Friday, November 30, 2007
Tuesday, November 30, 1926
No diary entry today. In fact, the next diary entry, and therefore the next post here, will be December 4th!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 29, 1926
Sorry, there was no diary entry for today.
Being a Monday, Grandma would have been washing clothes. And I would guess in the winter there were more clothes to wash than in the summer time.
Being a Monday, Grandma would have been washing clothes. And I would guess in the winter there were more clothes to wash than in the summer time.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Sunday, November 28, 1926
Sunday, November 28, 1926
Fair
Dick and Albert have been writing to Nell while Dale was outdoors playing football. I’ll have to write to Nell and tell her not to pay any attention to the Christmas lists as so many of the things have been supplied. Dick has his shopping done and all his things wrapped. He could hardly wait to get home from Sunday school. I went and took Ned but Gilbert and Marjorie stayed home. A Mrs. Boaz from Antioch church called but I’m sure she didn’t get much encouragement. She lives close to Central!!
(I assume the "Central" Grandma referred to was their church, Central Christian Church. Just like today, it seems like people who wanted you go to their church in the 1920's showed up at the door on a Sunday morning to invite you, assuming that if you were home, you didn't go to any church.)
Fair
Dick and Albert have been writing to Nell while Dale was outdoors playing football. I’ll have to write to Nell and tell her not to pay any attention to the Christmas lists as so many of the things have been supplied. Dick has his shopping done and all his things wrapped. He could hardly wait to get home from Sunday school. I went and took Ned but Gilbert and Marjorie stayed home. A Mrs. Boaz from Antioch church called but I’m sure she didn’t get much encouragement. She lives close to Central!!
(I assume the "Central" Grandma referred to was their church, Central Christian Church. Just like today, it seems like people who wanted you go to their church in the 1920's showed up at the door on a Sunday morning to invite you, assuming that if you were home, you didn't go to any church.)
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Saturday, November 27, 1926
Saturday, November 27, 1926
Cold
The man came to fix the window. Dick and I went down town and completed his shopping at the ten cent store. Then we met Dale who stayed with Marjorie till Daddy came. And we got them all caps. Dale got a pair of high top shoes and a sheep skin coat or rather leatherette lined with sheep skin. He is awfully proud of them both and oiled his shoes twice during the evening. I met Florence Chister and had quite a chat with her. She has three boys. Got a letter from Nell inviting us for Christmas.
(Such early gift buying and planning for Christmas surprises me!)
Cold
The man came to fix the window. Dick and I went down town and completed his shopping at the ten cent store. Then we met Dale who stayed with Marjorie till Daddy came. And we got them all caps. Dale got a pair of high top shoes and a sheep skin coat or rather leatherette lined with sheep skin. He is awfully proud of them both and oiled his shoes twice during the evening. I met Florence Chister and had quite a chat with her. She has three boys. Got a letter from Nell inviting us for Christmas.
(Such early gift buying and planning for Christmas surprises me!)
Monday, November 26, 2007
Friday, November 26, 1926
Friday, November 26, 1926
Rainy
Made Albert and Ned each a pair of pants and Dale a waist and Albert one out of an old shirt of Harry’s. Albert and Dale went bright and early to do their Christmas shopping
(Two pairs of pants, two shirts (that what a 'waist' is) in one day! That's amazing.
I'm also surprised that the boys shopped so early for Christmas. I thought that was a more recent (last several decades) phenomenon, of people shopping so early. I thought in the 1920's they wouldn't think about Christmas shopping until well into December.)
Rainy
Made Albert and Ned each a pair of pants and Dale a waist and Albert one out of an old shirt of Harry’s. Albert and Dale went bright and early to do their Christmas shopping
(Two pairs of pants, two shirts (that what a 'waist' is) in one day! That's amazing.
I'm also surprised that the boys shopped so early for Christmas. I thought that was a more recent (last several decades) phenomenon, of people shopping so early. I thought in the 1920's they wouldn't think about Christmas shopping until well into December.)
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thursday, November 25, 1926
Thursday, November 25, 1926
Rainy and cold
Had a pretty good Thanksgiving Day. The boys had to go after their papers at one but had to wait till 2:20 in the cold. The folks came here for dinner which I had at four o’clock. We had chicken, etc. and plum pudding!
(I wonder what the "etc." was. We've never had plum pudding on Thanksgiving, but I do remember that growing up Grandma always brought potato rolls for Thanksgiving. We rotated between our house (Eleanor's), Marjorie's and Ned's each year, and always had turkey.)
