Tuesday, August 31, 1926

Tuesday, August 31, 1926
Fair

Gilbert worked this PM seemed ok till about 5 o’clock it sprinkled a little and he got the asthma.

Monday, August 30, 1926

Monday, August 30, 1926
Warm

Gilbert had the asthma last night and felt so ill in the morning he didn’t go to work. I had a time getting my washing done as the machine went back on me, but I finally worked and coaxed it to go and finished my washing with it. The basement is so damp this rainy weather, I wonder if that is what the trouble is.

(As usual, washing clothes on Monday...)

Sunday, August 29, 1926

Sunday, August 29, 1926
Hot rain – cooler

Took Ned to Sunday school and just time to leave it poured down rain. We waited a few minutes till it was over then went to town on the car to take a bus and met Papa. He treated us to ice cream and bought the other boys some candy. Came home and found that the rain had brought on Gilbert’s asthma. Was showery all day and he had a bad time of it. Had thought Papa’s medicine kept him from it but he either hasn’t taken enough of it or it has lost its effect.

(How awful to have asthma and hayfever in the 1920's without some of the medicines we have today. It must have been quite miserable.)

Saturday, August 28, 1926

Saturday, August 28, 1926
Hot

(I guess it was too hot for Grandma to write in her diary. Aunt Marjorie recently wrote a recollection of eating canned peaches. "I remember eating canned peaches for dessert topped with whipped cream. No homogenized milk in those days - the top of each bottle of milk had rich cream on it that could be whipped. The glass milk bottles were washed and returned to the milk man to be refilled.")

Friday, August 27, 1926

Friday, August 27, 1926
Fair and warm

Mama came out and as she went home I went down town and got Marjorie some shoes, but she curls her toes up under as I can’t get the shoes on now that I have bought them. Also got Gilbert a book “the book nobody knows” for his birthday also got goods to make his shirt I cut wrong and to make a boy one, too.

(What is this book she bought? I'm going to try to find it online someplace.)

Thursday, August 26, 1926

Thursday, August 26, 1926
Cool

Had a discouraging day. Went to cut out a shirt for Gilbert and for the first time in my life cut it wrong and had to wait till I can get some more goods. Then I worked all afternoon and evening to make a dress out of a beautiful piece of goods that was a coat lining of Mama’s. She took the coat and made a dress of it and gave me the lining. After I got it to where I could try it on I found it all crooked and not big enough any way so I guess I’ll just have to put it away for Marjorie. But I did hope I could have a dress out of it myself.

(Can you believe that Grandma made a dress out of the lining from a coat? They didn't throw anything away, which is probably why she was discouraged after cutting the shirt wrong.)

Wednesday, August 25,1926

Wednesday, August 25, 1926
Cool

Put up the rest of my peaches I bought Monday and bought about half a bushel more. I feel that every dollar I spend to put up fruit now means two saved on my grocery bill next Winter. So I am broke most of these days, but Smith trusts me till pay day and I’m getting a lot of fruit put up – almost got my cans full.

(I wonder how many cans of fruit and vegetables she put up each year? My other grandma was on a farm and she wrote the following about how they put up nearly 2,500 cans of fruits and vegetables every year:

“We always had a big garden and would can lots of vegetables. The boys would pick lots of blackberries and some years we would can up to 400 quarts. We always canned around 225 to 250 quarters of peaches as Carl had an uncle… who had a big orchard. We would go down and pick about 10 to 12 bushels of peaches. Next day my Mom and Dad would come out to the farm to help. Everyone would sit on the front porch. The younger boys would sort and wash peaches; older boys would use a peach peeler. One would push the peach onto 3 prongs to hold it, the other would turn a crank and a knife revolving at a faster speed would peel the peach in about 2 seconds.

My Mom and Dad and Grandpa would cut peaches in halves to remove the seed and cut off any spots. Loretta (their hired girl) and I would take the peaches and cook in an open kettle about 15 minutes and can and it was a continuous process. By evening we would have about 125 to 150 quarts canned and lined up on the cupboards. It usually took two days to can 200 to 250 quarts. We gave Mom and Dad part of them.

