Milwaukee County Wisconsin Genealogy

William Bramwell Sizer Diaries
December 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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December 1886

12-1-1886
December comes in a howling. Wind NNW & the thermometer going down fast.. Churned & got in wood.

12-2-1886
Thermometer 6 deg. below this morn. Got 80- lbs of shelled corn this forenoon. Cleaned out the front room of the hen house & separated the hens. I have 100 hens & 6 roosters for store fowls. 71 to dispose of including alod hens & young roosters. Weather at zero tonight. Walter & I went to over to hear Eva play on her organ tonight. Froze some in the cellar last. night.

12-3-1886
Finished cleaning the hen house & fixed up some chores around & got a load of wood from the woods for us. Weather moderating.

12-4-1886
Put up seven bags of feed took two bags to the Saukville mill. Took 12 bu. oats to Bro. Detert. Eva rode down with us. Minnie went to Mrs. Soules to see about her dress. She stayed there to dinner. I took a cup of coffee at Detert's. Came back & went to Saukville & got my horses shod. Got home at 6:30 0'c.

12-5-1886
Went to church this morn. Eastman rode down with us. I brought back Pa & the Preacher. Did the chores & went to Henry's & staid the eve. Weather moderate.

12-6-1886
Took a load of Beech to Turner. Doubled teams with Pa up the big hill. Put uo our hams to smoke this morn.

12-7-1886
Went to Port with Beech for Turner. Helped Pa up the hill with his load for Mrs. Hollander.

12-8-1886
Dressed our old hens. Pa & Ma helped us. We dressed 50 of them in a half day. Went to Port with them in the eve. Sold 48 of them to Jacque for 6 cts. per lb. The fifty old hens weighed 140 lbs.

12-9-1886
Hauled manure around the house this morn. Pa helped me. Then I took a load of Maple down for Pain. Jake came & we ate dinner before I went off.

12-10-1886
Went to Port with wood for Pa. Jake & Charlie Vetter came over this morn to cut wood in the swamp. I got home at 2 PM. Went to the swamp with the rifle. Minnie went home this afternoon. Got back at dark. We had supper over at the other house.

12-11-1886
Very foggy this morn. Worked around at the chores in the morn. Went to the swamp at 1 o'c. to help Jake. Afternoon cleaned stables. Jake filed saw. Went up & cut a big Tamarack. Sold Pa, 3 1/4 gal. oil. Eva rode down with Karker.

12-12-1886
Rained all day. So we had to stay home. Weather warm. Wind, south.

12-13-1886
Went to the Fair. Sold 19 roosters, 6 ducks, two beeves & the old cow & white 2 year old bull. Traded rosters with Henry. Also exchanged geese. Got cheese money. Pd. Phillip Doppke $25.00 for wagon. Pd. Tom. Flynn the last of the Binder note. Roads very muddy. Small Fair.

12-14-1886
Commenced snowing this morn Snowed most of day. Chored around & got a half bushel of corn of Pa. Went to Saukville. got some window lights. Also heard market reports. Cold this eve.

12-15-1886
Thermometer at zero this morn. Byron Fairbanks came here this morn. I went to Reiters & bought two pigs. Also Minnie & I went over to Henry's. Took back the goose & exchanged it for a white Gander. Called at Georges & at Jakes on our way home. Didn't let the cattle out today. Put in two window lights tonight. Quite cold. Pa went to see Erwin about that money.

12-16-1886
Got up at 3:30 o'c. this morn. Had breakfast at 4 o'c. & killed two geese by lantern light. Jake at 6:15 came & Henry came at 8 o'c. Geo. came at 9:30 o'c. Dressed the geese & killed 7 ducks but couldn't pick them so let them go. Geo. took one home, also one white Gander. Took two Geese to the Saukville Miller & 13 to B. Bros. to ship to Milw.

