Weatherwise, it's still cool in Wakefield, Nebraska this first week of August, 1898 with temps on Monday hovering just under 70. By Friday the thermometer will soar to 88 or thereabouts.
Lennie is doing a man's job...working in the fields. In July he helped with the wheat and oat harvest.
This week the work shifts to a "dirtier" job. Lennie begins hauling manure. The manure from the barn and feed areas would be tossed onto a wagon via muscle power and a pitchfork. Then the wagon was pulled by a team of horses to the fields where Lennie would use a pitchfork to toss the stuff into the field. The winds would carry the "aroma" for miles. And probably so did Lennie's clothes.
With all this field work I'm thinking that 17-year-old Lennie was pretty buff by summer's end.
The photo? That's Lennie in his old age. By then he had gone through the Depression of the 1930s, had lived through World Wars I and II, buried an adult daughter, and lived life as an honorable man who took care of his family and was a good neighbor to all. I like this photo of Lennie for I can see how much his grandson (my hubby) resembles him.
Let us move on to Lennie's diary.
Sunday, July 31, 1898Got a book and stayed home and read.
Went down and seen G. (I'm suspecting G is a girl. Lennie often used initials when referring to girls.)
Monday, August 1, 1898A rainy day.
Petersons got new table.
Hauled manure.
Tuesday, August 2, 1898Hauled manure.
Joe Peterson sent after watch.
Fred and me went to town.
(Remember that Lennie himself got a new watch July 23. Now his buddy is influenced to get one for himself.)
Wednesday, August 3, 1898Fixed up shocks.
Hauled hay in forenoon.
Stacked hay afternoon.
Thursday, August 4, 1898Hauled manure in forenoon.
Stacked wheat in afternoon.
?? (indecipherable) came home.
Friday, August 5, 1898Stacked wheat all day.
Storm came up after noon.
Saturday, August 6, 1898Rained.
Hauled manure.
Fred felt funny. Gave me a nice ride on hayrack.
(I'm thinking Lennie meant Fred felt he was in a joking mood...hence, the "nice" ride in the hayrack.)
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Weatherwise, it's been a relatively nice week 1898 in Wakefield, Nebraska. The daily high temps have been just nudging above 80 degrees, making this ideal weather for shocking wheat and working long hours in the sun. Seventeen-year-old Charles Leonard (Lennie) Davis is undoubtedly working with a large crew of men on his friend's farm for it took many hands to do this kind of work.
Sunday, July 24, 1898Rained in afternoon.
Went to C (Lennie begins his week by going to church on Sunday.)
Emery came down to see ??? (can't decipher the name)
Went out to Petersons.
Monday, July 25, 1898Started to cut wheat, shocked all day.
Went to town.
Tuesday, July 26, 1898Shocked wheat.
Did not go to town to the show.
Rained at midnight.
Wednesday, July 27, 1898Shocked wheat.
Went to town at night.
Got new shoes.
Thursday, July 28, 1898Shocked wheat.
Binder broke at noon.
Boys out until 9 oclock.
Friday, July 29, 1898Rained in morning didn't work in morning finished shocking wheat.
Saturday, July 30, 1898Fixed up shocks in forenoon.
Hauled hay.
Cut weeds in afternoon.
This week President McKinley provided terms for peace to the Spanish through France. The Omaha Daily Bee is full of news on the Spanish-American War. Troops have landed at "Porto Rico" as it is spelled in the Omaha news.
The photo to the right was taken nearly a month previous on July 1 at San Juan Hill and depicts Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders.
Okay, okay, I'm playing with you. Lennie indeed had a "shocking" week but the word refers to working in the oat fields.
The photos are vintage photos found online and are of this era or close to it. (Click for a closer view.)
The first photo is in an oat field. The second is in wheat, but I'm thinking both oats and wheat were harvested in similar manner. Lennie was undoubtedly working for a nearby farmer. While the men worked in the field the farmer's wife would be cooking up a storm, making sure each man had a good portion of vittles including pie for dessert. A farmer always fed his hired crew.
Sunday, July 17, 1898A hot day.
Wind blew hard all day.
Union meeting.
Monday, July 18, 1898Tried to fix Guy's wheel.
93 in the shade.