Later when it was time to freeze corn in summer to put in the locker in Dale (Indiana), my father’s sister, Aunt Margaret from Cincinnati, would always plan her visit so she could be there to help cut off corn. Again Mom and Dad, Grandpa, and all the boys would each have their certain job to do and we would freeze about 50 to 60 quarts in a day.

We canned fruits, vegetables, pickles, jellies, etc. all summer, then when winter came, we canned meats both pork and beef to last all summer so during a year we usually canned 2,500 quarts.We baked bread twice a week, then rolls, coffee cakes on Saturday. On Friday, we always baked several cakes. All this on the old coal stove which really heated up the kitchen and whole house in summer.

I never will forget around 1935, one day Carl brought home a can of food from the store. I thought it was almost a disgrace to buy canned food. That was a sign of a lazy housewife. I took the empty can way over in a field and buried it so no one would see it around my house.” Written by Grandma M, 1982

One of the big differences seems to be that Grandma worked alone to can the produce she bought. Grandma M. grew most of what they canned and it was a family operation to can a lot of food.)

Tuesday, August 24, 1926

Tuesday, August 24, 1926
Rain, cool

Ironed all day and did a little of my mending.

(It seems Grandma always washed clothes on Monday and then ironed on Tuesday, every single week.)

Monday, August 23, 1926

Monday, August 23, 1926
Partly cloudy

Smith brought my peaches just after I got done washing, had intended to iron but got a few plums and put them up and a few of the peaches that might be a little bruised.

(Smith was the vegetable man.)

Sunday, August 22, 1926

Sunday, August 22, 1926
Hot

Went to the folks and had fried chicken dinner. Winifred was there. Guys came in when we were about to leave. Guy had had a bad sick spell and is still as yellow as a pumpkin. Gilbert felt fairly well, his hay fever bothering him some but I was miserable with pain in my bowels - they didn’t let up all day.

(What illness would cause Grandma's brother, Guy, to turn all yellow?)

Saturday, August 21, 1926

Saturday, August 21, 1926
Partly cloudy

A busy day – made a little jelly out of my concord grapes – just a few this year but before this we had none. They weren’t ripe but just right for jelly and I picked them before the kids got them. The yard is full of boys most of the time – about a dozen from the age of 13 down. Cleaned up the house and finished Gilbert’s shirt, cut some grass, weeds, etc. played the piano and what not? Something I have eaten disagrees with me and I have pretty severe pains in my bowels again this evening. The little dog next door at Miss Dunlea’s is howling for “Wayne”. I’d like to choke it.

(Aunt Marjorie wrote, "Who's "Wayne"? I don't remember Miss Dunlea ever having a dog. Anyway, she must have had a talking dog! I don't have a problem with kids getting my concord grapes - the birds get them first."

I think the dog's howling must have sounded like "wayne" I hope it wasn't hurt or something.)

Friday, August 20, 1926

Friday, August 20, 1926
Partly cloudy

Got my work done up and made a hurried trip down town leaving the babies asleep with Dick. Had a few little things to see after and wasn’t gone long. Got Gilbert a madras shirt. He wants to try it out and see whether they wear longer than the percale as they cost more. Papa sent his piano out so of course I didn’t do much after that but play. Am dreadfully out of practice and my hands are so stiff I can scarcely stripe an octave. The piano sounds fine and I am so glad to get it.

(Dick was kind of young to watch two little ones, by today's standards.)

Thursday, August 19, 1926

Thursday, August 19, 1926
Rain

Mama was over. Papa bought a piano off a patient of his who had to sell hers. He thought it was a bargain so he might as well get it. I sold my old ebony one Guy gave me 25 years ago to a junk man named Crossen and only got a dollar for it, but I guess its days as a “piano” were passed and it was a dead weight on my hands as I haven’t been able to play it for years with any satisfaction. However it was almost like parting with an old friend.

(I think I may have commented before that until I read her diaries, I had no idea Grandma played the piano.

