John Jay Johns Journal/1878

Jan. 1, 1878 A new year has dawned upon us, and what a bright, cool, beautiful day it is. I am now in my 59th year and I can say truly, goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life. In view of this goodness of God I have to mourn my unfaithfulness and ingratitude to my Heavenly Father. I have had and continue to have my cares and burdens but the Lord is my helper. My church relations are very happy, our elders faithful, true men and all the members happily united and we have a faithful pastor and able preacher, Reverend Edward Martin.

Jan. 26, 1878. Old Mrs. Overall was buried today. I acted as pallbearer.

Feb. 6, 1878. Glover and Ed Gill are surveying Mrs. Durfee's land.

Feb. 15, 1878. Great excitement in Europe on the war. England has sent her navy into the Dardanelles. English feeling is very warlike and so is Austrian. Grain has risen.

Feb. 22, 1878. This is the ever memorable birthday of the great and good Washington.

Mar. 4, 1878. Went to St. Louis today on matters connected with church case.

Mar. 14, 1878. My farm measured 213.34 acres. North part rented to August Cruse 110 acres, and south part rented to Fritz Rhaker 102 acres.

Mar. 18, 1878. Went to St. Louis on the church suit in U.S.C. Court. The other side have rejected. In company with Dr. Rutherford called on Mr. Sam Glover who had been in the case with Judge Lackland in the state courts. He showed great interest in the case, said eternal hate was at the bottom of it; that he would help in the case. So busy could not take it all. I proposed to him a fee. He said, say nothing about that, your church is not able to pay anything. He is a noble-hearted man. Then went to see Judge Dryden, and employed him to assist Mr. Glover. The Synod Committee is to do all they can to raise funds to pay him and if we gain the case and see the property he is to have a fee out of it and Mr. Glover too if he will accept.

Mar. 20, 1878. Clear, mild, very smoky. Aunt Patsy (colored) is cleaning yard.

Mar. 24, 1878 Sabbath. Clear and cool. Went to my farm yesterday. The green fields look beautiful. The dry weather is having a good effect on the wheat. The color is good. My tenants signed the leases for the rent for three years from 1st next March at $8.00 per acre.

Apr. 2, 1878. My wife and Shirley left this morning to visit Fred at Boonville and Lizzie at Sedalia. I shall be lonely indeed. How dreary and comfortless the home is without the wife and mother. May the Lord bless and prosper them in their absence.

Apr. 3, 1878. Finished planting six double rows of Daniel O'Rourke peas. What a lonesome house without my wife and Shirley.

Apr. 4, 1878. Went to funeral of Frank King's child at Robert Park's. Went to St. Louis on church case.

Apr. 7, 1878. Mr. Gauss' lumber yard near Clark Street was burned last night. I saw the fire and heard the bells about half past one this morning. Loss about $3,500.00 fully insured.

Apr. 8, 1878. Planted four evergreen trees on my lot in the cemetery. The bodies of our dear children are resting quietly in their graves and their redeemed spirits are in the happy land of which they sung so often.

Apr. 9, 1878. The cherry trees look like they were covered with snow, so full of bloom.

Apr. 16, 1878. Went to the cemetery this afternoon and planted some flowers on Johnnie's grave. It is a great relief to my feelings to do it. The little fellow used to be so fond of ornamenting his little chicken's graves with flowers.

Apr. 18, 1878. In afternoon went to the funeral of Lizzie King.

Apr. 23, 1878. Heavy rain in night. The Elm Point branch overflowed its banks and went over Johnson's into Mrs. Durfee's land.

May 5, 1878 Sabbath. Clear, beautiful and cool. This has been a high day in our church. Mr. Martin preached on Foreign Missions in morning. In afternoon at four o'clock we celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Children's Missionary Society. Large audience present. I gave a history of the Society, its origin, its aims and what it had accomplished and then we had a fine address by Dr. Farris of St. Louis, who was pastor of this church for eight years.

May 8, 1878. My wife and boy came last night from Sedalia. Home feels like home again with them here. Had strawberries today.

May 10, 1878. Mrs. Watkins and Mrs. Nicholson of Callaway County spent the day with us.

May 16, 1878. Carpenters put up a partition and closet in the room over the dining room.

May 28, 1878. Helen Christy (Mrs. Mellor) was buried today.

May 31, 1878. I went to see Mr. S. S. Watson this afternoon. He is very low with disease of the bowels. The doctors think he cannot live. He is 75 years old.

