The diary

This personal diary covers (with gaps) Frank's daily activities starting in February, 1869, shortly before he married Jennie Dickson. Information from other sources on individuals who he mentions has been added where possible. (Illegible sections in the original are indicated by dashes and notes in brackets. The strikethroughs and underlinings in the text are in the original.)

The place - Auburn, Kansas

Auburn is a small town about 15 miles southwest of Topeka. The clickable map below from about 1870 highlights Frank's property (lower left) and that of his mother (just to the right of top center). Frank also owned land in Osage county, just south of the county line.

 

The people - Stahl and Dickson

The diary centers mostly on Frank's family. This first tree shows his siblings and their spouses.

Frank married Jennie Dickson in April, 1869. Most of their children (and their spouses) are mentioned in the diary.

 

Jennie's parents, Alexander and Isabel, were originally from Brechin, Scotland. Their other children who show up in the diary were:
- Jim, mentioned frequently and a close friend of Frank's. He owned a farm nextdoor and worked often for Frank.
- Alexander, jr., usually referred to as "Alex." He married Nancy Hatcher Moran in 1869;
- Helen, married John Thompson in 1872 and died in 1882.

The yearly round

   Diary entries make it seem as if tasks were the same each day, but looking at the work by seasons of the year shows the cyclical nature of the various chores. 

January - March

Butchering and making sausage	Hauling and husking corn	Breaking down wheat stalks
Plowing and harrowing	Staking out orchards; setting out fruit trees	Planting rhubarb and wheat

  April - June

Planting: corn, potatoes, onions, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, melons, millet, beans	Pruning
Setting out fruit trees (apple, cherry, peach), strawberry plants and grape cuttings	Castrating colts

July - September

Cutting and stacking oats and wheat	Planting: cabbages, cucumbers, turnips	Plowing, pruning, mulching
Cutting and hauling hay	Threshing and harvesting

October - December

Picking and husking corn	Butchering and making sausage	Harvesting pumpkins
Digging potatoes	Picking and storing apples	Sowing rye

 

The diary offers a window into one person's Kansas farm experiences and highlights what daily life was like more than 140 years ago. Enjoy.

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