Transcription of the 1866 Diary of Benjamin F. Joy, age 13, living in Peoria, Mahaska county, Iowa. It is fun read and a great view of life just after the Civil War in Iowa. See the end of the file for identification of some of the people and places mentioned. The original is now in the possession of a descendant living in Sioux City, Iowa. Contributed by Jessica Frost.
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B.F. Joy
Jan 1. 1866
Went Scating with Gan Z. Gardner and Soloman
George Holan an eat turkey to Ant Eliza
Went over the river in the forenoon and got my book and went to school in the afternoon
Went to school and help pa start to Oskaloosa with his barley
Went to school
Went to school and went to riting school lasnight
Help make a sheep shead and hald some feed and Aunt Jerusha dide
Went to Aunt Jerusha funeral it was preached at 3 oclock
Went to school
At noon went a skating with Jim and Picton
Went to school it has rained and frose ice all day
Went to school it has rained all day. buchley was bank full this morning
Went to school
Went to school
It is as mudy as it can bee
It is agoing to freese to night
Help chop some Sunday wood and drive the calves to water and set by the fire the rest of the day
Drove the calves to watter and help do the chores and set in the house
Went to school it has snowed all day
Went to school and help do the chores pa and Jim haled [8] loads of fwood
Went to school
Jim and Lester haled one load of wood
Went to school Lester and Jim haled two loads of wood
I and pa and Lester and Jim Wm haled five loads of bwood and I drove the cattle to wattl
It is a snowing
Went to school this fore noon and help chop the Sundays wood and Jim and I and ma got some runners [?] for a hand sled.
Went up to aunt Almgracb
Have just been eating walnuts and halesnunts
Went to school
Pa and jim went to the coal bank and did not get but about 15 or 16 bushel
Went to school
Jim and I have just been amaking a handsled
Lester and Jim and Wm and I haled 4 loads of wood and Jim broke our old sleed pa and uncle jim make a bob
Went to school and went to spelling school
Went to school
I have just come home from spelling school
Pa and I haled 2 load of feed and chopped the Sunday wood
Went down and chopped the ice for the cattle and watered the calves at the well
Help ma wash this fore noon and this after noon went to school
Went to school
I haled snow this morning for ma to wash with
Went to school
Pa and ma has gone over to uncle Solomon
Jim and Mary came home to day
Went to school this fore noon and this after noon I haled one log to the mill and we have got one on the sled up to the stable
Went to school
I have just came home from spelling school
I help chop the Sunday wood and jim and Wm and I went a hunting
Jim shot twice and did not kill nary time
I have don any thing
One of the old ewes had two little lambs
Went to school
Mr Crowders folks has been here all the evening and Mr Vancleve and Mrs vacleve
Help Pa and Jim load a log and I haled one load of wood in the fore noon and in the after noon went to school
Went to school and help do the chorse
Went to school
Jim and Grampa and Uncle Boliver went over to Uncle Solomons and haled (hauled) three load of hay
Went to school and Uncle Solomon come over here
Help chop the Sunday wood and haled a logs and play
Went down to Uncle Jim and got all and then went to Mr Titinan
Went to school
Pa and ma went to pella with uncle boliver and aunt Elmyra
Went to school
Pa and ma went to pella and is not agoing to come home to night
Went to school
Pa and ma has not come home yet
Went to school
Mr Selmon and Mrs Selmon is here to night and Aunt Almgra and Uncle Boliver
Went to school
Pa and ma has come and they brought a load of coal
Pa and I went over to about a mile beyond pella and got a load of coal for the miting house
I have just come from meeting
Mr Wintermute died
Went to school and have just come home from meting. Pa went to Oskaloosa this morning.
