"Mrs Ida (Ed Costley's wife) and Miss Ada Costley steped indoors just off the morning
passenger train from Waco." Everyone seated themselves and ate breakfast together. Afterwards
W.E. walked to the post office to mail 2 letters for himself and one for Annie Sterling. Then
"returned home and had to make another trip for some supplies for the table in the nature of
bacon, rice, and dried apples homeny also some butter then returned home with the same and after
arriving at home Ida and Ada Costley had prepared our noon meal" Ida Costley cleaned up afterward
while W.E. "walked down to Nichols and compahy store and purchased three pounds of butter to take
to Waco" he dropped the butter off at home and returned "back to town by way of the gin as they
were ginning cotton as there were a good deal of cotton come in to town to day to see what it was
worth i was told by one of the men that it was selling at one and a half cents per pound the
burr as that is the way it was gathered, but what it was selling at in the bale i did not find
out i then passed through the town conversing with my neighbors and passing from one too the
other i soon made my way back home" Next day. Ada and Ida made breakfast then Ada "walked up
to Mrs Graves to see the familey and Miss Laura Costley her cousin" "near 12 - Oclock noon Ada
had a message come over the wires from Waco. So the writer had to walk up to Mrs Graves to let
Ada know it and when she come too the fone it was her Brother Dean Costley at Waco that had sent
to her a message over the fone, that they were all well and getting along nicely She then
returned to Mrs Graves with her cousin Laura Costley to spend the day with the
family as they scarsley ever get to see each other as Laura Costley lives in the west end of
Hamilton County Texas and Ada Costley lives in the city of Waco Texas W.E. walked to the post
office to check the mail and returned by the post masters house to pick up the news papers
that he had. He returned home with them and they all read the papers. Ada and Laura returned
from the Crawford Cemetery. They took Ida and Ada to the depot. Next day - W.E. "walked down
to Edwards and brothers and purchased a bottle of Tinex to make some caugh medison and returning
home my wife went to work and made the medison by adding the
mixture as described on the bottle" later he walked to town "i then visited the spot where they
were raising a ice house and they too were getting a long nicely by slow work as the frame were
quite heavey to handle with the a mount of men they had onley five men. " Old man Tom Noland
call in to see the old people who now lives out North west on the plains oftexas""after mailing
the letter (to C.C. Costley)i walked down to William Ellis barber shop to get a part of a bottle
of Teruna that Joe Ellis left at the shop when he left for Coldwell Burleson County texas to sell
a horse for his brother Goy(?) Ellis" "returned home with the medicine and gave it to my wife
then taken a rest for i were not feeling good by no means what ever." "made a record of the
labor done by the familey to day as it has not been no great deal done as my wife nor the writer
are able to but little as she is just getting up out of a spell of sickness and i have been in
the act of taken down for the last ten day."
"then the writer went to work and curried my horse and put the geer on him then hitched him to
my cart drove over too my old place too look for the cattle that we had in the pasture after
taken a lengthy walk over the pasture i found them i then returned too the south side of the
creek in too Ed Costleys bottom field too where i had left my horse and cart and eat my dinner i
then began to look around for my horse and behold he was not to be seen nowhere i then started
out in search for him but did not find the horse in the field i then lit out in too the pasture
adjoining of the pasture or field rather and found him at E D Costley pasture gate he had got out
of the field i caught and led him back to where i were at work and tied him up untill i could
finish cutting a load of wood."
" walked doen too the postoffice to get my mail and from there i walked down to Old man
Shoffners to where he was putting up a ice house for the use and benefit of the town and after a
bit i returned to the house and went to work washing of my clothes and finished the washing then
walked down to the Edwards store to purchas some dovers powder as i was going to give my wife
some blue powders and wanted some dovers powders to go with them. when i gave the stronger
medison and when i returned home i then gave my wife the medison" Later he took his horse and
buggy over to "wasp creek bridge also on too the middle bosque bridge to see the improvement that
the county convicks had done to advance the betterment too the bosque bridge and road and when i
passed over it i found a great improvement on the bridge and road i returned back by way of the
cemetery to see if our graves neaded work on after arriving at the place i found them alright i
remained at the cemetery some bit as William Shrader was at the place working on some graves."
After returning home Miss Laura Costley assisted him in putting the buggy in the barn.
