Excerpt from My Great-Grandfather’s Diary 📖
I’m sharing excerpts from my Great-Grandfather’s diary. They may not always appear in chronological order, so please bear with me as I work through them.
He lived in Nanoose Bay, on Notch Hill, and his diary gives us a glimpse into our family’s life and history.
My Great-Great-Grandfather came from the Azores to Victoria in 1862. He later married my Songhees Great-Great-Grandmother in 1876, the same year the federal Indian Act was enacted.
The diary belonged to my Great-Grandfather. My Great-Aunt Mary eventually donated it to the Royal BC Museum. I was able to have it scanned into a PDF, and I’ve also been working from the handwritten cursive to create a hand-printed transcription so that we can actually read his words.
It feels pretty special to be able to bring these pages back into the family story, more than a century later.
More excerpts to come. ❤️
Transcription Note
Please note: These transcriptions may contain errors. I am working from handwritten cursive that is more than 140 years old, and some words, names and places are difficult to decipher. Where I’m uncertain, I’ve indicated it with [brackets] or a question mark rather than guessing.
I’m sharing these as a work in progress, and I’ll continue to correct and refine the transcriptions as I learn more.
Joseph Enos Diary — March 1883
Places, People & Subjects Mentioned
Nanaimo · N.W. Bay · Nanoose Bay · Little Ranch · Notch Hill · L. Swoomp · Indian · Azores · English · E.M. River · camp
Hauling wood · Bringing home oxen · Burning logs · Shot a panther (cougar) · Bringing dogfish scraps home for manure · Grafting · Sawing wood · Fixing fishing line · Planting beach garden · Sowing onion seeds · Planting potatoes · Killed a panther (cougar) · Ploughing · Transplanting cabbage · Sports in Nanaimo · Lost boat on account of high tide
Background — John Enos
Went to Nanaimo.
In the Fall of 1859, the loss of his boat caused Mr. Enos to come to Victoria, where he shipped on a Schooner that was carrying coal from Nanaimo to HMS Satellite at Esquimalt.
The acquaintance of some miners, a liking for the place and surroundings, induced Mr. Enos to make Nanaimo his home and to work for the Hudson's Bay Company.
The manager, Mr. Nichols, gave him permission to settle on a piece of land near the ravine which he bridged, falling a tree on either bent. This served all practical purposes.
March 1883
March 1–4
March 1, 1883 — Thursday
Hauling turnips and manure. I took a letter to R. Wiles to be sent to Tomas Pride, Nanaimo.
Killed a deer at the turnips with a set gun, this being the first killed in this way for this year.
March 2 — Friday
Fine, clear day. Hauling turnips and manure.
Beautiful, calm, clear day. Hauling turnips and manure.
March 3 — Saturday
Fine day.
AM: hauling turnips and manure.
PM: hauling wood.
March 4 — Sunday
Mild, cloudy and snowy.
1 AM: Father and I went to look for H. Ross's cow but could not find him.
March 5–9
March 5 — Monday
Fine, clear day.
AM: I went to look for [Maggie?]
PM: hauling logs to finish the fence by the new road.
March 6 — Tuesday
Cloudy and windy. 10 PM rain.
AM: Father went to the islands to get some fish scraps which the fishermen left there for us, but found that someone had taken them. We therefore brought a load of lumber home.
March 7 — Wednesday
Light rain. At home all day.
March 8 — Thursday
Fine, clear day. Planting fruit & trees.
March 9 — Friday
AM: Light rain.
PM: Fine. Sewing oats at the spit.
March 10–13
March 10 — Saturday
Fine, clear day.
3 AM: I went to look for Maggie the cow and when I returned I found T. Morgan and H. Ross home.
They left about 1 o'clock.
10 PM: Jinny the mare came from Wellington.
All is well.
March 11 — Sunday
Fine, clear day.
I went to look for Maggie but failed to find her.
8: When I returned I found John Silver and John Antoin at home. They brought us a fine lot of fish.
They went home to camp about 3 o'clock.
March 12 — Monday
Fine day.
AM: Father went to look for Maggie.
At 7 AM, 8 AM: M. R. Westmorland called on his way to Nanaimo. We sent 10 doz. of eggs to his brothers.
Bob returned about 9 PM and brought mail, among them two papers addressed to me.
Bob remained with us all night.
Father saw two blue grouse.
March 13 — Tuesday
Fine day.
R. Westmorland went home early this morning.
Planting apple trees.
March 14–18
March 14 — Wednesday
Fine, clear day.
Ploughing by the sea.
March 15 — Thursday
Fine day.
Father and I went to Nanaimo.
March 16 — Friday
Fine, clear day.
Father and I returned from Nanaimo.
March 17 — Saturday
High wind.
We planted the beach garden.
I went to look for the horses, could not find them.
Herring is in the day.
March 18 — Sunday
Fine, clear day.
Ann soon Mr. Seals came to get...
[Entry incomplete in transcription.]
March 18–22
March 18, 1883
He offered Father $10 dollars to take it to Nanaimo.
Found 4 PM Bob Hamilton called and went across the bay to meet his father. He also called on his way home.
All is well.
March 19 — Monday
Fine day.
Father and I went to E.M. River and remained there all night.
We took 2 sacks of seed potatoes up.
March 20 — Tuesday
Fine, clear day.
We left the E.M. River 11 o'clock.
We brought some oats for A. Westmerland and J. Hamilton, also 447 lbs. for ourselves, and a pig and horse also.
We arrived home about 4 o'clock, all safe.
Fine day.
Ploughing by the spring.
3 PM: Bob Harcheran came to get his oats.
7 AM: Bob Weatherland called for his oats.
Bob H. reported finding Maggie the cow.
And I went to fetch Mr. McDougall.
March 21 — Wednesday
[Entry continues in the original transcription.]
March 22 — Thursday
I took Mr. McDougall across the bay. He is going to leave us for a while and I hope he will return all safe.
7 PM: Ploughing the Spanish garden.
March 23–27
March 23 — Friday
AM: Light rain.
PM: Fine.
Sewing oats at the bottom.
March 24 — Saturday
Fine day.
I went to take a hunt and accidentally came across Maggie the cow.
She must have got out of the bottom of Hamilton's fence.
March 25 — Sunday
AM: I just took Maggie the cow.
H. Ross, Wellington.
I returned about 6 o'clock PM.
Father brought Tolly home with a cake.
Hamilton called.
March 26 — Monday
Fine, clear day.
[Working in] the garden at the bottom.
March 27 — Tuesday
Fine, clear day.
Finish [weeding] the garden.
March 28–31
March 28 — Wednesday
Cloudy.
Ploughing at the spit.
March 29 — Thursday
Cloudy.
New oats in the spit.
March 30 — Friday
Fine day.
I am ploughing at the spit alone.
Father is grafting.
March 31 — Saturday
Fine.
We have got things ready to go and plough for J. Hamilton.
Newspaper / Biographical Material
Pioneer Citizen Removed By Death
John Enos, Miner and Farmer, Dies at Ripe Age
The death occurred Friday afternoon at St. Joseph's Hospital of John Enos, aged 87 years.
A native of the Azores Islands, he came to America in 1852.
Previous to visiting the goldfields of California and British Columbia, Mr. Enos visited various seaports of New England, went to West Indies and South Africa.
Having worked for some time in the south, he came to Fort Yale in 1858.
Names Mentioned
Joseph Enos Diary
Jos. E. Almada
R. Wibbs
L. Jones
L. Hamilton
T. Wall
A. Peanfield
Albert Hirst
E. Quonell
John McBride
Mrs. Jack
Miss Mary Ann
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