Took possession of Santiago yesterday.
(Lennie is writing in reference to Santiago, Cuba, and the surrender of the Spanish forces to General Shafter, U.S. Army. You can read about that in the Omaha Daily Bee for this date by clicking here. You may have to enlarge the page to read it. )Tuesday, July 19, 1898
Came out Peterson's last night.
Rained this morning.
Shocked oats in the afternoon.
Wednesday, July 20, 1898Shocked oats.
Thursday, July 21, 1898Shocked oats.
IOGT had picknick in Dixon's Grove.
Friday, July 22, 1898Shocked oats.
Cut weeds in afternoon.
Came in town to IOGT.
Out for 3 mo.
Saturday, July 23, 1898Cut weeds in morning.
Shocked hay in afternoon.
Band in town at night.
Got a watch.
Next week Lennie's friend, Joe Peterson, will have been impressed by Lennie's new watch and will be ordering one for himself.
We continue reading the 1898 diary of 17-year-old Charles Leonard Davis, Wakefie
ld, Nebraska.
Although our Lennie has a cold this week, we see that he is an industrious person. He continues to work at his job on the street (road) in spite of not feeling well.
Nobody ever said Lennie was lazy. No, all his life he was full of adventure and energy.
In spite of being under the weather, Lennie also goes swimming this week.
And on Saturday he goes for a walk with Lyda. We do not know who Lyda is. And we doubt any of these young ladies is Lyda. However, we show you these photos from Lennie's pocket-size photo album so that you can view their hair styles, their rather fancy hats, and the dresses of that time. How fun it would be to know their names, but Lennie did not pencil that information into his album. (Note: Many of the photos in Lennie's album were posed. Holding and reading a letter was a common pose.)
We read on.
Sunday, July 10, 1898Nice day.Did not feel well.
Sam, Ellis and me went to Wayne.
Monday, July 11, 1898Did not work.
Sam and Ellis went over to Haskells and played cards.
No band.
Tuesday, July 12, 1898Fixed Frank's wheel.
Worked Frank's Pole Tax.
Went swimming after supper.
Wednesday, July 13, 1898
Did not feel well all day.
Worked on streets all day.Went swimming.
Thursday, July 14, 1898Did not feel well today.
Have a bad cold.
Worked on roads.
Friday, July 15, 1898Worked on roads in forenoon.
1-1/2 hours in afternoon.
Band played on street.
Saturday, July 16, 1898Worked on streets in forenoon.Walked with Lyda S.
(Remember that you can click on the photos for a better view.)
Sunday, July 3, 1898Nice day.
Went out buggy riding with Ollie.
Ollie is Lennie's sister, older than he, and married for three years to Charles (Carl) Emil Schulz. Lennie is back row, center. His two sisters are Myrtle, left, and Olive (Ollie), right. And look at Lennie's brothers. Did you ever see such handsome moustaches? Their parents are Josiah Davis and Mary Jane (Crawford) formerly of Ohio.
Monday, July 4, 1898Went to Allen (Allen, Nebraska, a small town eleven miles north of Wakefield.)Got news that Schley had captured Cervera's fleet.(The associated press article about this event in Santiago harbor, Cuba, is in the Omaha Bee of July 5, page 1, lower right corner of the page. Commodore Schley, U.S. Navy had captured the Spanish fleet. Click here and enlarge the page to read.) Played tennis at Allen. Tuesday, July 5, 1898Nice day.
Celebrated 4th with fireworks.
Had business meeting.
Wednesday, July 6, 1898Bummed around town.
Went out to Swansons to work.
Thursday, July 7, 1898Plowed corn all day.
Nice day.
(On this day in 1898 President William McKinley signed the Treaty that made Hawaii a U.S. Territory.)
Friday, July 8, 1898Plowed corn.
Went to town.
Went to IOGT.
No band practice.
Saturday, July 9, 1898Worked in forenoon.
Came to town.
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The weather is pleasant in Wakefield, Nebraska, this fine week in June 1898. Our protagonist, Lennie Davis, age 17, continues to write in his pocket diary. He's sparse with his words but his few short sentences give us a picture of his daily activities. Lennie's words are in bold black.
Sunday, June 26, 1898Nice Day.Made ice cream.Ellis P (Ellis Paulson) and I went to Emerson.