Picton and I whatched the cattle in the stocks and went to Mr Wintermutes funeral
Went to school
Jim and Uncle Solomon and Pic. Went over the river and got their chickens
Went to school bil and Jim went a koon hunting this fore noon
Went to school and Jim haled 2 logs to the mill
Will went after pa {*} and help chop the Sunday wood and help haled 3 loads of feed and played and went a skating
Went to Sunday school and meting and have just came home from meting to night
Went to school and have just came home from meting
I and Picton and Angeline and 3 Marys and Solomon and (Metty?) all of us went down to Uncle James and we had some fun
Went to school
Jim and Uncle Salomom went down to his pl[ace] and got a load of corn
I have payed all day and help saw some wood.
I have played
Will and Charles Crowder went a hunting.
Picton and I hearded the cattle in the stocks a croos the brank and help chop some wood fore Aunt Eliza
I watered the calved at the well I have just came home from meting
Went to school
Bil has gone up to set up with grampa
I help hal two barrels of watter and two loads of feed
Went to school and help do the chores
Pic and I hearded the cattle this fore noon and this after noon went to school
Went to school
Bill and Charles Crowder has out to the prairie school house to a exibetion
Help chop some wood and help hal some feed
Pa and Uncle Solomon has been up to Uncle Boliver all day
Help Uncle Solomon drive his cattle down to his place
Went to school
Uncle Solomon was up and got a load of things
I left school and chopped some wood
Jim and I had chopped all day and bill has gone to work for Eal Alen
Help hall seven loads of Manure and one load of feed and help chop some wood
I chopped the most of the Sunday wood and help hall some wood
I have ben to meeting.
Uncle Solomons folks was all up here and went to Pella and chopped a lot of wood
Help hall 2 loads of feed and help chop the nights wood
Pa and Uncle Bolivar and Jim and I and George went and got a log for Mr Hunt and took Ella and Mary down to Uncle James
I and Henry and Solomon haled up an load of feed and played and this after non I choped the night wood
Solomon and I hearded the cattle in the stocks and help pa saw a log into down to the Mill
Help chop the Sunday wood and went down to Mr. Hunts and Jim grind his ax
Went up to meting and John come home with me and we rode the horses to watter.
The snow is about all gone of it is as mudy as it can be we haled seven logs to the Mill
Urwin and charl and Solomon and I haled 2 loads of dung and pa loaded it and one load of feed with an yoke of 2 yearlins and one yoke of yearlins
Haled [?] with dick and fly, and Jim haled a load of wood
I chopped some wood and Jim and I went a hunting
Pa and Salomon and I hearded the cattle in the field
Bill and Adison and I went a hunting and chopped the sun day wood
Went and drove the cattle and hogs out of the field and went to meting
Went to school
To day was the first day of school
Went to school
Went to school Bill went a fishing and caught a good mess
Went to school and pa made a new farrow
Pa and ma wet to Oskaloosa insed of Saturday
Wento school sating
Went to school
Bill and Charles Crowder went a fishing and caught 4 Bass and 2 pike pa and ma went to Oskaloosa
I have just come home from Uncle Solomons
Help plow in some wheet with the duble shovel Jim has got the ague to night
Went to school and bill went a hunting
Went to school in the after noon and in the fore noon help plade in sam wheep
(plowed in some wheat?)
