Milwaukee County Wisconsin Genealogy

William Bramwell Sizer Diaries
January 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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January 1886

1-1-1886
Weather very mild. Thawed some, snowed & rained alternately. I worked at the poultry house. Finished putting in the window & hung the doors. Went to the woods & got some wood. Pa & Ma & Jimmie were here to dinner. Jake came in the afternoon.
Hung my clothes out yesterday. Brought them in this morning I ironed them. I filled the new tick with husks for the front room bed. Grandpa & Grandma filled the tick for our bed upstairs. Walter went to sleep early tonight. Hung my clothes out yesterday. Brought them in this morning I ironed them. I filled the new tick with husks for the front room bed. Grandpa & Grandma filled the tick for our bed upstairs. Walter went to sleep early tonight.

Hung my clothes out yesterday. Brought them in this morning I ironed them. I filled the new tick with husks for the front room bed. Grandpa & Grandma filled the tick for our bed upstairs. Walter went to sleep early tonight.

Hung my clothes out yesterday. Brought them in this morning I ironed them. I filled the new tick with husks for the front room bed. Grandpa & Grandma filled the tick for our bed upstairs. Walter went to sleep early tonight.

1-2-1886
Went to Saukville in the morning. Took down 16 doz. eggs. Got 18 cts. per doz. $2.88. Got the oil can filled & forgot it. Karker brought it in the Eve. Saw Lutfring about the Chattel Mortgage. Also went to see about Mr. Taylors affairs. L. said I shouldn't pay a cent until the Administrator was appointed. Afternoon, I put in the door sills in the Poultry house. Weather, warm

Had a lettter from Helen Beard that Mrs. Rhode was very sick. Also heard about Cousin Lizzie Keller was married last week.

1-3-1886
Had breakfast this morning at 6 o'c. Went to church. Minister wasn't there & had no service. Went to Jakes & had dinner & saw the new organ. Jimmie drove Doll around for us. It was foggy all day & rained some. Walter stayed with "Bama" all day. We stopped for Walter & Minnie stayed until I did the chores. Then I went over & we had lunch.

Today was prayer meeting at George's Jake said my mother was there. He told her he'd bring them an organ. He can have one for it will be such a comfort for both of them.

1-4-1886
Weather changed today. Colder & snowing some. Wheeled stones into the Hen House to finish the wall before dinner. Backer was here about noon & looked around the new building & at the stock. Afternoon - Put up 15 bags of feed. Went to the woods & got wood. Then cleaned stables & went to mill. Rev'd a card from Rev. Houston & wrote him a reply. Also answ. C.F. T's letter while at the stove. Bought 6 yards of flannel for drawers. Clean wheat.

Monday morning:We got up at 6 o,clock. Going to finish a letter to Helen. Wrote a note to Clara tonight. Milked the cows for Bramwell tonight. It is now 10 o'c. Walter is sound asleep.

1-5-1886.
Got up later than usual this morning. Hauled sand & did chores today. Went over to Jakes tonight. Jason came home with me. Saw Wolf about plastering the Hen House. Weather quite cold all day. Ground covered with snow.

I went over to the other house this morning. Grandma cut out drawers. Got thm both done. but feel very tired. It is 10o'c. It was a nice winter day today.

1-6-1886
Went to Grafton this morning. After lime & coal & brought home feed from the mill. Afternoon - Went to the woods & got a maple ttree for firewood. Hauled it with Pa's team. Then I oput the coal stove up in the Poutry House to warm it up for work tomorrow. Jimmie helped me cut wood & do chores tonight. Weather cold all day. Wind in Northeast. Catholic Holiday.

1-7-1886
Walter is two years old today. Jake came this morn & Wolf came at noon & filled out the wall in the hen house this eve. Wolf & I worked till after 8 o'c. plastering the wall. Pa helped some & Jimmie did the chores. Jake went home at 7 0'c. Weather: rather cold wind NE. Looks like snow tonight.

1-8-1886
Commenced on the Hen House early this morn. Jake came, rather late. Jimmie did the chores all day. I made mortar & helped Jake put in the ceiling. Finished plastering this eve. Wind NE. Snowed & blowed all day. Had trouble with the coal fire. Burns well in the day time. Goes out at night.

1-9-1886
Ma's Birthday. We were over there to supper. Got the Hens in the new house today. They enjoy it immensly. Thermometer: 10 deg. above zero. Wind North with snow & frost flying.

1-10-1886
Weather very cold. Did not go to church. Ther. 12 deg. below zero at 8 o'c. AM At 1 PM had 8 deg. 2 deg. below at 7 o'c PM. Wind NNW changing to N. Jason & Libbie went to church with Alice Brily & Nesbit Peat. Huston went to Grafton in the cold. Jason & Nesbit were here this evening.

1-11-1886
Thermometer 14 deg. below zero.. Went to Port with butter for Rev. Huston. Met Henry & brought him home with me. Took dinner & did the chores & cut some wood. H. went home at 2:30 o'c. Therm. 10 deg below at 8 PM. Brought the new sled home today.

1-12-1886
Weather cold wind, West. 12 deg. below at 6 o'c AM. Warmed up tp 10 deg. above zero & clouded up some. Looks like a storm. Helped Pa put up seed to go to mill. Jake came & worked at his organ stool before dinner. Afternoon: Jake & I dressed beef for Pa up in my barn. Recv'd card from Huston in regard to butter.

1-13-1886
Helped Pa clean wheat this forenoon. Staid to dinner. Afternoo: Went to the woods to get a Maple & Beech tree for wood. Evening: Went to Jakes to see about dressing Geese. Got home at 11 PM. Weather: Clear & warm. Some wind, SW. In going to Jakes, Jimmie & I crossed the river on the ice.

