Selected Entries
from a Diary Written by Wm. R. Gladwyn
of
Brownville, Jefferson Co., N. Y.The first page of this diary was a summary of the year, 1916:
The year 1916 had many peculiarities - the spring very cold and wet - the summer and fall months very dry -
the ending of the year was about normal with good sleighing at Christmastime and
some very cold weather.January 1917
January 7 Evangelistic meetings at Presbyterian church
January 8 Eclipse of the moon this morning. Mr. Jos. Yott burried
January 12 Good sleighing - 4 above zero at 1 o’clock
January 14 Evangelistic meetings in Pres. church.
January 18 Cottage prayer meeting here. About 4 in. of snow falling.
January 21 We went to church twice. Booze sermon in afternoon
January 23 Regents at school ((Note: These were State tests required in 8th grade and high school - tests came in under seal, opened at a specific time and proctored;
in those days these exams were held in January and June)
January 26 Cottage prayer meeting here
January 28 Strong evangelistic meetings at M. E. Church
January 30 Anna’s 52nd birthday - Lena & Adaline here last night
(Note: Anna was the diarist’s second wife Lena & Adaline may have been
nieces of Anna Getman Walts, diarist’s 2nd wife - name was Knapp)No great fall of snow during January but enough for good sleighing.
At higher altitudes the snow is very deep -- The average temperature was about normal here.
February 1917
February 1 Anna very sick
February 2 Candlemass Day - below zero all day
February 4 1st Sunday missed church in long time. Anna still very sick.
February 6 U S negotiations with Germany broken
February 8 Andrew & Carrie here (Note: Andrew and Carrie Getman - wife’s brother)
February 9 Anna much better
February 10 My 71 birth day - Anna much better
February 14 Saw crows to day
February 18 Minnie went home this morning (daughter by 1st wife, Priscilla Wallace Gladwyn) - -
had been here nearly two weeks
February 20 William Conklin (grandson) has the measles
February 25 Bessie (Anna’s only child by Wm. Getman) came down a little whileFebruary was a cold month - but no great fall
of snow - sleighing good. A thaw on the 26th cut down
the snow much.March 1917
March 1 Etta & Martha here (NOTE: Sisters - Etta who married
March 2 Fred Stopforth (Anna’s brother-in-law - married to Mabel Getman) here.
Fred Knapp and Martha, who married Chas. Getman - the Getmanswere born in the Town of Orleans in Jefferson County, N. Y.)
Stormy day - 8 in. of snow fell
March 3 William returned to school to day
March 19 110 days of sleighing this winter - here - sleighing gone in the country
March 21 Fine Vernal Equinox - Minnie here
March 22 Thunder storms last night - Robins here
March 27 Ice going out of Lake Ontario
March 28 Thunder - River high
March 29 James Webber drowned last fall - body found yesterday - buried today
March 31 Saw Julia Wallace today (Julia Bauter married to diarist’s first wife’s brother, Wm.)
April 1917
April 1 Heavy thunder storms last night - I went to church-Catholic church burned this morning
April 3 U.S. declared war on Germany
April 5 Worked in Shop (71 yrs. old - his shop may have been in a barn on their Main St. home)
April 6 Good Friday - Pres. Wilson signs a proclamation of war with Germany
April 8 A large communion service at our church - at freezing point most of the day - Easter
April 12 Mabel (sister married to Fred Stopforth), her dtrs., Hilda (m. to Wesley Wells) and
Marjorie (m. to Raymond Cassel).
April 15 Conference Sunday - no service in our church, but at Sunday school
April 20 Grass starting up nice
April 24 Ground frozen this morning
April 25 Garden plowed
April 28 Earl Knapp here
April 30 Mr. Ward Pettit died this morning - started making garden
April has been very cool - much raw weather - considerable rain.
Farmers not able to do much spring work - Trees not leaving out yet.
May 1917
May 1 Coal $7.50 per ton
May 2 Mr. Pettit burried - a raw day
May 3 Anna went to Watertown
May 5 Potatoes $4.00 per bushel - Flower $15.00 per barrel
May 6 Sister Lottie came from Lowville. (Note: Lottie (Charlotte) was Mrs. J. Martin Prame
of West Lowville, Lewis County, N. Y - she was the diarist’s only sibling -
5 years younger and born in 1851.)May 12 Farmers work greatly retarded
May 17 Anna & Lottie went to Watertown
May 18 Planting garden
May 21 Lottie went home to Lowville. (Chickens hatched)
May 22 Slight earthquake reported this morning
May 28 Went to Dexter Cemetery (burial place of 1st wife, Priscilla, and other members of
the Wallace family)
May 30 Decoration day - Bessie & Adaline here
May 31 Amer. Cheese 26-1/2 c. per lb. - wholesale
The coldest and most raw May for many years - vegetation
very backward - Farm lands very wet - but little corn planted yet. Severe.
June 1917
June 1 WFMS meeting here.
June 5 Enrollment for army draft
June 8 Great Earthquake at San Salvador
June 10 Much water fell in the rain today - Much land flooded with water - great property loss
June 11 Great rain last night - thunder
June 16 Hard cold & Lumbago
June 18 Black River Traction Co. men on a strike (Note: Typist believes this was the concern
which operated the streetcar between Glen Park and Brownville)
June 22 A growing time
June 23 The Stopforth’s here
June 24 I did not go to church (back bad)
June 25 Little Luffman boy drowned
June a rainy - cool month - vegetation very backward for the
season of the year.
