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 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.

Saturday Oct. 6th: It rained all night off and on and to-day has been cloudy. Eber drove up to Ann Arbor this morning to bring down Sen [?] Trowbridge, Mama's cousin, to spend Sunday. He is studying Pharmacy at the University. This afternoon Eber took him for a drive all over Ypsi and he thought the place very pretty. Mama, Grandma, and I went down to Mrs. Hemphill's this afternoon there was a meeting there of the church society for the purpose of deciding whether they should furnish the supper for Mr. Cleary's banquet, which is to be two weeks from next Tuesday. He sends out 700 invitations and the Aid society are to furnish supper for that many for $230.00 and they decided to take it. Mama and I then went over to the church where our Cunilararys [?] held a meeting in the Infant Class room and then Mama staid after that to the teacher meeting at the same place. While Mama was attending the teachers meeting Maggie Gilbert and I drove all around and went to the Ladies' Library and had a nice time. This evening we went down to Grandma's to spend the evening. We played six hands euchre. Mama, Grandma and Richard against Sen, Eber and myself and our side came out victorious afterwards. We had grapes and angel food cake.

Sunday Oct. 7th: To-day it has rained pretty nearly all day so we did not go to church. Sen stayed until about four o'clock and then Eber took him back to Ann Arbor.

Monday Oct. 8th: This has been a pleasant day and a little cooler than yesterday. Mama and I went down town and had a very nice time. Grandma's girl has gone to Detroit to make a visit so Grandma and Grandpa came up to dinner and supper until they get a girl.

Tuesday Oct. 9th: To-day has been real cold. Richard took his violin lesson to-day for I sent my violin into Detroit to be fixed so I could not take my lesson. Laura Jeness came up this afternoon to invite me to attend a singing club at the Normal School at a quarter past four. There are about 30 of the town girls belonging to it and we meet every Tuesday to practice and Mr. Parmer directs. Mama went over to the Conservatory of Music to attend the first meeting [of the] musical committee of the Sappho.

Wensday Oct. 10th: To-day has been a beautiful warm day. This morning I wrote a letter to Lou Snyder. I took Maggie Gilbert for a long ride this afternoon and we had a lovely time. We have had a frost last night.

Thursday Oct. 11th: Last night our church gave a reception to our new minister Rev. Mr. M. C. Woodruff at the residence of Mrs. Quirk. It went off splendidly and every one was pleased. We had refreshments and Maggie Gilbert and I helped wait on table. Grandpa and Grandma were on the receiving committee with Mr. & Mrs. Quirk, Rev. Mr. & Mrs. Woodruff, Mrs. Graham, and Prof. Gill. To-day has been colder than yesterday. Mr. Yost made Eber a present of a very handsome carriage blanket today. The soldiers have a reunion of the 20th Infantry of Michigan there to-night and this afternoon we saw a good many of them on the street. Grandma received a letter from Aunt Kate last night saying they left St. Paul Minn. on Monday morning and arrived in Tacoma Washington Territory the next Saturday morning. It was the first we had heard of and we were very much surprised. Grandpa went to Plymouth. Aunt Kate says it is lovely there. The thermometer does not go hardly down below freezing all winter. They expect to stay there all winter. I wrote a letter to Lou Snyder.

Friday Oct. 12th It has rained pretty nearly all day.

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