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. 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.

Saturday, Nov. 10: To-day has been an other rainy day and this evening it is turning cold and the wind blows very hard.

Aunt Kate, Mama and Mabel went down town this afternoon and Grandma came up to our house and brought the baby and spent the afternoon and then they all took tea here. Ebe made two nice little coon houses for my coons and they are real cute.

Sunday Nov. 11: To-day has been a colder than yesterday. Mama, Eber, mabel and I went to church this morning and Mabel joined its Sunday school; she is in Mrs. Swain's class. Grandma has been sick in bed all day. We all went down to Grandma's to tea.

Monday Nov. 13: It has been a pleasant day. Grandma is feeling better today.

Tuesday November 14: We had a heavy frost last night. I went down and took my violin lesson this morning. I went over to our usical society this afternoon and we had a very pleasant time.

About two weeks ago Papa received a letter from a Mr. Osborn [?] in Ontario saying that he had a young deer which was very tame and he would sell it to him if he wanted it and Papa telegraphed him to send it right away and so it arrived this evening and he is a beauty and very tame. Papa put it in a bull stall with a Jersey calf and they seemed to like each other very much. This evening Grandpa, Mama and I went to the Opera House to hear the Mindilz Quintet and we enjoyed it very much. We thought they played better than the last time we heard them.

Wensday, Nov. 15: This has been a beautiful day. The Republicans had a grand torch light parade to-night. Ebe and Richard rode horse-back in it. Eber rode a new horse Papa bought to-day her name is Maud H. and she is very handsome. Ebe had the bridle decorated with flags and so did Ricky have his horse. Robin's bridle, with flags in it, and Ebe also bought a Republican hat for the occasion which was a white stove-pipe with a white band on it. The Democrat hats are the same only they have a black band. [The Owen's house is mentioned in the paper's excerpt, at right].

A great many citizens decorated their home among the nicest were Mrs. Bolings, Mr. Glovers, Wortley, Swift, Post, Grandpa's house and our house. We did not comma [commence?] decorating until after dinner nor did we expect to for they said the procession was not coming on our street until Papa saw them and they said if he wanted them to they would so we all set to work. We decorated with flags and japanese lanterns and when the procession came up we threw red lights onto the house and fired off sky-rockets, Roman candles and big fire-crackers and we also had a large bon-fire and the place certainly looked lovely.

A great many people told us it looked the prettiest on any place in town.

Grandpa's place looked very pretty also. There were about 250 horse-back riders and every body said the boys had the two handsomest horses there were. The horsemen were followed by a thousand enthusiastic republicans carrying torches. These were followed by carriages and wagons "bowed down with Harrison men" and ladies with all the procession extended well nigh a mile length. There were also two bands.

Thursday Nov. 16: To-day is not nearly as pleasant as yesterday to-night the wind began to blow real hard.

Friday Nov. 17: It froze water last night. Richard went down and took his violin lesson this morning and Prof. Luderer wanted his pupils to go to ANn Arbor to hear the Boston Symphony concert so Richard took the double carriage and Oop Wortley [?], Frank Smith and he went up and they did not get home until twelve o'clock but they had a nice time and they said it was splendid.

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