Friday, September 4, 2026

Gr.Grandpa Joseph Enos Diary May 1881

 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. ❤️


May 1881

1 At home all day

2 Lousy + Nelly calfed at home

3 Minsy calfed

4 I weigh 92lbs
my height is 4ft 9 inches

5 Brought Nelly home with a calf.

6 Hunting for cattle

7 Brought some cattle home

8 -

9 Father went to Nanaimo *

10 Read calved at home
I killed a panther by the bottom
Father returned from Nanaimo *

11 Philly the mare had her colt

12 Raining

13 Mother returned from Nanaimo **

14 Father sold a yolk of oxen to Mr Inkstomen. Planting onions by the well

15

16 Ditching out the bottom

17 Mr. Throup, Indian John and Peter helping to ditch at the bottom

18 Ditching at the bottom

19 Covering the ditch

20 "

21 "

22 All is... ?

23 Covering the ditch at the bottom

24 Finish covering the ditch

25 A rainy day

26 Raining. Father went to Nanaimo

27 Father returned from Nanaimo

28 I brought oxen home

29

30 Ploughing at the bottom

31 Ploughing at the bottom

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