This diary, kept during Xavier’s time at Oak Knoll, skips a great deal but mentions that he gives 3 to 5 acres to his congregation for a cemetery but no longer preaches. He does not like having to spank his pupils, but does so on March 24th for the first time noting it hurt them both. He mentions there are rowdy boys in school that don’t obey him, he moves back into his house, continues home repairs, and his sisters, Amanda and Ellen, make short visits. He writes to other colleges to get opinions on PLA, but possibly doesn’t make mention where he is after the summer. Cash accounts and addresses appear at the back of the diary.
This diary, kept during his time at PLA and Oak Knoll, mentions numerous dentist visits, lays cornerstones of a church, requests a raise but is denied and, therefore, resigns from PLA on July 19th. His father and sister, Amanda, have operations. He gets a job at Oak Knoll (Muck Creek) elementary and middle school and lives with a Mr. and Mrs. Rice, but finds young students more difficult to teach. On weekends he returns via one-hour bike ride to Parkland. Programs from PLA are pasted into this diary and a cash account and addresses can be found at the back of the diary.
This diary, kept during Xavier’s time at PLA, includes programs from Luther College concert band and chorus tour and “She stoops to Conquer” at PLA. He continues to tach English, History, Greek, Latin, Bible, Zoology, and other subjects. It is further mentioned that he takes field trips with his Zoology class, he buys a cow, paints his house, has the idea to decorate the outside of Old Main on August 13th for a celebration, and is the president of the PLA Missionary Society. He continues this journal until Feb. 13th of the next year. A list of letters and accounts appears at the back of the diary.
This diary, kept during Xavier’s time at PLA, includes programs for events at PLA, an invitation from Miss Peterson and Miss Tennwick, mentions his father visited Washington (possibly with is mother) and gave Sermons in Tacoma. His sister Anna is not doing well, he embarrasses his female students by speaking about corsets, continues home work by building a chicken yard and perhaps a barn during the summer. Anna dies on November 21st at 4:45 PM and is buried on November 24th. On that day Xavier writes about how he misses her and believes she is better off now than them. A cash account appears at the back of the diary.
This diary, kept during Xavier’s early days at PLA, includes many programs for PLA concerts, mentions various home repairs (including building a washstand), and preaching during non-PLA hours. He possibly is running the PLA library at this time because he mentions creating a PLA card catalogue. He further mentions late nights, planning a garden, Anna is doing well in Washington, and makes the first mention of his future wife, Miss Signe Skattebol, on May 15. On August 19th a suspected prostitute propositions Xavier in Parkland, but he tosses his head and walks away. He is still in choir and the vice director of something (unspecified). Memorandum, addresses, accounts, and blotting paper appear at the back of the diary.
This diary, kept during Xavier’s early days at PLA, mentions his thoughts on President Harstad as a slow and uninteresting preacher (although he never mentioned it), begins preaching himself on January 11th, frequent meals with friends, experiments with photography, buys a house (possibly even a farm), returns to Iowa in the summer, returns to Parkland with his sister Anna, paints his house, buys chickens, and does house repairs. He mentions he is not in favor of co-education. His ordination is not mentioned in this diary. Lists of letters, bills, and addresses appear at the back of the diary.
This diary was kept during Xavier’s time at the Ladies’ Lutheran Seminary and Pacific Lutheran Academy. In it Xavier pasted programs from plays, socials, obituaries, and other items in Norwegian. On February 14 he receives a letter to teach at PLA (payment $600) which he accepts on April 10th and resigns from LLS. During his annual trip home in the summer he reads and collects insects while his sister, Anna, is in the hospital. After a three-day train ride from Iowa to Parkland, Washington he meets President Harstad, Reverend Larsen, and Professor Hong. After his arrival he buys a “mackintosh” horse does some carpentry on his door, and takes a trip (by train) to Seattle. He begins teaching the following classes: Latin 1, Beginning Greek 1, Beginning Arithmetic 2, Caesar 3, General History 2, and Bible History 20. He continues to play tennis. An account book, letters, and addresses appear at the back of the diary.
This diary was kept while Xavier was teaching at Ladies Lutheran Seminary. It mentions that Xavier only works 22 hours a week, information about the health of his students, his visit home during the summer, his reading list including “Tarry Thou Til I Come,” and that although smallpox was reported in Iowa, none of his family members were affected. Bills, accounts, and address appear at the back of the diary.
This diary was kept while Xavier was attending the University of Minnesota and teaching at Ladies Lutheran Seminary. It is mentioned throughout his diary that he teaches Latin, “Political Geography,” and Geometry, discovers he is nearsighted, learns to use a typewriter, notes the physical and scholastic condition of his students, takes the oath of citizenship, attends teacher’s meetings, returns home for the summer collecting money for the school and reading, travels to Stanley Falls, and returns to LLS in the fall. He often forgets to write and continues the next year’s entries until January 3rd in the memorandum section. Cash accounts and addresses are included in the back of the diary.
In this diary Xavier begins his year at the University of Minnesota (possibly preaching), mentions that he continues printing, writes about the weather, receives an offer of employment as a Professor of Latin (location unknown), frequently studies Latin, continues to write in code, writes a book at home during the summer, and begins to teach 3rd year Latin in the fall at Lutheran Ladies Seminary. Letters, accounts, and addresses are included in the back of the diary.
