Diary of Susannah Woychik, 1868- 13 Christmas and sending off the diary

Jak leci?

What’s up?

November 27

It was down to 6 degrees today. Very cold. No need to worry about our ice house

We hear the wolves breaking the silence many of these winter nights with howling. I do miss Pa being around

December 7

Pa bought us a sleigh. We can use it for hauling things short distances - and maybe by next year at this time, we'll have a horse to pull it. There isn’t a lot of snow at the moment and the ground is quite rough.

Among the earliest setttlers in Caladonia, Trempealeau County, was Alexander McGilvroy, born in Scotland, who established a ferry across the Black River near the site of the McGilvroy bridge. It is probable that the town's name, Caledonia, which name the Romans gave that part of Scotland between the Firth of Forth and Clyde, and occupied by the tribe of Caledonic when they invaded that country, was suggested by him.

Caledonia is not all that close to us at Burnside, but it has an attraction that makes it worthwhile going to the distance now and again.

Last weekend we went to the Four Mile House, a roadside inn, operated by Christian Schmitz. On the second floor is a large hall which is used for dances, etc. It is a stopping place for farmers when hauling wheat to market at Trempealeau on the Mississippi River. It was Hyacinth Kulig and his brother Jacob who called for me, and drove me in their sleigh to the dance, where we met up with our friends the Skroches. We went back and stayed the night at their house, and then the boys brought me back here after lunch on Sunday. Hyacinth is very sweet on me, I think, and seems quite serious. But he says he can’t make any definite plans for the future until he has enough money for a homestead - and that he reckons will take him a couple of years. But he sort of asked me if I would be interested enough in him to wait. And I said I thought I was.

December 13^th

Here it is getting near time for Christmas. We have decided to put some holly branches with red berries inside the house to make it look festive. And we plan to hold to as many of our Polish customs as we can. Luckily we will have a priest at Peter Sura’s house to say Mass one day that week. He couldn’t promise Christmas day itself - but at least we will have one day. We haven’t been to church since the bad weather set in.

I will list some of oru Polish customs:

Once you wake up on Christmas Day better not go back to bed - this will certainly bring illness.

A dry crust of bread and a coin placed in a basin with cold water ensures pleanty of food and physical strength for the following year

The first person entering the house on Christmas morning  should be a man to guarantee health for the whole household; a woman entering would mean sickness.

A sneeze that day guarantees health.

Teeth polished with garlic guarantees strength.

Apples eaten at supper on Christmas  prevents throat infection, and nuts are eaten for a toothache.

Place a piece of iron under the Christmas Eve table for everybody to touch to make sure their legs are strong and healthy.

Sunny Christmas Eve day guarantees lots of eggs as well as a marriage for young and poor; cloudy, a lot of milk and marriage to the old and wealthy.

When cleaning fish, do not throw scales away - put them in your wallet and they will bring wealth. Also, you may place scales in a red sack. Nail it to the door - it will bring love.

Sweeping floors should be done “from the door” as not to sweep young men away.

Every dish has to be tasted; if not, it brought bad harvest to whichever product was missed out.

Place straw under the tablecloth - it will bring wealth. Also, unmarried girls will be able to tell fortune on their future marriage - long and green straw will bring a speedy marriage, blackened blade meant a long wait, yellow blade meant staying single forever.

Everybody had to have coins on them at supper - brought wealth.

Christmas Eve supper has to have twelve different dishes for each month of the year to ensure a wealthy year.

Go visit a neighbor and try to steal a small item - this will ensure wealth for you. You have to return it the next day.

By the end of the supper, eat an apple and count the seeds - an even number foretells great love, and more than six seeds means a wedding is guaranteed.

In a region threatened by wolves, leftovers from Christmas Eve supper was placed outside the gate to invite the wolves, which when treated well, would not harm the host.

One plate at the table was always left for the dead relatives.

There was no leaving the table at supper; it was supposed to bring bad luck or even death.

After supper, tie all the dirty spoons together - it will ensure that the family will stay together.

You have to have candles on the table. Each person has to see their shadow on the wall - a lack of shadow means death in coming year After supper is also the time to blow out the candles - if the smoke goes towards the window it foretells the birth of a baby. If it goes up, a wedding. Towards the door indicates a funeral.

When I was in Trempealeau, I spent some of my earnings from working for Mrs Markham on presents for the family. I bought Ma a warm woven scarf, and leather gloves for the older boys and Pa. I got Carl and Paul  some wooden trains. I also managed to buy a few yards of a very pretty fabric, which I hope Moma will help me make into a new blouse.

December 30  - 0 degrees today, but the coldest recorded this month was -22º. Boy was that cold.

.January 1, 1869 - we welcomed in the new year with another 5” of snow.
I have just about run out of room in this diary, and we need to send it off to Aunt Susanna, as has always been the plan. But I wanted to say a bit more about our sod house. When we first got here, I thought it was awful, but now, I can say in solid earnest it’s a good place to live. Those in log or frame houses felt sorry for us but a frame house here  is a poor thing  - in a house that is not plastered the wind and dust go right through and they are very cold.  A sod house can be built so they are real nice and comfortable. 

Supper is over and dishes washed, I guess I want to summarize somehow this period of our lives. We have a nice lot of squashes and cucumbers & melons & beans. There was a striped bug worked some on our squashes but did not bother our other vines. We got loads of potatoes and cabbage.  

I think we had the hardest storm Saturday night and the wind blew very hard. I do not know how long it lasted for I went to sleep and the wind was blowing yet we do not much notice the wind in a sod house.

We are pleased we moved, and for the most part we are happy here. I will now end my diary and send it to Aunt Susanna with my good wishes that she and her family will be here with us soon.