June 20
Laura M., age 15, North Carolina
June 20, 1997
Up at 10:00. Ate breakfast. Went into town with Katie and Renita. Saw the coolest dress, too expensive. Bought $10 shoes. Comfy. Got on 45-minute ferry to Nags Head. Enjoyable. Came to “Sea Foam Hotel.” Ha! 2 stars. Chilled with Katy, Wendy, Eric. Went to dinner at “Owens.” O.K. Went to D.Q. and then to “Lost Colony” play. Good. Slept at hotel.
Anna L., age 75, Illinois
June 20, 1960
Did a big wash in a hurry as Lo wanted to go to Elgin. She shopped and I got clothes in from yard as it looked threatening. Picked Zella up and went to nursing home. Uncle W. was glad to see us but seems unhappy. Vernon came so got to see him too. Stopped at Maggie’s she had gotten home from week end in Chicago. Had 2 invitations to eat supper but had to get to cabin cats hungry. Took clothes off upper porch. Glad as it rained this A.M.
Marcy S., age 19, Missouri
June 20, 1944
Quite a bit cooler today but no rain. In the afternoon Malbern Edington and Mrs. Mundy came in accompanied by Mr. Pearson, the lawyer who is so friendly. They went in to see Mr. Harris behind closed doors but I couldn’t help hearing part of what went on. Seems the Mullers won’t let Malbern see his baby and Mrs. Mundy wants the guardianship transferred to her. Trouble is abrewin’ now for sure. It’s a shame — to part with that baby will just about finish Mrs. Muller. They left and an old Mr. Davis came in — no, he was before them. Anyway, he’s awfully deaf and a great talker. Seems his son and daughter-in-law have “done him wrong.” He wanted Mr. H. to close the door so no one would hear but you could still hear every word ’cause he talked so loud. Mr. H. and I had a good laugh between “cases” when he left. Home at 5. Bath and supper. About 7 Margaret Hudson called and wanted me to go to the show — on them. So I got ready and dashed down only to have to wait about 15 minutes. Mr. and Mrs. H. came with the girls, too. Went to the Princess and saw Betty Grable in “Pin-Up Girl” in technicolor. It was pretty good. Very crowded. We didn’t have very good seats. Long program of shorts. Out about 9:45. They drove me home. We joked and had fun. Pop home. Mum had done the dishes. To bed. Much cooler. [In upper margin: “A year ago today, Mary and Horace were married — doesn’t seem possible! I sent them a card.”]
Aloys F., age 16, County Cork, Ireland
June 20, 1926
Was very depressed all to-day. After pleasure comes reaction, and so I never get any invitation or go out for the day without thinking to myself that I will pay for it sooner or later. At piano, too, I could not get a grip of Mendelssohn’s Prelude. I can never get a real grip of anything, for immediately I get to know it, I stutter and stammer after playing it a few times quickly. Nannie only came for dinner [Only Nannie came for dinner?] as Fr. Engelmann has gone for the weekend to the Aran Islands with Mrs. Stockley, and Miss O’Brien is gone to Cappoquin. Worked fairly well all to-day. – Exchanged a few stamps with Lyle. I gave her a Palestine one, and on coming back from Arthur’s, where I went with Mám but Arthur was out, I found a note saying that I could keep my ‘charity stamp’. On the back of it Julia had written ‘Only a charity stamp’. I went over and showed her that charity stamps are postage stamps too by my catalogue. I hadn’t seen what Julia had written at all. Lyle was quite nice – it was only a joke. Before going to Arthur read life of St. Aloysius. It is the best possible thing to read a saint’s life now and then for it gives one example of how to imitate his extraordinary virtue even in a tiny way.
*(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 25, Michigan
June 20, 1887
I got up at 2 o’clock this morning, fed Jimmie, got breakfast for Dor and myself, and at 3 we were on the road to Frankfort. We got there at 6, an hour before boat time. I stayed to see Dor off and then started for home. I took a lunch and fed Jimmie some oats near a spring just this side of Frankfort. Got back at 10:31 and left Fred Neill’s buggy at home. Quite a number of persons have been here picking strawberries today. I went up town for the mail tonight. Got a letter for Kate from home. I received some specimens of writing from a penman in Chicago, think with a little training I might do nearly as well.
*(R. Henry Scadin Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNC Asheville)
Abbie B., age 22, Kansas
June 20, 1871
I visited at Roses to day. This is the first time I have been across the river since I came. Of course I had to wade— The river is low. I wore my new calico dress and a white apron. Thought I looked nice. Wonder if I did? I carried a cane, not because I looked gay ct. but on account of snakes, and no rocks to pelt them with. I enjoyed my visit very much. The Rose children have been down several times. They are very interesting. The eldest will soon be a young lady.
A Mrs. Ingrahm called while I was there, I will try and call on her soon. She did not seem well. It is so different on that side of the river. A high bank, then prairie as far as the eye can see. The trail to W too is in sight.
*(kansasmemory.org, Kansas State Historical Society, copy and reuse restrictions apply)
Cornelia H., age 25, North Carolina
June 20, 1862
Mail brought nothing new. We got no letters. I sewed some on my worked cap, did not finish it as I assisted about dinner. Willie is not so well today, his bowels are very loose. I have been feeding him on panada. The others all well. Mrs. Jessie Smith spent the evening here. She is a nice lady.
*(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 20, 1667
Up, without any respect to my wife, only answering her a question or two, without any anger though, and so to the office, where all the morning busy, and among other things Mr. Barber come to me (one of the clerks of the Ticket office) to get me to sign some tickets, and told me that all the discourse yesterday, about that part of the town where he was, was that Mr. Pett and I were in the Tower; and I did hear the same before. At noon, home to dinner, and there my wife and I very good friends; the care of my gold being somewhat over, considering it was in their hands that have as much cause to secure it as myself almost, and so if they will be mad, let them. But yet I do intend to, send for it away. Here dined Mercer with us, and after dinner she cut my hair, and then I into my closet and there slept a little, as I do now almost every day after dinner; and then, after dallying a little with Nell, which I am ashamed to think of, away to the office. Busy all the afternoon; in the evening did treat with, and in the end agree; but by some kind of compulsion, with the owners of six merchant ships, to serve the King as men-of-war. But, Lord! to see how against the hair it is with these men and every body to trust us and the King; and how unreasonable it is to expect they should be willing to lend their ships, and lay out 2 or 300l. a man to fit their ships for new voyages, when we have not paid them half of what we owe them for their old services! I did write so to Sir W. Coventry this night. At night my wife and I to walk and talk again about our gold, which I am not quiet in my mind to be safe, and therefore will think of some way to remove it, it troubling me very much. So home with my wife to supper and to bed, miserable hot weather all night it was.
*(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.)