Nice Christmas present for us HIATT's in your grandfather's Christmas
memories, as he mentions our name, sending me off to search to see if
he means US -- or another one of the many Hiatts in Indiana.
Thx for the reminder of simpler family holidays. A treasure from 100
years ago!
This year, I gave all of our children (& their children, etc) a
journal for them to record their days for their own growth --
suggested gratitude journals, & we'll see if anything lasts -- a
better chance than computer zero/one's maybe (;-)
Warm regards,
Karen King Hiatt
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Cell phone e-mail
On Dec 25, 2010, at 2:43 PM, "Jane Torres" <jane.torres(a)att.net> wrote:
Good Afternoon,
Early this afternoon I was thinking about what our ancestor's
Christmases
were like. So, I thought that today would be a good time to look at
my
Great-grandfather's diary and see how they spent those special
days. Not
surprisingly, it was very different than the Christmas with my
children and
grandchildren that I've experienced last night and today.
Interestingly
enough in this six year span there is not one mention of presents --
either
received or given.
My grandfather's name was Anderson Monroe Allen, from Randolph
County, IN.
He talks about Loula who is his sister and Minnie who becomes his
wife.
DeWitt (Brooks) is Minnie's brother; Ben is Anderson's brother;
Walker is
Walker Anderson, Loula's husband. It appears that when Anderson
went to
Kansas to teach that at least his Uncle Will accompanied him and
when they
moved to Alabama, several of the family members (both sides) went too.
Christmas, 1882, age 16
Dec. 24.
I went to Huntsville to meeting in the morning. I went to Unionport
after
grandma in the afternoon. We went to Huntsville to meeting in the
evening.
Weather cool.
Dec. 25.
We killed three hogs. Uncle Austin Gray and Tom Brady helped us. We
went to
meeting in the evening. Weather pleasant with some snow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas, 1883, age 17
Dec. 24. Pa and I went to Buena in the forenoon. After noon I went
to Mr.
Edwards'es and Mr. Hiatts. Six of us boys put in a quarter a piece
and went
to Huntsville and got oysters and crackers. We all got our girls and
went to
our house and had a jubilee. We fed one boy some salt with his
oysters. I
took my girl home and we made arrangements to go to Winchester and
spend
Christmas day. Weather pleasant.
Dec. 25. Minnie Brooks and I went to Winchester. We got with the
rest of our
crowd after noon and had just a bumb time. We left town about three
oclock
and eight of us went to Dave Pursley's, we left the girls there and
I went
home with Edwards'es boys , for supper. We went back and got the
girls and
all went to Mr. Whites and stayed till ten oclock. Uncle Lark Moon's
folks
came to our house in the evening. Weather cold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas, 1884, age 18
Dec. 24. We were at school till noon. School adjourned till after
holidays.
Weather cold and snowing all day.
Dec. 25. Loula, Minnie and I went to Winchester and stayed most of
the day.
We got home about five oclock. Weather cold and snowy. It began to
snow
about eight oclock and snowed all day. It was the first day I even
knew that
it snowed all day, without stoping for dinner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas, 1885, age 19 (Anderson is teaching in Kansas)
Dec. 24 I was at school all day. I gave the scholars the ____ in the
evening. Weather pleasant.
Dec. 25 I did the feeding then went hunting. Uncle Will's came
home about
ten oclock and Samuel Copeland came with his gun and we hunted until
about
three oclock. We killed two squirrels and an owl. I went to the
postoffice
and Samuel and I went to Black Jack to the Christmas tree. We got
home
about ten oclock. Weather cool and pleasant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas, 1886, age 20 (He has returned to RCI, married his "girl"
Minnie
Brooks, and moved to Sand Mountain AL to teach. His first child
will come
in mid-January.)
Dec. 24 Pa, grandpa and I went to uncle George's and Uncle Frank
and I went
to Tom Higdon's sawmill and then to Mr. Sims'. Johny came home with
us in
the evening. Weather cool with rain in the forenoon.
Dec. 25 Christmas day and in Alabam. I was working at my house
logs most
of the day. Loula, Johny, Minnie and I went to the gulf. Pa helped
me some
in the evening, uncle Frank and aunt Jane Allen came in the evening.
Weather warm and pleasant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas, 1887, age 21
Dec. 24 DeWitt, Ben, and I went to Walker's about noon, and on to
Henry
Anderson's and I got some cotton seed. DeWitt and I made a shed for
the
calf after noon. Weather cool and raining till evening when it
began to
snow and the ground was white before dark.
Dec. 25 Loula and Walker were at pa's and we were all there for
dinner and
had a good time generally. The snow was melting fast. Weather
pleasant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's hoping that everyone has had a wonderful Christmas 2010 --
whatever
form it may have taken!
--Jane Barr Torres
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