Thatcher Magazine March 2010

FAMILY HISTORY - the Weather Diary

Jennie May Thatcher of LaGrange, Illinois, kept a Weather Diary, recording winter temperatures and conditions from Novembere 16 1916 until November 10, 1923. Her diary also refers to Lewis (Lew) E. Thatcher, her only brother, his children, Mabel and Maude (spinsters), Frank (wife Martha), Clarence E. (wife Margaret) and their children. The following are some of the hand-written entries made by Jennie in her Weather Diary:

1915, Nov 16 - First snow covered the ground; just dandelion in bloom.
1915, Dec 25 - 8 inhes of snow fell last night.

1916, Mar 22 - a thunder storm last night and again this morning came down hard, turned to snow blizzard, the hardest snow we have had this winter.

1917, Jan 5 - had week of fearful slippery weather, rained last night; will help get the ice off the walks.
(1917, April 1 - Jennie's 80th birthday)

1918, Jan 2 - 20 above, a lot of snow to shovel.
1918, Jan 12 - 10 below zero, still snowing and blowing awful. God pity the poor without much coal; everything blocked, our streets not plowed out, terrible, and so little coal to be had.
1918, Jan 13 - 4 below zero. Everything at a standstill - not a wheel turning on the burlington between Chicago and Downers Grove and I don't know how much farther. Lew down to Downers, got stalled near Hinsdale night of 11th - awful banks of snow. I am tired of shoveling out.
1918, Jan 15 - 2 below zero this morning, cold. Lew home first time since the 11th; got stalled yesterday, snow plows with four horses went through the middle of the streets to plow so the delivery teams could get through - I've never seen that done before.
1918, Jan 20 - 18 below zero, sun shining, nearly everyone short of coal and only 1/2 ton delivered to a person.
1918, Jan 27 - 8 above zero, snowed last night. I am sure tired of shoveling.
1918, Feb 12 - been warm several days now, snow melting fast - but plenty left yet.
1918, Feb 25 - 4 above zero, had two lovely warm days. It seemed so nice.
1918, Feb 28 - February couldn't leave us without giving a farewell snowstorm of about 4 inches and a good wet snow.
1918, Mar 1 - sun shining, comes in like a lamb'
1918, Oct 28 - set the clocks back an hour to the old time, how it rained today, a regular cloud burst.
1918, Dec 8 - a most beautiful day, like summer.

1919, Feb 28 - 34 aove zero. Commenced to rain ... then turning cold fast. March will come in like a lion ...
1919, Oct 2 - not anything hardly touched with frost, only in spots ... tomatoes and nasturtiums quite green yet.
1919, Dec 17 - 2 below. Cold & raw; this is the day they say the World is coming to an End.
1919, Dec 18 - 10 above. Snowed.

(1920, Jan 8 till Feb 15 temperatures with comment, occasionally about having to walk in streets or shovel snow.)
1920, Feb 29 - 6 above; February is giving us a cold farewell.
1920, Apr 20 - 42 above; such a storm last night, rain hail, thunder and lightening; grass covered white with hail as large as marbles ... some as large as chestnuts.
1920, Apr 28 - Terrible tornado.
1920, Nov 30 - Thermometer stolen!
1920, Dec 31 - 30 above; Good Bye 1920. (Jennie often wrote 'goodbye' or greeted a new month or a new year ...)

1921, Apr 1 - 26 above; my (84th) birthday; up to (nephew) Frank's for the day.
1921, Nov 7 - 30 above; (great-nephew, Clarence E. Jr.) Junior's birthday - 1 year old.
1921, Dec 6 - 24 above; Rose (Frank's daughter) at Hospital.
1921, Dec 31 - 32 above; strong wind howling; Good Bye 1921; How time flies; a very good year all around; now for our New Year 1922.

