L. A. Miller Diary of 1929

(Excerpted by Fred Lindley)

Jan. 1: The fair and fine weather has gone with 1928. And, 1929 comes in with a cold wave…

Jan. 2: … Considerable movement in Real Estate for building operations in this village of Darrtown and surrounding territory.

Jan. 3: … At home, busy on books of the Darrtown Tel. Co. and other matters.

FOR THE MIDDLE PART OF THIS MONTH, MR. MILLER WROTE ABOUT THE WEATHER, NATIONAL AND WORLD CONDITIONS, TENDING TO TELEPHONE BUSINESS AND HOUSE CHORES.

Jan. 23: … George Manrod and I went to Hamilton to attend a K of P Past Chancellors meet. – Also to witness work in the Knight Rank. Home about 12 M. I met many old friends.

Jan. 26: … I had the Duersch Coal Co. bring us coal … this PM. This will probably take us through the winter…

Jan. 29: … Big operations on the Sub-division of Darrtown will continue as soon as weather will permit.

Feb. 1: I am busy with so many odd jobs – wheb I get started on one I am called off to another. The office work alone is sufficient to keep me busy. The Stock Co. has a theft on hand and I have been bury answering cales and getting things in shape to catch the thief. Jos. Davis is a loser again. Meat this time.

Feb. 2: … Stock Co. met and also had an Oyster dinner. …

Feb. 4: … Callers: Geo. Nichol stock co. biz; Jos. Davis, same; Wm. Keppler, various matters; Fr. Glardon, pension papers signed – Civil War veteran – over 80 years old.

Feb. 11: … I went to Oxford & had my P.U. Comm’s report and Tax Comm’s & Internal Revenue report sworn to before Issac Hufman and then put them in the PO Special 10¢ delivery on P.U.C & Tax Comm’s.

Feb. 12: … Cecil Keller called, also L.C. Keller and settled Tel. rent, except a bal due on L.C. Keller’s acct., which he said he would pay soon. Also, Mr. J.F. Lang came in and Pd bill rent up to Jan. 1 1929.

Feb. 15: … I attended Past Chancellors’ meet at Middletown, O. with Geo. O. Manrod, Wm. Glardon, and John Marshall.

Feb. 16: Some snow fell, we have fari sleighing now; but, very few sleighs. I saw three sleighs in Oxford, O. No room for sleighs on main highways. A thing of the past.

Feb. 28: … K of P trustees met and cleaned up past biz up to present. All members present. L.A. Miller, Sec., Julius Kolb, Treas., and Laird Laughlin, Pres.

Mar. 3: … At home busy all day at office – Except a short trip to the barber shop. I engaged 2 bu. of seed potatoes of Mr. Anderson, our barber, who lives at Morning Sun and has a small farm that he gardens some of it.

Mar. 4: … I worked exchange this PM and also listened to radio of doings and speeches at Inauguration of Herbert Hoover as Pres. of the U.S. of A.

Mar. 7: … An earthquake tremor struck this section at 11:30 PM and jarred things a little.

Mar. 8: Along about 4 AM, an earthquake tremor woke me up – jarred doors and windows. Seems to be an Ohio affair, according to papers. The epicenter being near Bellefontaine, O.

Mar. 15: I went to sale of goods of an old maiden lady Cis [?] Kramer – household goods and 900 bu. corn. A good crowd and thing sold well. Many old antiques in the way of furniture and pioneer cooking utensils. …

Mar. 20: I went to Cinti. on Biz this AM and got back about 4 PM. I rode down with a neighbor, Guy Dynes and met another neighbor Jno. Slaback going and coming from Cinti. and I came home with him.

Apr. 2: … I went to Cinti. this AM – got home 3 PM. I walked from Collinsville over. Bus all the way down and back. …

Apr. 6: At home. Called on Mr. Jacob Popst, who has recently undergone a severe operation for a bad case of Stricture of the bladder; he is now having stomach trouble. … I met Mr. Jno. Groh of Cold Springs, Ky. who offers me $100 to sell his 25 acres near here.

