Also known as blade harrow; curved knife-tooth harrow; pulverizer. The front part of the knife breaks the soil and crushes the clods . This harrow obtains a good pulverization. It is good for creating soil mulch.
Usage
ague
malaria or some other illness involving fever and shivering.
Usage
Alf Stacey
refers to Alfred J Stacey, Ida's brother-in-law.
Allen
refers to G.W.L. Allen (George Washington Lafayette). He was sheriff of Whatcom County and neighbor of E.A. Here's an interesting link to G.W.L. Allen.
Alvinza
refers to Alvinza Gardner Tillinghast (1844-1914)
Aunt Eliza
refers to Elisabeth "Eliza" Capwell (1804-1887). E.A.'s aunt.
Usage
Aunt Lou
M. Louisa Baker (1834-1897), R.E. Whitney's sister
Usage
auto buggie
The International Harvester Auto-Buggy is a two-cylinder, air-cooled motor car made by International Harvester Corporation. First announced in February 1907, the Auto-Buggy was dropped from their range of products in early 1912, but the Auto Wagon continued to 1917.
Usage
B McGinnis
refers to Barclay McGinnis Ida's cousin that lived in Seattle. His mother (Mary Campbell) and Ida's mother (Eliza) were sisters. He is John McGinnis's brother.
Babbiting
lining a surface or bearing with Babbitt metal. Babbitt metal, also spelled Babbit Metal, any of several tin- or lead-based alloys used as bearing material for axles and crankshafts, based on the tin alloy invented in 1839 by Isaac Babbitt for use in steam engines.
Usage
balustrade
a railing supported by balusters, especially an ornamental parapet on a balcony, bridge, or terrace.
Usage
batten
a small strip of wood about 2 or 3 inches wide that would be nailed over the crack or seam of two boards to make it weather tight.
Usage
batter
a gradual backward slope in a wall or similar structure.
Usage
bench dog
a removable clamp used on a woodworking workbench to hold an item fast while being worked.
Usage
bent
This is the combination of the cap and the pile. Together, with other bents, act as supports for the entire bridge. Girders - Girders are like the arms of the bridge. They extend from bent to bent and support the bridge decking. They also help disperse pressure to the bents.
Usage
bitulithic
a dense mixture of stone and asphalt and enough cement to hold the particles strongly and permanently together.
Usage
Blanche (Clark) White
refers to Blanche (Clark) White(1863-1944) is Ida's niece and is married to Frank White (1864-1953).
bluestone
copper sulfate used to prevent smut on wheat.
Usage
boot jack
A boot jack, sometimes known as a boot pull, is a small tool that aids in the removal of boots. It consists of a U-shaped mouth that grips the heel of the boot, and a flat area to which weight can be applied with the opposite foot.
Usage
botts
(aka bots) Horse bots are the parasitic larvae of the botflies, Gasterophilus spp. Adult females deposit their eggs onto hair shafts of horses. Bot larvae are eventually ingested through grooming and can cause inflammatory reactions during migration within the oral cavity and by attachment to the stomach wall.
Usage
buddy
means the unpleasant flavor characteristic of syrup made from sap collected from maple trees as they come out of dormancy.
Usage
bunting
consists of rows of small colored flags that are used to decorate streets and buildings on special occasions.
Usage
C.C.
Chamber of Commerce
cant hooks
A cant hook or pike or a hooked pike is a traditional logging tool consisting of a wooden lever handle with a movable metal hook called a dog at one end, used for handling and turning logs and cants, especially in sawmills.
Usage
chaff
the husks of corn or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing.
Usage
chattel mortgage
is the legal term for a type of loan contract used in some states with legal systems derived from English law. Under a typical chattel mortgage, the purchaser borrows funds for the purchase of movable personal property from the lender.
Usage
cheat hay
cheat hay refers to the grass cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), which was a recently introduced invasive weed in the United States at the time. It was given the name "cheatgrass" because it would invade wheat fields, competing with the crops for resources and "cheating" farmers out of their full harvests.
cocking hay
To arrange (straw or hay) into piles shaped like cones
Usage
coulter
A blade or wheel attached to the beam of a plow that makes vertical cuts in the soil in advance of the plowshare.
Usage
cradle
an implement with rods like fingers attached to a scythe and used for harvesting grain. E.g. "S. cut oats with cradle and went to Ball's to change cradles."
Usage
a steam-powered winch once widely used in logging, mining, maritime, and other industrial applications.
Usage
drew
pull or drag so as to make it follow behind
Ed Crumrine
neighbor of E.A.
Ed Stacey
refers to Ed Stacey (1861-1957). He is Ida's nephew.
equinoxial storm
(aka equinoctial storm) a storm of violent winds and rain occurring at or near the time of an equinox and popularly, but erroneously, believed to be physically associated with it.
