John Jay Johns Journal/1877

Jan. 1, 1877. The only children with us today are Arthur, Glover, Johnnie and Shirley.

Feb. 1, 1877, Thursday. Glover was here last night. This is the day fixed to begin the count of the electoral vote for President and Vice-President under the bill adopted by Congress to settle the difficult questions connected with that matter. The adoption of that bill seems a special interposition of Providence to save us a nation from the most serious disasters.

Feb. 8, 1877. Yesterday miss Belle Martin was married to Mr. Fry of West Virginia.

Feb. 16, 1877. Mr. Bates finished covering back porch yesterday and is working at fence today.

Feb. 17, 1877. Yesterday evening Mr. Martin and wife, the elders and wives, and Mr. and Mrs. Gauss took supper with us by invitation.

Feb. 22, 1877. This is the most illustrious day in our annals, the birthday of George Washington, Oh, that more of his spirit pervaded the public men of our country now.

Mar. 3, 1877. The Electoral commission has completed its work and counted in Hayes as President. A Most Iniquitous Business. A President put in by fraud. The members of the Supreme Court degrading themselves to mere partisans. Refusing to inquire into the fraud of the Louisiana Returning Board which threw out 10,000 Tilden votes.

Mar. 6, 1877. Clear, frosty, cold. A year ago today Annie died.

Mar. 15, 1877. Last night went to the wedding of Gus Gamble and Julia Robinson at Mrs. John E. Stonebraker, large crowd.

Mar. 18, 1877. This day we celebrated the Lord's Supper in our church. The sermon was on Christ as our interceding High Priest.

Mar. 26, 1877. Mrs. Henry Lackland was buried yesterday afternoon.

Apr. 7, 1877. Glover came home last night. Ed Gill stayed all night with him.

Apr. 12, 1877. The Southern Hotel in St. Louis burned down yesterday morning about 2 o'clock. Between 16 and 100 persons perished in the flames.

Apr. 18, 1877. I go to Presbytery at Olivet Church today. Peaches in bloom.

Apr. 21, 1877. I stayed at mr. Sheltiel Ball (at presbytery).

Apr. 25, 1877. The long talked of war between Turkey and Russia has commenced.

May 1, 1877. Arthur commenced coming home every night for the summer.

May 7, 1877. Fred and Mattie came on the boat "Belle of St. Louis" about 9 o'clock this morning.

May 9, 1877. Glover comes home every night.

May 13, 1877. Sabbath. We have three of the large boys with us all this week. They are now young men. It is delightful to have so many of our children with us at one time. We can hope to have such a pleasure very seldom again while we live. May the Lord bless them all and make them all his children and useful men and women.

May 24, 1877. I went to Mr. William Parks' and Mrs. Frayser's. He is much better in mind and health. He was plowing his corn.

June 2, 1877. Saturday. Ellen Cowan came with Arthur.

June 4, 1877. Ellen Cowan returned to St. Louis with Arthur this morning.

June 6, 1877. Mattie leaves this morning for Philadelphia. Glover's school in Prairie closed yesterday.

June 12, 1877. Mrs. Sibley spent the day with us. She is very old-looking and feeble.

June 20, 1877. Went to John Lindsay place with Mr. Ezra Overall.

June 21, 1877. Morgan, son of John Kennedy, colored, left us today. He has been with us nearly 4 years.

July 4, 1877. The young folks went to Creve Coeur Lake, St. Louis County, to picnic.

July 21, 1877. Rev. Dr. Gauss of Boonville spent the evening with us. Arthur went to Columbia.

July 22, 1877. Sabbath. Preaching today by Dr. Gauss, very able sermon on the doctrine of election.

July 23, 1877. Terrible strikes among railroad men and others in Pennsylvania.

July 24, 1877. Miss Lena Provines came this evening from St. Louis. She is in very poor health. Her brother and family left the city on account of the mob. This strike has extended to all classes of labor.

July 25, 1877. Grat Provines and Mrs. Sibley took dinner with us.

Aug. 7, 1877. Went with Mr. Martin yesterday afternoon to Wm. Shafer's who has a very sick child.

Aug. 15, 1877. I go down to Carrolls to make division of Grafton Stonebraker's land among his heirs, with Ezra Overall and I. Pratt.

Aug. 23, 1877. Odd Fellows had a celebration in the Redmon Grove today. Address by Hon. Schuyler Colfax, late Vice-President U. S.  Pleasant and fluent speaker.

Aug 27, 1877. Miss Ada Stacy came to stay a few days to attend Jack Martin and Emily Alexander's wedding.

Aug. 29, 1877. Clear and very warm. Had a lawn party here last night. Very pleasant affair. Today at 1:30 o'clock p.m. Jack Martin and Emily Alexander were married in our church. Church full of people. Quite a number of us went to Mr. Alexander's house to the reception. Very pleasant affair. Mrs. Glenday has been quite sick for four days with bilious fever.

