By 1917, my great-grandfather’s farm in Princess Anne County, Virginia, was up and running, with actual profits registered. The weather remained a preoccupation:
1917
3 February: Coldest day in eighteen years.
10 February: Fred’s yew [sic] had two lambs[;] she disowned one and had to [be forced to] nurse.
23 February: Little Frances[1] sick in bed with measles.
4 March: Inauguration Day – President Wilson’s second term… Fred served at communion today at the nine o’clock service and the 11 a.m. service. Frances recovered from measles.
21 March: Planted a few potatoes – stopped by rains.
23 March: Finished planting twenty-five barrels potatoes. Used six tons guano.
7 May: Very cold and raining – have big fire in living room.
8 June: Potatoes selling today in market for $10.50 per barrel.
A fleet open day during the 1930s, from my grandfather's album.
24 June: Our family went with the Dobsons to Yorktown and witnessed a most beautiful sight – about twenty battleships anchored in harbor.
11 July: Shipped one car potatoes containing 220 [barrels?] for which I received $880.00.
18 July: Estelle[2] went to New York.
24 July: Estelle returned from New York and brought her mother[3] home.
26 July: Rain every day since July 5th – grass getting the better of everything. More rain in July than we have ever seen.
1 August: Hottest day in twenty years.
The Bells had hopes of a Naval Academy appointment for my grandfather:
6 September: Fred and I returned from a most delightful trip to Washington, Mt. Vernon & Baltimore. While in Washington we called on the Secty. of the Navy Hon. Josephus Daniels.
1 October: My birthday. Very happy Sunday.
3 November: Sold the entire lot of sweet potatoes for $81.00. This more than pays our coal bill, which is $76.50.
10 November: Estelle and I took a trip to New York and spent a most profitable and happy time.
10 December: Coldest day this winter, 18° this morning.
12 December: Snow eight inches deep.
17 December: Snow for the last week. No chance to work on farm. Man cutting wood and building hog runs.
25 December: Merry Christmas. Day clear and pleasant, snow at night.
1918
1 January: Coldest weather this city has ever seen… Monticello Hotel[4] burned today, also six stores on Granby Street.
20 January: Inspected potatoes stored in Anheuser-Busch and found about 25% of them frozen. Rather discouraged.
31 January: Sleet everywhere – the trees and lawn sparkle like diamonds.
15 February: Think the ground hog saw his shadow as we are having some fine weather. Estelle and I took a long drive this afternoon.
28 February: The month of Feb. has been the finest open weather ever known just as Jan. was a record breaker for being cold.
Continued here.
Notes
[1] My great-aunt Frances Fairfax Bell (1909–1997).
[2] My great-grandmother Minnie Estelle Jackson (1876–1935), who married J. Frank Bell in 1902.
[3] Estelle’s mother Rebecca Jane Eggleston (1856–1937), who was married to Oliver Dodridge Jackson 1875–1915 and to William E. Waterman in 1924.
[4] Where my great-great-grandfather O. D. Jackson had once had his office. The linked article, from a 1902 history of Norfolk County, offers a rosier portrait of Jackson’s career to that point than is perhaps warranted.
