1907 June - the Atyeos at home in Wards Belt

[These pages are cut out of another book and stitched together with black thread]

It’s 1907, Fanny Rosina is 32, living with her parents Henry Atyeo (age 59) & Mary Ann (Ma, age 55), at “Charltonville” Woods Road, Wards Belt, South Australia (Lot 871 Woods Road, Wards Belt). Also at home are Celia (often called Cel) (27), Charl (25), Bert (22), Amy (19) & Wilf (14). Fanny’s other sisters Ada (31) and Frances (29) have married and left home. Frances lives at Thomas Terrace, Gawler. Ada is also nearby. This is the earliest writing we have.

Then we milked & Separated Amy had to clean the front rooms & I finished her blouse & then I helped with the dinner & did our room Ma churned twice & made butter In the afternoon Clara¹ took Clem² home & went to Eva’s³ & stopped all night & baked bread cleaned all lamps & other necessary work milked Amy & I separated.

¹Clara Pearl Easton, a cousin

²Clement Garfield Parham, eldest son of Ada. Fanny’s nephew, aged 4.

³Eva Emily May Heath, cousin and neighbour

June 15) Sat I got up & did all the blackleading in both room’s & scrubbed my safe & dad told me to get ready for Gawler Charl & Dad & I went into the city saw Celia it was lovely & was so warm when we started but rained heavily in Gawler Frances came home with us & the boys very cold. Amy is playing piano with Clif in her arms & Frances in the Rocking chair with French⁴ raining very steadily. 
Eva got a new Clock stricking ½ hourly yesterday.

⁴Charles French Folland, nephew, son of Frances, infant   

June 16 Sunday

The watch stopped at 6.15 so I did not [get up] so early as I intended but it rained heavily [through] the night water everywhere so cold I think [it] is almost cold enough for snow. Frances got up & dressed her boys⁵ & Amy cooked hot breakfast Sausages I helped milk the cows Dad & I Ma helped sprt after break[fast] I did housework Amy cooked pies & Ma & her cooked dinner Harry⁶ walked out from Gawler brought dogs caught a Hare after dinner Ada & family came all home to tea Jim⁷ came home & Bert & Wilf drove Franc & Harry home to Gawler. Charl & Clara went to Stone Hill Chapel. It started to rain when they got home & rained & poured all night.

⁵Charles French Folland,and George Henry Clifton Folland (aged 4), nephews<

⁶ Harry Gilbert Folland, brother-in-law, husband of Frances.

⁷ James Parham, brother-in-law, husband of Ada.

June 17)

            Very wet so we did not wash Amy made under garments & sheet pillowcase [?] them & put out to bleach She wrote to Lameroo & Clara to Town tonight I been at house work & making a bag mattress for Sofa Dad & Boys preparing a roller for Lameroo. It showered all day Amy just mixed bread. Clara & boys are having a good evening dancing & games puzzles highly amused Ma got her & Dads Bromide on Thursday last so good of them.

June 18) I got up early & intended to wash & had baking as well so after lighting fire & taking in tea I put out bread & lit stove & went & helped milk Amy got up & set bf after we finished the men said they would give us half a day in garden so Dad & I took up all the Plants & they carted loads of earth & sand to raise the beds I finish a new Sofa mattress & we had dinner & started planting the flowers again finished by milking time Clara helped but her arm is rather painful through an accident she fell down stairs & pitched on her shoulder are having a musical evening very cloudy dull cold day west wind

June 19) Up early 5.30 Commenced washing as soon as I possibly could & then left off to milk had breakfast & continued to until 3 o’clock Amy & I had such a big wash Clara assisted in light Housework at about 4 oclock Amy was busy scrubbing up I had just started ironing & Eva & Kate⁸ came we were talking & Stella & Daisy Parham⁹ came Oh we were so flustered they stayed till 6 oclock after I got the cows & milked Wilf & Ma sprated had Tea & Amy mixed bread I mended I got rhumatics & it is very damp & cold could not get clothes dry today wind in East & North.

⁸ Could be Kit, Christiana Hill, wife of cousin Alf and neighbour.

⁹ Nivia Stella Parham, neighbour, and her cousin Daisy Victorious Geraldine Parham.

June 20^th) Up early & put out bread to rise & helped milk Amy got breakfast Clara up late & Ma & Dad Separated & after breakfast I baked & did usual work the men were out at Twelftree’s¹⁰ working so had our dinner & Clara ironed her pinafores Amy did our ironing till 3 oclock & she & Clara went up to Ada’s Will Ratcliff¹¹ came in & had a yarn I finished ironing & then watered the flowers & milked &c in the evening we went to a band of hope¹² a crowded House & good programme Clara was very jolly such good company came home & had a coffee supper Dad been to Gawler for Roller & Bran Flower & Kerosene &c very cold indeed but fine in day time Wilf left school a week ago. 

¹⁰ Henry Joseph Twelftree, a neighbour and substantial land-owner.

¹¹ William Ratcliffe, distant relation and neighbour.

¹² Band of Hope, a Temperance Society; now Hope UK.