Sept. 3, 1877. Saturday afternoon. I went with Mr. Alderson, J. H. Alexander and Dr. Evans to the Sunday School Township Convention at Pleasant Hill Church in Femme Osage. Spent the night at Peter Fulkerson's. Sunday was a delightful day, etc. Came by Mechanicsville and spent the night with Mrs. Lewis Howell's family. Came home today to dinner.

Sept. 5, 1877. Papers report the death of Thiers of France, a great and good man.

Sept. 8, 1877. Received a dispatch from Philadelphia requesting George to delay his going till a letter comes from Mattie, as his Grandma may wish to go with him when she hears Maggie's condition.

Sept. 11, 1877. George and Mrs. Durfee started this morning for Philadelphia. got a letter from Mattie today, saying that her Aunt Maggie was a great deal worse. The doctors had given her up.

Sept. 14, 1877. Postal from Mattie says her Aunt Maggie is sinking rapidly.

Sept. 15, 1877. Postal from Mattie yesterday reports Maggie some better.

Sept. 18, 1877. Clear, cool. My wife, myself and two little boys went to the St. Louis exposition today. It is fine.

Sept. 21, 1877. Returned this evening from meeting of Presbytery at Moine Church in St. Louis County. I went over on Wednesday 19th. We had most delightful weather, and a very pleasant meeting. It is an old country church but very weak. I met old friends who live in that neighborhood; Dr. James Douglas who was raised in this community, and the Gibsons, the old lady and the sons and daughters. It is a beautiful, rich and highly improved country.

Sept. 24, 1877. Went to St. Louis to attend to some matters connected with our church trouble with the other church.

Oct. 2, 1877. My daughter, Mrs. Gauss and children came last night from Sedalia.

Oct. 3, 1877. Henry Gauss came last night. We are using our Heath peaches now. Very good.

Oct. 5, 1877. Johnnie was quite sick with tonsilitis.

Oct. 6, 1877. The County S. S. Convention met in our church last night and is in session today. Reverend William S. Paxson and Mr. Hayden, S. S. Missionary in Southwest Missouri are staying with us. Dr. Johnson came to see Johnnie yesterday evening. He is very sick with some form of croup or diphtheria. He is much worse today. I called in Dr. Overall too.

Oct. 7, 1877. Sabbath. Rain. Our little Johnnie died today at a quarter before two p.m. of that dreadful disease diphtheria. How swift has been its work. He was at school Thursday and now gone. Ten years and three months. It is a great blow to us but the Lord has done it and we bow to his holy will. We had hoped to have Johnnie and Shirley with us in our declining years to cheer us but the Lord has decreed otherwise. Four of the dear ones have gone before us to the Heavenly Home.

Oct. 9, 1877. Today we carried our dear Johnnie to the grave. What a strange fondness he had for funerals. What a void in our family circle.

Oct. 10, 1877. Henry Gauss left yesterday evening for Sedalia. Shirley had the diphtheria in his nose. He is getting well.

Oct. 14, 1877. Sabbath. A week today our dear Johnnie passed away from earth. We had communion in our church today. The Lord Jesus was precious to my soul.

Oct. 16, 1877. Went to Mrs. Durfee's place with young Gill and got some apples. Eliza Frayser and R. Miller were married in church today.

Oct. 19, 1877. The Northern Synod met last night in this place. Very small attendance.

Oct. 25, 1877. Glover went duck hunting.

Oct. 30, 1877. Received dispatch yesterday of the death of Maggie Borden in Philadelphia, my wife's sister. She has been sick ten months with tumor.

Nov. 2, 1877. Little dog "Gipsy" came last night by express from Fred at Boonville. This is the 30th anniversary of our marriage. Our married life has been a happy one indeed.

Nov. 14, 1877. My daughter Lizzie Gauss and children left for Sedalia this morning.

Nov. 19, 1877. Went to St. Louis to see what the joint committee of the Presbyteries were doing in our church case. The Northern side here have refused to submit their case to the committee. That shows their animus. My son Arthur took me in a buggy to see the suburbs of St. Louis - Forest Park, Tower Grove and Shaw's Garden. Beautiful beyond description.

Nov. 25, 1877. Sabbath. Raining. Very few at church. Had a very good sermon by Mr. Martin from James 1:18. We are saved by the sovereign will of God through the instrumentality of Gospel truth and therefore should be consecrated entirely to His service.

Nov. 29, 1877. Thanksgiving Day. How much I have to be thankful for every day of my life.

Nov. 30, 1877. Mrs. Durfee came home yesterday from Philadelphia.

Dec. 9, 1877. Sabbath. As chairman of the Township Executive Committee of Sabbath Schools visited the Frenchtown Mission School and reorganized it by electing Judge Borwise, Superintendent.

Dec. 11, 1877. Weather is charming.

Dec. 12, 1877. Put my hams in pickle today.

Dec. 25, 1877. A warm, wet Christmas. Shirley got a great many presents.

Dec. 26, 1877. The honeysuckle in lear. Buds swelling.

Dec. 27, 1877. Reverend Dr. Rutherford and Mr. William G. Clark of St. Louis dined with us today.

Dec. 30, 1877. Sabbath. The last of the year. What a glorious thing the Sabbath is with its rest and its high privileges. Emblem of eternal rest.