My Grandfather kept diaries most of his life. I post a month each Monday.
Sunday, February 1, 1903
It has been cloudy nearly all day and quite a heavy fog came up tonight.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning but did not go to Sunday School.
Monday, February 2, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly fair today. The roads were very muddy in the daytime but froze up towards night.
I walked home after school after playing two practice games of basketball.
Papa went up town on the cars after supper tonight.
Tuesday, February 3, 1903
It has been snowing very hard all day and a very hard east wind has been blowing all the time which drifted the snow so bad that the electric cars have hardly run at all.
I walked up to school this morning and back again tonight.
Wednesday, February 4, 1903
It snowed most of the forenoon but stopped about noon and has been cloudy all the afternoon.
I walked to school this morning and back again tonight. I played basketball for a while after school.
Thursday, February 5, 1903
It has been a very nice day today.
I walked to school this morning but caught a ride home tonight.
Papa went up town on the cars after supper. Mrs. Hill went home for a visit this morning and Mrs. Sidey from Grandma’s came out to stay while she is gone.
Friday, February 6, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly nice today.
I walked to school this morning and back again tonight. I played basketball a little while after school tonight.
Eleanor came home tonight from Lombard to stay a few days because there is smallpox at the college.
Papa and Louise went up to a supper given at the Universalist Church at which the men were the waiters, Pa being one of them.
Saturday, February 7, 1903
It has been snowing nearly all day.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning. I went to a basketball game this afternoon between Syc and Elgin. The latter beat by a score of 30 to 29.
After supper I [went] with quite a large crowd to see the Syc Girls pay the DeKalb Normal 1st team. The latter beat by a score of 7 to 2. After the game I went up to a dance in Armory Hall at DeKalb with Mae Hohm and two other couples in our crowd. We came home at 12 o’clock.
Papa went into Chicago at 11.07 A.M. and came back tonight. I took him up to the train.
Eleanor andLouise went over to see the DeKalb game tonight.
Sunday, February 8, 1903
It has been a nice day today.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning and went to Sunday School at noon.
Monday, February 9, 1903
It has been a nice day and the snow has melted quite a good deal.
I walked to and from school.
Papa went up town on the cars after supper. It is mamas birthday today and she would have been thirty-nine years old.
Tuesday, February 10, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly nice day and the snow has been melting very fast.
I rode to school this morning but walked home tonight. I played basketball for a while after school tonight.
Papa and Uncle Fred went to Esmond today on business.
It is Grandma Townsend’s birthday today and she is 64 years old.
Wednesday, February 11, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly nice today and it is getting colder tonight.
Papa and Eleanor went up to Dan Wild’s for supper tonight. The electric cars now run regularly every hour leaving DeKalb on the hour and Sycamore on the half hour.
Usually the first car leaves DeKalb at 6 A.M. and the last leaves Sycamore at 11.30 P.M.
Thursday, February 12, 1903
It has been cloudy all day today.
I walked up to school this morning and back again tonight.
Papa went up town after supper on the cars.
Friday, February 13, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly nice today.
I walked up town this morning to take the milk to the customers and then back again.
I walked part of the way up town this afternoon and all of the way back.
There was no school today because there was a teacher’s institute at Sycamore.
Saturday, February 14, 1903
It has been cloudy all day and it commenced to snow about five o’clock tonight.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning and then went up to the school house and played basketball for a while. I staid home all of the afternoon.
Papa went up town on the cars after supper.
Sunday, February 15, 1903
It snowed all last night and all today but the snow is very fine and has not amounted to much. A strong north wind has drifted it a good deal.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning but did not go to Sunday School.
Papa, Eleanor and Louise went to Uncle George Wild’s for dinner today.
Monday, February 16, 1903
It has been a clear day,but very cold being 5º below this morning and only 5º above at noon.
I walked to and from school and played basketball for a while after school.
Eleanor went back to Lombard tonight. Papa went up town on the cars after supper tonight.
Tuesday, February 17, 1903
It has been a nice day only very cold as it was 15º below this morning.
I walked to and from school.
Mae Hohn, Bess Branen and Marion Van Galder came out to see Louise after supper.
Wednesday, February 18, 1903
It has been a clear day but very cold with the wind blowing strongly from the northwest.
I walked to and from school.
Louise goes to and from school on the cars nearly every morning but I walk and George and Edward usually walk but they rode home on the car tonight.
Thursday, February 19, 1903
It has been cloudy nearly all day and has snowed a little but the snow has not amounted to anything.
I walked to and from school. I went to a dance tonight with Mae Hohn and had a very nice time.
Friday, February 20, 1903
It was clear this morning but it clouded up this afternoon.
I walked up to school this morning and home tonight.
I umpired a practice game of basketball after school between the 1st and 2nd teams.
Saturday, February 21, 1903
It has been cloudy most of the time today.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning.
This afternoon I rode up town to see a double basketball game between Wheaton Girls and Syc. H. S. Girls and between the 1st and 2nd teams of boys of S. H. S. The Wheaton Girls beat by a score of 10 to 7 and the first team of boys beat by a score of 22 to 14. After the game I walked home.
Sunday, February 22, 1903
It has been partly nice and partly cloudy today.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning.
I walked to and fromSunday School at noon.
Uncle Will came out late this afternoon and staid for supper.
Monday, February 23, 1903
It has been cloudy all day and it snowed for a short time this morning.
I walked to and from school.
Papa went up town after supper on the cars and Louise went up to a musical given at the Waterman Hall.
Tuesday, February 24, 1903
It has been a very nice day.
I rode to school in the buggy but walked home after school. I played basketball for a while after school.
There was an auction sale on the Coolidge farm today. Papa used to tend to this farm but Uncle Fred rented it and Papa will quit managing it now.
Wednesday, February 25, 1903
It has been a very nice day. I rode both to and from school.
Papa went up town after supper tonight but came back early.
Thursday, February 26, 1903
It has been a nice day.
I rode to school this morning but walked half of the way home tonight and then caught a ride.
I played basketball for a little while after school tonight.
Friday, February 27, 1903
It rained nearly all of last night and a little while this morning. It has been cloudy all the rest of the day and so warm that most of the snow is melted.
I played basketball for a little while after school.
Eleanor Townsend came out with Louise after school to stay all night.
{Eleanor Townsend is Amos’ cousin and daughter of Mary Boynton and Fred Townsend.}
Saturday, February 28, 1903
It has been cloudy all day and a cold north wind has been blowing with a little snow.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning and then played basketball for a while.
I staid home all the afternoon but after supper I went up town to a basketball game between Syc. H. S. and DeKalb Normal First Team. Sycamore beat in a very close and exciting game by a score of 18 to 15 but their capt. was disqualified in the last half.
This I Leave 