Went to school we have got our wheet all sold
Brushed in a lot of wheep and burley
Help hall up same feed and went down to the shop and got the flour
Went to Sunday school and meting
Went to school
Pa and Jim and Will went to the timber and split some rails
Went to school and help drive the cattle and sheep on the praria it was the warmest eve of an had this sprn
Went to school, and plowed some
I came from school out wheet is a coming up
Went to school
Pa has set out some apple trees
Went to school
Pa went to pella
I plowed some and played Uncle Solomons Children has all ben here
Went to Sunday school Uncle Solomon family was all up
Went to school in the fore noon and in the after noon I plowed
Help fix some fence and burned some grass and made some garden
Help plow some ground for oats and harrow and brush them in
Plowed and help make some garden fense and help set out some Currants sprouts
Brushed in the forenoon and watched the sheep in the afternoon
Brushed pa has got out corn planter fixed
Went to Sunday school and heard ed the sheep
Went to school in the fore noon and this after noon harrowed down stocks
Pa nad I plowed bill has been up to his hucks
I have been down to the river to a May party
Help Solomon start the sheep to the field and planted corn
Pa and bill and Irwin has plowed and pa plowed this after non I and Jim has planted corn
Plowed for Eden hunt and got one dollar and a half pa and bil and Jim and Solomon went a fishing
Went to Sunday school and went down to Jimes and got my dinner
I played pa and Jim went to Oskaloosa to help move Mr Baxter
Help pic the cata pillars off of the apple trees pa and Jim/I went down to get a nother load for Mr Baxter and is acoming home to morrow
Bil and Solomon and I had grubed and proked the fbrussh off of the fall wheet pa and Jim has come home
Chopped some wood and help hoe some in the garden and brushed this after noon for corn Jim moved yesterday
Brushed in the fore noon and in the afternoon and pa planted corn and Jim marked out. Bill l is a working for ur warren
James and I planted corn
Went to Sunday school and to meting
James and I have plowed I have caught 3 gofers pa has sold 5 steers for $190 to Mr Baxter
James and I have plowed and Uncle Solomon was up here
Solomon brushed in the forenoon and I harrowed and Jim and I planted corn this after noon
Pa marked out and Jim and I planted corn and Jim went down to mark out for Uncle Solomon
Pa went down to sheer uncle solomons sheep and I went a fishing
Pa and I went a fishing with Mr Alen with the sane a lots of fish
Went to Sunday school and George came home with me
Went to school to day was the first day of school.
Went down to the river and help wash our sheep
Went to school pa went to Mr Berries to a raising
Went to school and plowed some corn this evening
Went to school and plowed some corn this evening
I plowed 3 rows of corn and cleaned out the stable in the fore noon and in the afternoon went a fishing
Went to Sunday school and George come home with me
Went to school
Pa and ma went down to Uncle James to get a load of hay
Help sheer sheep Uncle Boliver and Aunt Elnara was here there was a frost last night
Help sheer sheep
All Smith and I sheered 14 sheep
Went to school they have finished our sheep Jim and Will went a fishing and caught 2
Went to scool
Plowed corn all the fore noon and in the afternoon went to up to Mr Paytons to get Jims cow
Went to meting up to Galesburg with Mr Paytons
Help Mr Payton set up cane and come home and brought Jimes cow
Went to school it has rained all day
Went to school and plowed a row of corn
Went to school
Pa has worked the road
Went to school
Pa has been a working on the road Jim and Wm ahas plowed corn this afternoon
Pa and Jim and Will and I has plowed corn
Pa and ma has gone down to uncle James
I caught one gofer and went down to Jimes and got my dinner
Went to school
Bill went a fishing and caught a pike that weighed 17 �
Went to school
Bill went a fishing and caught 8 little ones
Went to school
Pa and ma went down to Oskaloosa and got me a new coat and jacket and pants and sold my j_f_rhider
Went to school in the forenoon and in the afternoon plowed corn
Went to school
I made a mistake here this is for Wednesday
Plowed in the forenoon and in the after noon went down to Uncle Solomons
I went a straw ferrying and come home
Went to school and plowed corn this evening
James Aand I have plowed corn and ma had a wool picking
James and George Holland and I have plowed corn
Went to school it rained this morning real hard
Went to school
Plowed 8 roes of corn this forenoon and went a hunting this afternoon
Pa and Will and Mary and Salamon went up to Sundy school and I turned the horses out
George Holland and have plowedeven and Jim has haled cane
Went to school pa and ma went down to Uncle Salomans
Went to school
Pa and ma has come home
Will and Jim and George Holland and I have plowed corn
Will and Jim and George and I have plowed corn
Pa and I got a load of wood and pa and ma went to Pella and bill went to Galesburg
Pa and ma has come home and Will has come home
Went to school
Bill went to Oskaloosa to help drive some hogs for Mr Burden
Went to school
Bill come home this afternoon
I have just come home from buckey we had a party down there
We have cut our barley and some fall wheet
Born (crossed out)
Help cut wheet in the forenoon
Pa and Solomon and I haled a load of wood in the forenoon
Went up to Mr Baldings Grove to a sentury meting
Went to school
Pa went to Oskaloosa with our wood
Went to school pa went down to Uncle Solomons to cut grass
Went to school ma went doan this morning Jim broke the rake
Went to school
I went a swimming
Went down to Uncle Solomons to help make hay
Help hall hay to stack
Went to Sunday school and went up to Uncle Bolivers this after noon.
