Donald Alexander Murray Diary, 1887-1899

Front cover

Inside front cover [blank]

Duplicate of inside front cover with card with butterflies and Chinese script

[Another duplicate of inside front cover showing inside of butterfly card]

Donald Alexander Murray

born Jan 6, 1870

married 1902 June 18

died 1952

[Note written by donor] Nov.14, 1984

Dear Sir,

This book came up in an auction sale some weeks back. We felt it should go back to the Hickson community.

Sincerely [rest is cut off]

Toronto Jan 3/87

Jan	3	Commenced business with cash	500.00
"	"	Goods in store	400.00
"	4	Bot goods of L. Gun on Acct.	240.00
"	5	Sold goods to B.E. Monroe on Acct.	45.50
"	7	Paid to D. Gun on Acct.	120.00
"	8	Sold H. Calder goods worth	200.00
"	"	Rec'd H. Calder's note	110.00
"	11	B.E. Monroe redeemed his note	45.00
"	13	Gave D. Gun my note	120.00
"	14	Paid for Stationary & Postage	5.00
"	15	Bot good of D. Gun on note	70.00
"	"	Paid for advertising	1.20
"	17	Sold goods to Thomas Smith on Acct.	18.60
"	"	Paid cash for fuel	10.00
"	18	Rec'd from H. Calder on Acct	30.00
"	19	Redeemed my note favor of D. Gun	120.00
"	"	Paid for repairs	4.00
"	21	Sold Thomas Smith on Acct	70.00
"	22	Lent D. Gunn	10.00
"	24	Rec's from T. Smith his note on Acct	80.00
"	25	Rec'd from D. Gunn	10.00
"	26	Bot a stove gave my note	15.00
"	27	Rec'd cash on H. Calders note	110.00
"	27	Paid Clerks salary	25.00
"	28	Rec'd on H. Calders Acct	40.00
"	29	Paid for Telegrams	0.25
"	31	Sold my stock for cash	436.36
"	31	Paid Auctioneer	6.00
"	31	Rec'd on H. Calders Acct	25.00
Feb	2	Goods in store	500.00
"	4	Sold my stock for cash	1000.00

Page 2. blank page

Page 3. blank page

Hired Labor

1893
Wed	8th	June Mr Henderson
Thur	9th	" " " " forenoon
Fri	10	" " " "
		In Acct with A. Henderson.
1894			$
Apr		To Three days threshing Peas	XXX
"		" Ploughing	1.12 1/2
June	9	" Drawing Manure	1.00
"	11	" " "	1.00
"	12	" " "	0.50
"	13	" " "	1.00
"	14	" " "	1.00
"	15	" " "	0.75
"	16	" " "	1.00
		Medical Bill
1898
Oct	3	To Dr Stick (?) for fractured ancle	$13.00
Dec	21	" " Premeier (?) medicine	1.00
		" Six bottles,C oil @25cts	1.50
		" 1 " Liniment	0.25
		" 1 " St Jacobs Oil	0.50
Mar	21	" 1 " Liniment	0.25

Page 7. blank page

January 1899

Jan	1st	Sunday: Two below zero this morning, drove Jemima down home. Had New Years Turkey at John Brices, Roads bear in places
Mon	2	Alex drew milk to Hickson this morning. Mother and Stanley here for dinner getting milder afternoon went over to Tommy Greenslades in the evening.
Tues	3	Fine today. Will Evans came over in the afternoon.
Wed	4	Raining heavy all day, doing chores
Thur	5	Wheels running today, freezing afternoon. John Evans and Ed Murray here for tea.
Fri	6	Cold and snowing Pete's baby arrived today Alex went to the funeral
Sat	7	Very Stormy today, at home all day, clear and cold tonight.
Sun	8	High winds, growing colder Robt. Ross conducting services at Burns Church
Mon	9	Cold east wind, Alex and Jemima went to Tavistock this afternoon. John A McDonald here this evening collecting for missions.
Tues	10	Cold and clear, cleaning wheat afternoon. Mr & Mrs Greenslade spent the evening with us. Brother Bob called in on his way from Tavistock.
Wed	11	Below zero today Alex went to Tavistock with a load of wheat afternoon, bad roads.
Thur	12	Cleaning wheat forenoon Alex went to Tavistock with a load, horses ran away from him coming home.
Fri	13	Drizzling rain today, doing chores Albert went to E Corp's threshing.
Sat	14	Raining, at home all day
Sun	15	Went to Church the first time since I fractured my ancle, drove Jemima down home afternoon.

