The 1888 Diary of Ypsi Teen 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 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.

Saturday Nov. 3: To-day has been pleasant but cooler than yesterday. The Sunday-school of our church met to-day for the last time to sew for a mishonary box and Mama and I went down and there were quite a good many there.

Sunday Nov. 4: We expected Papa home last night but he did [not] come until this morning on the half past five o'clock train. He had a very pleasant time. Uncle Cain made Papa a present of a pair of Holstein calves which will arrive in a few days. Mama, Eber, and I went to church this morning and also this evening. We all went down to Grandma's to tea. Ebe took Mama and I out for a ride this afternoon. It has been a pleasant day.

Monday Nov. 5: To-day has been very pleasant until along in the afternoon it began to rain but it did not rain long. To-night is the last night before election and the Republicans and Democrats each had a torch light parade.

The boys went down and tried to get a torch to join the Republican parade but they were all taken, so they did not join it. We could hear the noise of horns, bands, and cries way up to our house. Mr. Cutcheons made a speech for the Republicans and the boys went to hear it.

They have this morning put up an electric light on the corner of the Normal yard [one year after the inaugural arc lights] so that it lights us very nicely and Grandma and Grandpa can come up to our house without the aid of a lantern.

Tuesday Nov. 6: To-day is election day, the tug of war. It has been cloudy but it did not rain. Everybody is excited. This evening about half past seven we began to get reports and by the time we went to bed we heard that Ypsilanti had gone Republican [for] the first time in a great many years. All the Republicans are quite positive Harrison will be elected. The boys went down town to hear the news. Grandpa and Grandma came up here [to hear?] the reports.

Wednesday Nov. 7: 'What's the matter with Harrison? He's all right.' has been the great cry for the last week and [a-nights D.] paper says What's the matter with Cleveland. The boys did not get home last night until 12 o'clock, and they said that they went over to Light Guard Hall where they received the reports and the Republicans were so tickled that they went for the band and had a great time.

The latest news we have got today is this evening that Harrison is elected even the Democratic papers own up to it. Allen is also elected for Congressman and we do not know anything more definitely.

Mama and I went down town this afternoon and most everybody were talking politics. Harrie Ferrier a little boy, whose father is a Democrat met a little girl and said, "I have just heard that N. Y. State has gone Democratic and if it has we will beat the Republicans all to shucks," and off he ran, and it did sound so funny from such a little boy.

We had a heavy frost last night. The band is out serenading Allen this evening.

Mama went down to the Sappho club which met at Mrs. Daniel Putman's and she said they had a very nice meeting. It began to rain when Mama got home.

Thursday Nov. 8: It rained pretty nearly all night and nearly all day. This morning Julia (Grandma's girl) came up and said Grandma wanted Mama and I to come down to her house after we were through with our breakfast, we could not think what she wanted so we went down and on the way Mama said, may be Aunt Kate is there and I said you must be a goose to think so when she is away in Washington Territory but she stuck to it and when we got there sure enough Aunt Kate. Mabil [not sure who this is] and I hardly were there and I can tell you we were surprised. It seems that when [she] got to Tacoma W. T. and had been there six weeks they began to think they were a good way from home in case of sickness and that there was a good deal of typhoid fever there so they started for home last Sunday morning and arrived here last night on the half-past ten o'clock train. We all went down to Grandma's to tea and had a lovely time.

We saw by the papers to-day that Uncle Justin Whiting was elected for Congressman by 800 majority. [Tubal's younger sister Emily married well!]

Friday Nov. 9: It has rained pretty nearly all day. Papa put [up] the stars and stripes to-day to celebrate Harrison's election but it began to rain so he took it down again. He put it way up on top of the tank house and it looked very pretty. Mabil was up to-day and took dinner and spent the afternoon.

Aunt Kate, Grandpa, Mama and I went over to the Normal this evening to the second lecture in the Normal Lecture and Music Course which was delivered by Col. J. B. Sanford who is a great teacher. He says he has been in every country in the world. He lectured on "Old Times and the New" and it was splendid. He was a very large, nice looking man.

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