Submitted by Mary L. Bowman
Walter Bisland Wade was 17 years old when this diary begins in January 1884. The diary covers 1884 to 1891. It gives us a wonderful glimpse into the everyday lives of our ancestors in Jefferson County. The original diary is in the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Jackson, Mississippi. I have included the key to the characters in the diary written by Caleb F. Darden, son of Thomas L. Darden, Jr. & Martha McGinty. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!
Thanks to Kevin Ross Richlin we now have the Diary of Walter Bisland Wade in *Adobe PDF format! Kevin is the grandson of Jewell Ross, who along with Mary L. Bowman, transcribed the diary into its present format in 1986. Many thanks to Kevin for allowing us to post it here!
Please note there IS an Index to some of the names in the Diary.
WARNING! This pdf version is copyrighted by Kevin Ross Richlin
and may not be distributed in any form except by express written permission from him!
TO THE READER: WALTER BISLAND WADE was born Feb.4, 1867. He married SALLIE E. STOWERS Nov.29,1893, he died May 2, 1937, all in Red Lick Mississippi.
These pages were written by him between 1884 and 1891. There were three books, the middle book is in three pieces, one piece is in the possession of Mildred Coley of Jackson Miss. and the others by Dunbar B. Wade of Kansas City, Kansas. The books are now yellowed with age and the ink has faded, but they paint a picture of country living in rural Miss., in the "Gay Nineties". They show the daily life of a young man, not to unlike the "boys" of today. He belonged to a "String Band" instead of an electric Combo, and drove a Red Dog Cart instead of a souped up Pick Up. And he flirted with all the girls of his neighborhood.
I have for clarity sake corrected a very few misspelled words, but the main text is all his. (the typos are all mine) The penmanship is Spencerian. This style was taught until the 1900s. My own father wrote in this manner which helped in transcribing. Some words were written clearly but could not be understood, these I have copied faithfully and will let the reader identify. Each entry was signed, these have in the main been left off.
A good many names of party goers appear and have not been edited out for the sake of future genealogist who may go a-searching for their ancestor. Since names were repeated within families endlessly, who belonged to which family I leave to the reader. If Walter calls them cousin, they probably were. 1 have endeavored to be as accurate as I could be, many pages had been scribbled on with pencil and one childish scrawl stated that "Elizabeth is eight years old today" who Elizabeth was of course we will never know for sure, more than likely it was his daughter Elizabeth H. Wade Ross, but ere we forget Walter had 13 children.
I would like to add, I owe much to Mr. Jewell Ross of Dublin Ca. who has been so very generous with information and help for a long time now, and who "hooked" me years ago on family Journals.
I hope you all enjoy getting acquainted or reacquainted with your GRANDPA WADE.
MARY L. BOWMAN
LEMON GROVE CA. 1986