Rainy and cold
Had a pretty good Thanksgiving Day. The boys had to go after their papers at one but had to wait till 2:20 in the cold. The folks came here for dinner which I had at four o’clock. We had chicken, etc. and plum pudding!
(I wonder what the "etc." was. We've never had plum pudding on Thanksgiving, but I do remember that growing up Grandma always brought potato rolls for Thanksgiving. We rotated between our house (Eleanor's), Marjorie's and Ned's each year, and always had turkey.)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Wednesday, November 24, 1926
Wednesday, November 24, 1926
Gilbert got home a little early and Dale and I went to the Piggly Wiggly and got supplies which I have been wanting for a long time. I feel this week that I will have a little money free from now on but of course not so for when I got home, Gilbert went to the library and while I was bathing the babies, Dale, and Dick got to romping. Dick picked up a rubber horse shoe and threw it at Dale who threw it back at him. Dick dodged and it went through the blind and the big front window, so there’s that to pay for. It’s getting colder, too.
(I had never heard of grocery stores called the "Piggly Wiggly" until I saw the moving "Driving Miss Daisy". I didn't know there were ever Piggly Wiggly stores in Indianapolis.)
Gilbert got home a little early and Dale and I went to the Piggly Wiggly and got supplies which I have been wanting for a long time. I feel this week that I will have a little money free from now on but of course not so for when I got home, Gilbert went to the library and while I was bathing the babies, Dale, and Dick got to romping. Dick picked up a rubber horse shoe and threw it at Dale who threw it back at him. Dick dodged and it went through the blind and the big front window, so there’s that to pay for. It’s getting colder, too.
(I had never heard of grocery stores called the "Piggly Wiggly" until I saw the moving "Driving Miss Daisy". I didn't know there were ever Piggly Wiggly stores in Indianapolis.)
Friday, November 23, 2007
Tuesday, November 23, 1926
Tuesday, November 23, 1926
Ironed all day. It was a big job for my starch stuck something awful.
(I have never used starch in my life to iron anything. What a difference there is in the clothes I wear, and how to care for them, compared to what Grandma wore in the 1920's and how she had to care for them.)
Ironed all day. It was a big job for my starch stuck something awful.
(I have never used starch in my life to iron anything. What a difference there is in the clothes I wear, and how to care for them, compared to what Grandma wore in the 1920's and how she had to care for them.)
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Monday, November 22, 1926
Monday, November 22, 1926
Fair
Had a good wash day for the first time for a long time. The clothes looked nice and white and smelled so clean! But I had no linet so used Argo starch and it got all lumpy for the colored clothes. Got Dale and Dick ready for a party at the church this evening. They took their own sandwiches and so had their supper. Dale went from Brightwood after he finished carrying his papers and Dick came home and went and had to take Robert Collins.
(Grandma finally got back to updating her diary after not updating it since November 5th.)
Fair
Had a good wash day for the first time for a long time. The clothes looked nice and white and smelled so clean! But I had no linet so used Argo starch and it got all lumpy for the colored clothes. Got Dale and Dick ready for a party at the church this evening. They took their own sandwiches and so had their supper. Dale went from Brightwood after he finished carrying his papers and Dick came home and went and had to take Robert Collins.
(Grandma finally got back to updating her diary after not updating it since November 5th.)
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Wednesday, November 17, 1926
Grandma writes again in her diary on November 22nd.
I'm going to take a break from posting until then. Please come back on the 22nd for the next diary entry!
If you feel so inclined, you can delurk and leave a comment!
I'm going to take a break from posting until then. Please come back on the 22nd for the next diary entry!
If you feel so inclined, you can delurk and leave a comment!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Tuesday, November 16, 1926
No diary entry today. Grandma took several days off from writing in her diary in Novembe 1926.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Monday, November 15, 1926
No diary entry today. Aunt Marjorie wrote:
"My brothers always called Mother "mama". When I was young (probably in school by then) my playmate next door, Joann Fries, told me her mother said that calling my mother 'mama' was babyish. That embarrassed me very much, and I started consciously calling my mother 'Mother'.
It was difficult for a while but I became able to easily call mother 'Mother', always. Eleanor started using 'Mother', too. Mother never made any comment. I suspect she knew what was going on. I think one of her powers was in not telling everything she knew. The boys called her 'mama' the rest of her or their lives."
(I don't recall what my mom (Eleanor) called Grandma, but I know my Dad always called her 'Mother Smith'.)
"My brothers always called Mother "mama". When I was young (probably in school by then) my playmate next door, Joann Fries, told me her mother said that calling my mother 'mama' was babyish. That embarrassed me very much, and I started consciously calling my mother 'Mother'.
