This afternoon, I was looking through my book case for a particular book on Ohio history. As the universe would have it, I instead came across the handwritten notebooks of one young Mayme Wilbur. In 1901, Mayme was a 15 year old school girl when she decided to keep a daily diary. She may have attended the Worrell School (1896-1904, on County Road 29, grades 1-8), the first Middleburg School (built in 1874), or possibly the Jericho school (consolidated with Middleburg School in 1915). Maybe this was an assignment from the teacher or maybe she just liked to keep notes. Whatever the reason, young Mayme has a handle on turn of the century, rural, teenage life. Enjoy.

About the author: Mary “Mayme” Wilbur was born in 1885, in Union County, Ohio. Her father, Zachary T. Wilber, was 37 and her mother, Adelaide Allen, was 38. Mayme was their second child; their firstborn, a son, passed in infancy. Mayme married Chester O. Teets on February 24, 1918 and the two lived their days in Middleburg and Zane Township, Ohio. She died in 1954, in Middleburg at the age of 69. Chester passed the following year, at the age of 67.

Editor’s Notes: Installment two, February 1901, will be posted in February.

January 1901
Note: The numbers in the list below correspond to the days of the month in January1901. Names of the locals are in bold, for easy spotting).

1. Went after the mail. Saw Cecil and came home. Read some in “Dora Thorne”. Baked a cake. Meeting commenced at Disciple [church].
2. Went to school. Got letter from Jim, told about wreck. Went to church. Saw Ethel W. Went up to hill where boys were coasting. Ethel went with Geo C[url]. I came home with W. C. Went to bed and slept good, to.
3. Went to school. Folks went to Marysville. Ethel Wilbur came home from church with me. G. C. [George Curl] brought her. Went to bed.
4. Went to school, took Ethel, had visitors. Made up with G. C.. Went to church. Came home alone and went to bed.
5. Baked a cake. Went up in town and down to Jess Marquis and played on the wagon. Came home, ate supper and went up to East Liberty. Tell and Ray, Nell Fay, Cecil, Dott, Ethel and Jess and Watt and myself. Had a hot time. Ethel came home and stayed all night with me.
6. Went to Allen Ctr, took Ethel home. Came home with folks, went to church. Came home alone and went to bed. It rained coming home.
7. Went to school. Oran Losey and Harry Rea stood on the floor. Bertha W. kicked the bucket over and I got scolded for it. Rung off, did not go to church.
8. Went to school. Cecil did not go, stayed home to practice a song. Studied lessons, read, and went to bed. Nothing special.
9. Went to school as usual. Teacher was pretty cranky; moved Roy Inskeep’s seat. Rained about all day. Came home, studied my lesson, went to bed. Nothing special.
10. Went to school as usual. Elmer Heath stood on the floor. Got our new sewing machine. Mrs. Losey died in the evening. Went to church and gave Fred Shellenbarger the mitten. Carlton was here, stayed all night. Studied my lesson and went to bed.
11. Rained all day. Literary Day at school. Had a select reading. Harry Rea, Charlie Prall had to stand on the floor.Left school at half past three and went out to Ota Losey’s. Came home, read, went to bed.
12. Worked in the morning. Hemstitched. In the evening, went to church. Gave Arthur Hatcher the mitten. Came home alone.
13. Went to Sunday School and to Mrs. Losey’s funeral. Came home and eat dinner and went up to Cecil’s and went to Stella Loveland’s for supper. Went to church. Came home alone.
14. Went to school as usual. Arthur Hatcher started, Fred West was there and made a speech. Did not go to church. Studied, read, and went to bed.
15. Went to school. Went down in town at recess. Came home home, studied, went to bed.
16. Went to school. Ota started again. Came home, studied, went to bed.
17. Went to school. Had examinations in Arith, History, Geog. Alpha paid me for orthography. Got new pencil, came home, studied an went to bed.
18. Went to school. Had examinations in Phisiology, Grammar. Gail Outland was there. Went to church at night, came home, and went to bed.
19. Dusted and washed dishes. Went to church. Cecil, Jess, Ethel P., Stella. Came home alone and went to bed.
20. Went to Sunday School. Preaching Day. A lecture to ladies only, in the afternoon. Last night of big meeting at Disciple Church. I went and came home alone.
21. School again. Harry brought my mittens and Louis T. got them, then I waited in town at night to get them. Mr. and Mrs. Marquis came over in the evening. Then I read and went to bed.
22. School as usual. Jumped the rope. Mrs. Teets died. Came home, got supper, Mama was sick. Cecil and Dott, Jessie and Watt came up in the evening. Studied and read then went to bed.
23. School again. Rained. Went out to George Painter’s to a surprise party. He was 20 years old. Cecil and Dott, Jessie and Oran and Geo. Curl and myself went in a carriage. Eat supper with Carman Outland. Lost my collarette. Went to bed.
24. Went to school. Got my collarette. School was dismissed till recess on account of Mrs. Teets‘ funeral. Stayed up at school. George Curl and Arthur Hatcher got in a fight. Snowed in. Afternoon lecture ad Disciple Church. I went. Ethal P, Cecil McWade.
25. School again. Literary Day of Lincoln Society, went to lecture. Gave Geo. Curl the mitten. [Illegible word] Jessie, Cecil, Anna and myself. Came home alone. Had a chance to go to a dance with Watt out to Job Sharp’s but did not get to go.
26. Washed dishes. Worked problems. Nothing of importance happened. Snow storm.
27. Went to Sun. School and to Jessie’s for dinner. Ethel P. came home with me. Riley’s 2 children died. Went to Flat Branch in Freeman Outland‘s sleigh. Jessie, Ota, Stella Freeman, Arthur, Cecil, and Ethen with with Oran Losey. Pretty cold. Fine time.
28. School again. Got our dinner mixed up. Letter from Ada Smith. Cecil did not go to school.
29. School as usual. Cecil was sick. Dance at Parker’s, did not go. Studied. Went to bed.
30. Folks went to Marysville. Saw Jim Marshall. Got me a new nightgown.
31. School again. Post office broken open in the night. Cecil’s at noon. Ethel Pettit had to stand on the floor. Nothing else of any importance happened

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