Saturday, October 31. 1925

Saturday, October 31, 1925
Warmer

Baby has kept me up every night this week so I can hardly drag. She is a little darling but she likes the bright lights too well. The boys had a big time this evening. Dale went down town and met Gilbert and went to the show. I have been having pains in my bowels last night and today – so severe! I have no appetite and afraid to eat, but how can I nurse my baby?

(Grandma seems to be wearing down with the baby’s mixed up nights and days and to be sick on top of it all, it must have been a trying few days. Her choice of words, "can hardly drag", says so much in so few words.

See comment from Eleanor yesterday on how they went 'trick or treating'. It was more like 'trick or visiting'. She said they were invited in to have some cake or cookies or other treats wherever they went, so they didn't go to very many places in an evening.

My Dad talked a little about Halloween in the country when he was growing up. Something about about tipping over outhouses. I assume he personally didn't engage in such mischief!

I woonder if they had "tricking" like that go on in the city, too?)

Friday, October 30, 1925

Friday, October 30, 1925
Snow

Albert dressed up in the yellow clown suit I made for Dale’s kindergarten party 5 years ago and wore it to a party at kindergarten. He has been talking about it all week. Dale went to a party at the church from 6 to 8. He dressed in his black suit with long pants and Eton vest and Negro false face. Looked cut and had a good time. Dick went to the show.

(More snow and it wasn’t even Halloween yet. I don’t know if anyone has noticed that Grandma always included a word or two about the weather each day in her diary.

It appears they did dress up for Halloween, at least to go to parties. Dale might have been influenced in his costume by Al Jolson. Albert sounds like he was a typical five year old, all excited about dressing up for Halloween. I wonder if the older boys also went trick or treating back then?)

Thursday, October 29, 1925

Thursday, October 29, 1925
Cold

Harry and Winifred called this AM before Ned had his breakfast eaten. He sleeps late these mornings. Had quite a visit with Harry who leaves this PM for Florida via Memphis. He goes from there by auto with some friends. It will be a lovely trip. He seems to like Florida and almost gave me the fever. Lots of people are going there and some are making money.

(Is Grandma writing about the beginnings of the great flight of people from the cold midwest to warm Florida?

Grandma wrote in her family history that during World War II, Harry was living in Denver and Winifred (his daughter) came to live with him. In Grandma’s own words…

“They rented an apartment and were keeping house when Winifred received the news that William (her husband) had been killed in action in north Africa. The shock caused her to mis-carry twin boys at seven months on April 3, 1943. They were all right apparently after two months in incubators and were able to leave the hospital. She named them Bruce Jordan and Brian William. They proved to be indeed a blessing for both Harry and Winifred, for, before their birth neither had a happy life, but now they had a reason to make a home. Neither liked the cold weather of Denver, so they went to Miami, Florida and lived (there) until Harry retired from the printing business. He had always felt as though he would like to live in the country so he bought a small pecan farm east of Monticello in northern Florida. The crop the first year was very good, but it turned out to be the only good crop that they had, so after a few years, they sold the farm and moved to Tallahassee where the boys would be close to good schools. “

FYI, Harry divorced Mabel, Winifred’s mother, in 1926.)

Wednesday, October 28, 1925

Wednesday, October 28, 1925
Cold

Thought maybe Mama and Harry would come over today but they didn’t. They went to Brownsburg instead of going yesterday as per schedule, but Guys’ were at Kempton to Dorothy Smith’s funeral. She was killed in an auto accident Saturday night at Purdue. Such a lovely girl, I feel so sorry for Betty.

(I am fairly confident that Dorothy Smith was no relation to Grandma. Neither Eleanor or Marjorie know who she was.

Grandma hadn’t really gotten out much in the last several months before the baby, Marjorie, was born. From what I can tell from her diaries, she had only so far been to her mother’s since the birth, and that’s about it. I am sure she was quite stir crazy and welcomed any company at this point.)

Tuesday, October 27, 1925

Tuesday, October 27, 1925
Cold and cloudy

Regular December weather. Baby kept me up till 3 o’clock last night and I feel like the last rose of summer today. Took a little nap this afternoon but the children running in and out kept me from getting much rest. Of course, the baby slept all day.

(I love the description Grandma made for how she felt… “the last rose of summer”.
Sounds like a typical day for a busy mother, trying to get some rest while her baby sleeps through oblivious to the havoc she causes when she stays up all night!)

Monday, October 26, 1925

Monday, October 26, 1925
Cold

We got up and found the ground covered with snow and it snowed really hard for a couple of hours and then cleared off. The sun shone and by noon the snow was gone except in shady spots. Harry enjoys (?) this weather so much. Baby kept me up till midnight last night.

