Ionia-Eaton County MI Archives Biographies.....TIRRILL, Polly (Ingalis/Ingalls) ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: LaVonne Bennett lib@dogsbark.com February 11, 2007, 4:05 pm Author: Polly (Ingals) Tirrill THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR, June 1972, Volume 7, Number 6; submitted with written permission of Editor Grayden D. Slowins: NOTES FROM THE DIARY OF POLLY (INGALIS) TIRRILL, 1872-75: Through the courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. E. Kenneth Tirrell of Charlotte, we have the diary of Mrs. Polly Ingalls Tirrill for the years 1872-75. Mrs. Polly Tirrill was the daughter of Jonathan Ingalls, the Revolutionary War veteran who is buried in Sebewa. Polly and her husband, John B. Tirrill, were among the very first settlers in Sebewa in section 25 near Sebewa Creek. Their son, Martin Van Buren Tirrill was the first white child born in Sebewa November 13, 1838. Polly was very much concerned with the weather. At the time of the diary she was living near Martin V. at the northwest corner of Section 25 in Portland Township near the Howell School. That schoolhouse was used for church services. From the diary: August 7, 1872. Dreadful dry. Everything suffering with the drought. Friday I went to Lyons. August 14. A shower today. 16. Came up from Lyons. 17. Rained in the evening. Mrs. Jolly died today. 18. A good shower this forenoon. 20. A heavy shower yesterday. Dreadful sultry today. 21. Fair, warm. 22. Cooler, Martin threshed today. Friday pleasant. 23. Picnic Saturday. 24. Quarterly meeting in Eagle today & tomorrow. 25. Sabbath. Albert Olin died. 26. Heavy rain. Albert buried this afternoon. 27. Came to Charlotte on the cars. (Her son, John Fremont Tirrill, lived at Charlotte.) 28. Dull, summery. 29. Cleared off cool today. 30. Cool, went to Whitcombs. 31. Went to town. Mrs. Kilborn died today. September 1. Mrs. Fisher died. 2. Fremont and wife went to the funeral, dull and some rain. 5. Pleasant, had a shower last night. 6. Pleasant, came home from Charlotte. 7. Sultry, a shower in the night. 8. Sabbath, warm and pleasant. 9. A shower last night and another today. 10. Pleasant. 11. A shower in the daytime then at night and rained all night. 12. Shower in the afternoon. Friday, 13th. Cool & fair, went to John Smiths. 14. Pleasant and cooler. Sunday, 15th. Pleasant. 16. Martha came to John Smiths and went to Martins at night. 17. M. V. carried them to the cars to go back to Lyons. Shower today. 18. Squally. 19. Cool, a frost last night. 20. Pleasant & cool. 21. Hial moved today, pleasant. Sunday, 22. Some rain. 23. Showery, the wind blew hard in the night. 24. Showery. 25. Cold and squally. 26. Windy and cool. Friday, a little more of pleasant. Stayed to Howlands last night. Had my picture taken. October 21. Warm & Pleasant. 22. Pleasant. 23. Pleasant. Went to town. Rained at night. Lots of company today. Put Mrs. Sawyer’s carpet in today. 25. Rainy day. Sabbath 26. Pleasant and warm. 27. Pleasant. 28. Fair. 29. No rain. 31. Cloudy. November 2. A rainy day. 3. Clouds, not much rain. 4. Got done weaving and am going to Martin’s today. 5. A rainy day for election. 9. Mrs. Colby here. M. V. sold his hogs. 10. Sabbath, we got disappointed of a preacher. 15. Clark Adams child died. 16. Martha came up. 25. An Indian summer. 28. Thanksgiving, cold and unpleasant. December 12. Terry M. Kelly died. 13. Funeral today, cloudy & cold. Christmas, nearly a foot of snow on the ground. 31. Butchered. January 6. Our school commenced today. 11. Went to Mr. Bradleys. 16. James Maynard was buried today. 19. Bro. Derree preached today. 29. M. V. has gone to John Smiths. He got me a half pound of smoking tobacco today. February 1, 1873. Elvira Howell was sick last night. 5. Begins to look like sugar weather. 8. Came home from Portland, got a half pound tobacco & left it to Miss Kilbourn’s. 27. M. & B. have gone to town. March 2. M. V. got a pound of Beauty, came in shorts. Gilbert Hogle here. 29. Bill Jones here. M. V. bought hay today. 25. Aunt Millie here today. 28. John & Jane here. May 8. It has grown cold again & the wind is blowing almost to a hurricane. M. has gone to Keefer’s sale. Wed. 19. Martin got one pound of Shorts for himself and a half pound for me to smoke. 20. Mrs. Adams sick. 23. Mrs. Oldridge sick. 31. Martin caught a coon today. (Here there is some confusion of dates.) Tuesday, April 1. Went to see the babes today. 3. Martin took Mrs. Spaulding to the village. Tuesday, 29, M. V. finished planting corn today. Sabbath 6. Terrible thunderstorm last night. Beauty came in today. 8. Brock came in. 13. Disappointed of a preacher. Tuesday, 15. Came down to John’s; raw wind. Tuesday 22. Got out Martin’s carpet. 24. Mr. Outwater’s sale. Monday, 29. Commenced Mrs. Mulford’s carpet. Tuesday, 6. Pleasant, the whippoorwill sang tonight. 8. Got March’s carpet out today. 9. Got Old Mr. Marcy’s carpet in. Monday 12. Went to the funeral of Mr. Woodbury’s child. 15.. Put in David Mulford’s carpet. 16. Got out David Mulford’s carpet. 19. Put Miss Kilborn’s carpet in. 21. Got out Clorinda’s carpet. 24. Went to town. 26. Put in Elder Smith’s carpet. 27. Martin came after me. Lilly was sick. 28. Beck (Martin’s wife) was dreadful sick. 29. She is some better & Lilly is. 31. Quarterly meeting today. June 1. Great concourse of people to meeting today. 3. Went to Lyons. 20. Dr. Sorter stayed here last night. Monday, 30. Went to town; large caravan there. July 4 Pleasant for celebration. Mrs. Sawyer & Mrs. Lee here. 22. Very hot. M. V. has five men today. 24. M. V. has five or six men & three teams to stack the rest of the wheat today. 25. Went to town and got shoes and a pair of rubbers. 26. School finished today. August 2. Martin thrashed today. He had 500 bushels. 5. Martin drawing wheat for Morehouse today. A peddler here to dinner today. 6. He has drawn all of Morehouse’s today. 17. S. March & 3 children & Mr. Clattin & children with their wives here today. Friday, 22. Theodore Kelly died this morning. 23. Theodore Kelly funeral at schoolhouse today. He was 9 years old today. 26. Dock & Stowel threshed today. Saturday, 30. Went to town and came to Whitlock’s. September 1. Came home. 2. Went to Mrs. Stirling’s. 3 Mrs. Buck has a quilting. 6. Mrs. Winkle and Miss Martin came here. 11. Frost has not done any damage to vines yet. 14. Preaching at schoolhouse today. Old Jack Frost has nipped every green thing. 19. Old Mrs. Cross funeral today. Lilly is better. 20. Martin is going to get a new stove. 23. Martin butchered a hog. 26. Three men to help husk today. 27. He has 3 men today. The girls are over to their grandfather’s. Sabbath, 28. Elder Derree & Elder Brown stayed here last night. 30. Kesiah & Silva & children here today. (To be continued next issue.) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/bios/tirrill485gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/ File size: 7.5 Kb