Aunt Marjorie wrote, "We had to have a tall piano! How else could our kitty have a place to sleep where Ned wouldn't bother him? I remember Ned sadly wondering why the cat alway ran from him - "I like cats!", he'd say.

Here's another post about pianos and piano playing.)

Wednesday, August 18, 1926

Wednesday, August 18, 1926
Clear and cool

Ironed and mended some, also practiced on the typewriter. I really haven’t time to do it but Gilbert says that it would be harder to learn after I got into wrong habits, so I had better learn right in the first place, as will want to write letters occasionally, etc. Marjorie plays in her Taylor Tot part of the time and crawls around getting into things and getting dirty. She does not want her bottle any more but she doesn’t seem to be losing any, so fat and sweet. Gilbert “run me out” of the room last night for the first with his smoking “asthmador” for hay fever.

(Aunt Marjorie wrote, "I guess the 'asthmador' smoke must be the aroma I still remember. This is the date that Daddy (Gilbert) will die in eleven more years. Fortunately, Mother kept practicing her typewriting, in nine or ten years she would need the skills.")

Tuesday, August 17, 1926

Tuesday, August 17, 1926
Rain

Was awfully sick in the morning beginning at 3:30 – a severe diarrhea, pains, vomiting, etc. Papa came about 9 but I was better by that time. Sent Dale down after some more Asthma medicine for Gilbert as he would no doubt have it if it weren’t for the medicine. The weather is sure asthma weather – but his hay fever bothers just the same although you would think there was no pollen in the air. The doors all stick so and everything in the house feels clammy. After noon I sewed some and practiced on the typewriter. Felt better.

(It was nice to have a doctor in the family, I'm sure (Papa)).

Monday, August 16, 1926

Monday, August 16, 1926
Cloudy

Washed and slowly the clothes dried so I ironed some, but did not get a great deal done. For some reason the boys elected to stay in the house and play and they were so noisy Marjorie couldn’t sleep so she bothered me and delayed me with her crying, so I felt I never would get my washing done to dry.

(I think Grandma hung clothes outside to dry, whenever the weather permitting, year around. If she couldn't hang them outside to dry, I think I recall reading that she would hang them in the attic. I guess with high humidity, clothes would dry slowly on a cloudy day.)

Sunday, August 15, 1926

Sunday, August 15, 1926
Rain

Ned and I went to Sunday school between showers. The other boys had gone on before. Afterwards we walked up town and got Gilbert some medicine for his hay fever and window shopped. The boys looked in the drug stores, sporting goods windows and I looked at dresses as I have one to make over and I want to get pointers. After dinner it poured rain and we had a nice quiet day at home together. We really like these days the best. I put in most of the evening learning the touch system of type writing. I feel it will be quite a help in writing letters and lots of fun, too.

(Aunt Marjorie wrote, "When I was young, Mother would go window shopping to get "pointers" for making Eleanor and me dresses".

And can you imagine how Grandma enjoyed the typewriter, once she learned to use it, how it made letter writing easier? Fast forward 80 years and imagine a young mother learning how to use Outlook to send emails to her friends and family to make exchanging letters easier. Every generation learns something new.)

Saturday, August 14, 1926

Saturday, August 14, 1926
Showery

Sultry and sticky weather. Albert’s jaw all swelled up. A new molar trying to come through I guess. Marjorie stands the heat very well but she doesn’t want to take her bottle any more. Won’t take it if she knows it. Wants to nurse to sleep but does not get enough to satisfy her unless I slip a bottle in her mouth after she gets to sleep. The boys swiped the door off of the garage and took it to the creek for a raft. Then some big kids took it from them. We made them go down after supper and get it.

(Aunt Marjorie wrote, "The 'garage' was little more than an old barn - I believe it was much older than the house. I don't ever remember seeing a door there."

Perhaps they boys retrieved the door, but never put it back up? I don't even remember seeing the foundation of a garage or shed in the back yard when I visited Grandma as a kid.)

