Hiram E. Leonard Diary, September 30 – October 6, 1863

“30^th Wednesday  rather a fine day & warmer. I did my choars was at the office all day & in the evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½. Thrash 330 bushels oats [in margin] Jessie thrash oats.

“October 1^st Thursday  rather a cloudy damp day towards night. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick.

“2^nd Friday  rather a cloudy day & evening. I did my choars was at the office all day and evening came home by Hoyts about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick. Adolf Fredenhagen was married tonight to Mary Tilden at Naperville.

“3^rd Saturday  rather a cloudy damp misty day & night. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home by Hoyts at 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ sick.

“4^th Sunday  A cloudy damp morning & misty day & night and cold. I did my choars went to office & Hoyts came home & picked 12 bushel of winter apples. Called at Hoyts came home at 8 & went to bed at 9 tiard & nearly sick.

“5^th Monday  rather a fine 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.

“6^th Tuesday  rather fine cool weather with frosts. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, September 23 – 29, 1863

“23^rd Wednesday  rather fine cool dry weather for the season. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick. W. G. Smith S. French went to Wheaton & took 2^nd degree in Masonry. Dewit Brown went & took the first degree.

“24^th Thursday  rather fine cool weather, 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 Friday  rather fine weather & cool & dry, I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home 8 ½ & went to bed 9 ½ nearly sick, a wholesale peddler came along & stayed at Mannings.

“26^th Saturday  A fine day & more warm but dry, I did my choars was at the store all day & evening came home at 8 ½ & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick, I traded with peddler over $50.

“27^th Sunday  A fine warm pleasant day & evening. I did my choars was at store & Hoyts after breckfust came home titoned up 2 bedsteds picked peaches fixed apple bins & picked up some winter apples & called at Hoyts in evening came home at 8 went to bed at 9.

“28^th Monday  rather fine cool weather for the season. 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.

“29^th Tuesday  rather fine weather but cool for Sept, I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home at 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, September 16-22, 1863

“16^th Wednesday  rather fine cloudy weather. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home at 8 1/2 & went to bed about 9 ½.

“17^th Thursday  rather fine cloudy day & rained some during night. 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.

“18^th Friday  rather a cloudy damp morning & cool cloudy day & cold evening froze during 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 with a cold, a very cold night for Sept.

“19^th Saturday  A cold & some cloudy morning with a heavey frost and water froze in a pool thicker than window glass last night. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home 8 ½ went to bed 9 ½.

“20^th Sunday  A cold cloudy morning, I think there was no frost. I got up about 7, did my choars went to the office & Hoyts came home at 10, choared round the house, the most of the day, H. Gould & family came along about 11 & went to Cals. Elizabeth went to Griffeths about 11 ½, Guy Lewins, wife & Charly came 12 ¼ & went to Griffeths, came back & stayed a while & went home, I called at Hoyts in evening came home at 8, & went to bed about 9, Gould came back & stayed till nearly 4 Caroline came with them, Hat & Eliza McNelly came about 12 ½ & stayed till after supper, Hot Eliza & Caroline were off together.

“21^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 at about 9 ½.

“22^nd 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 at about 9 ½.”

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, September 9 – 15, 1863

“9^th Wednesday  rather a fine day & 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.

“10^th Thursday  rather a fine day & evening, I did my choars was at the office all day & in the evening, came home about 8 ½ and went to bed about 9 ½ tiard & nearly sick [in margin] Col. Warren went to Chicago.

“11^th Friday  rather a fine cloudy day with showers during the night. I did my choars was at the office al day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick.

“12^th Saturday  rather cloudy damp morning & forenoon more pleasant in afternoon & evening, I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home at 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ sick —.

“13^th Sunday  rather a cloudy foggy morning with a heavey dew but a fine pleasant day & evening, grew cool toward night. I did my choars was at home the most of the day a choaring round, called at office & Hoyts about 10 oclock a short time & came home went to bed about 9.

“14^th Monday  rather fine weather for the season, a getting dry, 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.

“15^th Tuesday  rather a fine day & evening, I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ and went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sicks with a cold.”

“Rediscovering Camp McDowell” Monday Night Preview

We hope to see you all this coming Monday, September 9th at 7:00p.m. at the Museum, 3S530 Second Street for our Annual Meeting and Program “Rediscovering Camp McDowell.” Chris Gingrich, Education Outreach Specialist for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, will present the interesting history of the McDowell Grove. His presentation will include photographs, maps, documents,  and stories compiled from many sources, including:  local newspapers, unpublished memoirs, CCC camp newspapers, the National Archives, Forest Preserve records and others. Please enjoy a few images of Camp McDowell from the Historical Society’s collection and we hope to see you Monday. You can also see the event on our facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/events/453493018091380/.  Be sure to like our page when you get there to keep up to date on all the great events we have going on.

Camp McDowell February 1936

Camp McDowell May 1936

Hiram E. Leonard Diary, Septmeber 2 – 8, 1863

“2^nd Wednesday  rather a fine day & evening, ground getting dry. I did my choars, was at the office all day & evening, came home about 8 ½ and went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick.

“3^rd Thursday  fine weather for the season, 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 [in margin] got a letter from A. Wellman.

“4^th Friday  rather fine weather with thunder showers during the night. I did my choars was at the office all day & evening came home about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick.

“5^th Saturday  A fine warm day & some cloudy. 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. Alvaro Drulards corps arrived at Wheaton about 10 oclock in forenoon from Murfreesboro & they got him home in afternoon, Drulard did not come.

“6^th Sunday  A fine cool pleasant day & evening. I did my choars was at home the most of the day, called at Hoyts & the store 2 times, choared round home wrote some etc. Caroline came here in the afternoon a short time, I went to bed about 9.

“7^th Monday  rather 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 buried.

“8^th Tuesday  rather a fine day for fall. 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 [in margin] Jont Pollard to Chicago.”