Went down and help cut Uncle Solomons wheet
Went down help cut wheet it rained pretty hard this after noon
Help bind wheet for Uncle James
Help bind some oats for Uncle James this fore noon
Cleaned out the stable and chooped some wood in the fore noon and went to school in the after noon
I carried watter for them to cut our wheet and Eals Alens wheet
Went to Sunday school and went up to Uncle Bolivers
Went to school Aunt Elmyra had a sewing and ma went up
Went to school I made a mystake the sewing was to day
Went to school pa cut Wintermuts wheet
Went to school
And went and got the sheep
Went to Pella with Uncle Salolomon
Chopped some wood and went up to Uncle Bolivers sale
Went to Sunday school
Grampa was here for dinner
Went to school
Pa is a cutting wheet for Mr Thomas to day
Went to school and went to hunt some sheep
Help bind oats this after noon
Went to school
Pa and Jim and Will and Mr Thomas stacked our wheet
Help stack our barley in the fore noon and in the after noon cut grass
I pa and Solomon and I some cocked hay in the afternoon
Went to Sunday school and went down to Jimes and got some watter melon
Went to school
Went to school
Went to school Uncle Boliver started to Misoria
Cut grass for Uncle Jim in the fore noon and in the after noon for Uncle Solomon
Went to school to day was the last day
Mowed some weeds and stacked hay
Went to Sunday school
Went down to Uncle Solomons to put up hay
Went down to Uncle Solomns to cock hay
Went down to Uncle Solomons and stacked 1 stack and put Uncle Solomons share in the barn
Thrashed some in the after noon
Finished thrashing in the fore noon and went down to Uncle Solomons and got a load of hay
I come home from Uncle Solomons and cut the Sunday wood
Went to Sunday school
Made some fense in the fore noon and Solomon and I cut weeds in the afternoon
Solomon and I have cut weeds
Help Jim clean out his seller
I was prettyng sick
Pa and I took our fal barley to Oskaloosa
Jim and I halled hay and pa stacked
Jim and I haled 4 loads of hay for Aunt Eliza
Jim and I have watched the plumes
I have plowed and pa and the children gathered plumes I ma and Solomon was sick
Went to show with Jim
Jim and I plowed this after noon
Jim and I plowed in the fore noon and I plowed in the after noon
Went down to Uncle Jimes and got some cucumbers
I went down and got a bucket of plumes and chopped the Sunday wood
Picton and I met was here and Aunt Elizas chreldren
Help hall manure and Jim and Solomon cut some grass
Went down to Uncle Jims and got some cucumbers and plowded
Pa help Mr Paxson thrash and I was prettyng sick
Pa went to pella and I help hall manure
Pa sowed the fall wheet and Riley Redpat and George Holland harrowed it one way
Jim and Solomon harrowed out wheet the other way and I and Solomon chopped the Sunday wood
Pa and Mary went to meeting it has rained all day
Jim and I cut some wood
Old Mr Kelly was buried
I have plowed and has been a working on his stable
I plowed in the fore noon and this after noon shucked corn and cut the foder
Went down to the fair
Came home from the fair it has rained pretty all day
Went up to Jimes and got my diner and rote a letter
Plowed in the fore noon
Went and help get Jimes saw down in the fore noon and in the afternoon I plowed
Grampa was here pa plowed and I and George Holland cut corn
I plowed in the after noon and Uncle Solomon was here
Shucked corn and went after the cows
Pa and Jim and Irwin and George Holland and Solomon and I cut 1.15 shocks of corn
I and Solomon caught a chicken
Help cut corn in the forenoon and Georg and I plowed in the after noon
