June 16
Laura M., age 16, North Carolina
June 16, 1998
Up at 8:30. Me and Courtney tried 2 swim, but too cold. Showered. Slept till 12:00. Drove home. Sean called. Casey called. Layed nakie in Mom’s bed. She put aloe on me. Guitar lesson. Dinner. Went to see “Dirty Work” with Casey, Née, Les, and Pat. FUNNY. Felt a bit too good to be with Casey. Thinking of him makes me happy. Sean!
Laura M., age 15, North Carolina
June 16, 1997
Up at 8:30. Showered. Went to job interview at Manhattan Bagel. Very nice. Me and Em went down to Raleigh to find Labor Dept, but couldn’t. Came home. Sandra took me to Labor Dept. Got papers for worker’s permit. Eddie took me to Manhattan to get them signed. Did yoga. Laundry. Went to softball game at 6:00. Amanda was there because we played Ashley. Lost 10-6. Fun, though. Went to Tripp’s. Played cards.
Anna L., age 75, Illinois
June 16, 1960
We up as usual, K.J. slept until 8:30. Up to eat later to shampoo and bathe. Went down town got a card for the Sitters anniversary. Ate and drank coffee most of the day. Rainy. Out to cabin to eat and on to Northbrook. The rain held us up and couldn’t make very good time. Arr. home at 10:30. Talked with Amy Lee, Amy K., Mrs. B. and Edna. K.J. called Amy to thank her for gift. Amy K had tonsils out.
Marcy S., age 19, Tennessee
June 16, 1944
Kimmie’s birthday but she’s still up in Ky. visiting relatives — Pan’s there, too. Hot day. Got very absorbed in the Robe in afternoon. Mr. H. let me off about 4:15. Mum was in the Red Cross rooms helping Mrs. Davis pack the dressings they’d made. They put me to work doing the same thing! About 4:45 Mum and I went over to Draper and Darwin’s and bought Pop a tie. Then to Golden Rule for some fruit juice. Hot, beautiful afternoon. Walked up hill and stopped by Mrs. Shaefer’s. She wasn’t there but we rested on her porch a few minutes. Took shower when I got home. After supper I sat out on the porch and then played the piano. George will be back Sunday. It’s almost too hot to sleep.
Marcy S., age 16, Tennessee
June 16, 1941
Ruth’s 16th birthday. Bright, beautiful June day. Pleasantly cool. In good mood.
Music lesson at 8:30. When I came home I gave the china cabinet in the dining room its annual cleaning, practiced, wrote in my Diary, and then Mom and I had lunch. It seemed like a continuation of last week. We were through early.
Mom had gone to rest, and I was just finishing the dishes when Elma came to call. We sat out on the cool front porch and talked till about 2:30. It seemed like old times. I walked down to the corner with her en route to the Ballards’. Then I came back and read “Little Women.”
About 3:30 Mary phoned and we had a delightful conversation. Mary and William are planning a picnic at a lovely spring for Sunday and they have asked Barbara Muller and now me. At first I didn’t want to go, thinking Barbara didn’t like me (I didn’t tell Mary, though) but Mary said that Barbara hoped I could go ’cause she liked me. Yippee! I was so happy and when I hung up I went around singing, much to Mother’s distress and discomfort. Took bath.
Just as we were finishing supper, Mrs. Rodgers came to call and I couldn’t listen to Lux Radio Theater. I read “Little Women” instead. She had me play a few pieces for her and in return she paid me a compliment. Mary, her daughter, had exclaimed, after we left that Saturday night, “Isn’t Patty Anne a beautiful girl!” I blushed and Mother made some diverting yet appropriate remark for she doesn’t approve of people’s complimenting any physical virtues of her daughter. Oh don’t worry, Diary. I’m not conceited and never will be, ‘cause I’m not beautiful (for further details see Mary, Helen, etc.).
As soon as Mrs. Rodgers was out of earshot I turned on the radio and listened to music while I read. Then to bed. Beautiful but cool night.
Aloys F., age 16, County Cork, Ireland
June 16, 1926
This morning at history Connie Deacy, the holiest boy in the college, came over to me, and gave me 3 booklets about St. Aloysius, to whom he said he has a special devotion. I felt like a heathen, because I didn’t know anything about my patron, and he said I must to go Mass and Communion next Monday, the feast of St. Aloysius, and begin a novena. Connie has made the whole school make novenas and is always distributing holy books among the fellows. He would be alright only he’s like an old man of 90, and speaks slowly like a book, never taking part in any games. I was wondering all day whether great holiness, such as he has, is really all we should bother to attain to in life. – While Middle Grade had Inter. English, we seniors went to Requiem for the late Bishop Dr. Callaghan. The priests’ choir sang, but it was difficult to keep serious sometimes watching the faces of the boys when Fr. O’Flynn and Fr. O’Brien were singing. – Went to Arthur at 5.30, and found him going to a fashionable young gentleman called Randy O’Flynn, and I had to come though I hated it. We went to club and crossed over river in a boat. Randy was out, thank goodness, so we launched an old punt, and went around by poles. I got a horrible red weal on my hand. After a long time, a Mr. Daly of the club was kind enough to bring me back in a club punt. Arthur stayed behind.