1-14-1886
This & other pages were scratched by Walter trying to write in Papa's "Book". Jake came this morn & we cornered the Geese. Butchering. Something is the matter for the hide came off with the fezthers. We killed only two. I helped Pa start off with his wheat. 7 j 7 minnie picked the geese. J & I sawed some wood. Before dinner & after made clapboards for the east gable of the hen house. Found one egg today. Weather quite warm. Wind S & SW. Cooling off & clouding toward eve.

1-15-1886
Went to Karkers this morn. Carried home some bags & borrowed K's "Lightning Saw" Fixed it some & sawed a little. C.F. Taylor came after noon. A tramp stopped & asked for some bread. Minnie gave him some & some milk. I cleaned the stra stable this afternoon. Got a bushel of corn from Pa for out geese.

1-16-1886
Went to Jakes this morn. Minnie & Walter going to see "Gomoo" as he called her. Snowed all day. Plenty of snow for sleighing. About 6 inches on level. Jake & I went to Georges woods & sawed fire wood from 9:30 o'c till 1:00 o'c. Then went home & got our dinner. Jimmie & Willie drove daown at 3:30. We stayed at Jakes a while & then came home about dark. Churned this eve.

1-17-1886
Went to church today. Minnie stayed at home. Georges folks came in the afternoon & stayed a while. Huston & Jason were here for supper. Had a good visit. The Huston went home with J.

1-18-1886
Snowed all day. Put up 15 bags of feed & took it to the mill. Minnie went with me & we drove to the village & did some trading. Here are somw of Walter's words. Hip for milk. Pomo for pony. Bam for barn. Dunno for junior. Jakie & Dadie for Jake & Jason. HenHow for Hen House. Ichina book another time. Conga for stocking. Papa - kick a Tiah. Baby- armateefoch.

1-19-1886
Quite cold today. Wind NW. Snow drifting. Cut some wood. found my axe. Went to the woods & cut down a big maple for cordwood. Got two eggs today. Hens are just getting used to confinement.

1-20-1886
Snowed all day. Did the chores & went to the mill & got my feed & settled up my acct with the Miller. Trains were late. Snow plow passed as I was coming home. Wind NW changing to N. & NE. Then back to N.

1-21-1886
Colder this morn. Ther. about zero. Warmed uop toward noon. Wind changed to W & S. Broke road over Becker's Hill thjis morn. Filed the cross cut saw & helped Pa get down trees for wood. Hens laid 3 eggs today

1-22-1886
Cold & blustering this morn. Term. going down rapidly. Thw Saukville Miller discharged his hired man last night. The fellow wanted work & so he came up here through the storm & offered to cut wood for 50 cents per day. Were here all day. Went over & got Ma to cut out the hand for my new mittens. Wind NW. Ther. 22 deg. below at 9'oc. PM.

1-23-1886
Cold. 22 deg. below zero this morn. I think it was colder before daylight. Jason came over & filed cross cut saw. Then we sawed some wood. Did up the chores & went to Saukville. Found the roads drifted some Ordered John Nicol to shovel out the road at Opitz Place. Went to the Depot & saw the train come in with two engines & a snow plow.

1-24-1886
Snowed some this morn. Didn't go to church on acct of the roads & the weather. We went over to the folks after J. & girls came home. While there, my man came & so I came home & we did the chores. Then went over & sung a while in the evening. My name's Richard Meerstine. Wind today changed to South.

1-25-1886
Snowed some this morn. We cut up some wood & piled it in the barn. Schaefer came & talked politics a while & borrowed the corn shellere. Went to the woods & commenced cordwood cutting. After dinner filed the saw & had a visit with Mrs. Fairbanks & her son, Byron. Went & tried the saw. Then went to K's. Got some straw. Took his crank saw home. Nell taken sick today. Don't know what the matter is. Gave her milk & mollasses tonight. Wind west & northwest with signs of a thaw.

1-26-1886
Heavy cloud in the east all day. Commenced snowing until evening. Fixed the reach in the sleigh & drew 3 loads of straw from Karkers. Jimmie helped Richard in the woods & Pa helped me. Wind NE.

1-27-1886
Put a handle in my axe. Worked in the woods. Went to Pt. in the eve. Practiced cantata at Dora Jacobs. Minnie stayed at Uncle Henry's while we practiced. Weather disagreable. NE wind. Rec'vd the N.W C. Advocate.

1-28-1886
Came home late last night & so got up later this morn. Richard went to the woods & I made three beetles to split cord wood before dinner. Afternoon: I went to the woods & split wood. Pa helped saw & chopped down one tree. Practiced the Cantata with the girls. Fixed the batterbowl. Will Mc came down & brought the borrowed flour home. Pleasant. Wind N. Shipped butter to Sulin Bros. today.

1-29-1886
Quite cold today. Clearing up & growing colder. Wind NW. Fixed my new beetle & ground an axe for Pa. Pa helped before dinner in the woods. After dinner we went to work & split up what we had sawed & then cut some more for tomorrow. A sassy pedlar came along today. Minnie bought some buttons of him. Went over & practiced the Cantata with the girls. Karker went to Milwaukee today.

1-30-1886
Filed saw for Pa. This morn. Pa & Jimmie helped a while in the woods. AFternoon: I dressed out a pair of whipple trees for Pa. Went to Pt. to practice. Minnie went to see Mrs. Detert. Cousin Minnie Maechtle is to be married tonight. A young Polish Boy came here tonight & as I was going away sent him over to the folks. Richard kept a fire while we were gone.

1-31-1886
Went to church today. Bro. Huston preached from St. John 12.21. Genie Kaline came home with the girls. Took dinner with our folks & Pa took H. to Waubeka . Henry & family were here in the afternoon. Huston staid all night with us.

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