Hiram E. Leonard Diary, March 1 - 7, 1871

“March 1st Wednesday  fine weather for March but muddy  I did my choars choared round the office & house all day closed up at 8 & went to bed at 9 nearly sick & tiard out  Mrs Scovel was here today & night.

“2nd Thursday  A fine day some cloudy & verry muddy  I did my choars was at the office all day a choaring round closed up at 8 & went to bed at 9 nearly sick  Mrs Scovel & Caroline went to Mrs Connels a visating.

“3rd Friday  A fine day for the season some muddy  I did my choars choared round the office all day closed up at 8 went to bed at 9 sick  Mrs Scovel came back from McKellips tonight to stay.

“4th Saturday  A fine day & night but muddy  I did my choars was at the office all day a choaring closed up at 8 & went to bed about 10 tiard & about sick & Caroline was about sick, about 20 minutes before 12 at night Charly Barrus came & said his mother was verry sick & wanted Caroline to be up which she did & came back & went up again and back when it was near 3 oclock in the morning a Sunday  Caroline was sick till morning  I did not sleep after 1 [in margin] they sent out for Mr Barrus about 10 & went after the Doc about 12 ½.

“5th Sunday  A beautiful morning & day & warme  I did my choars went up to Barruses before sunrise and found that Mrs Barrus died about 5 oclock this morning  the doctor got there a few minutes before she died, it was a hard seen to see the family all a crying & taking on, she was taken sick about 10 last night & died at 5 this morning, Doct Potter down & eat breckfust with me & then we went back to Barruses, Mrs Waderman went & took the Doct home & got a coffin Caroline went up between 10 & 11 today came back about nearly sick  we went to bed about 9 nearly sick  Mrs Scovel was here.

“6th Monday  A fine pleasant day but muddy  I did my choars was round the house & store all day & evening closed up at 8 & went to bed at 9 nearly sick & tiared out, Mrs Barrus funeral was today at one oclock or between one & two this afternoon at Methodist Church preaching by Elder McGregor, a pretty large funeral the house well filled.

Ann Jane McNelly Barrus’s Gravestone in the Warrenville Cemetery

“7th Tuesday  A fine day for March  I did my choars was at the office & house all day a choaring round closed up at 8 & went to bed at 9 nearly sick.”