Lyford-Davis Family Collection, 1858-2007 | Northern Illinois University

The grandparents and parents of Elmo and May family moved to Winnebago County in the late 1830s. May Lyford and Elmo “E.M.” Davis were both born in 1873 and grew up on family farms in the same community. May and Elmo married in 1901 and started their farm in the old Guilford Township (now part of Rockford) cross from Elmo’s parents farm. They didn’t birth children of their own but they had nieces, nephews, and the children of their friends. Their extended family and friends were very much involved in their daily lives. May and Elmo interacted with other local farmers who were a part of a type of threshing and machinery circle that lasted until the late 1930s. The Davis' were business savvy people and were able to accumulate wealth, including enough savings to allow them to continue operation through the hardships of the Great Depression. May cared for the garden and cooking chores while Elmo cared for majority of the more difficult farm labor such as grinding feed, cultivating, and loading corn.

May’s dairies are a prominent part of the collection and contain details about farm and family life. She recorded daily activities and weather patterns from 1896 until her death on February 24, 1944. Examples of recorded events include a furnace fire on September 11, 1941 as well as electricity being disconnected for about fourteen hours due to a strong windstorm on July 25- 26, 1941. Records of major advancements in technology, which lead to dramatic changes in society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are also common topics found in the diaries. An example of such advancements is a change to the modes of travel: buggy rides in 1900 to gas powered automobiles in 1901. Over the years May suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, eye problems, and bouts of pneumonia. Eventually she lost her ability to walk due to rheumatoid arthritis and Elmo helped carry or drive her around for support. Although she struggled to walk she still managed to do light housework requiring the use of her hands as well as sew and continue to write in her diaries. Elmo eventually took over the household duties and began penning diary entries for May in the late 30s when she was too ill to write. May’s death  was recorded in her last diary entry by Elmo in a February 25, 1944. Her death made it difficult for Elmo to live alone so he moved from their farm to their house located in Rockford, Illinois. The Lyford boys farmed the land while Elmo made improvements. He continued to travel and visit family and friends in his spare time. Later in 1955, Elmo died of pneumonia and left the land to a daughter of his cousin Fred Davis.