Si Vancleve and Irwin and Salomon and I cut 20 cholcks of corn in the fore noon
Help cut corn in the fore noon and plow in the afternoon Jims horses run of with the plow
I and Sirus have been blading cane
Cut corn in the fore noon and plowed in the after noon
Help husk some corn and hall some hay and help hall and chut the Sunday wood
Uncle Solomons was here and I and Irwin went after the cows
Help cut corn in the fore noon
Pa went to Pella
Help cut corn in the forenoon and I went and cut hay for Able Prowdy
Help cut conr and shuck and made Molases in the after noon
Help cut in the fore noon and put up some hay in the after noon
Bladed cane and shucked corn and went down to Uncle Solomons
I have just come from Uncle Solomons
I have plowed and Si[e,l] cut foder and shucked corn
I plowed in the fore noon and went down to lection in the after noon
I have plowed and Si has been adiging potatoes
I finished plowing this forenoon
I and Si dug potatoes
I and si went down to see them ditch and dug potatoes
Pa went up to grampa in the fore noon with Mr Gardner
Uncle Solomon was married and come and staid all night
Pa and ma and Uncle Solomon and his wife went to Pella
Pa and Jim and Bil and Spense and I went a hunting
Help dig some potatoes in the fore noon and shucked some corn in the after noon
Pa and bil and I shucked pretty ng a load of corn in the fore noon and went a hunting in the after noon
Chopped the Sunday wood and haled up 2 shocks of corn
It has rained all most all day
Went to chool
Went to school
And Solomon and Miles hearded the sheep in Mr Alenes Meder
Went to school
And Solomon and Miles hearded the sheep
Went to school
Went to school and help do the chores
Went down and help Uncle James thrashed
Pic and henry and I hearded the sheep
We have thrashed
Help get a load of corn and went to school in the after noon
Went to school
Went to school and pa has hired Will to work one year
Went to school and pa went to will
Help shuck a load of corn
Henry and Solomon and I hearded the sheep
I went to scool and pa and bill make some pens and Jim went to Oskaloosa
Went to school
Went to school
Mr Mccuchens baby was buried
Went to school and help hal a log
Went to school (crossed out)
Help hall and load of hay and chopped grampa wood
Bill and I went a hunting and killed 3 ducks
Help heard the sheep
Help shuck 2 loads of corn
I went up and help do grampa chors and got my [bf]rots
I and Miles and Solomon hearded the sheep pa went and got a load of san_
Pa nad bil and I have shucked 2 loads of corn
Wm went to nickels mill to get some lath
Chopped the Sunday wood and Solomon help heard the sheep
I help heard the sheep
Charles Crowder plastered our house
I and Mary cleaned out the house and pa and Salomon took the sheep down to Uncle Solomons
I come down to heard the sheep
Picton and I hearded the sheep and cattle in the fore noon
Mrs Craton died
Met and I hearded the sheep and cattle
Mrs Craton was buried at 2 o clock
Help Uncle Solomon thrash and hearded the sheep in the after noon
Picton and I have been a hearding the sheep
It has rained all day and I come home from Uncle Solomons in the rain
Help shuck 8 shocks of corn and help hall it up in the afternoon
Went to and bill and Jim has been a cutting wood and pa got me a new coat
Help Mr Mccauly hall wood and eat turkey afor diner at Aunt Eliza
Went to school
Help shell 3 [?] of corn and pa went to mill in the after noon
Solomon and I went to Sunday school
Lester Olds started home this fore noon
I come down to Uncle Solomon to heard the sheep and caught 1 gofer
I have been a hearding the sheep and caught 1 gofer
