Milwaukee County Wisconsin Genealogy

William Bramwell Sizer Diaries
August 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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August 1886

8-1-1886
Went to Jakes to prayer meeting. Drove Bon. Went to Henry's to preaching but the preacher didn't come on account of funeral of which we did not hear. Mrs. Hangenoells was buried today. Should have went to the funeral I we had known of it.

8-2-1886
Cut Pa's wheat. Got done at 5 PM. Finished some hand binding for me.

8-3-1886
I cut the 5 acres next to Schultz's. Pa went & stacked for Reiter. I went to Jakes in the eve. Got home at 10o'c. Solon Jahr, the apple tree man, came here today. I gave him an order for trees & strawberries.

8-4-1886
Commenced cutting oats on the south lot. Minnie picked apples & after dinner she took them to Pt. Jimmie set up all the oats I cut. I had Karker's horse while Minnie went to Pt. Commenced raining at 6 o'c. PM & we had to quit work. Had a nice shower.

8-5-1886
Rained all night & was raining when I got up. Minnie & Helen went over to Jakes. Willie came for Helen. After they were gone, Willie helped me unload Barley & then I went with him. Jake struck waster after digging 40 ft. & boring 9 ft. further. I helped haul stones till noon & then came home & went cutting grain for Karker.

8-6-1886
Put up the scaffold in the barn this morn. Went to K's & commenced cutting at 9:45 & finished the back lot & went twice around the middle lot. Pa took some apples & eggs to Grafton for us.

8-7-1886
Cut grain for K all day. Didn't get quite done.

8-8-1886
Went to Pt. Church. Drove Bon. Was obligized to get my bull & heifer from the swamp tonight.

8-9-1886
Took my stub horn cow to the fair & sold her for $31.00. Came right home & finished K's wheat. & cut Pa's oats. Worked till dark.

8-10-1886
Finished my oats in the forenoon & Jake came at noon & we loaded the binder onto Pa's trucks & took it over to cut his grain. Got there all right & I commenced & cut his oats west of the road. (about 2 ac.) Jake went to Pt & got 14 lbs if twine.

8-11-1886
Went to Jakes & cut his wheat. Got done at 4:30 o'c & after supper loaded the binder up & brought it home. Got here at dark. Jake went home by way of Reiters.

8-12-1886
Went to Saukville in the forenoon & got Bonn shod. After dinner we went to Hakes & helped Jake stack loose oats. Pa & Jimmie drew in 4 loads of oats for me.

8-13-1886
Stacked Pa's wheat & drew in oats for me. Got them all except the south lot. Jake helped all day. Lois came over & went back after noon.

8-14-1886
Went to Jakes & helped him stack wheat. Got done at 5 o'c. Paid Old Bulbach her money. Got my note back.

8-15-1886
Went to Henry's to Prayer Meeting & afternoon preaching. Bro. Detert. Text: For God so loved the world, etc. Drove Bon & had a picnic with him on the road home.

8-16-1886
Drew manure. Cleaned out the horse manure & fixed a place for my srtraw stack. Worked till dark. Jimmie helped me.

8-17-1886
Went with the milk for Karcher. Went to Reiters to help thrash. Went to Jakes & Jake said he would come & help stack oats. I came home & fixed a scaffold back of the barn & moved the hay so we could get the straw out. Jake came at 2o'c & we stacked all the oats in the south lot except a half load. Pa & Jim came from R's soon enough to help us some. I let Jake have my fly nets for his horses. Mrs. A. Dempsey buried today.

8-18-1886
Hauled in Pa's oats. Got done at 3 o'c. & I went to Port. Took Mrs. Chamberlain, her Aunt Budde by the way of Dopplers to take Helen home. Got home at dark.

8-19-1886
Went to help Henry thrash. Came home early & went to S. to get beef for our own threshers. They brought the machine over in the eve. Jake & Henry staid at home.

8-20-1886
Henry & Jake came at day light & we got an early start. Threshed out my grain & moved over & threshed Pa's oats. Ighes steamer passed here & went to Beckers & had to lay up till morn. I had a very poor yield of grain. 13 bus. oats & 130 Bu. barley.

8-21-1886
Threshed Pa's Wheat & after a lunch they moved the machine to Jakes by way of Reiters. Had a heavy rain last night. Threshed at Jakes. We went over, took Eva Soule over & threshed Jakes wheat before dinner. Before dinner, had a terrible rain just as we were finishing up. About 15 bu. of barley had to be threshed after the rain. We got wet through coming home.

8-22-1886
I went to church alone. Minnie didn't feel well. Had showers all aftenoon. Walter want to work in Papa's barn. He is a good boy. I will hold his hand and let him work.

8-23-1886
Went to Schueler's to thresh. Jimmie helped there till noon & went to Lutfrings. Came back again about 3 o'c. Got home at dark. Steamer went to K's tonight.

8-24-1886
I went to G. Balbach's & Pa & Jimmie went to Karkers. I got home at 5 o'c.

8-25-1886
Went to Grafton. got home at 1 oi'c. Went to Kackers to to mhurf sheep dogs. Out of a flock of 21 only four are left in living condition. Went to Jonas & Weber Mill & got some middlings for feed.

8-26-1886
Went to Georges to help thresh. Got there at 10 o'c & commenced work right away. Minnie & Helen came home & did the chores & I staid with Jake all night.

8-27-1886
Finished threshing this forenoon. I came home. got here ar 12:30 o'c. The weather is very warm. To hot to work. Went to Saukville & got the wolf teeth knocked out of Bon. Put some of Karkers Spavin Creme on Doll's leg. It commenced sweating in a few hours.

8-28-1886
Very warm all night. Weather changed to cooler at 6 o'c AM. Wind came from the lake. I went to cutting flax. Commenced raining about 1:30 o'c. Rained most of the afternoon & eve. I cut Walter's hair this morn. Doll's leg is swollen a considerable today.

8-29-1886
Went to church. Helen & Minnie went to the German Qrtly meeeting. I went to hear Huston preach. I brought Huston out & took him back. M & H staid until eveing & we heard Bro. Fritsche preach. Got home at 11 o'c. PM. Weather cloudy & warm. Wind changed to NW & blew cold.

8-30-1886
Wind NW. Blowing cold. We built a fire in the sitting room this morn. I finished cutting flax & after dinner bound most of it. Didn't get quite done. Had a headache all day.

8-31-1886
Finished binding flax & went to McCartens where Fieber Nickel were threshing. After dinner I cleaned the hen house & drew the manure outside. Two loads. Went to Jakes in the eve. P. Degan shot Dorrschmidt with a shot gun. They quarreled over a load of straw.

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