February 1899

Mon	16	At home doing chores Uncle Heck came up (from town)
Tues	17	Cold and blustering Will Evans and I were breaking in the trotter. Went down to Bob's in the evening.
Wed	18	Fine doing chores Mrs Moon buried today
Thur	19	Fair at home doing chores.
Fri	20	Went over to Louis Bigham's with a load of chop
Sat	21	Blustering, Alex went to Stratford this morning by train from Tavistock Will Evans began drawing wood afternoon.
Sun	22	Milder, went to Burns Church, (Communion) Mr Ferguson preached from Mot(?) 12.&18.
Mon	23	Fine doing chores Will Evans drawing wood.
Tues	24	Charles Knott paying us a visit today
Wed	25	Cold, at home doing chores
Thur	26	Oiling harness, Will Evans drawing wood to Tavistock
Fri	27	Albert Goring's youngest son buried today.
Sat	28	Blustering doing chores
Sun	29	Went to Burns Church small attendance
Mon	30	Went down to George Steward's in the evening. 10 below zero
Tues	31	Very cold today, doing chores
Wed	1	Feb: Bleak winds, drove Jemima home this afternoon
Thur	2	Getting milder, clear today
Fri	3	Heavy fall of snow this morning went down to George Murray's party in the evening
Sat	4	At home all day Will Evans went to Tavistock for chop.
Sun	5	Clear and cold went to Burns church, morning and evening Text Deut: 13.14.
Mon	6	Six below zero this morning Alex went to Woodstock

Feburary 199

Tues	7	Growing colder Alex drove pig up to Ed. {illegible}
Wed	8	At home doing chores, stormy afternoon
Thur	9	Went down to Will Bickle's to see his power mill got my nose frozen coming home.
Fri	10	Twenty six deg below zero this morning
Sat	11	Alex returned from Clinton at noon today
Sun	12	Went to Burns Church Text Eph. 2.1-3.
Mon	13	Very cold attended the funeral of Mrs McKay
Tues	14	Growing milder at home all day
Wed	15	Making Double-Trees
Thur	16	Very fine, drove Will Evans down to Geo. Stewart's
Fri	17	Drawing stones for Ed, snow disappearing
Sat	18	Went to Tavistock for chop.
Sun	19	Went to Burns Church in the morning. Mother and Stanley came up afternoon.
Mon	20	Very fine Alex and Mother drove to Harrington to see Auntie McKay
Tues	21	Fine milder weather doing chores
Wed	22	Cleaning wheat; went to Tavistock in the evening for bread.
Thur	23	Very fine, went down to Will Holman's sale afternoon.
Fri	24	Went to Tavistock with a load of wheat
Sat	25	Drawing wheat to Tavistock
Sun	26	Fine at Burns Church in the morning. Bob and I went down to Bruce's afternoon raining and very muddy.
Mon	27	Blustering today doing chores, going to Tavistock this evening for Breads
Tues	28	Began culling wood this morning George Stewart came after me to go with him to see some horses, very stormy afternoon

