Another look into Madden’s diary

We haven’t checked in on George Madden for a while, so this week we’ll take another peek at his diary.  
He wants rain, gets soaked, squeezes into one of two beds shared by 16 people, learns some scoundrels are stealing his timber, and is getting really serious about Miss Elizabeth Mason.  
Saturday, July 25, 1857.  Pleasant but dry. Corn is needing rain.  Some are cutting their spring wheat.  It is generally good.
Sunday, July 26. Self, Mary, Alfred and Jonathan go to Adams County in our wagon to see Mr. Prickett and folks.  
They are well but crowded into a small house of Isaac’s, 14 foot by 16 foot.  
In the evening it commenced to rain heavily with violent wind that laid the corn flat.
Everything is wet about the house and most of us are wet to the skin. It rained considerably through the roof, wetting the floor completely.  
We have only two beds for 16 persons to sleep in. We finally packed away tight and close to each other to rest under the bed of the wagons. Half wet, we dozed until morning.  
Monday, July 27. The rain yesterday will do an immense sight of good as it was badly needed, and the ground is well watered for the present. We took leave for home.  Everything is now in growing order. Pleasant day. Sawing wood.
Wed. July 29. Sawing shingle timber. Joseph got his foot sprained by the wagon wheel running over it.  
Alfred is sick with a bad cold.  
Friday, July 31. Hot day.  Hauls some timber. Fetches out a little plank as a commencement to my house. Receives a letter from Miss E.M.
Wed. Aug 5.  Myself and M. Prickett and sons take a view of my timber in White Oak Grove, or Madden’s Grove as it is called as I was the first one to make an entry on it, but to my dismay I found that considerable timber had been cut and was still on the ground.  
Mr. Prickett commenced to go get teams to haul it off but second thought told me the proper way would be to get it surveyed.  So I will try as soon as I can to do up some chores and try to get it surveyed.  In the meantime I will keep still.  
I have told several friends to have a lookout for me and see if I can head off the rascals.  
Aug 8, 1857. Start for Bedford today. I stopped by the way to let my horse graze on the prairies and write two letters using my knee for a desk.  
Bedford has very much improved over my expectations. Two years ago there was not a single frame house in it.  Now there are probably 50 or 60.  
My main business was to get the surveyor but find he lives up the creek by Lexington.  This is a new town in the center of the county and here they are making an effort to locate the county seat.  Later in the evening I found the surveyor and he will be up to survey my land next week.  
Before the month is over Madden will make the trip to Mt. Pleasant to marry Miss Elizabeth Mason.  Stay tuned—the wedding party was a dandy.  
Roy Marshall is a local historian and a columnist with the Red Oak Express. He can be reached at news@redoakexpress.com.