(Snow! The earliest I remember snow covering the ground was October 18th, but like this snow, it soon melted. Indeed, I don’t think her brother Harry enjoyed this weather at all. More on that in a few days…

Of general interest regarding the diaries, Marjorie (the baby mentioned above) has recently sent me several notes via the US mail after reading through some of my comments, and I’ll be adding her insights to future posts. She doesn’t have access to a computer, so her daughter has been printing postings a few at a time for her to read. Marjorie also noted that I’ve mixed up some of the history, especially in regards to Grandma’s brothers and who was married to whom, so I’ll be going back and correcting those entries over time, just so the record is accurate. In one of her comments she mailed to me, Marjorie wrote:

“I always figured if Grandma didn’t want people to read her diaries, she should have gotten rid of them. When Ned was about 15 and I was 13, Dale forgot to hide his diary when he had a girlfriend (Ginny) in Pennsylvania. Ned and I were laughing hysterically about Dale and Ginny “melting in each others arms” when Mother caught us, grabbed it away, and gave us a tongue-lashing. I was never aware Mother kept a diary until she died and we found them when we cleaned out her house.”

I’m looking forward to more insights and comments from both Marjorie and Eleanor!)

Sunday, October 25, 1925

Sunday, October 25, 1925
Cloudy and cold

Papa phoned all of us to come as Harry was there so Guy drove over after me and the babies. Bur’s came down and the “gang was all there”. Writing with baby nursing and Ned climbing over the arms of my chair makes writing difficult. Baby slept all the time we were at the folk’s when there were so many there to nurse her for me.

(Harry, Guy, and Bur were Grandma’s three older brothers. The "babies" are Ned & Marjorie. I am assuming that the others (Gilbert, Dale, Dick & Albert) took the bus.

Sounds like they had a nice, impromptu family gathering, an opportunity for everyone to meet the newest family member, Marjorie. And Marjorie slept through it all!)

Saturday, October 24, 1925

Saturday, October 24, 1925
Rainy

Baby’s naval has been running a little and seemed to be sore but is much better today. She slept pretty good and I had a big day’s work if she isn’t three weeks old. I did as much as usual cleaning, etc. and baby’s washing and ironing besides.

(Sounds like Grandma was doing well, going full-steam ahead, just three weeks after having the baby, keeping up with her housework and everything else. Her general outlook, reflected in just a few sentences each day in her diary, also seemed much brighter during this timeperiod.)

Friday, October 23, 1925

Friday, October 23, 1925
Fair and cold

Winifred was going to come and finish my ironing but got sidetracked out at Katherine’s. Baby fretted all morning and I sure did need her to hold her but she didn’t come till 2. Mama and Mrs. Hoffman came then, brought baby a Tom Tinker doll. I just had gotten the boys cleaned up and the house straightened and Gilbert was late and had a time getting supper. Harry came.


(Winifred is Grandma’s niece, and I think most of the time she lived with her grandparents, Grandma’s parents. Harry is Winifred's father, Ruth's brother. Does anyone know what a Tom Tinker doll looked like? My Google search did not come up with much.)

(I finally found some info on Tom Tinker dolls. Here’s a website with a picture.)

Thursday, October 22, 1925

Thursday, October 22, 1925
Fair and cold

The boys were out of school on account of teachers’ convention and they surely did track mud in. I ironed all morning and got most of this week’s rough dry wash done – all I had to have. Then I brushed up the house, got lunch, put Ned to sleep and then Anna and Betty Jane came and brought baby a hood miles too big for her.

(Interesting to note that even "back then" they had the occasional extra day off from school when the teachers had a convention to attend.

What is "rough dry wash"?)

Wednesday, October 21, 1925

Wednesday, October 21, 1925

Baby fretted all day and slept but very little. Had an awful time to get anything done. One good thing is that she sleeps fine at night generally and I just feel grand. Never an ache or a pain. Don’t expect to get much done for a while but try to keep things up and feed the baby.

(It sounds like Grandma had the right attitude, and didn't worry about other things not getting done, while she took care of the baby. But she did work hard before the baby was born to get the house all deep cleaned and had Gilbert paint a couple of rooms, so perhaps she just had the "usual" chores to be concerned about... cooking, washing clothes, ironing clothes, ets. It is good she was feeling so grand.)

Tuesday, October 20, 1925

Tuesday, October 20, 1925

Baby didn’t sleep so much today but she didn’t do bad. Mama came over for a little while. It was our wedding anniversary. Ten years – five babies. Doing well enough!