June 21) I was tired so did not get up so early I helped milk & Amy got breakfast afterwards I blackleaded stove done the lamps & cleaned our room Ern¹³ came down for Clara Amy did the front room & Ma churned & had to help as it is terrible hard, scrubbed the safe & did various other cleaning the men at same work I milked & Ma & I separated the first time I had turned it after tea all boys went Oppossuming with Alf¹⁴ Jim & Ern got 7 got home at mid night Kit Stayed at Ada’s while Alf was away Amy mixed bread. Very cold & frosty. Eva’s birthday.

¹³ Ernest Allan Easton, cousin.

¹⁴ Alfred Samuel Heath, cousin and neighbour; married to Kit.

June 22) Saturday I got up & put out bread & got breakfast Amy milked with dad & Sep after breakfast I did our room & Ma’s baked bread Amy made all cake Albert Madeira Ginger nuts did most of it yesterday this afternoon I finished work washed all Glassware today this evening I took a long walk for Cows with Larry & Venice I enjoy a walk the Wattle & native flowers are all out in bloom. I got chapped hands through frost & chilblains Amy & gone to city for Celia Charl & Bert gone with Jim to Gawler.

Sunday June 23) We all got up in fair Sunday time Amy helped Dad milk &c I lit fire & put on pot for pudding which I made for dinner Celia assisted me after breakfast Amy & I did the usual work Celia & Wilf went up to Kit’s. Ma cooked a roast fowl cauliflower & potatoes for dinner Charlie & Bert were at Ada’s to dinner Clara came home from Alf’s with Celia & Wilf after dinner Amy & I cleared away Ada Jim & children came to tea Eva & Ern Alf Kit to sped evening had supper then went home Charl & Bert drove Celia & Clara to Gawler Clara stayed at Frances Bert got Mr McLean¹⁵ to draw a tooth for him it was so cold & frosty.

¹⁵ Mr McLean, veterinarian and dentist in Gawler.

June 24) Up early such a frost I hurried & & got ready all my washing put in one boil then helped milk Amy got breakfast & helped sort clothes all the men went to Twelftrees & Amy & I washed till 2 o’clock then I scrubbed up & Amy did housework then we milked & Sper & I have taken to learn how to manage the Separator Jim & Hugh¹⁶ spent evening We washed Ma best Quilt today looks so nice very cold indeed. 

¹⁶ Hugh Ratcliffe, neighbour and distant relation.

June 25) I got up at 6 o’clock to do the bread but it was not rose enough to put out so I lit fire in dining room & stove swept up & got breakfast with Amy after which she & Dad milked &c I did the breakfast Ma washed Separator then I cleaned our room swept kitchen got lunch & usual work the men all came home to dinner after they killed a big pig Amy & I ironed I ironed a white shirt & collars good luck Frank Higgins & Lill Lee¹⁷ were married last Wensday June 19^th living at the river It was a severe frost this morning I never remember a whiter one cut some flowers down it is freezing cold tonight I had to put on a Jacket Amy is playing the lads are at Ada’s Dad is in bed Ma mending. 

¹⁷ Frank Archibald Higgins, neighbour, aged 25 widower. His first wife Matilda Helps died a day after their son was born in 1904. Lillie Maud Lee (nee Smith) is the widow of Albert William Ernest Lee, and the daughter of John Smith. 

June 26 Wilfie’s birthday I got up early & cooked hot breakfast Amy & Dad milked & we had our meal after which Dad cut up the pig ready for pickling Ma salted it & I helped carry up the other from the pickle & did various other duties  tidied our room & dining room & made Amy a bonnet mended my shoe had dinner & went to Eva’s called on Ada Kit was making Eva a blouse I stayed till nine oclock & rode partway home with Alf & Kit it was very cold & this morning it was another severe frost It looks so beautiful with the sun glittering on the ice but it is killing all our flowers.

June 27) Up later for really it is a record frost ice on our lawn & cask & on all vessels of water & we kept some ice till afternoon. Just laying in the window outside I never saw anything like it our flower garden is simply black & looks as if one had poured hot water on them as it so dry & Hot in day time perfect for visiting Ma spent the afternoon with Kate Ada & Wes¹⁸ & baby came home for a while I had to do all the milking & Sepr & out side work after I finished Ma came home on a load of wood with Dad we we having Tea & who should walk in but Alf from Lameroo he & Horace¹⁹ arrived back here at 11 o’’clock. Amy cook tea & Biscuits today.

¹⁸ Henry Wesley James Parham, nephew aged 5. Son of Ada and James. 
¹⁹ May be Horace Howard Folland, Frances brother-in-law. 

June 28) Up early & lit fire & put out the bread helped milk & separate had our breakfast & the men went to Twelftrees. Ma & I washed up & churned & I did our room & swept Kitchen & dining room cleaned lamps & scrubbed safe baked bread & meat had lunch Amy went up to Ada’s to get Currants from Harry we are mostly troubled with chilblains & Ethel²⁰ has ulcerated mouth. It was another terrible frost this morning & had to go for cows tonight milk & separate & feed animals. 

²⁰ Ethel Gwendolyn Heath Parham, niece, aged 3, daughter of Ada and James.  

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