Thomas Martin Diaries: 1897, Part 1 of 3

Rainy and disagreeable

Heavy rain 9pm

45 Friday, January 1, 1897

12:01 am. Just listen to the din! whistles, pistols, horns crackers and what not. I'll go home and go to bed (1:30pm) Up again at 5am and at office at 9:30am. and read the papers and began [meeting?] Jr. t. Around town also and paid some taxes and also at the PO and clerks office To dinner 1:30 till nearly 3pm. and then back to my office and there all the afternoon [consent?] to arguments at 6:30 and found home closing so to elect and as 10:00 close office and got word and good [matters?] from Jr. about it. Home and read letters and to bed 12:00 am.

Very heavy rain during night and before dawn. Work at 11am.

Saturday, January 1, 1897

Awakened before day by very heavy rain from the south which made it leak over the windows went to my bed. To office 9am and read papers and then began working on my reports and [collect?] arguments. To dinner 1:45 to 2:00 pm and back to my office for a bank [now?] bought drafts for [wages?]. Bob Evans came in PM made out [partly?] my reports to [Marks?] and then to [arrange?] office for home suit files. When finished [dissent?] to V. and to depot and [reached?] it back to office 6:45 and home to supper. arguments

Lovely day

30 Sunday, January 3, 1897 [vs?]

awake 7 am up and outdoors 7:45 am and back and then bathed and dressed and to church home office at 11:30 am and so [from?] church to [Post Office] and then [over?] Capt. Loyd's but he can can sleep and so I'd was see home He is greatly ill with lagrippe and appendicitis. There the [medicines?] and [drugs?] then with [mr & mrs?] [?] from [Nottoway] [County?] who are closely couple very pleasant people. Out to cemetery with [Madame?] [illegible] Julia at 4:30 [to?] 5:20pm Home then office at 8 pm and began my letter

#7 Heavy frost. Some ice. began to freeze day of morning and last

30 Monday, January 4, 1897 45

up 8 am. office 9:20 am. Wrote Finks and Lednum, [Post Office] [traxed?] and around town generally and to dinner at 1:30 2:30 pm. Then to office [via?] [First] [Nat] Bank. Bob Evans in my office this a.m. for some time. At work all the afternoon on [Gregg's?] matters (having [written?] [many?] [records?] 7 12 [ph?] this am) At depot 6:30 - 9 [reggs?] and office and supper then [arguments?] till 10pm and [climb?] in P. O. Depot. Have [stryker?] {Lenvacher?] Have taken 11:30

Heavy ice. Beautiful cold day

28 Tuesday, January, 5, 1897 40

Had bad headache Rest up 7 am. Office 9:20 and around to [converse?} and [elocution?] and then to P. O. and got letters and to clerk's office and read them. With Major Jarvis at P. O. Back to my office and at work on [Gregg's?] matters till 1:30 pm Home dinner and back to office 2:15 and worked hard until 6:30 then supper, [assignments?] 7:45 to 9:30pm and then [leaving?] office and began no. 8, and wrote until 11:15 pm and then home and to bed by 12 pm. feeling pretty badly.