Usage
(of farmland) plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to restore its fertility as part of a crop rotation or to avoid surplus production.
Usage
fanning oats
get rid of chaff, straw, small stones, dirt, weed seeds, and light immature seeds from the oats or wheat seed you wished to plant. In short, the process separates the wheat from the chaff.
Usage
farcy
a horse disease characterized by the development of ulcerating growths that are most commonly found in the upper respiratory tract, lungs, and skin.
Usage
Father
refers to A. C. Sisson (1826-1896), father of E.A.
fizzel
(also fizzle) to fail or end feebly especially after a promising start.
Usage
flume
a man-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes lead water from a diversion dam or weir to their desired location.
Usage
a cleaving tool for splitting cask staves and shingles from the block
Usage
Fulk
David Fulk
Gaches
Charles Gaches, propietor of store in LaConner
Geo
refers to George Sisson (1854-1928), brother of E.A.
George McGinnis
Ida's cousin John McGinnis's son (Olive's brother)
Georgia Carter
Georgia Carter is the wife of Fred Carter who was the editor of the Puget Sound Mail.
Gilkie
refers to Mr. Franklin E Gilkie, friend and fellow Republican of E.A.
godesia
(aka godetia) The botanical names for the plant have even more interesting sources. Initially, the genus was called Godetia in reference to a 19th-century Swiss botanist named Charles Henry Godet. The genus name was later changed to Clarkia to honor William Clark of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. Finally, amoena, the species name, means beautiful or pleasing.
Usage
Grandma
Refers to Eliza Leamer (1818-1901), Ida Sisson's mother
Grant
refers to Grant Sisson (1885-1956), only son of E.A. and Ida
make or shape (something) by cutting or chopping a material such as wood
Usage
Highbarger
refers to Jacob Highbarger, EA neighbor.
hoop iron
flattened iron in long thin strips used for binding together the staves of casks or tubs.
Usage
hoven
relating to a cattle disease [adj] affected with bloat. (in cattle, sheep, and horses) a distention of the rumen or paunch or of the large colon by gasses of fermentation, caused by eating ravenously of green forage,
Usage
jack screw
or screw jack, is a type of jack that is operated by turning a leadscrew
Usage
Jackson fork
A steel-tined fork suspended from a derrick or system of pulleys and cables, used for moving loose hay or straw.
Usage
Ida's cousin that lived in Seattle. His mother (Mary Campbell) and Ida's mother (Eliza) were sisters.
John Wallace
Harvey Wallace's brother.
Kalso
neighbor of E.A. Could be either Fred or Otto.
kalsomining
also calcimining, putting Whitewash, or whitewash with zinc oxide or other pigments added, formerly used as a coating for plaster walls and ceilings.
Usage
lagging
material providing heat insulation for a boiler, pipes, etc.
Usage
launch
Launch is a name given to several different types of boat. The wide-range of usage of the name extends from utilitarian craft through to pleasure boats built to a very high standard.
Usage
Refers to International Order of Good Templars which is a fraternal organization which is part of the temperance movement, promoting abstinence from alcohol and other drugs. E.A. was an officer in the Lodge.
lodged
is the bending over of the stems near ground level of grain crops, which makes them very difficult to harvest, and can dramatically reduce yield.
Usage
mangold wurzel (from German Mangel/Mangold, "chard" and Wurzel, "root"), also called mangold, mangel beet, field beet, fodder beet and (archaic) root of scarcity, is a cultivated root vegetable.
Usage
mangol
mangold wurzel (from German Mangel/Mangold, "chard" and Wurzel, "root"), also called mangold, mangel beet, field beet, fodder beet and (archaic) root of scarcity, is a cultivated root vegetable.
McClellan
refers James McClellan. E.A. neighbor.
McGlinn
John McGlinn
melodian
a keyboard musical instrument invented in 1806 consisting of graduated metal rods sounded by contact with a revolving cylinder
Usage
midlings
aka middlings. Wheat middlings (also known as millfeed, wheat mill run, or wheat midds) are the product of the wheat milling process that is not flour. Rich in protein, wheat middlings also offer high levels of energy. Cattle find midds easy to digest, and weaning calves do well with them. They are high in fiber, low in starch and they produce little bloat or acidosis when fed in the right amount.
Usage
lawyer colleague that R.E. Whitney met in Kansas and helped devlop plan to move west. (Reference Skagit History p. 622)
Mrs. Bradley
refers to Cassandra (Stearns) Bradley, Kate (Bradley) Whitney's sister-in-law, wife of R. Lee Bradley.