1922, Feb 12 - 26 above; Dorothy (Clarence and Margaret's daughter) sick - Scarlet fever.
1922, Feb 14 - 6 above; Lewis (Clarence and Margaret's oldest son) taken with fever.
1922, Feb 16 - 4 below; very cold; little Dorothy left us last night - it was sad for she was so sprightly - Scarlet fever; they laid her in the vault (as the )ground frozen hard ....
1922, Mar 12 - 30 above; father's (Nathaniel R. Thatcher) birthday ...110 years ago
1922, Mar 22 - 20 above; not a very good prospect for an early spring. Clarence's family are coming up for the day as Lewis to have their place fumigated; am glad (after round of influenza and death of 6-year old Dorothy).
1922, Nov 1 - Clarence & Margaret moved into their new home yesterday.
1922, Nov 18 - raining; went to see Clarence's new home yesterday - it is nice.
1922, Dec 25 - 28 above; a warm Christmas; going down to clarence's to spend the day; Lewis home and will go too.
1922, Dec 27 - 34 above - oh, this is a glorious day.

1923, Jan 1 - Now for the New Year of 1923; 18 above; south wind.
1923, Jan 14 - 36 above; rained hard all last night; my Mother (Lydia Carpenter Thatcher) left me 20 years ago today. Oh, it has been a long lonesome time. (Lydia died at 84 years of age).
1923, Jan 31 - 34 above; rained last night. Well, January 6ou have been a good month; not much cold weather. I have enjoyed it.
1923, Feb 2 - 22 above; Ground Hog's Day. A lovely time the ground hog gave us. He had better se MY shadow.
1923, Feb 3 - 4 below zero.
1923, Feb 4 - 14 below. Oh, it is cold.
1923, Feb 8 - 22 above; plowed sidewalk; Helen Whipple's daughter came her yesterday - nice visit; Mrs. Cass lives in Chicago.
1923, Feb 18 - 4 below, oh, I am tired of the cold weather.
1923, Feb 28 - 30 above; Good bye February, pretty good month; snowed most of the time. March 1923, I hope you have a nice month laid out for us.
1923, Mar 1 - 26 above; it looks like a nice day.
1923, Mar 12 - 34 above, oh what a night; rain, thunder, snow and oh, the wind did tear about; no lights on this morning. I think possibly some of the poles down.
1923, 15 - 32 above; another snow to clean.
1923, Mar 19 - 4 below; a good cold freezing wind and snow most of the night; my little oil heater kept my pipes from freezing.
1923, Mar 21 - 32 above; ruling wind for the next three months; it is southweat. Oh, that looks good for a ruling wind.
1923, Mar 22 - 23-38 above; Margaret is sick since the 18th...
1923, Mar 31 - 23 above; Awful weather; good bye March. You came like a lamb, out like a liion; hope April will give us better weather.
1923, April 2 - 36 above: Yester was my 86th birthday - well remembered; spent the day at Lew's.
1923, April 3 - 23-46 above; raining; let my first (of three) stove out. Went down to Margaret's. She still isn't well....
1923, April 15 - 34 above; snowed most oall day and trying to snow this morning. Oh, such weather for middle of April.
1923, May 9 - A beautiful spring day 32 above; round white with crocus; rained, sleeted, snowed, hailed all day yesterday. It looks as if everything was frozen; fruit, flowers, a hard time for farmers and gardeners.
1923, May 20 - Let my last stove out. We have had cold raw spring and a fire felt good and I used up all my coal.
1923, May 21 - got in 2 1/2 ton of chestnut coal from .... It is nice (weather) but feel the need of coal today. Oh, but it (coal price) is HOT: $42.24 I paid.
1923, Sep14 - 44 above; pretty cold for so early. I feel I can't wstart a coal fire so early. Too long to wait on them from now till spring. Lew's folks started theirs (coal furnace) yesterday. I am running my oil heater ....
1923, Oct 20 - 30 above; The first light freeze; had 2 days hard rain and oh, how the leaves have come down - a heavy crop of them this year. I was up to Matha's yeaterday and to Margaret's the day before.
1923, Oct 30 - The first snow storm of the year; ground all white.
1923, Nov 1 - 22 above; cold and clear; Lew quit the railroad lat night. He had been on it a good many years. Beltline then CB&Q conductor made a total of 55 years with the railroads. (Lew was72 years old on October 18th.)
1923, Nov 6 - 28 above; heavy frost; still no snow.
1923, Nov 8 - 28 above; cold raw wind. Yesterday (Nov 7) Junior's 3rd birthday.
1923, Nov 9 - 24 above; heavy frost.
1923, Nov 10 - 36 above.
That is where Jannie ended her Weather Diary. She died just six days later....

Be sure to read "Remembering Jennie" as the featured Family History in the March 2010 Thatcher Magazine.... ~ Nancy y Te