(Grandma wrote the following about her wedding when she wrote a family history:

“Gilbert was twenty-six and I was approaching my twenty-third birthday, and we both felt that we were old enough to take the final step toward matrimony. Except among the very rich who had church weddings, it was the custom to have weddings at home with invited friends and relatives present. All but one of my friends had home weddings, so we were married in front of the flower decked mantle at the end of the long living room of my father’s home at 3916 College Avenue, in the evening of October 20, 1915. Dr. Philputt performed the ceremony and my little nieces, Mildred and Onarga were flower girls, and carried baskets ahead of us as we went down the stairs and across the room to the tune of the wedding march played on my little piano by my good friend from Kempton, Jessie Cunningham. After the refreshments, I changed from the oyster-white crepe dress trimmed with pearls, to my “going way” suit of rich-looking taupe gray, wide wale kind of corduroy that I had hired a dressmaker to make for me. In fact, at my mother’s insistence I had hired both of the outfits to be made, so spent money that I had not intended to, which we could have used later, but we said “after all, one is married only once in a lifetime!” Our friends Anna and Ray Mock helped us slip away from the crowd and took us in their car to our new home at 3466 Salem St. We had bought the necessary furnishings on payments, and had the house ready to occupy, so hopefully and happily we started housekeeping although we found that we were in financial difficulties almost from the first.”)

Monday, October 19, 1925

Monday, October 19, 1925
Cold

On my own today. Marjorie and Ned both slept till almost 10 o’clock and I had all my work done by that time. Baby was good till supper time and then she fretted and I had trouble getting supper as I am afraid to let her cry. She slept all night last night, only waking once to nurse. A little flurry of snow fell this PM.

(So far, so good for Grandma, now with a two year old and infant to care for, along with three older sons (ages 5, 8, and 9) and her husband, Gilbert.

Did you catch that about snow flurries? Seems a bit early for that kind of weather!)

Sunday, October 18, 1925

Sunday, October 18, 1925

Gilbert and the boys went to Sunday school and I bathed the baby for the first time. She is so good to bathe. Seems to enjoy it. Mrs. Little left after dinner. Gilbert took the boys to the park and while there Mac and Margaret came. Then Mac went and got the boys and just got in when Burs drove up with Mama and Winifred. Bee and her baby and we had a full house of all of us. Baby kept me up most of the night.

(Mac and Margaret are close friends, Mac was the nickname for Everett McMillan. He knew Gilbert from when they were growing up, and also worked at Citizens Gas co. “Burs” refers to Grandma’s brother, Bur and his family, and Winifred is Grandma’s brother Harry’s daughter, who seemed to always be living with her grandmother (Mama, Grandma’s mother). I don’t know who “Bee and her baby” were.

Saturday, October 17, 1925

Saturday, October 17, 1925
Clear

Mrs. Complin came over in the morning to see the baby and brought a pair of stockings. Mildred came in the afternoon and brought a pretty little handmade dress. Mrs. Little washed windows, took the screens out, and cleaned everything up for me so as I wouldn’t have to do it soon after she leaves me. Fancy Mrs. Deamer taking that much interest!

(I am wondering if Mrs. Deamer was someone Grandma had hired in the past to come stay with them when she previously had babies? Maybe she didn’t have her come back because she wouldn’t do things like wash all the windows? That was sure nice of Mrs. Little! I'd love it if someone washed all my windows for me.

Who is Mildred? Who is Mrs. Complin?

FYI… I have been posting the diary entries early in the morning for awhile. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will not be able to do so, but promise I’ll get it done by midnight or the day after.)

Friday, October 16, 1925

Friday, October 16, 1925
Cloudy

It seems so good to be up again. Mama came over for a little while. Marjorie’s naval is not healing right and bleeds and stands out a little. Papa came out to see it and said he didn’t think it would be serious but gave me a tab to bind against it to hold it back. I’m afraid to let her cry and I didn’t want to spoil her but how can I help it?

(Remember that Grandma’s papa was a physician, and he seemed to be the one to treat the family’s various ailments and illnesses, even though his was a “women’s doctor”.

My mom always said you can’t spoil babies by holding them!)

Thursday, October 15, 1925

Thursday, October 15, 1925
Cloudy

My first day up. Ate breakfast in bed and got up while the boys were all gone and Ned asleep and such a surprised look on their faces when they saw me up! They all seemed so glad. Bless their hearts. I felt fine and didn’t even have pins in my feet when I got up.

(I guess new mothers did stay in bed for 10 days “back then”, as this was the 10th day since Marjorie was born. And just like that, Grandma is up and moving again.

