The Diary of Abba Owen

Newest chapter in an ongoing serialization of the 1888 diary of Abba Owen, daughter of Ypsilanti mineral water baron Tubal Cain Owen and Anna (Stowe Foote) Owen. The Owens lived in a now-vanished house near the current day Roosevelt School building on EMU, where Tubal also had his magical and very profitable well.

Friday Sept. 28th: To-day has been cold and raw as it has been all this week. Eber and Richard went up to Ann Arbor to the fair and they brought home a couple of coons for me and Richey got himself two beautiful pairs of doves the swallow and [jalsobin]. Prof. Luderer came, on the six o'clock train from Ann Arbor and staid until the ten o'clock train going to Detroit, to see about giving lessons in Ypsi, and he has arranged to come here twice a week. He will come on Monday night at nine o'clock and stay at our house over night and give his lessons the next morning between eight and ten and then go to A.A. He will also do the same on Thursday evening. We had a frost last night.

Saturday Sept. 29th: Mama has been busy all day putting up fruit. This afternoon we held our annual meeting of the [Runihauis] at four o'clock at Miss Genevieve Walton's. There were thirteen present and we had a very nice time. Maggie Gilbert and myself were appointed tellers and we had lots of fun. Jessie Allen was selected Pres. Nora Babbitt Vice Pres. Addie Parker Treas. Miss Genevieve Walton Sec. Eleanor Woodruff (our minister's daughter) chairman of the works committee and Clara Goodst chairman of the entertainment committee. After this election Miss Walton served us with [Graters] and cake.

Sunday Sept 30th: Mama, Grandma, and I went to church to-day. Mrs. Graham is my Sunday-school teacher and all our class think she is lovely. There are eight girls besides myself. Josie Hemphill, Jennie Farmer, Addie Parker, Nora Babbitt, Ruth Peas, Susie Dodge, Reba Page, and Hattie Roote. It started to rain before we got home and it continued to rain pretty nearly all the afternoon. We like our minister better the more we see of him. We all went down to Grandma's to church as usual.

Monday Oct 1st: This morning Richard finished me a couple of barrels for my coons [?] and we chained them to them until we can get some little houses. To-day has been real cold and the wind has blown hard all day. Mama Grandma and I went out this afternoon and picked a bushel of Onions and they were very nice.

Tuesday Oct. 2nd: To-day has also been cold and windy. The paper says they have had a snow-storm in Maryland. Mama took up all of her plants up to-day for fear we would have frost to-night. I gathered about a bushel of shagbarks with the shucks on when they are off there will only be about half as many. Prof. Luderer came last night and gave Richard his violin lesson.

Wensday Oct. 3rd: Last night we had a heavy frost and it froze a thin scab [?] over a pan of water. To-day has not been quite as cold as yesterday.

Thursday Oct. 4th This has been a very pleasant day. Very much warmer than yesterday. It froze water last night. Eber went to hear Hon. Richard Guenter who spoke at the Opera House this evening on Protection and Eber said "he was splendid." Richard went down after Prof. Luderer to-night and he would not come up for he said the School of Music at Ann Arbor had rented a room at the Follett House for him to stay at and give his lessons so we will have to take our violin lesson here-after at the Follett House.

Friday Oct. 5th: To-day has been cloudy and has rained off and on all day. This evening Mama and I put up some new lace curtains in the red room and they look quite pretty. Eber went to Lyceum this evening at the Union School, of which he is treasurer. We canned a bushel of peaches to-day.

Thanks for reading! Tune in next Tuesday for another week of Abba's diary!