Apr. 7: … I wrote a letter to the Suttle Equipment Co. to correct a small error of 80¢, due to some careless office help.

Apr. 12: … The Darr bog is being drained – north end of town – an interesting proposition to me.

Apr. 13. A fine spring day. I went to Oxford and attended to some biz. and then walked home via Talawanda to James Kanes [?]. Talked to Jim awhile and then sauntered on home. 3 PM. Started from Oxford 10:45 AM.

Apr. 14: Walter Emmons Alston wants a deed made to him for inlots No. 24 and 32 in the village of Darrtown, Butler County, State of O. – from E.L. Laughlin and wife. Size of each lot is 6 poles in width and 12 poles in length Street measure.

FOR THE BALANCE OF THIS MONTH, MR. MILLER DESCRIBED NATIONAL AND WORLD EVENTS, THE WEATHER, AND A THREE-DAY TRIP TO COLUMBUS, OHIO FOR A TELEPHONE CONFERENCE – WHICH INCLUDED A SIDE TRIP TO JACKSON, OHIO ABOUT TELEPHONE MATTERS.FOR THE FIRST DOZEN DAYS IN THE MONTH OF MAY, MR. MILLER’S ENTRIES WERE RESTRICTED TO OFFICE WORK, CARE OF HIS POULTRY, AND THE WEATHER.

May 12: … Mr. Jos. Dietrick called this PM., a well informed man and an interesting person. He has been fairly educated and has been in business in Cinti and knows the general public.

May 26: On May 26, 1883, I was married to Eva May Phillips, my present and only wife. Forty-six year ago. …

FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, MR. MILLER WROTE MOSTLY ABOUT THE WEATHER AND GARDENING.

June 12: At home. Worked in garden. Picked strawberries. Work has begun on new house near us. Ellis Glardon. They are digging cellar.

June 18: … Some building going on in this village of Darrtown, O.

June 23: This fine day, grandson, Wm. M. Miller and I went a-fishing down Talawanda River.

FROM THIS POINT UNTIL SEPTEMBER, MR. MILLER HAD LITTLE LOCAL NEWS TO REPORT. HIS ENTRIES PRIMARILY DESCRIBED NATIONAL AND WORLD EVENTS; THE HOT AND DRY WEATHER; AND GARDENING.

Sept. 1: … A ball game on the Darrtown diamond this PM. Middletown, O. vs. Darrtown, O, A close game. 5 to 5, up to the 9th inning, when Darrtown got a break and ran in 4 tallies. 9-5, in favor of Darrtown.

Sept. 17: … Myself, son and his wife, attended the obsequies of Aunt Ada Hulse this PM, Mason, O. We stopped at West Chester on return to visit a cousin, Weller Ayers, who had a paralytic stroke some months ago. We found him really die-ing. He could not speak and his lungs were filling with mucus.

Sept. 18: We learned this AM of the death of cousin Weller Ayers at 6 PM yesterday. We left his bedside at 5 PM yesterday and were not surprised, as we considered him dying when we left.

Sept. 22: … The Darrtown ball team got skunked. No tallies. Hamilton team cleaned them. Stands 1-1 on championship for the county.

SEPTEMBER 23-24-25: MR. MILLER DESCRIBED HIS TRIP TO LOGAN, OHIO – WITH MR. BELL OF SOMERVILLE AND JHO. MARSHALL – TO ATTEND A K. OF P. GRAND LODGE MEETING.

Sept. 29: … A final game of baseball. Darrtown vs. Hamilton. Ham. won the 2 out of 3 games.

Oct. 1: … The folks took Wm. M. Miller’s 3 chickens – hens – to Butler Co. fair to show in the poultry club this PM.

Oct. 4: … Young folks gone to Butler County fair. Mrs. Elizabeth Fisher came over this afternoon and helped us at Exchange.

