Amanuensis Monday....Barn Day

Amanuensis Monday – An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin – some we never met – others we see a time in their life before we knew them. A fuller explanation can be found here.

Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

According to Geneabloggers today is Barn Day. I had no idea. This is the barn on the Joseph Marxer Ranch.

The Joseph Marxer Ranch

The Marxer Ranch

"In 1910 Joseph Marxer and the boys started to build the barn. Joe, Andy and Bill were his helpers. Most of the lumber came from the Black Butte area from a lumber mill that Charles Odette operated there. The rocks for all the stone work in the lower part came from hills and coulees west of the house, in pastures. The barn was finished the summer of 1911. With a lot of convincing from the Marxer girls, (Joseph) Marxer conceded to have a barn dance for the opening. An orchestra by the name of Snitzel-Bunk was hired from Great Falls to play the music for dancing. People came from miles away in buggies and horseback, bringing food for the midnight supper and for the night of dancing, which lasted until daybreak. William and Ida Marxer's wedding dance was held in the barn in May of 1915. Later a home talent play and dance was given in the barn to raise money for the Red Cross." 

Excerpt by Edward and Marie Marxer, A Century in the Foothills 1876-1976, A History of the Eden Area, (Cascade Country Montana: 1976),

Page 309