Friday, August 13, 1926

Friday, August 13, 1926
Sultry

Yesterday morning I slipped down town and left Marjorie with Dick and got me some shoes and some goods for Gilbert shirts and the boys some school waists. That means get busy sewing. Mama came over and brought her dress she is making over and I had to help her a little today. However I made a shirt for Gilbert , after about three o’clock. Sat up until midnight and made the button holes as he had to wear it to work tomorrow. Got so sleepy I could scarcely see and that made me slow.

(Grandma made most of the clothes they wore. I wonder why Gilbert had to wear his newly made shirt to work the next day?)

Thursday, August 12, 1926

Thursday, August 12, 1926
Cooler

Last night there was a terrible electrical storm but it didn’t disturb us any. We went to sleep downstairs. Gilbert, Marjorie and I and I was awakened by the wind. I went up stairs and put down the windows just as the rain started. Took the baby upstairs and went right to sleep again and never heard the thunder. I am so thankful I can sleep like that. My nerves are not nearly so bad as they used to be. I believe I am in better shape now than I ever have been.

(A good storm does cool things down. There were two bedrooms upstairs, and a small bedroom downstairs. I wonder where everyone slept?)

Wednesday, August 11, 1926

Wednesday, August 11, 1926
Hot

The two news boys went to the annual picnic at Broad Ripple today. Packed up the babies and went to Mama’s and roasted. Finished Ned a little suit for play. The babies went to sleep and I hated to wake them up, so I was pretty late getting home. Of course, Gilbert was unusually early so he beat me, but he is good natured about it and I got supper in a jiffy so we weren’t very late – no later than last night. Got a card form Mrs. Smith mailed at Florence Italy.

(The "news boys" were Dale and Dick who had the afternoon newspaper routes. They must have had a picnic for all of them each summer.

Mrs. Smith was Grandma's Sunday School teacher, who had no children, but apparently traveled.)

Tuesday, August 10, 1926

Tuesday, August 10, 1926
Hot, sultry

Ironed till about 2 then wrote a letter to Nell on the typewriter. Did a little mending but was too sleepy to do much. The boys scrapped over who got to write and I was so afraid they would do some harm. The “w” got to sticking but Gilbert soon fixed it. Gilbert was late and I waited supper on him. It was so hot in the kitchen then. Was so anxious for him to come so we could get out and cool off before bedtime.

(I think my mom might still have this typewriter? I might be the one that we played with when we were little.

And did you notice that in the 1920's they went outside to cool off when it was hot, and now we go inside to cool off in air conditioned homes. When it was really hot, I think everyone slept on the floor downstairs, as the upstairs rooms would be stifling hot, even with windows open. Downstairs they could open the front door and back door and get a breeze to blow through the house. Today the neighborhood where the house is is one of the worst in the city for crime and no one would leave their doors unlocked, let alone wide open, all night long.)

Monday, August 9, 1926

Monday, August 9, 1926
Cloudy and cool

Washed and scrubbed and ironed some. Put Gilbert’s pants in the washer and then pressed them. They looked like new. I was afraid to try it but they were ruined anyway. He sweats till the dried salt covered the goods in spots and they were stiff. Gilbert had a typewriter sent out on approval – a used machine but it seems to write ok. I sat up till 1o’clock to write a letter to Uncle Jesse. Marjorie learned to say “Mom”. Gilbert started “doping” his hay fever as symptoms appeared.

(Aunt Marjorie wrote, "I still can smell the scent of the smoke or mist or whatever Daddy used in their bedroom to ease his breathing in hayfever season. Ned inherited hayfever and Dick had allergies. Uncle Jesse was Grandpa Campbell's brother. Mother met him once when he visited when she was a child but never saw him again. He lived in Denver at that time. Mother and Uncle Jesse corresponded as long as he lived. She seemed to idolize him and wrote a lot about him in the family history."

