William Bramwell Sizer Diaries
January 1900

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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JANUARY 1900


1-1-1900
Zero. NW wind. Fair. Wheel. Cold & frosty. Less than half inch of snow. Good wheeling. Rode bicycle every day since Christmas. Zero weather all day yesterday. Watch night services at Kingsley. Got home 12:30 AM. Ada is still in the country. Half an hour extra for dinner today. 11 to 12:30. Edw. & Ada came home this PM. These observations, i.e. weather records are taken generally in the morn. Especially Temps. Dead dog, 1242-21st St. Dead Cat, 21st & Hadley. Dead Turkey, rear, of 1161-21st. Reprt in morn.

1-2-1900
10 deg. High NW wind. Fair. Wheel. Moderating, dry & dusty. 8:40 reported at Wright & Fond du Lac. Took car for City Hall. Paid taxes. Ours $48.66 of which $24.30 was for sewer. Helen's $45.18. Got back to beat at 9:50 o'c.

1-3-1900
10 deg. Westerly wind. fair, wheel. Moderating towsrd noon. St. car ordinance passed last night & this morn. some of our men rode free. Quite warm toward eve. Wind changed to S. SE. Dry & dusty. Pinter prefers charges against Capt. Moschgau.

1-4-1900
24 deg. Southerly wind. Partly cloudy. Wheel. Looks like snow or rain. Pinter tells Hahn that either Moschgau & I must go or he must go. The wd. isn't large enough for all three of us. Dry & dustry.

1-5-1899
28 deg. SW wind. Partly cloudy. Wheel. Looks like rain or snow. Clearing towards noon. Warm all day. Dry & dusty.

1-6-1899
26 deg. SW wind. Fair. Wheel. Smoky & foggy this morn. Very dry & dusty since Dec. 24th. Clouding up PM. & wind changed to South.

1-7-1900
42 deg. wind. air. Wheel. Cloudy & rainy during the night. Cooler today. Walter's birthday. 16 yrs. old. Eng. Co. 22 ran to 844 - 29th at 11:00 o'c. AM. & to 12th & Lee at 1 PM.

1-8-1900
24 deg. SW wind. Fair. Wheel. White frost. Fog horn blowing. Met Sergt Schneider at 9:35 AM on 21st near Burleigh. Mrs, Leudolph complains that the husband drew his pension and hasn't been home since. Has a child sock with Pneumonia. I tel. to Frellson. 5:45 PM- John Dickert, 25th & Hopkins complains about his father abusing him and his mother. Went out there, found old man in bed & quiet when I talked to him.

1-9-1900
32 deg. Southerly wind. Cloudy. Wheel. Shower at 6 :45 AM. Wind changing to SE. Rain shower after noon. Ma's birthday. 66 yrs old.

1-10-1899
32 deg. NE wind. Cloudy. Car. Colder, looks like snow. Growing colder.

1-11-1900
32 deg. No wind. Cloudy. Car. Looks like snow. Wind sprang up from NW at 9 AM. Mail in box at 21 st & Center at 2:40 PM for Ald. Winkel.

1-12-1900
26 deg. Northerly wind. Coudy. Car. A few flakes of snow falling. Wheel this afternoon. Rep't of holdup on Kilbourn & Tamarack. Mrs. Bertha Lauterbach, 1441-21 complains that E. Koeller, Ins. Agt. for Prud. Ins. Co. came to her house Jan. 10th & demanded admittance. Pounded on door & frightened her and made her sick. She is "en scienke" & has been for 4 1/2 mo. Prud. Ins. Co., 307 Germ. Bldg.

1-13-1900
30 deg. NE wind. Cloudy. Car. Snowed about 1 1/inches early this morn. Clouds breaking at 9 AM. Fire at 7 AM, 2217 Kilbourn. Went to Sta. at 1:45. Got mail for Ald. Winkel. Snowing again this Eve. Wind changed to SW.

1-14-1900
32 deg. NW wind. Partly cloudy. One inch of snow last night. Thawing away today.

1-15-1900
36 deg. East wind. Cloudy. Rain & snow. 7:45 AM. Stolzenfeld & I found a drunk at "Kreuz" Church. Fond du Lac & Brown. S. took case Turned out to be Ernst Radtke (Mathilda deck me Tau) Snowed and thawed all day. 2 inches of snow at night fall.

1-16-1900
32 deg. Northerly wind. Cloudy. Looks like more snow. Walks very slippery.

1-17-1890 32 deg. E. wind. Cloudy. Rain commenced at 7 AM. Went home and got Rain coat, black helmet & Rubber boots. Tax bills for C. Krause, 29th & Burleigh. Stopped raining awhile at noon. Commenced again toward Eve. Koch & Ostreicher of Eng. 22 reduced to rank of pipeman. Koch goes to repair shop. A Big Mick by the name of Sullivan takes the Eng.

1-18-1900
36 deg. NE wind. Cloudy. Rained all night. Growing colder. Jakes Birthday- 41 yrs. Rain forenoon. Rubber boots, Black Helmet & rain coat all day.

1-19-1900
32 deg. Variable wind. Cloudy. Cool this morn. Clearing & warmer toward noon. Bo't Pr. Rubbers at Zillmers. Dead dog, 2650 Fon du Lac.

1-20-1900
26 deg. NW wind. Fair. Colder. Froze quite hard. Warmer at noon. Schwane drunk again.

1-21-1900
26 deg. SW wind. Fair. Pleasant. White frost. Quiet all day.

1-22-1900
32 deg. SW wind. Fair. Very pleasant & Spring like. Waissow appointed Station Keeper. Braun goes out nights. Met Whitehead going to Banz's 1088-24th St. looking after a case of incest.

1-23-1900
36 deg. Northerly wind. Cloudy. Growing colder. Clouding up at 8:30 AM. Freezing toward Eve. Met Sergt at 27th & Fond du Lac at 3:30 PM.

1-24-1900
34 deg. SE wind. Cloudy. Foggy & damp. Clearing towards noon. Complaint- Mrs. Buchweitz vs. Mrs. Kurth, 24th & Locust. Mrs. B. admits she had no cause for complaint.

1-25-1900
8 deg. NW wind. Fair. Turned cold in the night. Growing colder very fast.

1-26-1900
2 deg. NW wind. Fair. Cold. Officer Burmeister Dismissed.

1-27-1900
8 deg. Raw southerly wind. Partly cloudy. Car. Looks like snow. Roads very rough.

1-28-1900
-6 deg. NW wind. Fair. Growing rapidly colder. Called to 947-23rd. Family trouble. Father & son quarreling. Caught a runaway team at 4 PM. Belonging to Milkman, Timan. They were running west on Wright St. I caught up with them at 24th St.

1-29-1900
- 4 deg. SW wind. Fair. -4 deg. all night. Prospects of warming up to-day. PM- Snow flurries from 2:30 to 4 o'c. High SW wind. Uncle C. F. Taylor came this PM to stay all night.

1-30-1900
8 deg. High NW wind. Fair. Growing colder. &:30 AM- John Werner, 537-10th St. while walking on St. at 30th & Wright threw up his right arm and got it out of joint at the shoulder. Stolzenfeld & I took him to Dr. Boermer office. Chloroformed him & after replacing his arm sent him home with the patrol wagon. Zero all day. Uncle Frank went away this PM.

1-31-1900
-12 deg. High NW wind. Fair. Cold. 5 PM- fire broke put in the barn of Aug. Kurth, 1166-27th St. Total loss. 3 goats & one sheep nurned. $150.00 damage. insured. Stolzenfeld was with me there. I saw smoke from 22nd & Center. Tel. alarm from Eng. 22.

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