12-17-1886
Got up early & Minnie went over to Henry's to help them butcher geese. Walter staid with Grandma. I fixed up the straw stable. Uncle Frank came down last night. I let him have 21 bu. of Oats & sold him my sleigh. Went to Reiter's & got two pigs. Pd. $2.25. Commenced snowing about noon. Got a load of wood from the woods.

12-18-1886
Killed 12 ducks last night & hung them up till this morn thinking they would pick better. Morria Vetter told Jake that was the way they were to be picked. We picked on them all forenoon. & took them to Port in the PM. Pa took some chickens. He went with his team. I rode with him. Eva rode down with us.

12-19-1886
Went to church this morn. Laura rode home with me. Minnie staid at home & went to see Clarence Goodman who is very sick. Cora & Jimmie came in in the eve.

12-20-1886
Chored around this morn. Put up 10 bags of feed after dinner. Jake came with his team & one Bob & broke a road to the swamp. Pa & I went to Saukeville. Also to Irvins. Gave our note & gott a draft for $400.00. Eastman came home with us. Walter is in trouble with the nose bleed. Very bad. Karker came over & got our cradle for Cla=rence so they could rock him & not hold him all the time.

12-21-1886
Eastman & I went to Pt. this morn. I got the draft cashed, & we came right back. Got here at 11:30. Pa was ready to go to Waubeka & I drank half a cup of coffee & went along. Jake & Lois were here. Wolf came to help Jake. Mrs. Reiter came over. We went to W. I had the case removed. Called Coooley & had the case adjourned one week. Left W. at 4 o'c. Went to Newburg. Pd. 3 of those notes & got home before 7 o'c.

12-22-1886
Helped Pa clean wheat this morn. Then hitched up & went to Saukville. Got Bon's front shoes set over & got some repairs done. Met George there. Minnie rode home with him & I waited to get my work done. While waiting I took Eastman's trunk to the Depot. He is going home. Set up the stove in the hen house tonight.

12-23-1886
Jake came over this morn & we hauled his wood out of the swamp. His team couldn't stand up good so we came up early, took dinner & took my team. Karker got some Oats for Bostwicks colt last night. Eva came here to supper.

12-24-1886
Churned this forenoon & did chores. Jake came at 1 o'c. & Minnie got ready. At 2 o'c. they started for Sydow's to attend quarterly meeting. Minnie took Walter. Lois stayed with Ma. Jimmie & Laura took Nell & went to Pt. to the Christmas Tree.

12-25-1886
Went to our folks to breakfast. Libbie came home last night to spend vacation. Hauled down some wood on the sleigh. Jimmie & I went up & got some cedar for kindling wood. Jake & Minnie came at 4:3- o'c. Libbe & Alice came over in the eve. & we fixed up Walter's chrismas tree. Walter got a cup & saucer & a tool chest. Pa's birthday. 63 today.

12-26-1886
Growing colder & snowing some. Started with the buggy for Georges at 11 o'c. Got there to dinner. Bro. Detert preached & we came home before dark. Jake rode down home with us.

12-27-1886
Very cold this morn. The thermometer is 16 deg. below at 8 o'clock. Went to Saukville after dinner. Got the returms from the geese. Rode home with Jim Gorman. Piled up 3/4 cord of wood for Pat McCarton & went to Lutfrings in the eve. Thermometer 8 deg. below tonight.

12-28-1886
Went to Waubeka to attend the law suit between Hugh Turner & Pa about Pa's pump. Got home at 11:30 o'c. tonight. Case to be decided tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. Lutfring went up with us to help us throught.

12-29-1886
Snowing this morn. Went to Waubeka to hear the decision of the court in regard to yesterdays proceedings. The court decided against us thereby intimating that we had sworn falsely. Jake came at dark & I went to the swamp with him & loaded a load of wood by lantern light.

12-30-1886
I went with Libbie this morning. After dinner Jimmie helped me cut some wood in the woods. Did chores early & went over to Jakes in the evening. They had the Baby Baptized. They call him Everett Woods.

12-31-1886
Snowing this morn. chored all day. The year has passed & this book records something for every day. Hope to be able to continue.

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