William Landis album
Website Menu
Illian Menu

Transcription of handwritten diary by William W. Landis
[uncertain words in red; misspelling retained]
Written while at Racine College 1901
Postscript : Diary of William's father

Diary of William W. Landis

This diary (and that of John Wm Landis below) had been kept by Dorathy (Landis) McFarland,
and was loaned to Dorathy's sister Jeanne (Landis Illian) Plotz in 2002 for sentimental reasons

[cover left]
Landis from Cothorn
 
[cover right]
Nixon: hands & ears
Crane: teeth
gillette: hands
[Mar. 25th]
Fogy but warm sprinkeled a little. In after noon played baseball on Campess
[Mar. 26th]
Snowy. Watched indoor baseball game. Also bought a bag of candy from Brick. Tok and ate it during the game.
[Mar 27th 1901]
Snowed a little. Cool. Was in sick room with a head ache half the day. Mama and Lulu came up to see me.
[Mar. 28th. 1901]
Cool but bright. was half-holiday. went down town and got cow-boy hat in the after noon
[Mar. 29th. 1901]
-cool but clear. In after noon went hunting first shot and killed a sparrow.
[Mar. 30th 1901]
Snowed hard. moved in summer Chaple. Had 2 hours detention.
[Mar.31st. 1901]
Was palm Sunday. Was warm. Went down town for dinner with mama and Lulu.
[april 1 . 1901]
Was warm. Was half holiday. 11 boys were conformed. Played in jimnasieum in after noon. Also played baseball with Bud Nixon out dores
[April 2ed. 1901]
Cool and dark. Played baseball. Moved back into winter Chaple in after noon. I had detention
[April 3rd . 1901]
Cool but clear. In After noon went down lake bank with Hustice and played.
[April 4th . 1901]
Warm clear. Went downtown with mama. Was half holiday. Got candy and cookies. Came back in time for wash room
[April 5th 1901]
Cool rainy. Played with Bud Nixon in cave and plases on the lake bank. Also had play battle with weeds with Bud Nixon.
[April 6th. 1901]
Cool but rainy. Played on Lake bank with Bud Nixon
[April 7th . 1901]
Warm and clear. Was Easter. Threw eggs down lake bank. Went down town for dinner. Mama and Lulu were up for Chaple.
[April 8th. 1901]
Warm and clear, was holiday. Played on Lake bank and in old semetairy. In after noon papa came up. Brought me something good
[April 9th. 1901]
Warm and clear. Had milatairy drill on campos with our uniforms on. Threw 2 boys in the Lake for taking holiday away
[April 10th. 1901]
Warm and clear. In after noon had detention and couldent play. After dinner I walked cliffs on lake bank.
[April 11th. 1901]
Warm and clear. Was half holiday. Had ½ hours detention. Went down lake bank and made raft with Hustice. Dident have pirmition down lake bank and got 10 hours detention for it.
[april 12th. 1901]
Slightly cool and cloudy. had militairy drill and banut exercises on campes. We had our uniforms on. Had detention all day and was on detention drill.
[April 13th 1901]
Warm and clear. Had detention all after noon. In evening there was a college party. Danced nearly every two step.
[April 14th 1901]
Warm and clear. Was Sunday. Mama, Lulu came up to Chaple. Went down town for dinner and stayed all after noon. Came back at 5:15 oclock
[April 15th 1901]
Cloudy but warm. was on detention drill all day. Billie Backer fanted in Chaple at night.
[April 16th 1901]
Cloudy but warm. Cousin Liddie was married for the secound time at 5.30 oclock. I went down town to the wedding in after noon. Stayed all night with mama. Had a feast at night. Coffin and Miss Read were there

