1887 Diary of George Dennis, Palermo, Trafalgar Township
Description
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- Description
- Daily throughout 1887, 39 year-old farmer, George Dennis of Palermo, Ontario, wrote about his day in this little diary. At the time, George and his wife, Amelia, lived on the Dennis family farm with their 4 children, just northwest of the centre of Palermo, Halton County, on Con. 2 Lot 32 NDS, fronting on Lower Base Line.
This little red diary caught the eye of browser, Donna Rae, in an antique store near Port Rowan. Reproduced here are the pages of the diary showing January 4-9 and December 30-31. Her interest piqued by the last entries, Donna pulled the historical records about George Dennis and his family together. The result honours the family and George.
The daily diary entries by George state the facts of his work: the daily year-round farm chores of caring for horses, pigs, chickens, turkeys, cows, regularly hauling water, hauling sawdust, chopping wood, augmented by taking the children to school in bad weather, hauling stone “from the mountain” for road-work, putting gravel on the road down to Bronte, looking after the crops and taking grist to the mill, working on the fences, going to the Palermo blacksmith, to Milton, being involved in meetings to build a church in Zimmerman and much more. On February 23rd, a note is made about the federal election. On April 12th, George puts “a frame over the well for the milk” (this would be used to keep milk cool in the coming season).
There is discussion of moving "down to the stone house" and "me renting the place from them" and in March, they do indeed move house. Most likely both houses are on the same farm.
Donna was struck by the contrast in these entries with those on the last page in which George writes, “it has been a year of discouragement to me” and, his note in the “Memoranda” section on the next page, “Nov. 11th, Four men hanged in Chicago today.” For more information on this note, see the link under the photograph in this record to “The Haymarket Square Incident (May 4, 1886).”
Amelia is not well for most of the year and Dr. Buck is often at the house. It might be that their eldest son, George, is also not hearty as it is Walter, the younger lad, who helps with the chores. Indeed, George and Amelia both die on January 23, 1888. - Notes
- The funeral card of daughter Olive Edna Dennis in 1925 is linked in this record for your further information.
- Inscriptions
- January MONDAY 10 1887:
I done up the chores this morning & took the children to school & took a piece of meat to Whitecares & a letter I found for them & after dinner I got the tank from Marshalls & drew four tanks of water from the pond hole.
TUESDAY 11: Susan & [I] started to Hamilton this morning about three oclock & the wind was blowing hard & it was terrable cold, there was a small market, we got home about four oclock, we had a very hard day of it.
WEDNESDAY 12: It is a good bit milder today, I done up the chores. I took the children to school & then I drew water the rest of the day, Whitakers & us were over to Marshalls this evening.
January THURSDAY 13 1887: This has been a very cold day. I was choring about this forenoon & I took Walter & Edna to school & went for the mail & then went to Palermo & got home at two. Geo & Margaret Buck were here this afternoon.
FRIDAY 14: It snowed & blowed most all last night & this morning the lanes & roads are full of snow, I opened a road through our fields & took the children to school, it stormed most of the day, the snow is very deep.
SATURDAY 15: I done up the chores & then father & I finished cleaning up the grist & afternoon Walter & I got the bobs out & put the wagon box on them & drew up a little bit of straw. Marshalls were at mothers tonight.
December FRIDAY 30 1887: I done up all the chores & then went back to McNabs & helped him draw hay till noon, after noon I was at home, Robert Sheridan & Joe Smith were here, Elmira Ross came here to night.
SATURDAY 31: This is a very stormy day after Walt & I got the chores done up. I went to mill with some chaf stuff & got home at noon & it stormed all the time & after I got the things done at noon, I took Mrs. Ross up to Milton & got home a little after dark, this is the last of another year & it has been a year of discouragement to me, Amelia has been sick six months & is no better last night for an hour or two we thought she was dieing I will [the last four words are too faint to decipher: possibly "I wish she was"].
MEMORANDA. of important events
Feb 22nd, John Waldie elected for the house of Commons
Mar 8 We moved down to the stone house & they up to our house
June 20th Harvey Sheridan died to day
June 28th Thomas Dearing killed at a raising
Nov 11th Four men hanged in Chicago today - Date of Original
- 1887
- Subject(s)
- Personal Name(s)
- Dennis, George, b.1848 in Trafalgar Township, Halton, County, Ontario. d.June 2, 1896, same. Son of Lewis Dennis and Lydia Johnston. Louis Dennis, b.1813, Aldershot, Ontario, Canada, d.January 23, 1898. Lydia Johnston b.1819, Omagh, Halton County, Ontario, d.January 21, 1901. Florence Amelia (Patterson) Dennis, wife of George, called Amelia, b.October 29, 1878 in Halton, Ontario, married George on October 20, 1874 in Nelson, Halton County, d.February 13, 1896. Both George and Amelia are buried in Palermo Cemetery. Their children, all born on the family farm just northwest of Palermo centre, were George Dennis, b.November 1877, d.January 23, 1888. Walter Oliver Dennis, b. January 23, 1879, D. January 24, 1945. Edna Olive Dennis, b. March 20, 1880, d. May 28, 1925.
- Local identifier
- TTDR000370
- Collection
- Trafalgar Township Historical Society
- Language of Item
- English
- Geographic Coverage
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Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 43.43341 Longitude: -79.78293
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- Copyright Statement
- Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Recommended Citation
- 1887 Diary of George Dennis, Palermo, Trafalgar Township
- Contact
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Trafalgar Township Historical Society Sponsor: Jeff Knoll, Local & Regional Councillor for Oakville Ward 5 – Town of Oakville/Regional Municipality of Halton
