CLARA BARTON DIARIES AND JOURNALS Oct. 1907 memoranda Oct. 6, 1907 sunday 6 Geo. Ferguson of Brazil Inda came Going to Norfolk on state convention matters 5 Washed 4 Arranged for dinner N 2 for Mr D G Geecy 3 Arranged Dinner, ready - no one came 2 Getting out of cream business 1 Taking up the milk-matters, so hard _____________________________________________________ 11 Friday - did our Jelly - 20 glasses Paid Steve to tomeru night f this week and 4 days while in [Sort???] = 5.10 she goes tomrw - S talk with her Dr goes to town 10 Thurs could not walk much broke in new shoes - tired from yesterday Dr and Susie took up flowers - washed windows I wrote Harriette - Wed 9 Went to Mrs. Werneke - 1.00 changed napkins Perry came - engaged coal to be bought 8. Tuesday finished ironing [I wrot] Mrs Sherman came and we wrote ten letters - nearly cleared up later Paid her 1.00 Diary 1907.7 Monday Ironed the wash of Saturr to be finished tomorrow I arranged my letters ready for typewriter Dr put machine in order Letter from Leonard Holstect ________________________ 12 Saturday. Susie left at night to go to Mrs. Sherman - We had done many things. Took care dairy -- Susie worked butter & put in brine -- Paraphined all the jellies & jams - and put away. Hemmed 1 doz napkins Laundered then sewed the end - all ready for use Spoke more with Susie - [Giege?] [Beard?] Dolly T. E Wetmore M D Boston Bola? - [Edun?] Baltzers wants him watch him she says water on the brain Examine taxes Dont wipe any more dishes ________________________________________ Sunday 13. I found last night that I had gotten to the end of my strength and must stop I did thus this morning - I did not T.V KRAFT & CO STATIONERS 4 VESEY STREET, N.Y. (ASTOR HOUS)3 Miss Bartons house from its size and style of architecture might seem to be a summer hotel or a park casino It stands on a high bank above the potomoc facing the sloping bluffs of Virginia on its opposite shore. some 50 or more houses, a well kept country store, post office, school, town hall, independent water system and two churches on its one side. on the other side a series of massive stone structures [?] erected for education purposes. with an immense auditorium seating 7000 persons; there forms a little settlement close by.. and well [?] electric cars connect with the city - let one off within a [ce?] up hunch yards of the house. The R R company still clings to h original name of its station [R?] and as witnessed by the rather dilapidated it leaves, [?] same its [] going 4 [The] the officer has been [] to [of organization] [is at] the war department The hous, although from the size and structure appears almost as unhomelike as the Ferris wheel over hanging it is nevertheless cosy and warm within. A good hot fire warms the wide hall, open to sky lights another in a sitting room where Miss Barton met her visitors In personality she looks, appears and talks like a woman of seventy six rather than of eighty six. In fact she entirely evades the question of age - brushing it aside as of no consequence. "I believe you have been having a birthday suggested the Sun Reporter as she entered and [] seats5 I've had several birthdays But you'r been having on lately, "Iv had one certainly within a year" But didn't you celebrate one a week or two ago? I dont know that-I have celebrated any birthdays for some time, with a bit of a smile. Clearly Miss Barton was quite capable of parryng indefinitely if she wished to do so. Therefor the reporter meekly allowed the birthday question to lapse and was rewarded with an hour or more of most interesting stories or narratives, one following another until when the interview was at an end, Miss Barton exclaimed with a rather merry laugh "I have reminisced more this afternoon than in years before" It is not a favorite [ ] have since learned 6 The reminiscene covered almost a half century, going back to Apr 1861 when the sixth Massachusetts regiment, after being [steried?] in Baltimore, reached Washington, hungry [and] weary, shocked, bruised n batterd with their dead sent home, "Tenderly"- This was the signal for the beginning of Clara Barton's war career- It seemed almost like an apology for the Powers that were, as she explained that not have expected war to come we were not ready for it. There were no government supplies. Army biscuits wormy with age, salt-beef correspondingly old, constituted the food supplies.- No army hospital- no camp, no quarters for the men and to meet this necessity7. The regiment was quartered in the House of Representatives in the capital until a camp could be prepared. "We carried food to them there to help soften the government rations" and this seems to have been the first step in the work of relief carried on throughout the four years of the war. From this time Miss Barton was in most of the famous battle fields of the East. "Were you at any of the battle fields of the West? "I had never a chance to leave the east-We were alway being beaten and the relief was correspondingly urgent "Soldiers are voluminous correspondents she said Their letters immediately gave the facts at home, that Clara Barton would try 8 try to get "things" to them. No more was needed, neither was there any escape Boxes and barrels by the ton poured in upon her until she was compelled to take ware houses to receive them: As the regiments were ordered to the field there is no way of getting the supplies to them and they accumulated on her hands. There was now no way but to inform the Military Authorities and ask their permission and aid. To her surprise both were granted and ever increasing facilities [granted] given throughout the entire war whether by boat -cars - ambulances or Army wagon "You have observed there lumbering Army wagons with ther six mules and [driver?] astride." She said It sometimes required a9 train of half a day of these to coming the waiting supplies to an expected little field for the first supply of the wounded until the heavy government supplis could safely reach & when possible, private notice was given officially to her where a battle would probably be fought. People call me a nurse," I scarcely know why" and rather sadly added - "There were no nurses then." Trained nursing was not known. My work was and chiefly has been to get timely supplies to those needing