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. 26th: It has been a rainy day. Richard did not take his violin lesson because he was sick. Sen telephoned from Ann Arbor this afternoon saying he would come down to-morrow and bring one of his room-mates. Prof. Luderer stayed over to-night from the ten o'clock train. I did not see him for he came when I was in bed and went before I got up.

Saturday Oct. 27: It rained hard this morning but cleared up this afternoon and was [real] warm. Suv arrived at half past eleven accompanied by his friend and room mate Mr. Moore. This afternoon Eber and Richard took them to ride and see the city.

This evening we played six-handed euchre Eber, Suv and I played against Mr. Moore, Richard, and Mama and our side beat. They went home on the 9 o'clock train for their other room mate is going to sing a solo at the Congregational Church and as they wanted to get home to-night. The wind blew quite hard to-night and it is cooler.

Sunday Oct. 28: This has been a pleasant day but colder than yesterday. Mama, Grandma and I went to church this morning. They used to have a chorus choir but they have changed and had a quartet. Miss Satsun soprano, Miss Barnard alto, Mr. Pease tenor and Mr. Spaulding bass and we like it much better.Eber Mama and I went to church again this evening.

Monday October 29th: It has been a lovely day. Mama, Grandma, and I went to Detroit this morning at 7 o'clock. We went in to shop. Just as we had got through with our dinner and were walking towards the Russel House who should walk up behind us but Uncle Criss Potter and I can tell you we were surprised for we thought he and his family were abroad but he said they had been home a month. He said he had telephoned to Papa saying that he would be out to Ypsi, on the half-past one o'clock train so we parted.

We did not come back until the four o'clock train and when we got down to the depot at Detroit who should [we] see but Uncle Cain. It seems he got left on the other train so we all came out together which was very pleasant.

Uncle Cain took Jim and Agnes around with him and they met Aunt Nell, Gertrude, and Margaret, and stayed traveling around France, Switzerland, and England for about 3 months and then all came home together. He said they were all sick both going and coming.

Uncle Cain said when he went over it was so foggy that you could not see from one end of the boat to the other and they blew the fog-horn every minute and he said all the family were very glad to get back home.

We also met Mr. Mervin on the street and he said he was coming out to Ypsi in a few days. Uncle Cain went home on the 9:30 train.

Eber went over to the first lecture in the Normal Lecture Course we all have tickets for the whole course but Eber was the only one that went. Mr. [blank space] lectured on the Arctic Regions and Eber enjoyed it very much.

Tuesday Oct. 30th: This morning Miss Morton came to do some sewing for us. Papa received a telegram from Uncle Cain wanting him to come over to Chicago so Papa went to-night on the half past nine o'clock train.

I went over to our musical club this afternoon and we had a very nice time. Mr. Panne [?] brought 15 copies of a trio and made it a present to the club and we practiced on it and it went very nicely.

I took my violin lesson this morning. There was a man from an Ann Arbor green-house around to-day selling Chrysanthemums and they were the prettiest ones I have seen and mama bought 5 of them and they are lovely.

Wensday Oct. 31st: To-day has been warm and pleasant. Mama and Grandma went down town this afternoon and I was down to Grandpa's [walking?] arrived and Mr. and Mrs. Bloon drove in and so I entertained Mrs. Bloon until grandma came back. We walked all around the two places and did not go in the house for it was so warm that we thought it pleasant out doors.

Mama went to the wedding reception of Miss Kate Glover to Mr. S. Soring Brooke. They were married at seven o'clock and the reception was from eight to ten after which they started for Boston which is to be their home. There were a great many people at the reception and she had a great many beautiful and valuable gifts. Her father made her a present of a $6,000 check [$141,444 today]. We had a rain shower about half past seven this evening.

Thursday Nov. 1st, 1888: This had been a lovely warm day just like Spring. Grandma and I walked down to church this morning but we made a mistake in the hour and so church was over when we got there so we turned around and came back.We had a very slight sun shower about noon and that is the sign that it will rain tomorrow.

Friday Nov. 2: It has been windy all day and it rained pretty nearly all the morning. Eber has gone to Lyceum this evening at the Union School.

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