After breakfast he plowed John B. Nicholes and Frank Holder's garden's. He returned home for
his noon meal and found that William Ellises wife had cooked turnup greens and "nice corn bread
baked nicely and some bacon upon the whole. a nice dinner we had after all." After a rest he
went back to Frank Holder's garden and finished "breaking it up" then he "walked up too William
Ellis to "talk after his garden as he wanted it broken up for him and i were there to see if it
was trampled by stock it it were i could not brake it with one horse but i found it in very good
shape again," "the new moon made its appearance it shows that the indication of showers to be dry
weather a head being a bout three quarters of a hour high mark of dry weather it showed up on
first appearance of new moon in this month it has not so far rained in the month of January 1914-
nor is there much prospect a head for rain in January 1914-as the month of December was a record
beeter it taken all the rain from January and left it in the dry column." After eating he took
his plow up "to William Ellis at the widow Mc Collums place and broke up his garden when through,
i then drove back home and plowed and made a ditch between my lot and the garden pass my yard
also to keep the water off of my yard and lot." after taking care of his horse "i then taken some
dished up to William Ellis wife and brought back some cooked mustard greens that she had cooked
for my wife this morning." after eating lunch he "walked down to the business part of the town
to see what was going (on) in the trade affare and after arriving at the place i find that the
trade was very dull as there was but few people in town, after staying some little bit i
returned home and dug up and reset a peach tree taken it up in the garden and set it in the west
end of my yard." next day His horse is "quite lame from some cause i know not as he has been
complaining from his movement of his feet for some time but grows some what worse untill it is a
difficult matter to go at all." After eating and resting he walks to R. Q. Kings to take a look
at his garden to see if he could brake it with one horse then taken a walk up to Granny Graves
(Liva) to see how they were getting a long after arriving at her place i found them all up but
not very well the old lady was bothered with wondering pain in her body she said it was Rhumatic
pains the ballance of the familey were all well getting along alrigh. i remained with them some
bit then returned home and sit by a good warm fire some bit then wrote a letter for my wife to a
medison companey in Sant Louis Mo. for some medison ." Next morning it is 28 degrees. They
moved back into the bedroom by the fire place. "walked down into Crawford Texas to see if
anything was new but after arriving at the place i soon found out that it was the country people
the most of them, they had brought the cotton too the gin to have it gined in order that they
could get it in a shape and sell it which they were doing and others were in town trading and
the candidates were thick mingleing with the people speaking a good word for them selves while
the time was passing a way all having a good time of it all alone and after spending some time
looking on i then returned home." after eating he "drove over too my old place to get some milk
and butter as Mr Mulican was living on the place milking of my cows and they furnished the old
people with milk and butter when ever we would go after it."
Mary went to bed first as she has been sick and is just coming out of it. Next day.." then
drove over too Bluff Creek to see how the county convicts was getting a long with the Jourman
(German) road leading north & West from the Town of Crawford Texas to Coryell city and further
on no telling where the end is and after viewing the long graid across Bluff creek and seeing
where so much hard work had been done and so much money expend for the work of blasting down such
mountains for convenience sake too the public and such a iron bridge erected across such a small
streem and such a dump raised to the level of said bridge it was wonderful to look at and so much
expense too the taxpayers of precinct no 7 of McLennan County Texas and by the by it did not
shorten the distance what ever in the too proposed roads to the Geoman (German) Settlement after
satisfying my curiosity in such a way as my desires led me i return home."
"started a fire in our bedroom to drive out the damp as it appeared to be turning much colder
as the dense clouds were getting much thicker as the day passes a way and the presence of fire
feels agreeable all a long the line now as i am undicided what to do to day as the weather is so
unfavorable i will have to wait and reflect upon it as i did intend to go too the Middle Bosque
for a load of wood but as the weather is so unfavorable i am afraid to venture out as i am in my
82 second year of my life so i had better stay out of the wet and cold weather i am thinking so
i will wait further on to see what it will do but by waiting i did not go at all just remained at
home alday." "second day of February 1914 it is called by the people of today the ground hog day
but by the older people the 14th day of February of evry year has always been called ground hog
day and i become out on that day and did not see his shadow he remained out and the prediction was
a earley spring but did he come out and seen his shadow it will go back and remain in his cave
six week longer then Spring will make its appearance and the hog will come out again and remain
on the range and renew his flesh as lying up so long he becomes very poor from sucking his feet
or rather his paw."
