Selected Entries
Wm. R. Gladwyn
Diary
by
Brownville, Jefferson Co., N. Y.1918
January, 1918
18 The great coal conserving order took effect. 19 Bought flour $12.50 per barrel. 21 Business stopped because of the coal order. Boarder gone. 25 Anna went to the funeral of a Mrs. Reed at Watertown 28 14 below this morning -- Mr. Shier’s funeral to day -- below zero all day. 29 Trains blocked by snow. 30 16 below this morning -- Anna’s 53rd birthday.
January has been a severe month as to cold and snow -- One half of the days of the month the temperature has reached the Zero point or much below -- snow deep no thaws this month -- Coldest January in 16 years.
February, 1918
1 Candlemass day - Anna went to Watertown
3 trains block - light snow last night - drifting today
5 28 below zero this morning
6 The Tuscania sunk by V boat - 200 American troops lost.
8 15 below this morning - Lottie came from Lowville
10 My 72nd Birthday - Coal very short at church
14 Saw crows - thawing all day
20 Ice gorge at Filomew Creek (the Creek runs behind Main Street between Brownville and Glen Park)
22 Another contingent of drafted soldiers left home today
24 Lottie went over to Minnie’s and Bert’s.
Cold and stormy weather prevailed
during February but a great thaw came the 12th lasting
4 days taking the snow down largely, but not destroying the
sleighing. The war in Europe nearly at a standstill because
of severe weather conditions.
March, 1918
4 People using more wagons than sleighs.
7 Prayer meeting at Mrs. Ostrander’s. Beautiful northern lights
10 Much snow fell. I did not go to church. Evangelist Daley at church
12 Below Zero this morning. Thawing fast. Lottie came home from Minnie’s.
13 Minnie here - Cheese meeting. Bessie here
16 William and Bert Gilmore went to Lowville.
19 Robins & Spring birds coming
20 Anna & Lottie went to Watertown.
21 William’s calves came from Lowville (probably from an auction barn)
22 Great German drive in France.
23 Anna’s sister Martha came
28 William gone to Evans Mills. Marvin Bellinger loses hand in mill.
31 Clock forward 1 hour in the U. S.
A mild March as to winds & temperature --
snow went off early. Once the thermometer registered
below zero.
April, 1918
1 Anna went to Evans Mills< 3 Anna returned from Evans Mills 5 Ice still on Lake Ontario 6 Bright Northern lights last night. 8 Water in River receding. 11 Lottie went home to Lowville 12 William (age 15) has German Measles. (webhost’s Dad) 13 The great German drive continues. 17 Vote on temperance at Watertown (Wednesday) 1,226 majority for no license. 24 Farmers not working on land much yet 25 Small pox in Watertown (Note: The Jennerian vaccine developed in 1916 apparently was not yet distributed.) 26 Great German drive westward continues. 29 I worked in shop (Leonard & Gilmore) for Hopkins. (diarist was a cabinetmaker) 30 Bert (diarist’s son-in-law) got a new Jeffree (sic) car.
Much fair but cool weather in April
and not much rain. Farmers not doing
much spring work - the season is late.
May, 1918
1 George Walters buried.
2 Garden plowed
4 Big paper mill fire in Watertown.
6 Planting garden.
9 Minnie went to convention at Great Bend.
23 Bert putting in milking machine
30 Decoration day much observed.
31 A fine growing time.
May has been a growing month
although vegitation (sic) was slow in starting --
the temperature has been rather low -- we have a
number of electric storms doing much damage.
June, 1918
8 Partial eclipse of the sun this afternoon.
13 I’m sick.
24 Great Italian victory over the Austrians.
25 Had teeth extracted - class exercise at church.
27 Anna and I married 14 years ago to-day.
28 Dr. May Carlton & WFMS, at Mr. Fred Parkers.
June - the temperature has been normal (a cool month)
with considerable rain -- The War in Europe is going
more in favor of the Allied nations that it was before.
July, 1918
6 Lottie’s (diarist’s sister, Charlotte Prame) house burglarised (Lowville).
7 Monroe Getman and family here.
13 Over to Bert’s fixing hay loader. (son-in-law’s).
14 Dr. May Carlton at church. Marjory (wife’s niece, Majorie Stopforth)
is here. Andrew Getman and family here.
