th Wednesday  fine cool weather & dry  I did my choars was at the office all day & came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick with a cold  Kenyon mooved.

“14^th Thursday  fine cool weather  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ and went to bed at 9 ½ tiard & nearly sick Kenyon mooved.

“15^th Friday  fine weather but cool & dry  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ sick went to bed at 9 ½ sick & worne out with a cold  Caroline came down with Wallace & stayed all night  Rol did not come.

“16^th Saturday  A fine day but cool, I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick & worne out with trouble  H Potter left & went to Perrys to board  Caroline & Mrs Stone went to Naperville with their boys to get clothes & boots for them & Mrs Gould walked up here & met them.

“17^th Sunday  A fine pleasant cool day  I did my choars went to Bliss & the store  then got Jonathan Pollards buggy with Bliss horse & went to Wm Jordens to get Sister, but she would not come & was contarary as she could be, I came home choared round got my colt out of Garys lot got my cider down cellar etc Gould & wife came here & brught up their old Malta cat etc I went to bed at 9 sick.

“18^th Monday  fine dry weather for Nov  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 nearly sick & worne out.

“19^th Tuesday  fine dry weather  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 nearly sick.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, April 3 – 9, 1867

“3^rd Wednesday  disagreeable weather & bad roads  I did my choars was at the office all day came home about 8 ½ & went to bed at 10 nearly sick  Sister we carried over to Dr Waterman in afternoon  She stayed all night.

“4^th Thursday  A cloudy damp day cooler toward night  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 10 nearly sick & lonely  I brought Sister from Dr Watermans about 9  F Gary brought us in a buggy.

“5^th Friday  A cold disagreeable morning with a flurry of snow on the ground & frozen it snowed a little flurrys today  I did my choars was at the office all day & came home at 8 ½ & went to bed about 10 sick  Sally Munk went home & Mrs Stone came & stayed–.

“6^th Saturday A cold morning with the ground frozen  I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ & had a fine rest but was about sick  Mrs Stone was here & stayed all night  Sally Munk at home.

“7^th Sunday  A verry fine warm day & evening  I did my choars went to office & got some medacine came home  choared round all day was at the office in the evening came home & went to bed about 9 nearly sick about 9  Mrs Stone was here all day & night except going home at noon a ____________.

“8^th Monday rather a fine day but cool  I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed at 10 nearly sick with a cold [in margin] Mrs Stone here.

“9^th Tuesday  rather fine cool for April  I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed at 10 nearly sick  Sister pretty bad off.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, April 18 – 24, 1866

“18^th Wednesday  A fine warm pleasant day some cloudy towards night  I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home at 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ¼ tiard lonely & nearly sick, R Willson & Caroline & boy came about 9 ¾ with a load of goods, moved down here  Abe Ketchum & Emma Beardsly were married at Beardsly the Methodist minister at Naperville, Smith & went to the Junction.

“19^th Thursday  A rainey disagreeable day rained conciderable  I did my choars was at the office all day came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ tiard lonely & sick [in margin] cow calved today.

“20^th Friday  cleared off in morning & was quite a pleasant day & night  I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home at 8 ½ went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick [in margin] windy.

“21^st Saturday  A fine windy day good putting in grain  I did my choars was at the office all day came home about 9 ½ & went to bed at 10 tiard & nearly sick.

“22^nd Sunday  Some cloudy but rather a fine day  I did my choars was at the house all day except going up to Garys to get my colt & got back at about noon choared round the house the rest of the day planted some butanuts etc went to bed about 9 nearly sick.

“23^rd Monday  rather fine cool weather for April  I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick etc.

“24^th Tuesday  rather fine weather but cold, I did my choars was at the office the most of the day came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ about sick.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, October 20 – 26, 1864

“20^th Thursday fine cool weather freezes a nights I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick.

“21^st Friday rather fine cool weather. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ lonely & nearly sick.

“22^nd Saturday A fine day & beautiful evening. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 & went to bed a little after 9 tiard lonely & about sick & had the blues Richard Chandler wife & Mrs Potter went to Naperville came back & she & sister had a spat & they were a little cross & it made me feel lonely & evening was out of gear.