Sept. 13 - Sept. 25, 1914
"Went to see Dr. A.M. Armstrong to see how he is getting
along as he is bed fast with Rhumatoid pains. His daughter
for Ft. Worth is sick at his house on a visit. he was going
to take the day off as he is not feeling well from the heat
(has been around 102) and has finished bringing the corn to
the house. It is dusty from all the cotton wagons. He is
tired of eating dust. Can sit in his house and see a lot of
new buildings going up. Went to see the circus tent and watch
the showman practice catching his 2 year old daughter. Drove
up to McGreggar to see Mr Freeman about "surveying a piece of
land for the writer to On the way back he stopped at Mr Dave
Hicks where Mr Pickle and his son are building a barn.
properly connect the lines to Said land in shape to make a deed
to the same." Lum did not come in on the passenger train from
Waco as he was suppose too so he "taken his lunch down to
Harises creek" after eating he "took a rest." watered the
pony and started home. "coming in at the Saddler Place on wasp
creek and following on down said stream to the Jasper Brown
place and did not find a drop of water in the creek and houses
on said stream had not a drop of water in doors intireley with
out water" He stopped at Neal McCollums, close to Jasper Brown's,
where he got water for himself but not his pony. When arriving
home he had to give his pony water "in peace meals to keep him
from taking water into his heart." Lum back from Waco. A cyclone
hit S. Carolina he read the accounts by Sam Clary, in a Houston
paper and one from R.V. Kindawack. "Drove too my pasture to
establish a corner to land joining Ed Costley's on the north
side of the bosque Creek." Found his lost cattle west of his
pasture on Felix Robertson side of the creek. Received a post
card from Ida Costley. Went "to town to see what was going on.
Streets full of cotton with a downward grade on the farmer at
$12.50 per hundred and murchandise going at 50 percent on the
dollar. everything on the traid line on a goom and the Town
full of people." R.Q. King gave him a Waco paper to read the
"damage done in Hot Springs Ark. on the 5th day of September
1913 burning down one mile and a half of solid blocks of houses."
Mr Freeman surveyed his land. "Waller S. Baker died sudenly
in San Francisco California Sept. 8 1913 in the bloom of his
life." "the land is so dry and parched. Rain would be a blessing
Wind rain and thunder traveling in the direction of the North
East. as spoken of by the astronomers in the fore cast of the
weather prophet Mr Foster." "Since a good rain everything is
alright and prosperous.
Sept 13, 1913 contonuous slow rain." "then moved to our
sitting room for a Short Rest as it was Set a part by the
higher power for to rest in. for Six days thou Shalt work and
the Seventh day thou Shalt rest and a good law Set a part for
man and beast to rest in for it takes that much rest to be able
to stand the Six days labor. But it Seems that the present
generation cares not to heed the law, of God what ever."
"finished my letter to J.M. Costley and Mrs. Mattie Costley at
Energy, Texas in the west end of Hamilton County, Texas."
Frank Burow gave him an 18 year old horse. Mrs. Bob Coffman
came to see Mary V. "walked down to Nichols and company store
and purchased a lot of irish potatoes soap and a gallon of
carosene oil and candey. Took the poney over to Mr. Johnsons
and left it and road the horse that Mr Burow gave him back home.
Perry Sterling gave him a squirrel for Mary. Lum skinned it
and cut it up for supper. W.E. cooked potatoes and coffee and
left over bread. Lum hasn't been on a horse in a couple of years
or more. W.E. stayed home and wrote out some land notes.
"Thomas Stirlng and his wife (Annie Leng) and kid (Aleene)
drove up to take dinner with the old people. Tom Sterling
drove down in too the Old Crawford lane and hitched an old
broke down wagon of A.O. Jourdans of Crawford a banker."
"The familey eat a watermelon that I raised in my garden."
"ob W.E. had his horse tied on the dividing line between
E.D. Costley and Mr Alex Armstrong eating a pile of Johnson
grass. After moving him W.E. came in to finish his part of
the resting. Walked up to old man Stirlings to see how he
was getting along. Tom Sterling and wife (Annie Leng) were
paying his parents a visit. On Monday he "walked down to
East Crawford to Parson Hendriseson (?) to see if he still
wanted his lot sowed down in wheat. Returned home and
hitched my horse to my double shover or rather my one horse
and plow and returned to plow his lot in wheat then broke
his garden as he was anxious for both to be done." Took Lum
over to Ed's field to chop Johnson grass and W.E. went to
his old place on the middle Bosque to pull corn. tained a
Shupon to drew some money out of the bank after obtaining
of the paper i returned to the farmers Bank and drew fouty
Dollars then returned to my place and loaned the money to
Tom Sterling for 12 months from date at ten percent interest."