Hearded the sheep and pa and Uncle Solomon shucked a load of corn and I come home
I went to spelling school last night and went to school to day
To day was the last day of our school and it has rained all day
I and Albert f brought the shep home and it snowed last night
I went down to Uncle James
Nate Smith to Uncle James yesterday
Wm and I haled 3 loads of wood and we separated the sheep in the after noon
Pa and Wm killed a hog for Aunt Eliza
Pa and Wm went to Pella and Salamon and I done chorse around here and went a skating
Salamon and I chopped some wood and went a skating and I went a skating to night
I rote a letter to Georg and Wm went a scating
I cut the Sunday wood and Solomon and I took a load of straw up to grampa
I went to Charlie Crowder wedin and went to meting
I have been a halling wood for James Craten and has been a helping Jim work an his sled
Pa has been a helping work on Jim sled and Wm and I haled 2 loads of wood
Wm haled 2 loads of wood for Hunt
Wm and Irwin and I haled 2 loads of lin wood
Wm and I shucked corn and cut wood and pa haled a load of coal for the meting house
Help shuck corn and help chop the Sunday wood
Went to meting and went at night
Went to school and to day was the first day
Went down to Uncle Jims and went a scating and in the afternoon went a hunting
Went to school
Went to school and there was meting here to night
Went to school
I Spain was buried
Piled up some wood and pa was up ter Mrs S_elp[] sale and bought some corn
Went to Sunday school and meting
Went to school and pa haled 2 loads of corn
Bought 5 cts cloves
“ “ 5 cts cinnamon
traded knives and giods to boot
bought 20 cts candy
“ “ 10 cts candy
“ “ 5 cts clove
one box of blackin 10
2 slate pencils 5
mishanary money 25
4 collars 10
5 cts candy
25 cts mishenary
money
one hat $1.50 cts
one knif $1
5 cts appels
5 cts cinnamon
went to the show 50 cts
spent 25 to the fair
bought 5 cts appels
bought 10 bouder
10 cts shot
5 cts cinnamon
5 cts soap
got my bots
fixed 15
$ __
5.25
Peoria Iowa
Mahaska County
Text notes:
I’ve tried my best to maintain the original text, spelling, and punctuation. Where necessary I’ve made corrections to match the author’s intent. If I truly couldn’t decipher a letter, I used an _. Parentheses represent the editor’s comments.
Names:
Adison: unknown
Aunt Almgracb: probably Aunt Elmyra, married to Boliver
Aunt Eliza: the sister of C.C. Joy. Full name was Eliza Angeline Joy. She married Marion DeKalb Smith, then George W. Ballard.
Aunt Jerusha: wife of Uncle Solomon, died January 1866.
Buckley: the name of the river that runs near the property that was owned by C.C. Joy (Ben’s father.)
Gan Z. Gardner: possibly Uncle Boliver’s son
George Holland: unknown
Jim: possibly is referring to Ben’s half-brother
Lester: unknown (later it says Lester Olds)
3 Marys: my best guess is, Mary Payton who was married to Jim Joy; Mary Joy was a sister to Picton; and Mary Smith was the daughter of C.C.’s sister Eliza.
Met/Metty: possibly Stephen Merritt Joy, brother of Picton.
Oskaloosa: a large town in Mahaska Co, about 15 miles from Peoria, IA.
Picton/Pic: Benjamin’s cousin, the son of Uncle Solomon
Pella: another, larger town in IA, about 9 miles from Peoria
Solomon: Benjamin’s brother
Uncle Boliver: the husband of Elmyra Joy. Elmyra was C.C.’s sister. Boliver’s last name was Gardner.
Uncle James: unknown
Uncle Solomon: C.C. Joy’s brother
Urwin and Charl: Irwin and Charles Smith, sons of Eliza Joy Smith.
Will/Bil/Wm: possibly refers to Ben’s half-brother
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