I am sure the boys were wondering when life would get back to normal.)

Wednesday, October 14, 1925

Wednesday, October 14, 1925
Cloudy

Nothing happened to break the monotony of the day in bed. The baby sleeps for hours in the daytime but at night she wants to look at the light and grunt and root around. She isn’t bad – never had the colic but being awake that way keeps us from sound sleep. I can doze in the daytime now, but Mrs. Little has her work to do then and can’t nap.

(Grandma should have gotten up to break the monotony of lying in bed! Grandma was fortunate to have Mrs. Little around so she could stay in bed like that.

Typical baby, Marjorie had her days and nights mixed up, it seems.)

Tuesday, October 13, 1925

Tuesday, October 13, 1925
Cloudy and Warmer

Mama came out and was here about three hours and a half but didn’t see Marjorie at all only as she lay asleep. Then she took the boys down to get Albert some new shoes and they brought him home. Poor little Ned is so forlorn since I am in bed especially when the other boys are gone. He has gotten so he doesn’t want Mrs. Little to do anything for him, and when she does, he cries like his heart would break.

(I can't believe how long Grandma spent in bed after having the baby! Without Mrs. Little, she would not have been able to do this.)

Monday, October 12, 1925

Monday, October 12, 1925
Rainy and dark.

Baby had a fretful night of it and this AM we found two big white sores on the roof of her mouth. Poor little thing! This was the darkest, gloomiest day. I couldn’t see to read or do a crossword puzzle even and I lay most of the time with my eyes shut, so Mrs. Little wouldn’t talk me to death. All her family troubles and aches and pains are so tiresome.

(For some reason, I am amused to think of Grandma lying in bed with her eyes shut so that Mrs. Little would think she was asleep and not talk to her.)

Sunday, October 11, 1925

Sunday, October 11, 1925
Rainy and cold

Gilbert, Dale, and Dick went to Sunday school but didn’t see any of our particular friends. After dinner, Edna came and brought Marjorie a dress and petticoat. Then Guy drove in with the boys and Ella. Brought Marjorie a blanket, comb and brush and some old comforts, etc. Papa and Mama came too and Guy took them all out to Mama’s for supper.

(They attended Central Christian Church, which was near downtown Indianapolis and a fairly large church, so it would not be surprising that they didn’t run into any of their “particular friends”. Sounds like a typical Sunday with some visiting and all. Mrs. Little was still there, as far as I know, so I assume she was doing all the laundry, cleaning and cooking for everyone while Grandma continued to rest.)

Saturday, October 10, 1925

Saturday, October 10, 1925
Fair and cold

Marjorie kept us awake till 2 last night, the first time she has been bad. She cried at breakfast time (for her Daddy’s benefit) but slept most of the day till supper time. I thought some one might come to see me this PM but no one came. It is so tiresome in bed. Ned is my only amuser but he doesn’t talk much.

(Grandma seems a bit bored staying so long in bed. The baby was 5 days old).

Friday, October 9, 1925

Friday, October 9, 1925
Cold and cloudy

A long day. Mama came but nothing else happened. Gilbert took supper at the Severin with the community chest workers and heard several good speeches and enjoyed it.

(Please go back and read comments for October 5th. Marjorie left us a comment on that post last night with more info on her birthday.

Grandma seemed to be a bit bored with resting in bed all day!)

Thursday, October 8, 1925

Thursday, October 8, 1925
Fair and cold
Lying in bed is getting tiresome since I feel all right again. The after pains have about left now. Ella and Don came for a little while towards evening. The Sunday school class sent flowers this AM and Mrs. Hunter called up, all of which helped to keep the day from being too monotonous.

(It almost sounds like Grandma was getting a bit ansy with all her rest? I recall the earlier diary entries where she was tired and that's all she wanted to do was rest. I hope she used some of the time for reading, which is what she wrote she wanted to do before.)

Wednesday, October 7, 1925

Wednesday, October 7, 1925
Fair and cooler

Mama came over and reported numerous comments of folks she had called on the telephone. Winifred came out after school and sat and held Marjorie till Mama had to make her go home. She is wild about the baby and never got to hold one before. Ned is crazy about her and every time he comes in the room, wants to “hee it”. Her kidneys didn’t act till this PM.

(Winifred would grow up to have her own babies, twin boys, in fact.

I think some people might be surprised, but they did have telephones. Alexander Graham Bell invited the telephone in 1876, so it was not a new technology in 1925.)

Tuesday, October 6, 1925

Tuesday, October 6, 1925
Rain.

