Man in Water

On Friday, October 1, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Rainy. Selma, Va. Arose at 8 a.m. Baby cut a tooth. Read papers and mail from Mary. Mama and Effie went down to Riner to see man in water. Effie and I stayed at hospital with Jake from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. John was called out on road.

On Saturday, October 2, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Cool. Clear. Talked to Mr. Heron. Arose 7:00 a.m. Mama gave me $2.00. Went to Hospital from 8:30 to 9:20. Met Misses Walked and Abell (nurses). Talked to Mrs. Aylestock. Met Russell West at Buchanan. Came with me to Roanoke. Ate supper at Mrs. Raines and took bath. Capt. Rowan gave me check. Went to meat and grocery store. Haircut, Shave, bath. 

On Sunday, October 3, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote: Cool-Clear. Passiu boy killed. Arose 9 a.m. Went to office with Elmer Brown. Talked with Mr. Schick. Straightened out correspondence. Ate dinner 3:30. Went to Loam's and took supper. Went to church. Met Howard Fisher and Marie Hines. Talked to Susie Scholtz and Corrine Mabry at 9:30 p.m. 

On Monday, October 4, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Warm. Mr. Schick went to Bluestone. Mr. McIlwayne came in to see us. I went to Bank and paid bills. Bought a knife for $1.00. Bought a safety razor. Shaved with it with fine results. Went to Mrs. Raines. Paid $5.00 on coal. Will Passiu's body brought home.

On Tuesday, October 5, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Warm. Skin drove me to office in machine. Wrote up bills etc. Talked to Papa. Bought tooth brush and dental cream. Wrote Blaine and Mr. Damewood. Buried W.C. Passiu. Mrs. Raines came up at night. Mary played piano. Mr. Bell called me. Got watch from Tom Griffin. Bought a box of candy 60 cents at Johnson and Johnson's.

On Wednesday, October 6, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Steady Rain. Mr. Schick in. Shaved at night with safety razor. Corrine Mabry, Mrs. Brown, Elmer and Ethel up. Corrine played. Bought two nipples and candy. Wrote up heavy mail in office. Retired 11 p.m.

On Thursday, October 7, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Raining. President Wilson announces his engagement. Copied estimates and bills. Wrote to Jake and Aunt Emma Leslie. Mr. Raines and Papa up. Elmer Brown and I carried stove from attic and put it up. 

Okay, so I have been away awhile and want to offer my apologies to any regular readers I may have.  I have just been really busy recently.  I have had to work the past 2 weekends for the fire department and the weeks before that we had things like Springwood Baptist Church's 180th Homecoming.  My current thinking is just that I will start with October and go forward without making up any of those weeks that I missed, which would be most of September 1915.  That may change and so If I do go back and make some of those missed posts up, they will be out of order...oh well.  During this hiatus, I did pick up a new reader, Tammy, who commented on a recent post, to say that she was doing research on Dr. J.C. Burks and St. Charles hospital and found this blog.  Welcome to Tammy!  Bonnie does write about Dr. Burks and St. Charles hospital fairly frequently.  Today, in 2012 it is cold and rainy here in Roanoke.  Mom went to church with us.  Beth and Rachel ran this afternoon in preparation for the drumstick dash.  The kids have an FCA event tonight at Northside High School. It sounds as though Jake, Bonnie's brother, was in the hospital, maybe in Selma, Va. which is near Clifton Forge, and Bonnie had gone there to see him.  When Bonnie comes home on the train, he always comes through Buchanan.  I did not understand the man in the water part, that Mama and Effie went to see in Riner.  It was neat to see that Bonnie wrote about President Woodrow Wilson, who was born in Staunton, Va. announcing his engagement.   

Campbell Ave. Fire

On Friday, July 16, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote: Very Hot Day. Ethel Brown went after my camera at Bergendahl's. Rain came up in afternoon. Wrote to Effie. Mary and I took the baby down to Mrs. Raines' and drank iced tea and ate watermelon. Talked to Mrs. Mabry.

On Saturday, July 17, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote: Hot Day. Wrote to John Hancock about coming over on week's vacation in September. Rained in afternoon. Took a bath and shaved. Mary and I went up street to the "American" Theater. Mrs. Raines kept Norman.