“23^rd Sunday A fine pleasant day & evening. I did my choars was around home all day & evening was at office twice choared round etc went to bed about 9 tiard lonely & about sick. Mrs Potter went to Meeting & about 3 oclock started Methadist meeting & went up to Griffiths & Williamses Sister went home with York & wife about 2 oclock.

“24^th Monday rather fine weather but cloudy I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home at 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick.

“25^th Tuesday rather fine weather for the season. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ went to bed 9 ½ nearly sick [in margin] Charles up to Garry.

“26^th Wednesday rather fine weather but cloudy. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ tiard & sick.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, August 26 – September 1, 1863

“26^th Wednesday  rather a cold morning & frost on railroad a fine day. I arrived at Springfield between 5 & 6 in morning & stayed till 4 ½ in afternoon, went I left for Jacksonville and arrived there at 6 & arrived at the hospital 6 ½. Saw Sister & came back to the villiage between 7 & 8, put up at the mansion house for the night & rested verry well, but slep on a matras.

“27^th Thursday  rather a fine cool day & some cloudy, I got up about 6 eat breckfust at Mansion House at Jacksonville went to the Hospital about 8 & got sister & started on the cars a little before 9 & got to the Illinois & St Louis Junction 10 ½ stayed till 11-3/4 & started for Joliet, got there a little after 6, eat supper, went to bed about 9 at the Aubern House kep by Austin rested verry well, rained during night [in margin] Caroline moved to Willsons. J Pollard got home from East. Caroline mooved to Wilsons in part of Gary house].

“28^th Friday  A cloudy damp morning but a cool windy day & cold evening, I eat breckfust about 7 & started about 7 ½ for home with Sister & Netty Fowler & got home a little after 12, took the horse & carriage home eat dinner & went to office about 2 ½ stayed in evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick.

“29^th Saturday  A cold morning with some frost a cold day & night I did my choars was at the office all day came home at 8 ½ went to bed about 9 tiard & nearly sick. Caroline called & went home for stove.

“30^th Sunday  A cold pleasant morning with a pretty heavy frost which cut potatoes & vines pretty bad & corn some. I did my choars went to office & Hoyts came home was at home the most of the day a choaring round etc went to bed about 9 tiard & nearly sick.

“31^st Monday  rather a fine day & evening. I did my choars was at the office all day & in evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ tiard & nearly sick with a cold.

“September 1^st Tuesday  A fine cool day & evening. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick [in margin] Alvaro Drulard died near Murfreesboro.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, August 19 – 25, 1863

“19^th Wednesday  rather fine hot weather & a getting dry. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick with a cold.

“20^th Thursday  rather a fine warm day & evening. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ tiard & sick.

“21^st Friday  rather a fine day & evening some showerey at night.  I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ tiard & nearly sick.

“22^nd Saturday  rather a fine day & evening some cloudy and damp in the morning but cold in afternoon & evening. I did my choars was at the office all day & in the evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick, Gary got the bed & put it up Sarah Russequie stayed with Caroline [in margin] Layed out Winfield Road part.

“23^rd Sunday  rather a fine cool morning & cloudy more warm during day but some cloudy. I did my choars was at the store & Hoyts in morning came home about 10 was at home achoaring round, writing etc most of the day went to bed about 9 nearly sick with a soar in my ear.

“24^th Monday  rather fine weather & cloudy, I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick with a sore ear etc.

“25^th Tuesday  rather a fine day & cool a cold night. I did my choars was at the office the most of the forenoon got ready to go to Jacksonville, started about one oclock with H Fowlers horse & J Pollards carriage for Joliet Netta Fowler went to Joliet with me, I got there at 6 & left on cars at 10 ½ J______.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, January 18, 1862

“18^th Saturday  fine winter weather I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home by Hoyts about 8 got home about 9 called at Bliss went to bed at 10 all alone.  Gary brought Sister to Bliss to stay, Wray & Family went to McNellys this afternoon & I did my choars.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, January 16, 1862

“16^th Thursday rather a fine winter day & evening good sleighing I did my choars was at office all day & evening came home about 8 by Hoyts & Wrays & went to bed about 10 in ketchy bedroom.  Mr. Gary came about 2 oclock & carried Sister to his house & the girl, Eliza went home after supper left for good [in margin] Eliza Ruseque left for good.”