A long day. Mrs. Little got done with her work in good time. The baby slept all day, and nothing much happened, but the boys want to hover over the baby all the time and watch her. We decided on a name this evening – or rather the boys named her Marjorie and Papa named her Ruth, so that’s her name.

(I can just imagine the scene in the small bedroom that Grandma was probably in, just off the front room of the house. Four boys, ages around 9, 8, 5 and 2 all hanging over a little bassinet with their one day old baby sister "Marjorie Ruth" lying there, and all trying to see her at once.)

Monday, October 5, 1925

Monday, October 5, 1925
Fair

My darling baby girl’s birthday. Had pains from 2 o’clock on, all morning but not strong enough to do any good till after 1 o’ clock. Had trouble getting Papa and held off as long as I could. He hadn’t been in the house two minutes till she came at 1:55. Gilbert had the company auto bring him in a jiffy and he was here perhaps 10 minutes. The boys are wild with joy. Such excitement and Collins, Papa and Winifred here after supper.

(Finally, Happy Birthday, Aunt Marjorie! She is 81 today, and when she visits her daughter she is going online to read these diaires, too. We hope to have a comment or two from her in the near future. In the meantime, you can visit this blog article on my garden blog to see her gardens. And if you send birthday greetings, I’ll be sure she gets them!

Grandma’s father delivered the baby, he was a ‘women’s doctor’ and therefore qualified to do so. I’m a little surprised that Gilbert went to work that day, especially if Grandma was in labor at the time. I wonder if her mother (Mama) came over in the morning? Or did she just have Mrs. Little there to assist before everyone else arrived? Yes, she did have the baby at home. Obviously, having a baby is much different today than it was in 1925.

Such joy, yes, and I hope you all continue to come back and read the diaries each day, as there is more to come.

By the way, in case you haven’t caught on, comments from Eleanor are from THE Eleanor, Grandma’s other daughter, born in 1929.)

Sunday, October 4, 1925

Sunday, October 4, 1925
Fair

Nothing doing yet. Gilbert and the boys went to Sunday school. Bess came out toward evening disappointed because she expected to see the new one by this time. She and Gilbert went to see “Don Q., Son of Zorro” after supper. I feel awfully uneasy again, have all day but symptoms seem favorable again, but I dare not hope, so to bed.

(And just like Bess, I bet the readers of this diary are also disappointed that there is no baby yet.

As noted before, Grandma rarely seemed to go out of the house the last few months of her pregnancy. She had often told us that “back then”, it wasn’t considered proper for an obviously pregnant woman to be out in public.)

Saturday, October 3, 1925

Saturday, October 3, 1925
Rain and cooler

Had a good night’s sleep last night, the only one this week., so felt pretty good all day. Walked around in the house all I could so as to keep on my feet and exercise but it did no good. Gilbert and I took a walk after we got the boys to bed. The air felt good as this house is too hot with a fire but too cool and damp without one.

(I can’t imagine heating a house with a coke furnace which is either burning or not. I am sure it was difficult to regulate the temperature in the house, especially in the fall when one day could be dreary and cold, nearly freezing, and then a few days later it could be sunny and warm.

Still no baby!)

Friday, October 2, 1925

Friday, October 2, 1925

Felt awfully bum and uneasy all day. Mama came over and I finished the little dress I was making and all the odd jobs I had on hand. The little outing comfort top, etc. Mrs. Collins came over a little while in the evening to see if anything had happened yet.

(And Mrs. Collins found that nothing had happened yet!

Still sitting and sewing. Grandma’s hands didn’t ever seem to have been idle. So much to do, I guess, or feeling that there was too much to do to sit and relax.

Fortunately for us, she did find time each day to write a few sentences in her diary. She didn't write elaborately, or pages and pages, but left us with enough info to get a good glimpse into her life!.)

Thursday, October 1, 1925

Thursday, October 1, 1925
Cloudy

Nothing happened yet. Got outing to make Ned pajamas and finished one. Mrs. Little cut pieces for an outing, comforter for Ned’s bed and I got a big part of it pieced together. I sat and sewed so steady I felt I need some exercise and air so we took a walk of about half a mile, Gilbert and I , hoping to start something.


(No baby yet, but at least Grandma was starting to think about how to get things going. She had written earlier that she didn't want to send for Mrs. Little too soon because of the cost, so I'm sure she wanted to have that baby by now, as much as some readers of this diary want her to have that baby by now.

But it didn't happen on this day.

I'm not sure what she is writing about when she refers to "outing". When she wrote she "got outing.." I assume that means fabric. When she wrote "cut pieces for an outing", that sounds like she is refering to a type of garment. Hmmm...)