Grandma's Diary part 2

 I wrote before about Grandma's diary, I never saw the diary and don't even know of anyone who did see it. My Great Aunt Christian wrote excerpts from the diary and gave us copies many years ago. This is one of the things she wrote:
"My Mother was Janette M. Borden. She and my Father, Theophilus LaFayette Farrell (called Bud by his many friends), were married May 5,1853. They had 14 children. Two little girls died at the age of 4 years. Addie Belle died March 4,1870 ; Ora Agnes was drowned in the creek below the house while she and brother Mack were watering their "stick horses." That happened on February 26,1875. My parents raised 12 children to be grown.
"My Father had 4 sisters: Julia Riddle, Rebecca Wilson, Mary Farrell (unmarried) and Louisa Edgemon (better known as "Aunt Sis."

"His mother was Elizabeth Marshall Farrell. After her husband died, she went to live in a small house which her son, T. L. , had built just back of his home. She was affectionately known as "Granny Farrell" and lived to the ripe old age of 100. ( I have found a note in some other papers from my Great Aunt that Elizabeth M. Farrell died Oct. 30,1878 at the age of 74 years. My Great Grandmother would have been 5 when her Grandmother died, so she may have thought her Grandmother was 100.)

"Early in life, one of Father's sisters died and left 2 little boys, so my Mother took those boys and gave them a home. Later another sister died and left 2 little boys. So Mother took them to raise. With her own five boys, this made a family of 9 boys and 7 girls. Of course, the boys would tease, quarrel, and fight, but they soon learned to love each other."

"I can remember the big farmhouse of 4 big rooms. On the back porch was the big loom. There was always some kid of cloth being made, mostly for the boys. Of course, we girls had "linsey" dresses, one real nice "for Sunday. Father's youngest sister stayed most all the time at our home to help sew.

"My! My! What a time we all had together! I don't see how on earth Mother lived through all this, but I don't remember of hearing her complain about anything ever."