(Emerson is a small town about 10 miles east of Wakefield.)
Monday, June 27, 1898Went to the country with Charlie.
Band plaid. (I hope Lennie "plaid" better than he spelled!)
Tuesday, June 28, 1898Did not do much.
Dull times since soldiers gone.
Wednesday, June 29, 1898A hot day.Ran foot races in street.
Thursday, June 30, 1898Nice Day.Staid at livery stabel in evening.Guy and me ran races.
Friday, July 1, 1898Social at P. Church. (Presbyterian)
Band practice.
Saturday, July 2, 1898Shined Carlsons and Kyles and my own horn.
Bad (band) suits came. (You can click the photo for a larger view of Lennie in his band uniform. He played in the Wakefield Cornet Band.)
On page 3 of the Omaha Bee of July 1 we read the following: Dateline June 30, Tecumseh, Nebraska. “Harvest is on in earnest in Johnson County and there never was a time when men were so scarce. There is a great demand for harvesters and any man who can shock wheat and desires work is in the field. The wages paid generally is $1.50 per day and board. The harvesting together with the building in the city and the railroad grading work on the Burlington south of here has been a boom to the laborers of Tecumseh (Nebraska) this summer."
Lennie lives in Dixon County which is well north of Johnson County. Oat and wheat harvest will not begin yet for another couple weeks. When it does, Lennie will be shocking oats and hay. He's an industrious fellow and will undoubtedly earn a man's wages. And he will not complain of the heat.
But Lennie does complain of dull times since the soldiers left Wakefield last week. Those men are on their way to fight in the Spanish-American war. This week page 1 of the Omaha Bee tells us that fighting will begin soon near Santiago, Cuba.
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Charles Leonard Davis is seventeen years old in 1898. The following are entries in his small pocket diary. The words in bold black are Lennie's. I'm blogging Lennie's diary day by day (or week by week). I'm a bit behind but I'll catch up later this week. Meanwhile...read more about the Wakefield Cornet Band.
Sunday, June 19, 1898Got my picture taken.
Went to Presbyterien. S.S. girls & boys together.
(Boys and girls together! I hope they behaved themselves!)
Monday, June 20, 1898Ollie and ma took me out to Fritz to plow corn.(Ollie is Lennie's older sister. Married. Lennie is undoubtedly using horses to plow corn.)
Tuesday, June 21, 1898Hot in afternoon.
Rained in forenoon.
Plowed corn.
Tired as the D_ _ _ _.
(That's right...this Presbyterian boy refrains from spelling out "devil". His mama is raising him right.)
Wednesday, June 22, 1898Worked a half a day walked to town watched soldiers drill.
Thursday, June 23, 1898A hot and windy day.
Soldiers got word they were agoing to leave.
Friday, June 24, 1898Soldiers left on 7:30. (the morning train) 
Big crowd, sad, town seems lonely.Stormed hard.
IOGT. (Lennie attends another meeting of the IOGT lodge group.)
Saturday, June 25, 1898Nice day.
Went in country with Charlie.
Band played in street.
Speaking of the band...remember when I mentioned Lennie playing in the Wakefield Cornet Band? (read here). Lennie is not in this photo but his brother-in-law Carl Schulz is. He's the guy just to the left of center with the blonde mustache. I do not know the date of this first photo but you can see there are men and teen boys in this photo.
We recently visited the small museum at the old train depot in Wakefield and I found another photo of the band. This second photo was taken in 1904 when Lennie would have been 23 years old. He is not in this photo either. As you can see the band members are school age. Perhaps there were two cornet bands...one for adults, one for teens.
This 1904 photo included the following names:
Ray Larson, ? Woodward, Guy Diltz, Carls Anderson, Ernest Longe, Carl Diltz, Ed Burnamn, Willie Hide, Bryon Busby, Walter Carlson, Tip Hiyl, Ed Larson, Howard Shumway
Earl Leonard, Vilas Hiyl, Lloyd Busby, Harry Johnson, ? Ebersole, ? Shumway, Clarence Johnson, Maarvin Leamer, D. L. Leamer, Walter Howard, D.C. Leamer. (The band director was the depot agent but I don't know which name is his.)