Here's what Grandma wrote about Uncle Jesse in the family history:

"Jesse E. Campbell married Della Kelsey on October 30, 1881, and had one son Kelsey Burnett Campbell, who died in infancy in 1885. Della died February 2, 1885. For years Jesse worked as a telegrapher in, or near, Denver Colorado. It was during this time in 1904 or 1905 that he came here to visit us for several weeks, where we lived on Fifteenth Street. That visit from Uncle Jesse was one of the highlights of my childhood, for he took me to see "Sis Hopkins", my frist stage show, and bought me my first box of "store chocolates". He was lots of fun and I never forgot how much I enjoyed his visit, though I never saw him again. We kept up a correspondence for the rest of his life. Sometime after his visit here, he married Aunt Mattie. They lived in Colorado for awhile, then bought a small truck farm near Francitas, Texas where they lived the rest of their lives. They somtimes had a hard time financially but were always cheerful and well liked, and hoped that they would find oil on their place, as there was some hear there. Jesse spent his spare time writing poems which for years were published in The Palacios Beacon, the weekly paper of Matagorda County, under the headings of "Sass and Sentiment from Orchard Place" or "Crumbs from a Country Cupboard". They were a mixture of wit and homespun philosophy that must have made him noted in that part of the country. I still have a number of his poems in a scrapbook. He died on December 23, 1931."

Oddly enough, on the other side of my family, there was also an Uncle Jesse who wrote poems which might also be described as "a mixture of wit and homespun philosophy", I think.

Sunday, August 8, 1926

Sunday, August 8, 1926
Hot

Marjorie had her first tooth thru this morning when she woke up. It does not seem to bother her any and I would not have known it it she had not kept chewing her lower lip. Ned was still below par. The three boys went to Sunday school but I didn’t try to go as Ned was not able and is too much of a mama boy to leave when he feels bad. Gilbert had work to do and then went to the plant to do some typing. Took the boys along and the babies and I napped and read. Saw a dog –apparently mad - bit two others out in front.



(Oh my! A mad dog. I assume when she wrote that the dog bit two others, it was two other dogs and not two people. Rabies would definitely be fatal in the 1920's!)

Saturday, August 7, 1926

Saturday, August 7, 1926
Cooler

Ned got to ailing – by Noon he had a high fever. I believe he is cutting some jaw teeth. Gilbert had promised to take the boys swimming this afternoon but it got too cool. They were very reasonable about it. They did their regular Saturday collecting, then scouted around in the park with Glen Kanouse of Pana, IL who is visiting on 13th St. Seems like a nice boy. Older than Dale but they are good friends and apparently well matched pair.

(Dale and Dick were collecting for their newpaper routes. They were fairly young businessmen but seemed to do well and still have time to play.

It has been awhile since Grandma wrote about anyone being sick. They seemed to do better in the summer time, probably because they were outdoors more and got fresh air. Though reading about the boys swimming in polluted creeks and streams makes me wonder how they didn't get sick more often.)

Friday, August 6, 1926

Friday, August 6, 1926
Hot – Thunderstorm

Too tired to wiggle. Loafed mostly all day – or rather sat and mended. Of course I washed dishes and did what house work I had to do and let the kids run. Harry Doyle was here most of the morning and what a noisy boy he is! Teases Ned and has him squealing most of the time. Then shouts “Keep still Ned, your Mom is trying to put the baby to sleep” does not realize he is the cause of all the noise. Not a bad boy though so much better than the Millers and Johnson boys. A thunderstorm came up while the boys were on their route, their first bad day but they didn’t care.

(Aunt Marjorie wrote, "Harry Doyle was a very friendly, likable boy, Dale's age or slightyly older. He lived just two houses away. He didn't got to our school, he went to the Catholic schools."

I think the nearest Catholic school would have been St. Philip Neri.)

Thursday, August 5, 1926

Thursday, August 5, 1926
Hot

Made 29 glasses of jelly and canned the rest of the juice. After the boys came home we ate a lunch, met Gilbert down town and went to Ravenswood to Mildred’s house and the boys went swimming. We had bad luck waiting for the bus so it was late when we got there. Ned fussed and wanted to go home – he was sleepy and likewise Marjorie but we had a very good time. The kids brought us to the car line and we made better time getting home. The boys take to water like ducks and can swim fairly well for youngsters.

(Aunt Marjorie wrote in her notes, "I don't recall a swimming pool in Ravenswood. I think there is a creek there, and I believe there is usually flooding in the Ravenswood area after a heavy rain.")