It was difficult for a while but I became able to easily call mother 'Mother', always. Eleanor started using 'Mother', too. Mother never made any comment. I suspect she knew what was going on. I think one of her powers was in not telling everything she knew. The boys called her 'mama' the rest of her or their lives."
(I don't recall what my mom (Eleanor) called Grandma, but I know my Dad always called her 'Mother Smith'.)
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Sunday, November 14, 1926
No diary entry today.
Being a Sunday, some or all of them would have gone to church at Central Christian Church in Indianapolis. It was approximately 2.5 miles away, so they would ride a bus, catch a ride with a neighbor or maybe walk. After church, they might go to Grandma's parents for a Sunday dinner, especially if one of her brothers was visiting.
In some diary entries, Grandma wrote about some of them going to see a movie on Sunday afternoons. I was a little surprised that movie theaters were open on Sundays in the 1920's. I assumed everything would be closed.
Being a Sunday, some or all of them would have gone to church at Central Christian Church in Indianapolis. It was approximately 2.5 miles away, so they would ride a bus, catch a ride with a neighbor or maybe walk. After church, they might go to Grandma's parents for a Sunday dinner, especially if one of her brothers was visiting.
In some diary entries, Grandma wrote about some of them going to see a movie on Sunday afternoons. I was a little surprised that movie theaters were open on Sundays in the 1920's. I assumed everything would be closed.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Saturday, November 13, 1926
No diary entry today.
Looking back over the various Saturdays in 1925 and 1926, and what Grandma wrote, I was surprised to find out that her husband, Gilbert, often worked on Saturdays. He worked in Accounting at the local gas company.
Looking back over the various Saturdays in 1925 and 1926, and what Grandma wrote, I was surprised to find out that her husband, Gilbert, often worked on Saturdays. He worked in Accounting at the local gas company.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Friday, November 12, 1926
No diary entry today. We continue with Aunt Marjorie's memories.
"When Daddy had to retire from work, Dale said he would leave college, but family friends and our family doctor urged him to stay in school. Jobs simply were very scarce those days and being at home he would just be another mouth to feed. Every summer, Dale worked at Swartz & Love, later Swartz & Warren, an ice cream shop at 10th and Rural St. in Indianapolis. Two months after Dale's graduation from Lake Forest, Daddy died, August 18, 1937
"When Daddy had to retire from work, Dale said he would leave college, but family friends and our family doctor urged him to stay in school. Jobs simply were very scarce those days and being at home he would just be another mouth to feed. Every summer, Dale worked at Swartz & Love, later Swartz & Warren, an ice cream shop at 10th and Rural St. in Indianapolis. Two months after Dale's graduation from Lake Forest, Daddy died, August 18, 1937
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Thursday, November 11, 1296
No diary entry today, we continue with Aunt Marjorie's memories of Dale.
"Dale was active in the alumni affairs (of Lake Forest College) through out his life. Being very interested in Hollywood stars when I was a kid, I remember Dale telling me Richard Widmark was a class or two ahead of him at Lake Forest."
(I will admit that I had to look up Richard Widmark, as I did not know who he was.)
"Dale was active in the alumni affairs (of Lake Forest College) through out his life. Being very interested in Hollywood stars when I was a kid, I remember Dale telling me Richard Widmark was a class or two ahead of him at Lake Forest."
(I will admit that I had to look up Richard Widmark, as I did not know who he was.)
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Wednesday, November 10, 1926
No diary entry today, we continue with Aunt Marjorie's memories.
"Dale also got a job as assistant gardener in a at least one of the nearby estates in Lake Forest. He was assistant to a Swedish gardener who taught Dale a lot about raising plants, which Dale loved doing and did the rest of his life. He also learned that the Swedish people ate six small meals a day."
"Dale also got a job as assistant gardener in a at least one of the nearby estates in Lake Forest. He was assistant to a Swedish gardener who taught Dale a lot about raising plants, which Dale loved doing and did the rest of his life. He also learned that the Swedish people ate six small meals a day."
Friday, November 09, 2007
Tuesday, November 9, 1926
No diary entry today. We continue with Aunt Marjorie's memories, this time about Dale.
"Dale had a scholarship to Lake Forest College in a suburb of Chicago. He worked as a waiter in the school cafeteria."
"Dale had a scholarship to Lake Forest College in a suburb of Chicago. He worked as a waiter in the school cafeteria."
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Monday, November 8, 1926
No diary entry today. We continue with Aunt Marjorie's memories of Albert.
