January 31
Laura M., age 14, North Carolina
January 31, 1997
Good day at school. Sean was really nice :). Went home with Renée. Mom picked me up and we got my guitar tuned and got Sarah C.’s birthday present. Went to Trisha’s at 7:00. Me and Sean were together most of the night :). Had a GREAT conversation with Tim. Played “Helpless” for all the girls. Spent the night there.
Laura M., age 13, North Carolina
January 31, 1996
Today was good enough. I dressed up & got lots of compliments. Pat was being incredibly nice — he made Sean look annoying. Pat told me he loved me & he said he meant it. He’s so confusing! Went over to Shannon’s & got a lot of classwork done. Came home. Did laundry. Dad picked me up & took me to group. Stayed home & had Chinese.
Anna L., age 75, Illinois
January 31, 1960
Got Carrie as usual. Merchants brot her over after church. Made waffles and she surely enjoyed them as well as we. Took her home at 4:00. The rest of the day and evening we relaxed.
Marcy S., age 19, Missouri
January 31, 1944
Bright and cold! Cloudy in morn. Up for breakfast. Piano lesson at 8:15. Shorthand at 9. Had another test. Dancing at 10. Library at 11 and got book on Chaucer. Back to hall. Betty and I studied til lunch. Letter from Mum. Betty got a crate of apples from home - golden delicious. Yummy! Good lunch - cornbread. Ate at Mrs. Abbott’s table. Studied Eng. Lit. during siesta. Began to get worried. But test was quite easy - of course I probably made a mess of it but at least it wasn’t impossible. Down to Ledo for facial at 3. Back at 4 - studied history, shorthand and ate apples! Then got shorthand. Betty back from meeting at 5. Mary came and we went to dinner at 6:25. Our table didn’t get any dessert - they ran out. After dinner Betty and I went up to Mary’s room and ate some of Katherine’s chocolates. Betty and I went to library at 7:45 and she looked at art cards while I read Stephen Vincent Benet’s James Shore’s Daughter. Saw Clara. To bed 11:30. Am disgusted with myself again - thoroughly and completely.
Marcy S., age 16, Tennessee
January 31, 1941
Bright, breezy, lovely. Goody and I had our talk after school today. I’m beginning to see the light -- a little. Mary wrote me the sweetest note and I love her for it. Diary, I’ve come to dread the weekends and to love Mondays because they bring Mary back -- life is suddenly so full -- just loving her. She says I’m changing (for the better) all the time. Please, Saturday and Sunday, go fast! She’s going to help me next week! Dearest! Helen dined with me, and George busted in afterwards. Worked on time line from 7:30-10:00. Music lesson at 5:00. Chattanooga tomorrow. Mrs. Cummins has lost Mary’s grade card. Yesterday afternoon we got our grade cards -- I made honor roll. Rained. At 4:00 I played three pieces for Infantile Paralysis Tea given by Senior girls in Home Ec room. Studied history at night.
Henry S., age 26, Michigan
January 31, 1888
Kate and I felt pretty tired when we got up this morning, as Una coughed about all last night. It was almost a rain this morning and has continued warm all day. I called a Mr. Waters this afternoon and got a few onions to make syrup for Una. Fred gave a picture of the landscape this side of the creek, but it does not show our place. I have been trying to write tonight but am almost too sleepy.
Henry S., age 25, Michigan
January 31, 1887
The thermometer was 13 o or 14 o below zero this morning at 6 o’clock and it has been pretty cold all day. I studied some in Bookkeeping this forenoon and then read some in “Gold Foil,” a book by J.G. Holland given to me by School WiIlliams, who is not in Chili, S.A. It is the best of reading for the young. I went up town afternoon dinner, took some butter up for Mrs. Neill and bought her some sugar home. I called at Mr. Marshall’s for a while. Drew my pay for teaching this mo., $20 and sent Kate $5 of it. I wish I could send her $500. I saw Richard Robins on the street as he was going home. I have been writing some copies tonight, and reading the Leader.
*(R. Henry Scadin Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNC Asheville)
Columbus T., age 31, North Carolina
January 31, 1874
Began the day as usual. Read the morning papers. Senate worked on their new consolidation bill. The House passed the Machinery act for raising revenue. Brown of Mecklenburg had put in a resolution to raise a joint committee on adjournment, which he called up. This was similar to mine introduced before, and action on it was deferred, so that the Public Debt might first be adjusted when a committee could better determine the time of adjournment. It was know[n] too that there was already on hand this resolution, but he as some others, was anxious for a record in this matter, and I gave him opportunity, as it was or amended as to be like mine and would not therefore press the postponement to take it up. “Looks like stealing somebody else’s thunder.” Wrote to Mr. & Mrs. M.K. Steele. Went with Horton and Marler and called upon Simonton at the Yarboro, & McLeod Turner.
*(Worthy of Record: The Civil War and Reconstruction Diaries of Columbus Lafayette Turner, Ed. Kenrick N. Simpson, courtesy of the State Archives of North Carolina.)
