Milwaukee County Wisconsin Genealogy

William Bramwell Sizer Diaries
July 1886

Milwaukee County Police Department

These diaries are a mixture of work and family affairs of William Bramwell Sizer. William was on the Milwaukee Police Department and a member of the Sherman Street Methodist Episcopal Church, later transferring their membership to Kingsley Methodist Episcopal Church and died in 1916. The diaries give a pretty good view of life in the years involved. The diaries were given to me for presentation on this site by family members see contributors page.

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July 1886

7-1-1886
Commence mowing with the mower on the other side of the road.

7-2-1886
Nesbit Peat came down & went to Port & the high school entertainment & graduation exercise. I hauled in some hay. About 2 good loads.

7-3-1886
Jason & the girls went to camp meeting. I made a bargain with Pa for Bon. & brought him home. Hauled in one load of hay.

7-4-1886
Helen & Minnie went to church & I staid at home. I wrote a letter to Laura. Pa & Ma went to Jakes, staid all day. Weather quite warm Very dry.

7-5-1886
Hot today. Took Bonn down to the shop & had his shoes taken off & feet examined. The Irish had a celebration, as usual. Rollo Eckel delivered the oration. I cut my hay in the south lot. Very hot with no sign of rain.

7-6-1886
Did some hand mowing in the south lot. It was the hottest day on record. 124 deg. in the sun. 108 deg. in the shade. Went to S. to get my horse ... tire set. Also, buggy. Left them there & came home with Phillips old quill wheel.

7-7-1886
Drawing in hay. Weather very cool. Wind changed to NE this morn. I slept entirely naked last night with comfort with only a sheet for covering. Mowed a nice piece of hay. Worked till dark.

7-8-1886
Fixed the mower & broke it. Hitched onto the single mower & broke that all to smash. Went to the depot & telegraphed for repairs. Christie Roder & Lillie N. Weis came home with Minnie.

7-9-186 Rained this morn. Lill Weis went home this noon. I fixed up the brooder room & put the ducks in it. Mowed some. Went to Pt. Took Christie home. Eastman went down with me. Came home & unloaded a load of hay & got another in. I took some cherries to Mrs. Detert.

7-10-1886
Jake & Lois came over. Jake picked cherries at Karkers. I borrowed K's mower & mowed in the afternoon. Hauled 4 loads of hay for Pa. Walter went over to Grandma's today & rode on a load of hay.

7-11-1886
Minnie & Helen went to Laubensteins today. I stayed home & watched the incubator. Chicks began to come out today.

7-12-1886
Rained last night. Went to the Fair. Got my rock arm & it wouldn't fit. Took it to the B. S. Shop & got it worked down. I started Fred Schroeder's Binder while Phillips was fixing my rock arm. Got home & went down & cut a few times around my big meadow. Jason mowed all the afternoon for me. Jake was here at supper time.

7-13-1886
Minnie took eggs & berries to Dickman's. I fixed up the brooder & put it in the wagon house. Made a change with the young cattle.
at noon, Jimmie helped me poison my potatoes. Drew two loads of hay for Pa & one for me. Finished mowing the big meadow by the river. Jimmie raked it up. Mowed with two teams. Used Karkers mower & ours.

7-14-1886
Waltie was sick last night & papa had to carry him & papa got sick & couldn't work all the forenoon. Went to drawing hay at 2:30 o'c. Drew in 3 loads. Jimmie went to the cheese factory for me.

7-15-1886
Hauled in 3 loads of hay. I went to K's & made a bargain to hjarvest his grain. He to furnish & I to do work for 25 dollars. Mowed some rough ground this afternoon. Hope to finish tomorrow.

7-16-1886
Mowed some this morn. Went to Random Lake for Binder twine. Drove to Fredonia & took train. Got home at 3:45 o'c. Rained very hard this eve. Nettie came & staid with Laura & Alice this eve. Saw J.H. Lutfring.

7-17-1886
Fixed up my binder & commenced cutting Barley. Started up with two horses. Barley is very short.

7-18-1886
Went to church. Minnnie & Helen went to Laubensteins & I walked home from Jakes. Walter went home with Auntie Lois.

7-19-1886
Took my bider neck yoke & whiffle lever into the shop & got them fixed. Went to Weber & Jonas mill & got some Bran. Went to Jakes & got Walter. Henry came here while I was gone. He had been to Grafton Fair. Pa helped me unload a load of hay this eve.

7-20-1886
Fixed up the binder & helped Pa mow some. All the grass dried off. Went to cutting barley at 10:30 o'c. After dinner I fixed the goose pond & went to Binding. It rained enough so I had to quit & I went to look at Karkers grain & came home just as Bro. Detert & family came. They went away at 6 o'c & I bound Barley till dark.

7-21-1886
Karker commenced carrying our milk today. Commenced binding at 7:30 o'c. Finished cutting the hill Barley at noon. After dinner Jimmie set it up & Pa mowed some around the fence & side hills. After supper we hauled in 3 small loads of hay which finishes my haying for this year.

7-22-1886
Helped Pa get in hay & cut Barley in the south lot.

7-23-1886
Went to the mill & got some flour & feed. Minnie got an early dinner & went home. I helped Pa finish getting in his hay & looked over the fields. Ground K's sickle.

7-24-1886
Rained this morn. Dug potatoes back of the house. Plowed the ground & sowed fodder corn. Went to Pt & got Walter an Expr. Wagon. Old Solomon came here to night to stay all night. Says he is 96 yrs. old Sleeps on the lounge. Snores like a fatting hog.

7-25-1886
Went to church.

7-26-1886
Went over to Jakes with my binder & cut his Barley. Started at 4 0'c in morn. Got back at 10'oc. eve. Drove the Biz around Saukville. Don't care about repeating it. Got over at 6:30 o'c & it rained so we dug at the well in the forenoon. Pa & Jimmie hauled some Barley for me.

7-27-1886
Commenced cutting Oats. Hauled in Barley afternoon

7-28-1886
Mowed Barley in the south lot, Ps, Jimmie & I. It was so hot I came very nearly fainting. 120 deg. in sun & 100 deg. in shade. Cut Oats in the afternoon.

7-29-1886
Started on the Oats again & had a breakdown & went to Saukville. got fixed up & went twice around & broke down again & had to hitch up & go to S. again.

7-30-1886
Cut Oats all Day. Everything went well. Hope to get done with the hill lot in the morn. Tonight a drunken man came along with his horses at full run & I suppose lost his tire & went into Reiters to get sobered off. Passed here on the home stretch at 9:30 o'c.

7-31-1886
Cut Oats in the forenoon & drew Barley scatterings in the afternoon. Got Barley in & set .... Oats after dark.

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