The diary entry for the
date 16 April 1901
is scanned at the right

[april 17th. 1901]
Warm. Part cloudy and part clear. Got all my time off when Chaple bells began to ring. After supper I stayed on detention drill but got credit
[April 18th. 1901]
Was half holiday.Was warm and clear. Hillis Gillitte and my self played around the corn field. Played Pirate with spears. Had a bottle of pop and a jelly rowl and some candy.
[April 19th 1901]
Warm and clear. Played with Willis and Furgeson down in the corn field. We had a play canon mad of an old pair of wagon wheals with half of the tongue on. Then I drummed with Handtmann's drum
[April 20th. 1901]
Warm and clear. Watched the first out door baseball game of the year. The first team played down town team. We beat 18 to 8. Buckingham pitched for us.
[april 21ed 1901]
Cool and very windy. Was Sunday. I went down town with mama and had dinner at the Eliots hous. In after noon I looked at pictures of the travles the Eliots have been on. Was late for Chaple
[April. 22ed. 1901]
Cool and rained a little. In after noon went hunting with Mr. Robinson Hustice and Prat. All of us together killed 7 robbins. Had them for supper that night.
[April 23ed 1901]
Warm and clear. In after noon, Willis, Bud Nixon, and my self, chased Handtman with sticks. He had a fort in one of the buildings.
[april 24th. 1901]
Warm and clear. Chased Handtman. Our campeign hats and leggings came in after noon. We got our leggings but not our hats
[april 25th 1901]
Warm and clear. Was half holiday. In after noon went down town and stayed with mama and Lulu. We got our hats in after noon
[April 26th 1901]
Warm and clear. In after noon had military drill on campas. Company A, had there campeign hats and leggings on. Had one hours detention. After detention I went out on campas and played catch with Hawthorne.
[april 27th 1901]
Warm and clear. In after noon watched first out door baseball game of the college. We beat 25 to 5.
[april 28th 1901]
Was warm and clear. Was Sunday. Mama came up to Chaple in the morning with the two little Eliot girls of Racine. I went down town to dinner and stayed all after noon. Lulu came up to Chaple too
[april 29th 1901]
Warm and clear. Was Monday. A half holiday. Went after gofers with Handtman and Hustice. Handtman caught one.
[April 30th 1901]
Warm and clear. Was quite hot. In after noon I played Cricket with some of the boys and Mr. Stubs. We were beaten.
[May. 1ed 1901]
Very warm and clear. Had 6 hours detention drill all day. In evening at 8 oclock the college gave the choir boys a supper It was fin 2 uncertain words.
[May 2ed. 1901]
In the morning it was very warm. Was half holiday. Had 2 hours detention. Was going, swimming, but when I came out of the dining room the wind had changed and it was cold. We dident go
[May 3ed. 1901]
Cool but clear. In after noon fenced with Dutons fencing sword with Furgeson. Furgeson had a stick. We had lots of fun
[May 4th 1901]
Warm and clear. In after noon I got Duttons fencing sword and practiced sticking things with it. Furgeson and I had play dool
[May 5th 1901]
Warm and clear. Was Sunday. Went down town for dinner. In after noon went out to semetary. We saw a bad run away, but now one was hurt. Mama dident come up to Chaple in the morning
[May 6th 1901]
Slightley cool and a little cloudy. Was half holiday. Went down lake bank. where they were building a brake water. We dident have permition, but havent got caught, so far. Was Monday
[May 7th 1901]
Cool and fogy. In after noon had military drill on campas. I had ¾ of an hour detention after detention. gillitte took me up to miss Cotters room and gave me a pear of cack bad and an orange.
[May 8th 1901]
Cool cloudy. I went up to sick room about 10.30 in the morning stayed up there all day. In after noon Snow came up to see me. I had Miss Cotters little cat to play with
[May 9th 1901]
Cool and cloudy. Sprinkeled a little in after noon. In after noon Lulu came up and saw me. She said she and mama were going to move to Chicago next Thursday. Was half holiday had 2½ hours detention. Lulu came up at one uncertain word
[May 10th 1901]
Warm and clear. hat military drill on campas in after noon. I saw a big car fary on the Lake with 14 cars on it Had some detention.

