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Minerva Foster Strowger

Born: March 13, 1830 - Webster, New York
Father: Charles Foster
Mother: Julia Ann Wooden
Married: Charles Howard Strowger, November 10, 1859

OF WINTER WEATHER, DAILY ACTIVITIES AND SICK CHILDREN
WEBSTER, NEW YORK
JANUARY, 1862

Excerpts from the 1862 Diary of Minerva Foster Strowger

January 1, 1862 - Today as a year ago, Father, John, Charlie and I ate dinner with James and Fanny. The wind began to blow before we went over there and it increased to a perfect gale, snowing and hailing some...

January 2, 1862 - The wind has abated but it is very cold. Mr. Bowton came here and got the corn sheller. The man that dug Jim's well came here and got his pay. Tom Stoddard was here awhile. We had dinner about two...This evening Charlie bottomed some chairs with willow.

January 3, 1862 - Ann and Charlie Robb came here this morning before we got done eating breakfast. She looked cross. She came to make Father's coat. I set the baby up a pair of socks.

January 4, 1862 - Charlie and father went to the woods. Ann did not go home last night, she sewed on Father's coat. I sewed some on John's pants and made six pies.

January 5, 1862 - As soon as we got breakfast done with Ann and I went to sewing. She was in a great hurry to finish father's coat so she could go home tonight. It was a perfect confusion here today with the children who made so much noise. John took her home just at night. Father gave her two dollars. My little one is not very well. He acts as if he had the croup, but I hope not.

January 6, 1862 - My little boy is very sick. It is hard work for him to breath. Charlie was up most all night. Charlie seemed not very well pleased about the way that I had doctored him. The way he acted provoked me some I must own, when I had done all I could except giving him calomel (camomile , a medicinal tea). That I did not mean to give him myself. I told him he could give it to him if he choose. But we put the turpentine on his throat. It helped him.

January 7, 1862 - The baby is some better. He rested better last night. John went to a party at Jacob Whitings. Charlie sat up part of the night, then laid down and was up in an hour or two and made fire to keep the room warm.

January 8, 1862 - It is warm like spring today. The baby rested well last night. I made some nutcakes today.

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