As a child, I grew up loving the
“Little House” series by Laura Ingalls Wilder; pioneer stories fascinated me. I
hungrily searched them out on library shelves. Old family photos tucked inside
worn albums were cause for me to beg my mother for “real” pioneer stories. She
would lovingly relate the stories that bound our family together.
“Uncle Matthew’s Diary” was hidden away in our
family’s “metal box”. The box contained what I was sure were all the secrets of
our family. In reality it was a fireproof box that held deeds, wills, our birth
certificates and other miscellaneous papers my parents deemed important. Mother would tell me about the diary and
“Uncle Matthew” but I was not allowed to handle the diary as it was too
fragile. Years went by until I was grown and a mother myself. Family history
became a passion. Copies were made of
the old family photos and the originals became my treasures. And, one day the
diary became mine also. It was soon
hidden away in our own “metal box”.
Which does no one any good. Family
stories are meant to be shared, loved and retold. The threads of our ancestors’
lives are interwoven with ours. The good, the bad, the plain, the simple, all
are part of who we are.
Matthew Francis was my great, great uncle, the
younger brother of my great grandmother, Sarah Jane Francis Heath. He
wrote of his life during the year of 1887 when he was 14/15 and living on a farm
in what was then, Prairie Hill, Boone, Iowa. Prairie Hill is no longer there,
but the farm still stands. Mother and I visited it during a trip back to Iowa
in 1997.
The diary starts on Feb 1, 1887 and
continues through September 31, 1887. The entries are small and share what was
important to a young farm boy. My plan is to share the entries day by day with
added information, and stories to supplement. Enjoy, share, and add any supplemental stories
you would like to contribute.
Love,
Large Weasel
“The Diary of Matthew Francis”
forward by Jean Brockmeier Heath Kraemer
Uncle Matthew Francis was a very real
presence, both to those who knew him well, and those of us who came after
him. I will leave his life’s story to
Kara to tell, but I feel it a privilege to reflect on the effect of his life on
several generations of our family.
In his younger years, he taught school in
some very rough rural areas of Iowa, working with the older boys. My father said Matthew seldom had to raise
his voice or resort to any physical violence, but he was known for keeping
order in schools where the other teachers had failed, and he was often sent to schools
to restore order. He worked with youths
in the local schools and his church, where he taught Sunday School for many
years.
Matthew was only 13 years older than my
father, and was therefore a very important influence in his life-and he was
both a friend and mentor to “Will” as my father was called. During this time, my grandfather Heath was
not well after a fall from a horse which left him severely injured, and he and
my father were not close. Matthew taught
him to hunt and shoot, and gave him a lifelong interest in boxing, baseball,
football, track and horse racing.
There is a family story about my father
going to a dance at a local dance hall on the wrong side of town at the age of
sixteen. When my grandmother heard where
he was, she sent Uncle Matthew to get him out of there and bring him home. He was terribly angry and embarrassed, but he
had to leave, though later he realized he wasn't as old or as smart as he
thought he was!
When Matthew was young he was helping at a
barn raising for a neighbor, when a large wooden beam slipped and fell on
him. He survived, but suffered a severe
head injury, which caused him to have headaches on and off for the rest of his
life.
Although he never married, he kept a
family home for his brother John’s family and later for his parents. He had his
own home on the back of the family property.
In his later years he served in the Iowa
State Legislature and was well known for his work. People came to him for advice on many
matters. He was known for his sound
judgment and was very active in state and local affairs.
When we visited in Woodward, the family
often talked about Matthew, and my grandmother gave me his large dictionary and
several other items from his office in the Legislature. When she died they found young Matthew’s
diary in her desk, and decided to give it to Aunt Mae. It was still in the desk when we left to go
home, and nobody mentioned it so I took it home with me. Although I felt terribly guilty at the time,
I told my father about it later and he said it was all right.
I wish I could have known Matthew. He was a well known and respected man, loved
by his family and friends. He was a good influence on my father and the further
generations of our family.
His was a life well lived and remembered.
Matthew Hopkin Francis
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Matthew Francis Diary Events
of Feb 1887
Feb 1st
It is a very cold day the
wind is in the N.E. Pa went out to Dunkin Grant’s sale today.
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