The diary entries for the dates 8 May 1901 through 11 May 1901
[May 11th 1901]
Warm clear. In after noon The College baseball team played the North Green Field team and beat 8 to 9 in our favor.
[May 12th 1901]
Was Sunday. Will be the last Sunday down town for dinner Had a good time. Came back for wash room. Was cool and clear.
[May 13th 1901]
Was Monday half holiday. In afternoon went down town and develiped some pictures from some plates of Coffins.
[May 14th 1901]
Cool and clear. In after noon we marched down town and Company B had campeign hats and leggings on for first time. Was very tired when I got back.
[May 15th 1901]
Warm and clear. Had a Clarcson and Badger cricket game Clarcsons were beat. In after noon Mama and Lulu came up to say good by for they were going tomorrow. I picked a bunch of violets
[May 16th 1901]
Warm and clear. Was hole holiday. It was field day. Clark H and my self were tie in the high jump. We have to jump over again for the medal on Saturday.
[May 17th 1901]
Warm and clear. In after noon we drilled on campas with uniforms on. We had a sham battle and fired blank cartredges. I had detention all day
[May 18th 1901]
Was saturday. In after noon there was a big baseball game on campas. We were beat. It was warm and clear.
[May 19th 1901]
Cool and clear. Was Sunday. Was up at euluige all day. In after noon went to library and wred.
[May 20th 1901]
Cool and rainy. It was a half holiday. In after noon Handtman and I bought something good. After supper in evening Coffin came in and saw me
[May 21ed. 1901]
Cool and rainy. I cut my finger bad in the after noon. I had detention until 4.45. After detention I went in common room and sat
[May 22ed. 1901]
Rainy and cool. In evening I got hair cut.
[May 23ed. 1901]
Warm, raind part of the day. College Baseball played Chenotia (= Kenosha) and beat them -
[May 24th. 1901]
Cloudy, and very windy. It rained in after noon I played with Wiles and Handtman
[May 25th 1901]
Was half holiday, rained par to the time and was bright part of the time. In after noon while it rained I played baseball in jimnaseum
[May 26th. 1901]
Cool but bright. The 2ed. team played downtown team. I had detention for an hour and a half. In after noon went down town with Mr. Stubs and got a pare of patent lether slipers. In evening went down to high school to enter tanment.
[May 27th. 1901]
Was Sunday. After Chaple Coffin came up and I went down town and had dinner with him. In after noon We went down to the Racine boat manefactering works. We saw some fine boats. He took me to the grieks and got some soda water
[May 28th. 1901]
Warm and clear. Played around the grounds
[May 29th. 1901]
Warm and clear. played around
[May 30th 1901]
Cool and clear. Played around
[May 31ed. 1901]
Cool and clear. played around, had bamination in Latin.
[June 1ed. 1901]
Warm and clear. In after noon rained a little. I had to stay in ditention all day. Had examenations in Language and arithmetic
[June 2ed. 1901]
Warm and clear. Was Sunday. We go home Thursday next June 6th. 1901. We had a fine service in Chapple. I war my patent lethers for first time
[June 3ed. 1901]
had detention all day
[June 4th. 1901]
had detention all day
[June 5th 1901]
had exebition drill and party
[June 6th 1901]
We came home
[June 7th 1901]
Went down to office with papa
[June 8th 1901]
Went over to Teds house.
[last interior page]
To Landis, from Cothorn
Oct.22ed. 1900.
Racine College
Racine Wis
[back cover]
Smith
Furgeson
Pollette
Fowles
Landis
Williams
Nixon
Gillitte
Crane
Price
= .10¢ C
= .10¢ C
= .10¢ C
= .10¢ C
= .10¢ C
= .10¢ C
= .10¢ C
= .10¢ C
= .10¢ C
= .10¢ C

  $1.00
[back cover]
Fowles
Furgeson
Doolittle
Landis
Nixon
Williams
Gillitte
Eisendrath
Willes
= .10¢
= .10¢
= .10¢
= .10¢
= .10¢
= .10¢
= .10¢
= .10¢
= .10¢


Diary of John William Landis
A small notebook or diary of John William Landis in pencil was found with the above diary of William Walter Landis. Though this 2nd diary was written by an older man (father of William Walter Landis), nevertheless its last entries were written at a later date. The diary is a 2"x3" leather-cased notepad with pages perforated for tearing out : 3 rear-most pages were missing. The notepad was a courtesy gift of Price, Welch & Co., Hardwoods and Mahogany, Canton Avenue and President Street, Baltimore. John William Landis owned the J.W. Landis Mill Company at 26th and Throop Street in Chicago.

