Hiram E. Leonard Diary, September 11 - 17, 1873

“11th Thursday  A fine hot day & evening ground verry dry & dusty, I did my choars choared round house & cistern some closed up about 8 & went to bed about 9 ½ tiard & nearly sick a hot night  Emma Barrus & Hannah Connell went to the Aurora Fair with a young sargent and got back here a little after 11 & fooled round the house & road round the Square till after 12  Connell & Pollard put on the second cost of sement on my cistern this afternoon took about 2 hours.

“12th Friday  A cloudy showerey day & rained conciderable  I did my choars choared round the office some closed up at about 8 & went to bed about 9 ½ nearly sick & worne out  Alvah Fowler had a fine calf die with the black leg.

“13th Saturday  A fine cool pleasant day  I did my choars choared round the office some closed up about 8 & went to bed about 9 ½ tierd and nearly sick & about worne out  Judson Graves took Mary Tart & Caroline to Naperville and back in the forenoon.

“14th Sunday  A fine pleasant day but cool & dry  I did my choars choared round some at the farm  Gathred about 2 bushels of butternuts up to the house wrote some & red some etc went to bed about 9 nearly sick  Jerry Pollard went to my well & boared out the hold which I boared when it was dug.

“15th Monday  fine cool dry weather, hot in middle of day  I did my choars choared round some in office closed up at 8 & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick  Griffeth worked ½ day.

“16th Tuesday  quite pleasant weather but extreemely dry cool mornings & evenings & hot in middle of day  I did my choars choared round the office some closed up about 8 ½ & went to bed about 9 ½ sick  Griffith worked all day.

“17th Wednesday  fine weather but verry dry & pretty hot 80 degrees & over  I did my choars choared round the office closed up at 8 & went to bed at 9 ½ nearly sick.”