Amanuensis Monday- John James Raley Journal

Some of you know that I am fortunate enough to be in the possession of my great-grandfather's journal dated between July 1911 and March 1912. John James Raley wrote about the family history under such entries that he titled "My Fathers People",  "My Mothers People", and "My Wifes Father" in the index, events in his life, including "I taught one school", Cannon's Hogs", and world events such as "Roosevelt was President", and "The Titanic.'

I started including some of his entries on this blog before I became aware of the Monday theme Amanuensis Monday that John Newark began on his blog  TransylvanianDutch Genealogy and Family History. Amanuensis definition: a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. This is an excellent idea and an avenue for ensuring that I stay focused on sharing other entries from this journal (300 pages) as well as other treasures that my ancestors left behind.

Today's entry

"I will endeavor to tell you a little something or as much as I know at least of my wife, Mrs. Carrie Raley's people, where they came from, their nationality, their business, and so on. They are German people and all of the older ones came from Germany. I cannot say that ever I saw a German person until I was in my 20th year, that was in the year 1874 on the 13th day of November. I went from my fathers up in Ohio County, Kentucky to my Aunt Cassa McCord in Warrick County, Indiana, to live with her and Uncle John Allen McCord, her husband. My wife, Mrs. Carrie Raley, is of German descent. I met her at my Aunt's, Mrs. Cassa McCord's, the wife of John Allen McCord, on their farm in Warrick County, Indiana, which is 3 miles northeast of Newburgh, Warrick County, Indiana, some time in the fall of 1874.

I went to my Aunt's on the 13th day of November, 1874, from Oho County, Kentucky, where I was raised, which is about 30 or 35 miles east of the city Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, where I stayed and went to school to one Jessie Edgeington in the school house near old Sharon Church, made fires and fed Uncle's stock during the winter for my board, horse feed, washing, mending, and making. And the next spring, that is, on the 1st day of March 1875, I went to work on the farm for Uncle John Allen McCord. He gave me $13.00 per month and I did not have to work hard either. I had my own way about everything. I very rarely ever had to work on Saturday evening or in the rain or bad weather of any kind, as Uncle John made it a rule not to work on Saturday afternoon or in bad weather without there was something very urging.

I owned a horse and a good one too. He was four or five years old at the time. My father Jonathan Raley acted as my Guardian and at my Grandfather John Cannan's sale after his death on the 17th of April 1872, bought the Colt at $ 57.00. He was then three years old and an iron Gray. I got the Colt--$ 20.00 in money and 76 acres in land--- for my part of Grandfather's estate."

Note: John James Raley had inherited his mother, Deborah Ann Cannan's fifth of John Cannan's estate since his mother died when John Raley was only two months.