Mrs. Wallace
refers to Mary (Leamer) Wallace (1839-1920), Ida Sisson's sister. She was also married to Alfred Stacey, Sr.(1838-1865)
Nash quad
(also known as the Jeffery Quad or Quad) is a four-wheel drive, 11⁄2-ton rated truck that was developed and built by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company from 1913 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and after 1916 by Nash Motors, which acquired the Jeffery Company. Production of the Quad continued unchanged through 1928. Were used in WWI
Usage
Nettie
refers to Nettie Wright (1880-1973), middle child of E.A. and Ida. Sometimes refers to E.A.'s sister Nettie Dean (1861-1901)
is a preparation of tarred fibre used to seal gaps. Its main traditional applications were in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships.
Usage
oil origanum
origanum oil comes from a plant called Thymus capitatus and also from various species of an herb called Origanum. People use Spanish origanum oil for infections, burns, and many other purposes, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Usage
Olive McGinnis
Ida's cousin John McGinnis's daughter (George's sister)
Pearl
refers to Pearl S Wilson (1877-1963), oldest daughter of E.A. and Ida.
pest house
A pest house, plague house, pesthouse or fever shed was a type of building used for persons afflicted with communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, smallpox or typhus.
Usage
pianola
A player piano (also known as a pianola) is a self-playing piano containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism, that operates the piano action via programmed music recorded on perforated paper or metallic rolls.
Usage
pie plant
Rhubarb was first cultivated in China in pre-medieval times and eventually was traded along the famous Silk Road to Russia and most of Europe. From there, settlers brought it to the New World, tucked in among other roots and seeds destined for new homesteads. As the frontier expanded westward, pioneers dug up chunks of their plants roots, wrapped them in burlap sacking, and brought the plants with them. Back in those days, rhubarb was known as ”pie plant.” As sparse as foods were back in the 18th and 19th centuries, rhubarb was much valued and passed from one family member to another, one friend or neighbor to the next.
Usage
plowshare
The main cutting blade of a plow, behind the coulter.
Usage
A rick of wood is a term that is used to describe a pile of firewood that measures 4 by 8 feet. The width of the rick will depend on where you buy it from. A face cord describes the width of a rick of firewood, which typically measures 12, 16, or 24 inches.
Usage
a root vegetable belonging to the dandelion family, salsify is also known as the oyster plant because of its similar taste when cooked.
Usage
scarifier
a machine with sharp points used for breaking up the surface of the ground or a road.
Usage
scow
any of various vessels having a flat-bottomed rectangular hull with sloping ends, built in various sizes, and having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small harbours.
Usage
shingle horse
like a saw horse, the farmer would sit on the end of the shingle horse, adjusting the brace to set the angle of tapering on the wooden shingle being shaved down.
Usage
Siegfried
refers Lewis Seigfried. E.A. neighbor.
skeg
a sternward extension of the keel of boats and ships which have a rudder mounted on the centre line.
Usage
sleeper
a piece of timber laid on low cross walls as a plate to receive ground joists.
Usage
slough
a marshy or reedy pool, pond, inlet, backwater, or the like.
Usage
sluice box
An artificial channel for conducting water, with a valve or gate to regulate the flow. A valve or gate used in such a channel; a floodgate.
Usage
a liquid containing 68 or 70 percent by weight of absolute nitric acid with the remainder water.
Usage
SS
multiple references through diary, and refers to Singing School.
sun dog
The sun dog is a member of the family of halos caused by the refraction of sunlight by ice crystals in the atmosphere. Sun dogs typically appear as a pair of subtly colored patches of light, around 22° to the left and right of the Sun, and at the same altitude above the horizon as the Sun. They can be seen anywhere in the world during any season, but are not always obvious or bright. Sun dogs are best seen and most conspicuous when the Sun is near the horizon.
Usage
T
refers to Alvinza Gardner Tillinghast(1844-1914)
tedding
The function of lifting and separating hay in order to hasten dry down time
Usage
Trimble
refers to William H Trimble. E.A neighbor.
true bill
a bill of indictment found by a grand jury to be supported by sufficient evidence to justify the hearing of a case
Usage
tule shoes
a mat of woven reeds wired to a horse shoe. The oversized shoes were invented by Chinese laborers in 1850s California to help build levees and reclaim land in the Sacramento Delta.
Usage
Vinz
abbr for Alvinza
W
refers to R. E. Whitney (1840-1891)
weather cock
an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind.
Usage
are used in tension to distribute forces from a point load to the traces of draught animals (the traces are the chains or straps on each side of the harness, on which the animal pulls). For these, the whiffletree consists of a loose horizontal bar between the draught animal and its load. The centre of the bar is connected to the load, and the traces attach to its ends.
Usage
white house
house built by Whitney and Sisson during 1873. Referred to many times in the diary.
Usage