"Geered the horse and hitched him to the turning plow and
went to Mrs Armstrongs garden and broke ground. I left the
plow as Alex Armstrong wanted me to sew and plow in some
wheat for him. After eating lunch he went back and sowed
down in wheat. After returning home walked to town and got
a bucket of sweet potatoes at J.B. Nichols costing 35 cents.
also a bucket of irish potatoes costing 45 cents a pound of
butter costing 20 cents after returning home , young Woolf
delivered the goods that i bought today. Mrs Gee and baby
came to stay with the old folks until her children could go
too the Show." After getting the house in good shape he
"walked down to merchant Bennet and Tulbees Store to talk to
Mr Bennet about sewing wheat." latter went "across the street
to James Graham and loaded a lot to tin cans and hauled them
over too the Middle Bosque and jumped them off in too the creek."
Then fixed the fence in his "old pasture as the stock had found
a getting out place." After resting he "went to work plowing
wheat for Bob Bennit's wife on the Johney Renfro place in
Crawford now Johney Bonard but then sold the place to Old Man
Ingleback and he rented the place to Bob Benet a merchant of
Crawford." After finishing and turning loose the horse he
"took a walk out through, the town to see what was going on.
I found the town a live with the merchants and farmers the
merchants buying cotton and the farmer settling up this years
account and buying more goods and supplys for his familey."
"Crawford got 5 1/2 inches of rain today". A couple of
his cows and some of Mrs. Gees that he was pasturing had
gotten out and he took some shucks to the pen and Mr. E.E.
Milican took them back to the pasture for W.E. "as it was
getting to late in the evening for him to go." "Walked in
too Crawford to see about a pare of specks as there
was a man from the Houston agent for a Sam Houston paper
and had some specks to give away too any one that would
subscribe for the paper for three years. so I taken him
up at his word and received the spectecles and then returned
home and done up my night chores." ( his writing improves
after he gets the glasses) Rested on the Sabbath by reading
"verious works of writing." picked up his mail and had letters
from Mrs Virginia Frownfelter (his youngest daughter) and Miss
Louise Leng of Joshua Johnson County Texas (Virginia's
daughter) and as card from Mrs J.M. Costley ( Mattie, his
daughter in law ) Walked into town for my mail and down to
Nichols Store and purchased a half sack of meal and a bottle
of ink costing 45 cents." A good season in the ground as the
Siepe Springs has started to run everywhere (from all the rain)
He is up late answering letters to Will Kelley and wife
(Edna Leng) in responce one received from Edna Kelley today.
It has been raining for 4 days. He is writing land notes.
Mary V. wrote Edna Kelley a letter so they put both letters
in the same envelope. He stayed in town after mailing the
letter and talked to the boys. Went to town to mail a letter
to John B. Costley ( John Baker Costley, a fireman in Waco)
and buy "from J.B. Nichols and Co. store some bacon and
onions pepper and irish potatoes." After eating and cleaning
up the kitchen he "walked in town to see what was going on
in the way of trade I found the town quite lively in trade
for the amount of people in town there not more than 75
persons in Crawford besides the inhabtance of the town but
for all that them few made trade quite lively all through
the day" After cleaning up after the noon meal "we then
taken a short rest then departed too our reading of the news
of Several States and the holey Bible in connection with the
news up till late in the evening then the writer layed my
reading matters too one Side and walked down too the post
office for my mail but being unfortunate i did not get any
i then walked down the street and come a cross Old Daddy
Schoffner and of corse i had to take a talk with him for
some bit" After dinner and the chores were done he "tried
to take a smoke but the pipe would not smoke or the tobaco
would not alight too damp to burn so i went to work then
recorded our days labors " "taken a walk down in town to
look up Bill Gee to have a settlement about pasturing of
his stock. Found him in the post office and presented him
the account I had against him and he paid it off with out
a word" "as we are growing quite old we do not feel as well
after wor(k)ing all day as we did when a great deal younger
but never the less we have it to do. now the trip i taken
over too the bosque was delightful one as since the rain
evry thing that grows in the beat of No 7 Precinct #7) looks
prospous as can look grass was growing and evry nook and