March 1899

Wed	1	Very fine cutting wood all day
Thur	2	Cutting wood, clear forenoon, cloudy with signs of rain afternoon
Fri	3	Cutting wood forenoon, raining afternoon went down home in the evening.
Sat	4	Went to Tavistock forenoon cutting wood afternoon snowing tonight
Sun	5	Went to Church, Mr Ferguson preached from Text Eph: 2-10 very stormy afternoon
Mon	6	Cutting wood all day, Bob came up in the evening looking for his man.
Tues	7	Good sleighing, cutting wood. Duncan Gould came over forenoon, I went over to Tommy Greenslade's in the evening.
Wed	8	Fine today Alex went to Woodstock. Oiling harness and keeping back.
Thur	9	Cutting wood, good sleighing
Fri	10	Cutting wood, Alex went to Tavistock afternoon, brought home a new clock.
Sat	11	Very fine sleighing almost gone. I went down home afternoon and dehorned four head of cattle.
Sun	12	Went to Burns Church this morning listened to Rev Mr Mculloch on missions.
Mon	13	Fine cutting wood all day
Tues	14	Cutting wood forenoon went over to L.J. Bigham's with a load of chop afternoon.
Wed	15	Raining went down to W.B. Kerr's in the morning, went-down home to the party at night, called for Mr & Mrs Kerr. had a very good time, progressive Pedro & dancing made up the programme.
Thur	16	Cold and blustering cutting wood all day. Finished washing dishes as I write

March 1899

Fri	17	Fine today cutting wood,
Sat	18	Raining this morning went to Tavistock forenoon, sorting over our apples afternoon. George Steward came up afternoon to see when it would be convenient to dehorn his cattle.
Sun	19	Stormy good sleighing went to Burns church stayed in at Ed's for dinner.
Mon	20	Blustering real March weather. Albert Jagger and I cutting wood. Bob came up in the evening for a logging chain.
Tues	21	Cold east wind, went up to Tavistock in the morning to get our cross-sut saw sharpened, very stormy afternoon doing housework.
Wed	22	Misty, doing chores forenoon went to Charles Ames funeral afternoon.
Thur	23	Thunder storm last night, cold and stormy this morning went to Hickson wirh a load of hogs, cutting saw-logs afternoon.
Fri	24	Milder today cutting wood
Sat	25	Cutting wood forenoon, to stormy to work out afternoon went to Tavistock in the evening.
Sun	26	WEnt to Burns Church in the morning, and to song-service in the evening.
Mon	27	Fine today washing forenoon, doing chores the rest of the day
Tues	28	Raining cutting wood all day
Wed	29	Stormy went down and dehorned George Stewart's cattle forenoon went up to Tavistock afternoon roads blockaded.
Thur	30	Doing chores forenoon went to Tavistock for chop afternoon.
Fri	31	Fine this morning Stanley drove Mother and I to Tavistock we took the 11 o'clock train for Clinton arrived there at 1 o'clock.

April 1899

Sat	1	Doing CLinton today, Jim Fair took me to the Opera at night.
Sun	2	Dot Fair and I went to the Presbyterian Church in the morning, Mre Jim Fair and sister came over and took me to the Methodist Church in the evening.
Mon	3	Took the train for Tavistock at 2 pm arrived at out destination at 5pm. Father met us at the station.
Tues	4	Fine today cutting wood Alex went down after Jemima, Pete called in the evening.
Wed	5	Thawing, splitting wood, Alex drawing it home.
Thur	6	Cutting wood all day, went-down to choir practice at-night.
Fri	7	Drizzling rain, cutting wood, had an invitation to Bessie Murray's party tonight but did not go
Sat	8	Cloudy and cold cutting wood, went to Tavistock in the evening.
Sun	9	Went to Burns Church.
Mon	10	Very fine, cutting wood went down home in evening, had a game of Pedro.
Tues	11	Butchering our porkers today, father helping us I drove him down as far as Bobs had tea there, raining tonight.
Wed	12	First spring like day, cutting down apple trees Ed came up we docked two colts.
Thur	13	Cutting wood forenoon went down to Bobs at noon helped him butcher, docked his colt.
Fri	14	Cutting wood forenoon sawing fence posts afternoon went own to presentation at Wm Ross's in the evening had a very good time.