20 Anna’s mother (Mary Wagoner Getman) went away today.
27 Kit Carson (our cat) died.
28 Mrs. Julia Wallace (first wife’s sister-in-law)) died this a.m.
The temperature for July has been rather below normal --
The last of the month was very hot and dry -- The rainfall was
above normal for the month.
August, 1918
2 The war going bad for the German’s. (a neutrality viewpoint, for sure)
3 Ina Knapp here.
4 Mabel Stopforth & Hilda here.
31 The great drouth appears broken - 49 days of dry weather.
August has been a warm dry month -- A great shortage
in the hay crop -- for this section -- grain is better,
but below normal.
September, 1918
1 Labor Day - ME Sunday School picnic
4 Jefferson County fair.
5 Germans still running.
11 Heavy frost last night.
17 Adeline Knapp here.
25 Lottie went to Kingston, Ont.
30 Clifford Baker buried -- he was a soldier.
September has been a rainey - cool month in sharp contrast
to the month’s before it - but the rains did not come time
enough to help vegetation much -- the war with Germany is
very severe -- the Germans are losing continually - prices are high.
Eggs 52c pr doz -- Butter 54c pr lb -- Cheese 30c (wholesale)
Potatoes $2.00 pr bus and Coal $10.00 pr ton -- Many
young men are going over to Europe in the war -
1,500,00 from the U.S. are now there -- Mean Tem
for month 63 degrees.
October, 1918
1 St. Quintene taken from the Germans
2 Domascous (sic) taken from the Turks
3 Dug potatoes over at Bert’s.
4 Laura & Bertha Paul here.
6 William sick with la grippe
7 Spanish Influenza severe through the U. S.
8 Sister Lottie returned from Kingston, Ont.
9 William Conklin has the Influenza (webhost’s father used to talk about how
their home was fumigated after his recovery)
13 No church service in Brownville on account of epidemic -- Peculiar red sky today.
14 The influenza severe here.
16 Gordon Campbell died -- 3 deaths here today.
18 Lille-Dauci-Ostend, (3 cities in Belgium) taken from the Germans
20 Many sick. Mr. Coit here. No church services on act. of epidemic.
22 Anna and I over to Minnie’s getting wood.
27 .....No church service because of the epidemic.
28 Cheese sold at 32-1/2c pr lb wholesale.
October has been a cool - rainey month--the ground is now filled
with water -- The European war continues with great severity,
with some prospect of peace soon.
November 1918
2 Ten have died in the Epidemic in Brownville in the past month.
3 Church service resumed - Epidemic dying down.
4 The schools opened again to-day.
5 Austria withdrew from the war yesterday. Election Day.
9 Peace proposals considered. .... The war armistice signed this
morning - great rejoicing.
18 Eggs 70c per doz
25 Lottie went to Ithaca
26 Ground froze hard last night.
27 Haircut. (this was diarist’s daughter’s birthday - why no mention?)
28 Thanksgiving day.
29 Northern lights this morning.
November has been a very rainey month -- but the temperatures have not been very low -- The great war in Europe has closed but the “peace commission” has not set yet.
December, 1918
1 2 in (inches) snow fell last night.
2 Sleighing.
4 President Wilson starting for France -- Sleighing.
8 ..... Sleighing getting thin.
13 President Wilson in France
20 Mrs. Paul and Mrs. Walrath (Anna’s sisters) here.
24 Explosion in the Wise plant - Watertown - 5 killed and 14 injured.
27 1 deg. below zero this morning.
28 Henry & Ellen Giles here (Ellen may have been diarist’s first wife’s dtr.)
The year now past has been an eventful one in many ways. The worlds history has been changing rapidly -- the great European war appears to be over but peace terms are not established yet. America has suffered much -- but not to compare with that of Europe.
The January and February and March months were very cold and severe. The spring months raw and cold -- The summer months were very dry. Yet the crops were quite good - high prices prevailing because of the war -- much profateering (sic) has been carried on.
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