June 6, 1878. Mr. S. S. Watson died last night.

June 7, 1878. Mr. Watson buried today at Lindenwood.

June 9, 1878. Sabbath. My niece, Ellen Cowan and her cousin, Miss Mary Cowan daughter of David He. Cowen of St. Louis, came Saturday night.

June 11, 1878. Harvesting progressing rapidly. Wheat good. The self-binder coming into use extensively. Great saving of labor.

June 12, 1878. Wife and I called on Mrs. Watson. She feels deeply her great loss.

June 13, 1878. Had my yard mowed again today. Went to the funeral of Dr. Weems' little girl.

June 21, 1878. We gather a gallon of raspberries every morning for sale at 40¢. Aunt Patsy is hoeing my late corn in little orchard.

June 22, 1878. Attended the funeral of Mrs. Sibley today. She was sick only two days. She was in her 79th year. Her life was eventful. Her father came to this state in 1804. She rode with her father when a young lady all the way to Washington on horseback. In her early life she was infidel in her sentiments. Afterwards became a very decided Christian. She established the first female boarding-school west of the Mississippi river - now Lindenwood Female College.

June 23, 1878 Sabbath. Arthur came last night. This is his 25th birthday.

June 24, 1878. Yesterday the Sunday Law was enforced in our town. All business houses and saloon closed, After 9:00 a.m. There was a delightful quiet all day.

June 26, 1878. Mattie, George, and Shirley Borden came on train at 10:00 a.m. Mattie has been absent in Philadelphia more than a year and George has been at Princeton College 10 months. These reunions are very delightful.

June 27, 1878. Gathered a mess of blackberries today.

June 28, 1878. Killed black dog Frisk because he was cross and bit Shirley.

July 2, 1878. I went out to my farm and Mrs. Durfee's this afternoon with Shirley Borden, Shirley Winston and Albert Gauss.

July 10, 1878. Very hot. Wilson Parks, son of William Parks, about 19 years of age, died this evening after a brief illness of four days of disease of the bowels. He was a very fine young man. Connected himself with our church when ten years of age. He was the main support of his family. What a strange Providence, but God is good and wise.

July 11, 1878. Buried Wilson Parks today.

July 14, 1878. The colored boy, Morgan Kennedy, who lived with us four years until this past year, died yesterday evening in the country from sunstroke.

July 17, 1878. One hundred cases of sunstroke reported almost daily in St. Louis.

July 27, 1878. Glover and George went to Dardenne fishing.

July 29, 1878. Eclipse of the sun this afternoon at 3:30. Greatest obscuration at 4:30.

Aug. 8, 1878. Mattie and Shirley Borden came at 10:30 a.m. Rode with him to country in afternoon.

Aug. 17, 1878. Mr. Borden came at 10:30 a.m. Rode with him to country in afternoon.

Aug. 20, 1878. Mr. Borden, Shirley Borden and Mattie left yesterday for Philadelphia.

Aug. 22, 1878. Boys went to picnic at Walnut Grove today. Annie, Fred's wife, came last night. They have a little German orphan girl about 6 years old.

Sept. 30, 1878. Filled the sugar barrel today. The last one lasted a few days over a month. Good deal of preserving done in that time.

Oct. 7, 1878. Went with J. E. Stonebraker to see Alex Garvin who is very sick.

Oct. 15, 1878. Our servant girl, Lizzie Sundermann, left today after living with us 3½ years.

Oct. 24, 1878. This morning Lizzie Gauss, her children, and Mrs. Glenday, started to Sedalia. Lizzie's health has greatly improved while she has been here. She has four very fine children.

Oct. 27, 1878. Sabbath. Communion in our church today. Willie Parks joined the church on profession.

Nov. 7, 1878. Negro man, Alfred, son of colored woman Cely who formerly belonged to me, died yesterday.

Nov. 22, 1878. Will Fant buried today.

Nov. 27, 1878. Yesterday Robert Atkinson made an attack on Glover with a pistol and stick without any warning because he had mentioned in an article in the St. Louis Republican that the Atkinson building which was burned a few days ago was a nuisance. It was a mean and cowardly attack without any cause.

Dec. 8, 1878. Sabbath. Small attendance at church. Fine Sermon on the text "Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ". We get the best sermons on rainy days.

Dec. 19, 1878. Called on Mrs. Watson this afternoon. She has a grand-niece, Miss Jessie Hodgman, who has very remarkable talent for music, especially vocal, and may become distinguished some day if cultivated.