corner was a runing spring and the middle Bosque was a
running delightful and had cleared its channel out beautifully
and looked in appearance as it did forty years ago. "He is
still working hard, diging fence post holes and stringing
wire. cutting wood for the house, nailing shingles to the
stable. "drove over too my old place for a load of corn with
out knowing weather i could get a wagon in the field or not
but will soon find out when i get there well i did not get
to the field with my cart at all as i come in contact with
a big mud, hole at or near Bob Allens place better known as
the Dr Denton place joining the W.E.Costley old place there
it was i got in too a big mud hole, and my horse went through
and left the cart and the writer setting in the middle of
the mud hole, by braking out the end or loop of the tracers
so i had to get out of the cart and wade out of the mud and
wark (walk) on to Mr E.E.Mulican for help and when i arrived
at Mr Mulicans he was gone up to Mr William Blacks about
three quarters of a mile for a load of corn so i had to
wait untill Mr Mulican returned home with his load of corn
and after getting of it unloaded him and william Black went
and assisted the writer in getting of his cart out of the
bog" " i then thanked the gentleman for there kindness and
drove back to Crawford." "walked down to John b. Nichols and
companey and purchased a gallon of lard and a gallon of carosene
oil" " then steped out of the store on too the walk and seated
my self down on a bench near by then taken a long talk with
Capton Jack Smith and we talked over the past, for some one
hour " Annie Stirling dined with "old people to day Tom Sterling
Annies Husband was with us also but he had the Phthie so severe
that he could not eat any dinner" "we then taken a rest for a
short while untill Tom Stirling (? ) better in his distress
with and attack of asthma" "but after inhaling some smoke of
some medison from being set on fire he become better of this
distressing disease that he has had for years past, and is
subject too when he comes in contact with dust, that is Rhthisic."
"Tom Sterling as he had got over his spell and the writer
gathered a lot of green tomatoes for annie Tom Stirling wife to
make some chow chow for each one of us during the time Annie
Stirling and had gone down into Crawford to do some trading
and so soon as she returned back to my house they started too
there place of a bode on the north side of middle Bosque in
precinct No 7 of McLennan County Texas." Old Lady Hickerson
Capt jack hill came to stay the night. after breakfast "
as to the writer i am on a quandary what to do i have so
maney things to do i do not know which to do first i am undesided
in the matter and when one is in that condition in mind he is quite
certain to do nothing what ever onley idle away his time but the
writer walked down too the post office for my mail." "my wife paid
Mrs Wm Gee a visit which she is not in the habet of doing. for
several years past on account of ill health" I taken a round up to
Mr W.D. Suttons this morning and a round by the public school
house and down the McCollum Street and I found evry thing looking
lovely evry thing growing in the gardens equal to Spring of the
year and i come down by Mr Prices and his wife and baby gave me
a Boca (bouquet) to bring too my wife they live on the widow
McCollum place near by the people are from Gatesvill in Coryell
County Texas. answered Lum Costley's letter and mailed it to Waco,
Texas. "During the day i tacked Some narrow stripp of leather
on the heels of my evry day shoes to keep them strait in walking
as they one sided in the heel by putting a piece on one side of
the heel it stratens them up and makes them feel righ on my foot.
"Bob Walker William Cash and Tom his brother building a seed house
for someone. "Went to town to see Mr William Gee about some plank
to fix my stable with and to do some trading i baugh from Nichols
and company some Sweet potatoes also butter and tobaco and a lot of
8 panny nails" Archy Armstrong Drove over to Charley Cranfills to
visit and get some mustard greens. "And to cap the climax a big
picture show going on in Crawford as well.So when you make the
money the showman is here to take it in all the same so that
is the way the world is gliding today." "Mr Bob Bennet came to get my
ax a while to chop him some firewood to burn in his bed room and when
he went to return home i gave him a mess of black eyed pease and
also a mess of Beets." It was turning colder fast. During his night
chores he gathered "a couple of gallons of green peas and a few
pumkins to keep them from being bit by the frost. Near the depot
where they were preparing for a big animal circus and found James
Tabor and explained my business.