The first 12 pages of this diary read in pencil as follows (misspelling retained, cousins bolded):

August 18th 1887
(son William was born 22 Oct 1887)
Left Balto 18 Aug ;
arrived at
Norfolk 19th at 7oo
in the morning.
Took in freight ;
left at five in afternoon.
passed Old Point
??mforts New Port
news   Rif Rafs -
Then out to Sea.
arrived in Boston
Sunday 21st
Visited old
State house.
Old South
Church . 25
27 Harvard Colledge
Forrest - Hill
Cemerdaty Pl 2
Visited on 27th
Harvard Colledge
Memorial Hall ,
Aggazas Museum
Forrest - Hill
Cemetary.
Jamaca Plains
Aug. 30
Point-of-Pines,
Chelsea Beach,
Naßaut Do
(= "Nassau ditto"?)
Lynn Swamscot
Medford
Sept. 1st 1887
Narraganset Pier
"Providence" and "Newport" are
crossed out

Stopt Attwood
Sept 3d House
Visited Hazard
tower . Point
Judith and life
saving station -
Sunday Sept 4 / 87
went
Cousin Wm Robinson
5th went to Cemertary
visited fathers grave
and old homested grounds
Went - to Rocks
to Hazard Tower
Cousin John Perry
Visited Newport R.I.
called at Mrs. Eldred
No 12 Church St
Newport - RO.
John, Eldred Chicago
Went Providence
visted G Darling
George H. Darling (?)
son of Eliza Potter

went to Newport
on Wednesday
Ocean Drive and
Ave. Bancroft
Historia?
Beteneu Ave -
John J. Astor
W.B Astor
Vanderbilt
Mrs Paran Stevens
-------------
Redwood Library.
Old Stone Mill
and Mrs. Eldred
Friday Spent day
with Mrs. Dyer
Thursday with Mrs Balch
Saturday S?? autum
------------
Left for Boston
on Sept 17th
Spent Sunday
with Abbie.
left Monday
for Balt - arrived
on Tuesday at
half past 3 ocl
1888 Baltimore June 6th
left for Chicago
arrived on 7th
at 1. P.M.   Ed May
Roland Ella and
Will met me at
Union Station
Went - home with
Ed. delighted with the children
Saturday went to
Hinsdale had tea
with Will and Alice
Went home with
Roland and Ella
after supper?
Left Chicago
July 26
arrived home
July 27
March 4th 1889
Roland Ella
and Nellie
arrived in Balt -
left March 19th for New York
Mrs Darling
and Potter
(Hannah's middle name)
came Friday
12th
left Fryday 22d
(22 March 1889 was Friday
12 March 1889 was Tuesday
)

These entries followed by 7 pages of names and addresses of "friends met at Buena Vista Hotel", ending in 2 pages of birth and death dates, more carefully written . These dates could not have been written by the parents or siblings of John William Landis, since their death dates are listed : this post-1903 handwriting is quite different from John William's 1887 handwriting earlier in this diary, but the natural author of this information is John William Landis, and signatures in several books owned by John W. Landis match this handwriting.

Father
Dr. Edmund Landis
Born Dec 19 - 1816
Lancaster, Pa
Died May 7 - 1881
Chicago
 
Mother
Hannah Potter Landis
Born Kingston, R.I
        June 16 - 1820
Died Chicago Jany 4 - 1901
 
Brothers
Edmund Mathew Landis
Born. Balto. Md Oct 4 - 1846
Died Chicago Ills Dec 14 - 1902
 
Roland Robinson Landis
Born. Balto. Md Oct 26 - 1850
Died Chicago Ills. Sept 5 - 1903

Five final pages were left blank. Note that the 1850 Maryland census lists another brother Thomas, age 2, who apparently died young and was not remembered in these notes?

McFarland Menu
Website Menu
Illian Menu