Spring Has Sprung in Galena

Sunday, May 3, 1925: Ruby & Len went up to Scales Mounds and brought down Mr. & Mrs. Stauss. Another yearling steer didn’t look very well & Len wants his father to see it but it eats grass yet. Len took them back this P.M. so Mother went to Engel’s. She is some better. Saturday was a nice day. So many cars went down tonight.

Friday Len & Ruby went to town in the afternoon. Rev. Smith called here that afternoon. He wanted us to join the church a week from Sunday.* A yearling steer was sick this morning and died this afternoon. A little calf was sick too. Thursday, April 30th, Albert Drink came and bought a cow and calf for sixty-eight dollars that morning. We partly cleaned the kitchen. Dad went up to Fiedler’s and got some little blue plum trees to plant. Heard Clara Engel is holding her own but is not out of danger yet. Wednesday it was rainy and quite cold. Cleaned the cupboards and bookcase. I faced the hem of my yellow apron.

Tuesday,Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie took the Aunts home. We ironed. Also hoed the new strawberry bed. Mother cleaned and white washed the cellar way. Aunt Annie came in when they were coming home. They heard that Clara Engel is very ill not expected to live. She had a baby girl last week. But hope she may get better again. Monday morning Aunt Margaret came down. Uncle Edd, Aunts Annie & Till and Mattie and Win went to Dubuque. Uncle Edd drove over. We washed and worked some in the old strawberry bed. Mother made cookies and etz. We took Aunt Mag up in the eve. Aunt Annie got a new coat. Win had an exray picture took of his teeth. They found a tooth in his jaw bone. It grew down instead of up. So had it chiseled out and he had to go to the hospital for a few days.

Sunday we all went to Galena to church in the morning. That evening Tresidders all came up. I got an invitation to the school picnic at Miner’s. May 7th. No Grant’s birthday celebration this year. First time for a good many years.

* Rev. Smith was from the First United Methodist Church of Galena, which was also on Bench Street with the Presbyterian Churches where the Trudgians worshiped. It is the Oldest Methodist Church in Northern Illinois.In 1829 the first regularly appointed Methodist minister arrived in Galena. By 1832 a plain frame church was erected on Bench Street, but was lost to fire in 1838. A new building was built in 1841, and by 1856 the congregation had grown so that yet another new brick and stone church needed to be built. The present church was dedicated in 1857. Ulysses S. Grant worshiped here regularly from 1859 to 1861. See photo above.