them. It has taught me the value of "things." In almost any catastrophy as flood, fire, earthquake, pestilence a famine it is not money that the sufferers most need in the first dire moments; but "Things" They want food, clothing - shelter, medicine, and a few calm, practical persons to administer them 10 As for instance In the early work of the Red Cross. In the spring of 1884 the Ohio overflowed its banks and in some Counties became a surging river of many miles in width. Accompanying Dr Hubbell The Field agent through dangers by rail we reached Cincinnati. The people were in boats carrying food to those who had taken refuge in the upper stories of their houses Immediately it was known that the Red X was at Cincinnati, supplies came until more than one more house was required; it was useless to attempt to distribute them by land. The homes were gone, the coal pits covered with water and the people [show] showing on the banks. At Evansville a boat was chartered, loaded with supplies & coal and proceeded diagonally across the river from point to point, reaching any group that we could see or could signal [to] usWe threw of coal to start fires gave food & clothing, and steamed away from point point until we reached Cairo, where we reloaded and returned, By this time the Mississippi had begun to overflow its banks we shipped our supplies across county by rail to St Louis, chartered the Matin Belle at that city loaded with supplies for human sufferers & purchased grain & forage for starving stock, which before this in all freshets had been left to perish for want of food. At St. Louis we were joined by the officers of the associate societies of St Louis and Chicago, making an active working force of twenty-five or thirty, we proceeded to New Orleans, stopping at all regular and irregular landings. Reloading returned in the same way supplying all needs of man & beast so far as possible By this time 12 the Ohio had receded, and its shelterless [little] families claimed the spot of land which was the home. but the land was all, house, furniture, tools, stock all swept away. They needed all, we restocked and loaded our first load with lumber for ready made houses, furniture, nails, took on carpenters and proceeded up & down the river, we would land where there family or a group of families install shelter, and in two hours our carpenters would put up a cabin, rude enough for a shelter, our active womens helpers' [we] saw that it had its needed comforts of bed table stove & food, clothing garden [tools] [and som] tools - and we steamed away to another point with scarce a word, leaving the group in astonishment and tears & often in prayer. We had saved them from immediate want & hunger probable sickness and possible death Of those noble women helpers who had joined us , the highest and best in those beautiful, grand [hasten]13 several are living today. The treasured friends of a life time - who would so gladly and proudly give the names - I may not give for them. When the reporter asked Miss Barton which of the many disasters of whose results she had been a witness seemed to her the most terrible. She said that it was not an easy question to answer. A woman who has been through three war two of which were our own Civil War and the Franco Prussian and who during 25 years saw most of the great disasters in a county famous for the magnitude of its catastrophes might fairly be said to have had a literal education in horrors. That she mentions the Johnstown flood The sea Islands disaster and the Galveston Tidal wave would seem 14 to confer upon them a certain terrible distinction, - but there also unmentioned the thousands upon thousands of starving the Russian famine Reconcentrados of Cuba as well as the Armenian Missiones in Turkey all of which were her care Her experience with the suffering caused by the Civil War seemed to act as a sort of inoculation upon Miss Barton. It took - and took hard.Thursday Oct 17 M Brown comes Dr goes for Susie - she cannot be found - goes for M Brown & misses him B comes alone - head ache - I get tea He discloses that he is a [chorlin?] [?scalist] We feel that Susie is dodging us and decide to do without her and save her wages - 3.50 a week - or 4.00 as I have done - Now a pleasant supper & all goes well Tuesday. Oct 15 I am still better. do s nings over the house - decide to repair my oldest blue aist. Will get silk and make it over myself Letter from C.G. Rauson indorses my idea of going Oxford, and making up the home of 1st did - he ents to induce the Barten people to accept my offer - I feel that I must lay it before my people and that Steve must be seen - I fancy that much of this day slipped by in hard study of what to do. Dr works out of doors - makes up hot bed - Tomorw is Mrs. Warneke's day - I think I cannot go, but the convention of Spiritualists is held in West I want to hear what Ms W has to say of them & decide to go - cannot write in evening and retire early - Wednesday Oct 16. Still better, up a 6 1/2 am and get ready for town - a letter from Sarah J. Elliott Huemene Venturea co cal - Left early for city - sent little tooth to Dr Chase - Mrs. Warneke has a cold - but gave a wonderful sitting. so many come - Stephen made a fine visit - he is very busy. Mrs Henters son Charles & his wife a most wonderful demonstration. the Empress came when she saw me look at the Empers picture on the wall. - So strange. I buy the things and come home Letter from Mr. Brown that he would come tomorrow 3,45 We decide that Dr go to town in morning and ask Susie to come and meet with Brown & dine him in [?] [in keeping]got up - was very weak & nervous - Had a talk with Dr - We would feed ourselves - all is in order - we can keep it so - I would take the milk upstairs and manage & it here The milk sld be strained here. - I will remain entirely up stairs - Mrs. Hinton called - [sh?} [L?] I write + included at evening I repaired my best black shirt waist - till midnight Emperr Frances Joseph very ill Monday 14 Feel much better I do up my room without great fatigue - decide to sew, and take my second best black shirt waist in hand, and make it partly over - it looks well - repaired my long silk coat Mrs Birrell came; seemed thoughtful I finished my day - had 2d seen at. Dr goes to Rockville Take my Bread & milk