Wednesday, August 4, 1926

Wednesday, August 4, 1926
Hot

Tried to put up blackberries and wanted to make jelly too, but I didn’t get to that. Felt pretty bum and Mama came over for a little while right in the middle of the day to get me to cut out a dress for her. Felt heart sick to boot for in the morning, on coming downstairs after putting Marjorie to sleep I found Dick had cut the top off of my penny bank to get the money out. It had belonged to my brothers and then I had used it and all my babies had cut their teeth on it. I told Dick yesterday he could use it but to take care of it and he deliberately ruined it.

(I hope Grandma didn't mean her babies had "literally" cut their teeth on a penny bank. As Aunt Marjorie wrote that would not be all that clean. She also wondered if Dick wanted pennies for candy because he always had a sweet tooth.

Grandma had written in a diary entry sometime last year, on a day when the boys knocked over and broke a little bedside table lamp, that it was hard for her to keep anything nice for very long.)

Tuesday, August 3, 1926

Tuesday, August 3, 1926
Hot

Ironed all day. All the decent clothes we had were dirty. I took an awful cold getting so wet yesterday and felt miserable all day but finally got done. Smith the vegetable man brought me 20 qts of blackberries.

(Aunt Marjorie said, "I'll bet Mother was one of Smith's best customers. Smith was a Swede with an accent and his wife sometimes rode along with him. I wonder what his real name was? I remember how happy I was when he came; good fresh fruit to eat!"

I'd guess Grandma made blackberry preserves or jams with most of those berries.)

Monday, August 2, 1926

Monday, August 2, 1926
Partly cloudy but warm.

Got my washing done, but seemed to get myself awful wet doing it. But it was hot and I didn’t change clothes. Did some ironing.

(Washing clothes was not the same as today. Marjorie provided more information on how they used the washing machine to wash clothes.

"Mother had a roller-type washing machine. She had 3 galvanized tubs to rinse the laundry. She could open the drain in the bottom of the washing machine, but the large rinse tubs had no drains. She used a bucket and dipped out the water to the floor (there was a drain in the basement floor) until there was only a little water in the large galvanized tub - then she could tip it over and let the rest of the water run out."

Washing clothes was a completely manual effort. Wash the clothes, rinse them several times, and run them through the rollers to get the water out of them. No wonder Grandma got wet doing the laundry, both from sweating and from the wash water.)

Sunday, August 1, 1926

Sunday, August 1, 1926
Cool and rainy

Was tired and didn’t try to go to Sunday school as it was showery and I didn’t want to risk getting the babies wet so we sent the 3 boys and we took our time and got ready and went on the bus to Mama’s. All 21 members of the family was there for dinner. We had a very enjoyable day. Mama had a hired woman to help and do the dishes so we had nothing to do but visit. Winifred sat on Harry’s lap and kissed him all the time. I’m afraid she will be her mother over again. Has the idea that she doesn’t ever want to work.

(Winifred's mother, Mabel, never wanted to work, it seems.

Aunt Marjorie wrote, "Winifred dropped out of high school to go to art school. Aunt Mabel showed me a picture Winifred had sketched of a nude woman. Onarga (another cousin) and a friend had a shop in downtown Indianapolis where they made clothes on order, where Winifred helped them when they were overwhelmed with work. She made her own clothes and clothes for her sons later on. When her boys were in school she worked a number of years in a library in Memphis, and from the birth of the twin boys she kept house for her sons and her father (Harry). I don't know what other jobs she may have had. So I don't think Winifred was lazy! She was affectionate. I remember how pleased Daddy looked one time when Winifred came to our house for dinner and she threw her arms around Daddy's neck and kissed him."

Previously, I wrote the following about Winifred:

Harry was Grandma's brother, Mable was his wife and Winifred was their daughter. I think later Harry ended up with Winifred, but I'm not sure how it all worked out that way. I know that Winifred joined the Army during WWII and married a solder, who was killed in the war. She was pregnant when she was given the news of her husband's death, and ended up in labor, giving birth to twin boys. She and her father, Harry, ended up raising the two boys.)