Cornelia H., age 25, North Carolina
January 31, 1862
I finished Pinck’s pants yesterday. He has them on today. Mr. Henry gone to see Ham Cannon. He is not better. He will go to several places today. Mrs. Jamison is here today. She was here yesterday & warped the cloth. Mr. Henry did not get home till dark. Boyd stays here tonight. My cold no better. Snow nearly all melted. I began to fix an old dress today but come to the wise conclusion it was not worth the trouble. Jinnie is doing the cooking, Fannie mixing wool & Atheline sewing. Sam & others put a sill under Fannie’s house today.
*(Fear in North Carolina: The Civil War Journals and Letters of the Henry Family, Eds. Karen L. Clinard and Richard Russell, used with permission.)
Samuel P., age 35, London
January 31, 1668
Up; and by coach, with W. Griffin with me, and our Contract-books, to Durham Yard, to the Commissioners for Accounts; the first time I ever was there; and staid awhile before I was admitted to them. I did observe a great many people attending about complaints of seamen concerning tickets, and, among others, Mr. Carcasse, and Mr. Martin, my purser. And I observe a fellow, one Collins, is there, who is employed by these Commissioners particularly to hold an office in Bishopsgate Street, or somewhere thereabouts, to receive complaints of all people about tickets: and I believe he will have work enough. Presently I was called in, where I found the whole number of Commissioners, and was there received with great respect and kindness; and did give them great satisfaction, making it my endeavour to inform them what it was they were to expect from me, and what was the duty of other people; this being my only way to preserve myself, after all my pains and trouble. They did ask many questions, and demanded other books of me, which I did give them very ready and acceptable answers to; and, upon the whole, I observe they do go about their business like men resolved to go through with it, and in a very good method; like men of understanding. They have Mr. Jessop, their secretary: and it is pretty to see that they are fain to find out an old- fashioned man of Cromwell’s to do their business for them, as well as the Parliament to pitch upon such, for the most part, in the list of people that were brought into the House, for Commissioners. I went away, with giving and receiving great satisfaction; and so away to White Hall to the Commissioners of the Treasury; where, waiting some time, I there met with Colonel Birch; and he and I fell into discourse; and I did give him thanks for his kindness to me in the Parliament-house, both before my face and behind my back. He told me that he knew me to be a man of the old way for taking pains, and did always endeavour to do me right, and prevent any thing that was moved that might tend to my injury; which I was obliged to him for, and thanked him. Thence to talk of other things, and the want of money and he told me of the general want of money in the country; that land sold for nothing, and the many pennyworths he knows of lands and houses upon them, with good titles in his country, at 16 years’ purchase: “and,” says he, “though I am in debt, yet I have a mind to one thing, and that is a Bishop’s lease;” but said, “I will yet choose such a lease before any other, yes,” says he, plainly, “because I know they cannot stand, and then it will fall into the King’s hands, and I in possession shall have an advantage by it.” “And,” says he, “I know they must fall, and they are now near it, taking all the ways they can to undo themselves, and showing us the way;” and thereupon told the a story of the present quarrel between the Bishop and Deane of Coventry and Lichfield; the former of which did excommunicate the latter, and caused his excommunication to be read in the Church while he was there; and, after it was read, the Deane made the service be gone through with, though himself, an excommunicate, was present, which is contrary to the Canon, and said he would justify the quire therein against the Bishop; and so they are at law in the Arches about it; which is a very pretty story. He tells me that the King is for Toleration, though the Bishops be against it: and that he do not doubt but it will be carried in Parliament; but that he fears some will stand for the tolerating of Papists with the rest; and that he knows not what to say, but rather thinks that the sober party will be without it, rather than have it upon those terms; and I do believe so. Here we broke off, and I home to dinner, and after dinner set down my wife and Deb. at the ‘Change, and I to make a visit to Mr. Godolphin at his lodgings, who is lately come from Spain from my Lord Sandwich, and did, the other day, meeting me in White Hall, compliment me mightily, and so I did offer him this visit, but missed him, and so back and took up my wife and set her at Mrs. Turner’s, and I to my bookbinder’s, and there, till late at night, binding up my second part of my Tangier accounts, and I all the while observing his working, and his manner of gilding of books with great pleasure, and so home, and there busy late, and then to bed. This day Griffin did, in discourse in the coach, put me in the head of the little house by our garden, where old goodman Taylor puts his brooms and dirt, to make me a stable of, which I shall improve, so as, I think, to be able to get me a stable without much charge, which do please me mightily. He did also in discourse tell me that it is observed, and is true, in the late fire of London, that the fire burned just as many Parish-Churches as there were hours from the beginning to the end of the fire; and, next, that there were just as many Churches left standing as there were taverns left standing in the rest of the City that was not burned, being, I think he told me, thirteen in all of each: which is pretty to observe.
*(The Diary of Samuel Pepys M.A. F.R.S., edited by Henry B. Wheatley F.S.A., London, George Bell & Sons York St. Covent Garden, Cambridge Deighton Bell & Co., 1893.)