March 6, 1942 Diary

Friday, 65th Day - 300 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

This has been a very disagreeable day.

A north east wind and snow flurrys.

Don helped Johnny and Marjorie move today.

Cloudy tonight.

20 degrees above tonight.

The Jain and Bruning Family...

In one of Grandma's past entries, she mentions two women that I have not discussed.  Since there is not much to comment on here in Grandma's entry, I'll share with you about these women Lottie B. and G. Jain.  

Lottie Bruning and Grandma Jain were long time friends and neighbors who lived west on Haystack Mountain.  The Jain pioneer family began with the Swiss born Jules Francois Emil "Miles" Jain (pronounced Jane), born in 1839.  Miles Jain had come out to the gold fields in the early days and was friends of Fred's grandfather and his sons.  When roomers in 1864 were running wild that the Indians were on the attack (roomers which were not true), the Boulder Sheriff signed up men to serve in the military for 100 days.  Miles singed up and served as a Corporal with Company B of the Colorado Third.  (More about this company and their part in the massacre of Native Americans to be coming in a later post, not connected to Grandma's diary).  While Miles was not a Major in the military, he acquired the nickname by his family and friends as Major Miles.

On December 26, 1869, Miles married Mary Case in Georgetown, Colorado.  Miles and Mary settled west of Haystack Mountain after Miles had filed for 320 acres.  He had gone to the Denver Land Office and paid $200 cash plus the filling fees for 160 acres as well as paying the $16 filing fee for homesteading another 160 acres.  Their family grew with nine children - Benjamin, Lewis, Clyde, Roy, Ethan, Florence and Lottie.  These children attended school at the Bader Schoolhouse, the school that Fred Arbuthnot's Grandfather had built.  As the boys grew, they needed to have a business. Along with their father Ben, Lewis and Clyde started the Jain Brother's Stagecoach.  With their stage, they too passengers from Boulder, into the mountains up to Ward, then to Gold Hill, down Lick Skillet Road back home to Haystack Mr.  

When the Grange system began in Colorado in 1873, the Jain family was involved and remained involved for many generations.  The Jain's youngest daughter married a son from a family who lived in the mountains up Left Hand Canyon.  Oh June 15, 1913 Lottie Jain married Francis "Frank" Bruning.  And together, they had three sons whom they raised on the original Jain homestead.  No doubt, there was a big celebration at the Altona Grange where they were married.  As a young girl, I remember visiting old man Frank Bruning in his home that was once the stage stop of the Jain Brothers.  It was always a fun adventure to go see him, sitting in his rocking chair on the porch.  

The Jain family and the Bruning family all were leaders in the grange and served in many capacities in this community.   Clyde Jain was the third "Master" or President of Altona Grange No. 127 and his sister also served as the Master at a later date.  She was a role model to all of the young girls and women who grew up in this community.  By 1910, Major Jain had passed on, and his wife, whom was knows by Margie as Grandma Jain, lived one more year, passing in 1943.  Lottie and her husband Boyd lived the remaining of their lives on the Jain's land and their son's continued the legacy for another generation.

Final Homestead Patent for Miles Jain

Cash purchase for 160 acres by Miles Jain

Advertisement for the Stage, Ward and Boulder, Jain Brothers

Jain Brother's and their Stage Coach near Ward CO
Photo thank to the Boulder Public Library, Carnegie Branch for Local History, Boulder, CO

Altona Grange No. 127 Leaders,
Phoebe (Steele) Green & Lottie (Jain) Bruning
Photo thanks to the Jay Gould family.