On Sunday, July 18, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Hot! Werner Schalz died. Arose at 8:30. Took baby to Mrs. Raines. Went to church. Ate Dinner at Mrs. Raines'. Went up to see Loam and Mamma. Ate supper at Mamma's. Mary and I took baby to Elmwood Park. Harry rolled baby out to 10th Ave. S.W.

On Monday, July 19, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Awfully Hot. Met Bill Fisher. Walked to work with me. Rained P.M. Watched fire on Campbell Ave. at noon. Very hot at night. Took bath and shaved. Retired at 10:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, July 20, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Cloudy-Warm. Werner Schalz buried today in "Fairview". Sin started driving a car for Stuart McGhee. Mr. Raitt stayed at home in p.m.

On Wednesday, July 21, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Raining. Mary, her mother, and the baby went to visit Mrs. Austin. I went to Buchanan to meet Effie and Pearl and kids. Saw Joe Seymour and boys. Skin took the folks to Loam's in automobile. Mary and I went to Loam's and Mamma's at night. 

On Thursday, July 22, 1915 Bonnie Elmore wrote:  Cool. Wrote letter to Lena and sent her package. Got cake of Castile soap from Mrs. Raines. Pearl, Teeny and Lady came down home. Mrs. Raines up at night. Shaved. Dark, cool, night. 

Seems like several things struck me as I wrote this today, let me see if I can remember them.  First, the weather.  Here in 2012, we have all this talk of "global warming" and yet the weather that Bonnie describes in 1915 seems to be really similar to what we have today, even thought Bonnie does not provide a lot of specifics.  Also, Werner Scahlz died in 1915 and was buried in Fairview cemetery.  I wonder if I could find his grave there in 2012?  That would be kind of neat. Bonnie watched another fire in downtown Roanoke on Monday, July 19, 1915 and last night here in 2012 there was a big fire on 10th St. in Roanoke. Smoke and flames could be seen for miles from the General Truck Body building. 2 firefighters were injured but not seriously.  And then, on Wednesday, July 21, 1915 Bonnie writes about going to Buchanan, which is where in 2012 I currently pastor a church.  So many connections to history, it's really neat.
       

Seining

On Thursday, August 17, 1916 Bonnie Elmore wrote: Arose at 8 a.m. Robert came to house at 8:30. I took a bath at Mrs. Raines and Mary rolled Norman to station with me. Ate dinner at the hotel in Buchanan. Left Buchanan at 6:30 p.m. and got to New Castle at 9 o'clock. Ate supper, smoked cigars, and spent the night at Aunt Mary Elmore's. Susie Scholtz on train with us. On Friday, August 18, 1916 Bonnie Elmore wrote: Very Warm. Arose at 7:00. Went down to Aunt Florence's with Chauncey. Met Patsy Craft's wife and Leslie. Talked to Max at store. Met Byrd Carper. Bob and I watched the boys play croquet. I took pictures at Bel Air. Met Bill Bedinger. Wrote cards home. Ate dinner and supper at Pearl Elmore's with Bob Kelly and Aunt Fannie Elmore. On Saturday, August 19, 1916 Bonnie Elmore wrote: Very Warm. Arose at 7 a.m. Shaved and went with Bob and Chauncey to Ed's house. Took pictures. Ed ate dinner with us. Very sleepy in afternoon. Bob left at 4 o'clock p.m. for Cincinnati. Wrote Mary a letter. After supper, "John D" and I went seining from 7 to 9:30. J.D. stayed at Aunt Mary's with me tonight. Mrs. Hampton and Annah went home. I really thought that I could not read Bonnie's handwriting again when he wrote that he and John D. went seining. I tried to make it all kinds of different things, because I didn't know what seining was. When spell-check didn't catch it, I figured out that it must indeed be a word and so I looked it up and found that seining is to fish with a net vertically in the water. The net has sinkers on the bottom and floaters on the top. After finding that out, it made sense that they went fishing. Bonnie is I suppose in New Castle, to visit family with all the Elmore last names we are reading about. I think it is neat that he went through Buchanan, as that is where I now pastor a church.