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.”