Month: July 2005

View Introduction and Notes on the Text.

Transcription of the Diary of Stella Bowling Cunningham, December 1, 1893 to December 15, 1893

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Fri. Dec. 1- 1893School as usual & in eve swept the house & went to Lewisville.

Sat. Dec. 2, 1893

Went to town and bought
Canton flannel $1.35
thread .05
Brown velvet .60
canbrier [?] .100
Crinlin [?] .10

Wrote to Flood & Vincent about exchanging a book. Wrote to J.W.T. & Mary Hutton.

Sewed on dress.

Washing .20 unpaid.

Sun. Dec. 3, 1893

It was to-day I wrote instead of Sat.

In evening Uncle Jeff took me out to Mr. Cunningham & Mr. A. [Amos Cunningham] & I had a talk at night.

Mon. Dec. 4 ’93

Had school. The first day of second month [perhaps this refers to when Stella started teaching school?].

Sewed on my dress after school & at night.

Sent picture to Sallie & Minnie.

Bought stamps .10 cts.

Tues. Dec. 5, 1893

School as usual and in eve sewed some & at night went to church. Free Will preached on the Blind man healed.

One profession.

Mr. Amos went with me.

Wed. Dec. 6, 1893

Not a full school because of rain. Wrote a little to Maggie. Sewed in eve and at night. (The pedd? [possibly peddler] staid all night.) Mr. Libass teased us so much.

Thurs. Dec. 7, 1893

School as usual and sewed at night. Carrie staid all night.

Fri. Dec. 8, 1893

School as common & in eve had spelling [possibly tutoring or extra class?]. Uncle Jeff came for me. Found Mama [Mary Elizabeth Kennedy Bowling] & Children [most likely Stella’s younger siblings] here.

Sat. Dec. 9, 1893

Wrote to Maggie & to Judge Bradley, sending three stamps for reply.

Sewed on dress finished it. Went to town and
bought Silk $.50
thread (silk) .10
ribbon .15
cord .15
ribbon & thread .35

Borrowed from P.N.C. $1.00

Went to Uncle John’s [I’m not sure who Uncle John is, as I have no record of a sibling named “John” for either parent, but could be an uncle by marriage or family friend].

Washing .20 cts. unpaid.
Rubber .10 cts.

Sunday, Dec. 10, 1893

Arose late and helped do work then went to church wore my green dress.

A Bro. Miller preached on “Stephen being stoned.”

In eve Uncle Jeff brought me out to Mr. C [presumably Cunningham] and at night we all went to church at schoolhouse. Mr. Amos went with me. A Mr. Holley preached about “Salvation being of the Lord etc.” It was late when we retired.

Wrote to Rosco.

Monday, Dec. 11, 1893

School as usual and at night made the cravat case for Velma [Stella’s sister]. Mr. A. sat up with me & we had a talk. Bought stamps .10.

Tues. Dec. 12, 1893

School and it turned cold. At night wen went to Mrs. Lusk’s and it was late when I retired. (Mr. A. asked for a ( ) but I refused.) [Note: This is one of Stella’s euphemisms for “kiss.”] Got a letter from J.W.T.

Mr. Amos brought my papers and paint too.

Wednesday, Dec. 13, 1893

At night made Mr. Libass’ hat mark. School as common.

Went to Mr. Bragg’s [possibly the Bragg family that Amos’s sister Mattie (Martha Lugena Cunningham) married into] and saw the little baby & got to board with them.

Thurs. Dec. 14, 1893

At night went to a party at Mr. W. Cunningham’s [most likely William Matthew Cunningham, Amos’s oldest brother] and came home to make Mattie’s hat mark [Mattie is most likely Martha Lugena Cunningham, Amos’s sister].

Sat up late to get it finished.

Fri. Dec. 15, 1893

School as usual and afterward swept the house.

Fixed to go to town & wrote some in this book.

It was late when Uncle Jeff came for me. Commenced Papa’s [“Papa” was William Jones Bowling, Stella’s father] book-mark. Went to Mrs. Hall.

Introduction and Notes on the text:

I have preserved all of Stella Bowling Cunningham’s writing, including errors, such as spelling errors, capitalization errors, etc. except where confusion might occur. I have also preserved her original paragraph breaks, although I didn’t preserve her line breaks, as the diary was written in a very thin ledger. Where writing is indecipherable or extra notation is needed in order for the reader to understand something, I have included a note in italics and brackets [ ].

Stella apparently taught school during part of the time in which she wrote this journal; this is inferred from the fact that she frequently mentions school as if she is teaching it. She apparently boarded in several houses, as it was not uncommon for local families to host teachers. One family with whom she boarded was the Cunningham family. “Mr. Cunningham” in her journal refers to Johnson Franklin Cunningham, who would become her father-in-law. Mr. A. and Mr. Amos refer to Amos Blakey Cunningham, who would become her husband. The journal might have been started during the beginning stages of their courtship and continues past their wedding, covering a total of about ten months from November 1893 to September 1894. Toward the end of the journal, she mentions how sick she feels. I think she is experiencing morning sickness, as she would have been expecting my great-grandfather, but she doesn’t mention she is pregnant in the journal.

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Tuesday, Nov. 28, 1893

Had school as usual & fun [possibly fine] too but not extra good order.

I am most sick with cold and cough.

In eve Uncle Jeff [I am not sure who this is, as I have no record of a sibling named “Jeff” for either of Stella’s parents, but it could be an uncle by marriage or a family friend] came by and brought me two letters, one from Rosco & one from Sadie & my Chautauquan [The Chautauquan was a publication of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, the first organized reading circle in the country, a four-year course of assigned home reading].

Sent for stamps .10 cts. For this book .10 and bought Pain Paint .25.

After school finished my gown all but buttons & holes.

Read some in my course.

Wed. Nov. 29, ’93

Nothing unusual.

Thurs. Nov. 30,1893

Thanksgiving day but it was not observed here. Started to write to — [indecipherable, possibly Minnie].