"At night, Albert was living in their (the Dulles's) elegant home. Albert wrote Mother that John Foster Dulles had important guests at dinner every evening where they "dressed" for dinner. I should have asked if Avery loaned Albert clothes to wear, or did he eat dinner in the kitchen?"
(Remember that Albert was very poor while attending Harvard. He would not have had the money to buy a suit or other clothes suitable for wearing where they "dressed" for dinner. I wonder how he felt about the whole experience?)
"At night, Albert was living in their (the Dulles's) elegant home. Albert wrote Mother that John Foster Dulles had important guests at dinner every evening where they "dressed" for dinner. I should have asked if Avery loaned Albert clothes to wear, or did he eat dinner in the kitchen?"
(Remember that Albert was very poor while attending Harvard. He would not have had the money to buy a suit or other clothes suitable for wearing where they "dressed" for dinner. I wonder how he felt about the whole experience?)
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Sunday, November 7, 1926
No diary entry today.
We continue with Aunt Marjorie's memories of Albert.
While staying with Avery Dulles in New York, "Albert became a volunteer at "Friendship House" in Harlem, which at that time was being run be a former Russian baronness, Catherine de Hueck Doherty. She taught Albert how to knit, and he later taught Mother how to knit European style. At Friendship House, they distributed clothes, maybe food, to poor people."
We continue with Aunt Marjorie's memories of Albert.
While staying with Avery Dulles in New York, "Albert became a volunteer at "Friendship House" in Harlem, which at that time was being run be a former Russian baronness, Catherine de Hueck Doherty. She taught Albert how to knit, and he later taught Mother how to knit European style. At Friendship House, they distributed clothes, maybe food, to poor people."
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Saturday, November 6, 1926
No diary entry today. Regarding Albert's time at Harvard, Aunt Marjorie wrote, "When the camp where Albert worked closed for the summer, Albert was a guest of Avery Dulles and his parents in New York."
Avery Dulles was a classmate of Albert and went on to also become a Jesuit priest and is now Cardinal Avery Dulles.
Avery Dulles was a classmate of Albert and went on to also become a Jesuit priest and is now Cardinal Avery Dulles.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Friday, November 5, 1926
Friday, November 5, 1926
Warmer – fair
(Not much of a diary entry today. In fact, Grandma doesn't write in her diary again until November 22nd, so we'll continue with Aunt Marjorie's memories of her brothers and childhood, starting tomorrow.)
Warmer – fair
(Not much of a diary entry today. In fact, Grandma doesn't write in her diary again until November 22nd, so we'll continue with Aunt Marjorie's memories of her brothers and childhood, starting tomorrow.)
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Thursday, November 4, 1926
Thursday, November 4, 1926
Cold, cloudy
Expected to all go to the church for supper but Dick was still weak and sore from a severe attack of indigestion he has last night. He was not able to go to school so, as it was so cold, we thought best to leave him at home. So left Marjorie with him till Gilbert could get home to them, and I went with the three other boys. Had a fine time at Grace Morgan’s table. Ned cried when left with the children so I took him to prayer meeting with me and he was too wiggly so I spent the rest of the time with Albert’s bunch making clay articles.
(Dick was 8 at this time, when Grandma left Marjorie with him for a short time. According to Aunt Majorie, Grace Morgan was "Aunt Grace" to them.)
Cold, cloudy
Expected to all go to the church for supper but Dick was still weak and sore from a severe attack of indigestion he has last night. He was not able to go to school so, as it was so cold, we thought best to leave him at home. So left Marjorie with him till Gilbert could get home to them, and I went with the three other boys. Had a fine time at Grace Morgan’s table. Ned cried when left with the children so I took him to prayer meeting with me and he was too wiggly so I spent the rest of the time with Albert’s bunch making clay articles.
(Dick was 8 at this time, when Grandma left Marjorie with him for a short time. According to Aunt Majorie, Grace Morgan was "Aunt Grace" to them.)
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Wednesday, November 3, 1926
No diary entry today. A year ago on this day, Grandma went to the polls to vote. I noted then that women did not get the right to vote until 1920. It amazing to think that what we take for granted, voting, was something that my Grandma couldn't do until she was 28 years old.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Tuesday, November 2, 1926
No diary entry today. Someone commented wanting to know how the children were at this time. Dale was 10 years old, Dick 8, Albert 6, Ned 3 and Marjorie 1.
Grandma was almost 34 years old and Gilbert was 37.
Grandma was almost 34 years old and Gilbert was 37.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Monday, November 1, 1926
Grandma did not have a diary entry for this day. I suppose this was a typical Monday, which means she spent most of the day in the basement doing the laundry.
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