Oct. 9: I went to Cinti. O. on biz with the Bell Tel. Co. … I put up at the Palace Hotel – that is now only a rooming house. It was once the leading hotel in Cinti. with bed and board. …

Oct. 10: I met Mr. Weaver, engineer of the Cinti. Bell Tel. Co. this AM on biz…

Oct. 13: …I had 2 bu. of rye delivered to me this AM by Jno. Keppler for Ernest Curtis.

Oct. 20: … Sunday joy riders were out en masse this AM and went home through the rain this PM. But, nearly all autos being closed and rainproof, it makes no difference to those on the inside. A few rumble seat passengers were wet enough.

Oct. 21: …I went to Hamilton with Wm. Keppler. I had some small matters to attend to.

Oct. 26: … Gambling on stocks on New York Ex & other places all over the U.S. continues to rage. Fortunes little and big are being wiped out.

Oct. 30: … The states & cities are in the throes of the usual Nov. elections…

Nov. 5: … Local elections over Ohio and other states…

Nov. 8: … My neighbor, Andy Neanover, is shredding some corn fodder.

Nov. 9: … I got a late start to Oxford – had intended going this AM. But, other did not get ready until almost 2 PM. Being blocked for 15 minutes at Miami playgrounds, due to Foot-ball game, got me in at 2:30. Bk Farmers State had closed at 2:00 PM. I was not able to attend to some important Biz. Got some groceries and came home early…

Nov. 14: … Stock gamble has been going down, instead of up. … a general slump of biz is the result. Hundreds of thousands have been thrown out of employment…

Nov. 19: … I went to a sale today on old Sohn farm. Now owned by J.K. Sandlin. He has rented same and is going to move back to Ky. – Bit off a too big a chunk of upland, clay dirt. Run down. Poor crops. No buyers for large farms.

Nov. 21: … Stock gambling has produced a crisis in tying up finance. Pres. Hoover has called to the White House big business heads to prevent a crisis in the industries. Henry Ford proposes to increase wages to all his employees.

Nov. 26: … I called on A.P. Stork a few minutes to deliver a receipt. Telephone rent for $32. Also, called on Jos. Dietrick & helped him husk some pulled corn in the barn, while we chatted.

Dec. 3: … Pres. Herbert Hoover has been calling in businessmen to help stop a panic and unemployment. …

Dec. 7: … Robberies, hold-ups, bank failures through stock speculation & by frozen assets has (sic) destroyed the finance of millions and helped make the present slump in business. Too much credit has also lured millions to go in debt for things that the loss of a job or crops, should it be a farmer, has robbed them, as well as some of the honest creditors. Autos, radios, and etc. have all sold on credit and for cash at enormous profits. Destructive to the man of average means.

Dec. 9: … Our new bus line is operating from Hamilton, O. to Richmond, Ind. Making three (3) round trips each day. It now carries light freight, as well as passengers (light & heavy). Fare from Darrtown to Hamilton 25¢ each way.

Dec. 12: … W.W. Ramsey and I went hunting this PM north of town (Darrtown) on farm of Harry Kramer. We bagged three rabbits and came home. Ramsey had had his fill of rabbit and so I took the entire bag.

DURING THE MIDDLE PART OF DECEMBER, MR. MILLER REPORTED THE USUAL WORK AROUND HIS HOME AND TELEPHONE OFFICE. HE ALSO DESCRIBED SOME ROUGH WINTER WEATHER AND RELATED TELEPHONE LINE ISSUES.

Dec. 30: … I went to Hamilton this AM with Fred Grothaus & had to return with Carl McVicker to meet with some appraisers of the J. D. McVicker estate. Carl should have notified me. Poor fellow, he is the only one who owes the estate anything, according to the inventory - $3,000 + interest for a long time. He was a bachelor and got taken in by an old widow … they have put the finishing touch on Carl C. McVicker.