July 1883 Joseph Enos Diary- Nanoose Bay

 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.

July 1883

1 — Fine day. Father went to R. West morland.

2 — Weeding by the spit.

3 — Father went to J. Hamilton to git some paper.

4 — Fine Clear Day, we began to how our turpips.

5 — Fine. J and R. Hamilton called. All is well.

6 — Father is getting ready to go to Nanaimo to morrow.

7 — Warm weather. Father and R. Hamilton went to Nanaimo.

8 — R. West morland called me. Father and R. Hamilton returned from Nanaimo.

9 —

10 — Warm Weather. Wm Grwin called and remained all night. Wm J Hamilton came and I helped Kill a Pig.

11 —

12 — Wm Grwin and Indian John Commence to cut the hay.

13 — Harvesting.

14 — Harvesting.

15 — Fine day. All is well.

16 — Reverend Father Astaff and called on this way.

17 — Harvesting.

18 — Harvesting.

19 — Mr. Orwin finished cutting hay.

20 — Mr. Orwin went home.

21 — Harvesting.

22 — Fine. At home.

23 — Hauling hay. We are finished with hay?

24 — Began to cut oats at 3 spit.

25 —

26 — Binding oats.

27 — Hauling oats home from the 3 [spit].

28 — We went across the bay to cut poles for the bar.

29 — Father went to Nanaimo.

30 — Cleaning out the chicken house.

31 — Father returned from Nanaimo with Hirst and Tranfield. Father's horse ran away from him at Nanaimo.