Amos Claycomb’s April 1903 Diary

My Grandfather kept diaries most of his life.  I post a month each Monday.

Wednesday, April 1, 1903
It rained very hard for a little while this morning and then cleared up but it clouded up again this afternoon.
I walked to school and half of the way home.  I walked [sic] ball for a little while after school but we only knocked up flies as the diamond was too soft.
Louise started for Galesburg at six the morning where she will visit Eleanor.

Thursday, April 2, 1903
It has been cloudy all day and about seven o’clock tonight.  It sprinkled a little but at about nine the clouds are being driven away by a strong north-west wind.
I walked to school and part of the way home and played ball for a little while after school.

Friday, April 3, 1903
It snowed quite a little last night and till nearly noon.  The sun came out for a little while beyond it set.
I walked to and from school.

Saturday, April 4, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly nice today only a little cold.  I took the milk up to the factory this morning.  This afternoon I went over to DeKalb to see a practice game between Syc. and DeKalb High Schools.  Sycamore beat by a score of 9 to 1.

Sunday, April 5, 1903
It has been cloudy nearly all day and a strong south-east wind has been blowing nearly all the time.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning and walked to and from Sunday-School at noon.

Monday, April 6, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly nice today but very windy the wind changing from east this morning to west tonight.  I took the milk to the factory this morning and then went out riding around town on Uncle Will’s horse with George Brenan.  I piled a load of wood in the woodshed this afternoon and then rode the pony up town and played ball for about two hours.
The roads are getting fairly dry now.

Tuesday, April 7, 1903
It has been a very nice day.  Before breakfast this morning I went up town in a buggy to get a man who is papering some rooms here.  This forenoon I worked all the time whiping [sic] carpets or doing something else.
I went up town this afternoon and played baseball for about two hours.

Wednesday, April 8, 1903
It has been a very nice day only cloudy a little.
I took the milk up to the factory and then beat carpets for a while.
This afternoon I went up town and played ball for a while.

Thursday, April 9, 1903
It has been a very nice day.  I took the milk up to the factory and then whipped carpets most of the rest of the forenoon.
This afternoon I rode the pony up town to see a practice game between Syc. H. S. and DeKalb H. S.  Syc. beat by a score of 7 to 1 in a poorly played game.

Friday, April 10, 1903
It has been cloudy all day and has been raining since a little before noon.  I whipped carpets for a while this forenoon and staid in the house this afternoon.

Saturday, April 11, 1903
It rained a little last night and has been partly nice and partly cloudy today.  I took the milk up to the factory and then had a hair-cut.
This afternoon I went to a ballgame between Syc. and Belvidere High Schools.  Sycamore beat by a score of 11 to 0 in a very uninteresting game because it was too one-sided.

Sunday, April 12, 1903
It has been cloudy all day and has been raining most of the time this afternoon.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning and walked to and from Sunday-School.

Monday, April 13, 1903
It has been raining nearly all day and has been so cold that I had to wear my overcoat to school.  I walked to and from school and after supper I had to go up in a buggy after Louise who came home from Galesburg because the cars have broken down in some way.

Tuesday, April 14, 1903
It has been raining nearly all day except for a little while this morning when it snowed but the rain has been a cold drizzle most of the time.
I walked to and from school.
The wind has been in the north-east.
Louise, George and Edward rode up to school on the car and Louise rode home tonight.  I popped me a pan of corn after supper as did Louise and Edward.

Wednesday, April 15, 1903
It has been cloudy all day.
I walked to and from school.

Thursday, April 16, 1903
It has been a very nice day.  I walked to and from school and played ball for a little while after school. A little boy was killed by the electric car over in DeKalb late this afternoon.  This is the first person that has been seriously hurt since the cars have begun running.

Friday, April 17, 1903
It has been a nice day.  I walked to and from school and played ball for a little while after school.
After supper I walked up town and staid a little while and then ran all of the way home without stopping.

Saturday, April 18, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly nice today but it commenced raining at about eight o’clock tonight.  Papa, Aunt Mary, Fred, Charles and Eleanor Townsend, Louise, George, Edward and I went into Chicago today to see Ringling’s circus at the Coliseum which was very good.
Ruby Graham and Bess Brown went in with us.  Papa staid in after we left and we rode home on the electric car from Sycamore.

{Read about this performance at http://www.circushistory.org/History/Ringling1903.htm  It’s near the bottom of the page – tour of 1903.}

Sunday, April 19, 1903
It has been cloudy nearly all day and it rained most of the forenoon.
I took the milk up to the factory this morning but none of us went to Sunday School.  Papa came home from Chicago this noon.  Mrs. Hill, Louise and Edward went up to the Easter exercises at the church tonight which were repeated from last Sunday.

Monday, April 20, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly nice today.  I walked to and from school and played ball for a little while after school tonight.

Tuesday, April 21, 1903
It has been cloudy and cold all day and it snowed for a few minutes this morning.  I walked to and from school.  It is Louise’s birthday today and she is 16 years old.
The city election was held up town today and Frank C. Patten defeated James Branen running for reelection by 14 votes.

Wednesday, April 22, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly nice today but a little cold.  I walked to and from school and played ball for a little while after school tonight.

Thursday, April 23, 1903
It has been partly nice and patly cloudy and it sprinkled a little tonight.
I went to a ballgame this afternoon when the Syc. 1st team played Northwestern college team.  The score was 3 to 1 in favor of Sycamore at the end of the 6th inning but Syc. then put a High School pitcher in the box and they got 4 runs off of him making the score at the end 5 to 3 in favor of Northwestern.
Mrs. Hill went into Chicago today but came back tonight.

Friday, April 24, 1903
It has been partly cloudy and partly shiny today and it rained a little while several different times.  I rode up town this morning [with] Papa and walked back.  I whipped a carpet and helped plant a few potatoes this afternoon.
After supper I walked up town and rode home on the car.
Ruby Graham came out this afternoon to stay all night with Louise.

Saturday, April 25, 1903
It has been partly nice and partly cloudy today.
I piled wood nearly all the forenoon and this afternoon I walked up town to see a ballgame between Syc. and DeKalb High Schools.  DeKalb beat by a score of 15 to 8 in a very poorly played and uninteresting game.
After the game I rode home on the cars.

Sunday, April 26, 1903
It has been a very nice day.  I took the milk up to the factory this morning and rode to and from Sunday School in the buggy.

Monday, April 27, 1903
It has been a very nice day.  I caught a ride part way up to school this morning and rode home with Papa tonight. I played ball for a little while after school tonight.
Papa went up town on the cars after supper tonight.

Tuesday, April 28, 1903
It has been a very nice day only a little cloudy.
I walked to school but rode home with Papa. I played ball for a little while after school.
We began taking the cows to pasture today.  Papa took them this morning but I went after them on foot tonight because the pony is out in the pasture.

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Wednesday, April 29, 1903
It has been a nice day and warm only partly cloudy.
I walked to and from school and played ball for a little while after school tonight.
I took the cows to pasture on foot before breakfast this morning but George and Edward got them tonight.George did not go to school yesterday or today because of sore eyes.

Thursday, April 30, 1903
It rained quite a little last night and for a little while this morning.  After that it snowed for a few minutes and has been cloudy nearly all the rest of the day.
I took the cows on foot this morning but got the pony out of the pasture and rode her home.  I went down to the dentist this afternoon to have a filling taken out of one of my teeth.  I mowed a part of the lawn after supper.