IMH 75:2 193-194

"Chronicles of Upper Burnet" (1)

1881

Tuesday April 12th.

Foster and Hand finished the schoolhouse contract of wood
yesterday and to-day entered upon a contract to cut 6 cords for
W. W. Kennedy There was a thunder-storm and a hard rain
last night. The creek was bank full the morning, and Father
did'n't get over to where they were at work till nearly night
when he rode over. He tried to this morning and couldn't. Alvin
and I' spent most of the forenoone sawing up the trees he cut,
up above the orchard for the new "tater patch. Bill Dezearn
was here a little while about noon and I was with him a short
time where he was grubbing. Father and Alvin this afternoon
hung their new gate between the ice-house and the cow-barn
and put a panel of plank fence there besides. Our horse Dave or
Hemp being loose in the yard before the house broke the
dashboard off the hack which was standing there and demol­
ished one of the forewheels by getting fast in it some way. The
hay is all out of the horse stable and there is about one day's
feed of fodder left. Cloudy all day with a little rain just at night

Teaching notes: Grubbing is removal of tree roots and rock in a field. It is useful to recall
that Morgan County was not even 60 years old in 1881. Farmers were likely still making
new land or expanding their existing fields. Of course, he may have simply be expanding his
garden, but it was hard work nevertheless.