*(Original Archive Copyright © Estate of Aloys Fleischmann. The Fleischmann Diaries Online Archive by Róisín O’Brien is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Used with permission.)
Henry S., age 26, Michigan
June 16, 1888
I worked about all day spraying apple trees with London Purple. It has been very hot today, 90 degrees in the shade. Pa went to Dexter this evening. He got a letter from ma, she will be home next Wednesday. I had a letter from Jessie Packard of Benzonia, he writes that things are flourishing there. Una has gotten very miserable all day; she coughs very hard.
*(R. Henry Scadin Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNC Asheville)
Henry S., age 25, Michigan
June 16, 1887
Finished putting out the tomato plants this morning. Wrote a letter to ma after breakfast and then I went up town and mailed it and got my mail also. My buckboard had not come yet. It was awful hot the most of the day. I was hoeing in the garden the best share of the day. Winnie Waters and Carrie were here picking strawberries this forenoon and stayed to dinner. Dor came back this afternoon. We took Fred Neill’s rifle and shot at a mark several times. Jessie Neill picked some strawberries this afternoon. It rained a very little and threatened a good deal.
*(R. Henry Scadin Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNC Asheville)
Cornelia H., age 26, North Carolina
June 16, 1863
This has been a very warm day. Atheline went & gathered some strawberries. We had some for supper. They were very nice. William & Tom Tidwell stay here tonight. William starts in the morning or after dinner, back to the army. God protect our poor soldiers I pray. Help us in this fight.
*(Fear in North Carolina: The Civil War Journals and Letters of the Henry Family, Eds. Karen L. Clinard and Richard Russell, used with permission.)
Cornelia H., age 25, North Carolina
June 16, 1862
I sewed some on Zona’s drawers, did not finish them. Mr. Henry went to Asheville this morning for the mill spindle. He did not get it. I assisted some about dinner as Atheline is the cook now. She is not very stout. Mrs. George Jones was here a short time this evening, brought a letter. The mail comes along before night now. He brought no news. Quite cool today.
*(Fear in North Carolina: The Civil War Journals and Letters of the Henry Family, Eds. Karen L. Clinard and Richard Russell, used with permission.)
Samuel P., age 34, London
June 16, 1667
(Lord’s day). Up, and called on by several on business of the office. Then to the office to look out several of my old letters to Sir W. Coventry in order to the preparing for justifying this office in our frequent foretelling the want of money. By and by comes Roger Pepys and his son Talbot, whom he had brought to town to settle at the Temple, but, by reason of our present stirs, will carry him back again with him this week. He seems to be but a silly lad. I sent them to church this morning, I staying at home at the office, busy. At noon home to dinner, and much good discourse with him, he being mighty sensible of our misery and mal-administration. Talking of these straits we are in, he tells me that my Lord Arlington did the last week take up 12,000l. in gold, which is very likely, for all was taken up that could be. Discoursing afterwards with him of our family he told me, that when I come to his house he will show me a decree in Chancery, wherein there was twenty-six men all housekeepers in the town of Cottenham, in Queene Elizabeth’s time, of our name. He to church again in the afternoon, I staid at home busy, and did show some dalliance to my maid Nell, speaking to her of her sweetheart which she had, silly girle. After sermon Roger Pepys comes again. I spent the evening with him much troubled with the thoughts of the evils of our time, whereon we discoursed. By and by occasion offered for my writing to Sir W. Coventry a plain bold letter touching lack of money; which, when it was gone, I was afeard might give offence: but upon two or three readings over again the copy of it, I was satisfied it was a good letter; only Sir W. Batten signed it with me, which I could wish I had done alone. Roger Pepys gone, I to the garden, and there dallied a while all alone with Mrs. Markham, and then home to my chamber and to read and write, and then to supper and to bed.
*(The Diary of Samuel Pepys M.A. F.R.S., edited by Henry B. Wheatley F.S.A., London, George Bell & Sons York St. Covent Garden, Cambridge Deighton Bell & Co., 1893.)