July 1917
July 1 William over in afternoon. I did not go to church (very lame yet)
July 4 A quiet fourth - We went over to Minnie’s (Minnie, his dtr. was married to
Herbert Conklin, and they lived on the Conklin Farm about 2 miles away
in Hounsfield on what is now called Evans Road)
July 11 Anna went to Watertown
July 12 Joseph Liddel buried
July 15 I went to church - Sherman Wallace & Family here (1st wife’s nephew from
Chaumont, N. Y.)
July 18 All crops growing nicely
July 20 U. S. draft for the army
July 24 Farmers in the midst of haying
July 28 Getting quite dry
July 29 No service at our church - I went to the Episcopal Church, then to our Sunday school
In July much fair weather - producing bounteous crops - the latter part of the month hot and dry.
August 1917
August 7 The drouth (sic) is quite severe
August 12 Fred, Ettie, & Ina Knapp here//Phill Favary here.
(Note: Ettie Knapp was diarist’s present wife’s sister.
Phill Favary was the husband of diarist’s first wife’s niece,
Adelia Wallace - dtr. of Wm. Wallace.)
August 13 33 days since it rained to wet the ground
August 16 Ina Knapp here
August 19 Ina and I went to church
August 20 Bert, Minnie, William, Anna & I went to Evans Mills
Ina went home.
August 21 42 days of very dry weather
August 22 Great shower last night - Bernice Wagonner’s funeral
August 23 Martha & Bessie here tonight.
August 28 Earl Knapp here
August 31 Anna went to missionary meeting
Up to the 22nd very dry -- then to the end of the month fine showers. Corn and vegetables
are starting to grow nicely.
September 1917
September 1 Monroe Getman here (brother-in-law of diarist)
September 3 Labor day - School commenced - Chas. Root died. (strange that school
commenced on Labor Day - perhaps the day wasn’t celebrated)
September 4 Bert thrashing
September 5 Jeff. Co. Fair time. (this was later than when it was held in August in the 1940’s
September 7 Frost this morning in some places -- none here.
September 9 I went to church - Bessie & Flora here. (first mention of Flora who I believe was
Flora Mead(e).
September 10 A man fell from wagon and was killed
September 11 I went to Watertown with William to get a bicycle
September 14 I went to Watertown - Mrs. Wright here. (cannot identify Mrs. Wright)
September 16 Rev. Cyrus Severance preached - Anna, Mrs. Wright & I went to church
September 21 Anna went to Watertown for dental work
September 23 First heavy frost last night - I went to church
September 26 Demonstration for the drafted soldiers
A fair month with a moderate temperature - a growing time for late
crops and garden truck -- many young men going to the war.
October 1917
October 1 Mrs. Rodney Lane died.
October 7 I went to church (Communion Sunday). Bessie and Adaline down.
20 taken into the church.
October 11 Street cars resume regular time.
October 16 Anna at her brothers birthday
October 17 Anna and I to Minnie’s gathering apples
October 19 Anna gone to Orleans to see her mother
October 24 Anna came home this morning.
October 31 Gathered vegetables
October has been a raw rainy month - Temperatures below normal --
War in Europe going hard against Italy.
November 1917
November 2 2 in of snow this morning. 3 cent postage in effect
November 6 Election day - Hounsfield - Woman Suffrage passed and Brownville
“dry” by large majority.
November 8 Lot of Boarders here (Note: Boarders probably from the nearby paper mills)
November 10 Indian summer weather
November 12 Sugar very scarce - 12 cents per lb.
November 18 I went to church - Bert & William went to Evans Mills
(Note: I believe Bert’s brother, William, lived alongside Indian River near
Evans Mills.)
November 23 About 2 in. snow
November 24 Sugar famine - no sugar on the market
November 26 William and I went to Watertown for shoes
November 27 Minnie’s 60th birthday. (diarist’s daughter) - 2 below this a.m.
November 28 Light snow - some sleighs
November temperature below normal, 35 deg. being the average
On 2 mornings it was 2 deg. blow zero (a very rare occurrence).
The rainfall for the month has been much less than in October.
December 1917
December 1 Marjorie down here (Stopforth)
December 6 Got kitchen range - 2 below zero this morning
December 7 Lottie came from Lowville - 2 below zero this morning.
December 8 ----?----- explosion at Halifax, N. S.
December 9 A great storm - 13 in. of snow - drifting
December 10 Jerusalem taken from the Turks by British
December 13 Storm over great part of the country
December 15 16 in. of snow on the level - Wm. staid here last night
December 25 Sleighing. Bert, Minnie, William, Lottie & Bessie here for Christmas
December 30 Great Earthquate in Guatamala
December has been a cold - severe month - 8 times the temperature was below zero - twice it was 24 deg. below in morning -- sleighing good in the early part of the month - The prevailing winds have been light from the N. E.
The year 1917 has been one, peculiar in many ways -- The winter months
were about normal - the spring months cold - raw and wet, making the getting in of crops very late and in some instance not at all. Late in July it
became very dry continuing through August and September - yet the yield was above normal - October and November was very wet.The “world war” has waged with great fury during the whole year.
The United States has sent many men into the struggle and many more are preparing to go. Prices are very high on all commodities. Flour around 4.00 per sack -- sugar at 11 cents and very scarce -- Eggs 60 cents per doz. -- coal $8.90 per ton -- cheese 28 cents wholesale.Return to Diary Index