Monday, August 24, 1925

Monday, August 24, 1925

Sent the washing to the laundry again and they were back at two in time to dry them today. However I put in a big day, washing the bed clothes we have been using this summer and all the curtains in the house. Reaching up, stretching and hanging them just takes all my breath away. Gilbert late and didn’t paint.

(Grandma was sure working hard to clean up the house and get everything taken care of before she had the baby, due in early October. Remember from a few days ago, she had decided to send the laundry out to be washed, and they brought it back wet, so she still had to hang it out to dry and then iron it all. Seems like sending out the clothes to be washed just gave her the time to wash other items that weren’t generally washed every day, like bed clothes (sheets and blankets, I assume) and curtains. I’d guess there were 7 sets of curtains to wash, not counting curtains on the glass front door or curtains in the smaller windows that were in the little rooms tucked under the eaves in the upstairs.

Grandma has made comments before that implied Gilbert wasn’t all that interested in painting and fixing up around the house. Keep in mind before you judge him, he did generally use a cane to walk, due to one leg being quite a bit shorter than the other, plus he suffered from hay fever, so he just might not have felt up to the task at hand.)

Sunday, August 23, 1925

Sunday, August 23, 1925
Warm

Gilbert put in the morning painting behind the cabinet and putting that back. Then tore out the pantry and painted it. Spilt my goose grease all over the refrigerator and the things on it. Such a mess! Left all things out in the kitchen to climb over till the shelves get dry.

(It does appear that they were finally making some good progress on the painting. The pantry was a small room just off the kitchen. As I recall, there was a small window in the pantry that looked out onto the backyard and of course, there were shelves along the two sides that didn’t have either a door or window in them.

I certainly don’t know anyone who cooks with goose grease these days. I can’t tell from her diary if she spilled (spilt) the grease or if Gilbert did it, perhaps while moving things around to paint. Some research revealed that goose grease was sometimes used in cooking, like olive oil, and as a general lubricant. I guess it would be a mess to clean up.)

Saturday, August 22, 1925

Saturday, August 22, 1925

Got done my cleaning house and made cake and pies, cleaned up the boys so they could go to the park as the paper said there was to be a celebration there but they couldn’t find anything. Gilbert finished putting the sizing on the walls. Moved the cabinet and I had the top and back of that to clean.


(The cabinet Grandma referred to is commonly called a Hoosier cabinet, and was something like the one on this website. She still had it in her kitchen until the day she moved out of the house in the early 1970's. Previously, I had written about the type of ice box they had which required blocks of ice to keep things cool.

It sounds like Gilbert was getting the painting done, in spite of having stayed downtown the night before! Though, Im still confused about where he was putting sizing, which was/is commonly used on walls that are going to be papered.

The boys seemed to be always looking for an adventure. Notice they are still not back in school yet. They definitely waited until after Labor Day to go back to school, unlike today when school starts up again in mid-August.)

Friday, August 21, 1925

Friday, August 21, 1925
Fair

The boys had been wanting to “take a travel” and eat their lunch somewhere but the rain kept them in yesterday. This was fair and cooler so they started out. Went to Ellenberger Park, with their lunch. Came back in four hours; three, tired, happy little travelers. Gilbert went to a Mardi Gras on Penn St. instead of painting. He doesn’t care about how ugly things are around here.

(I'm going to assume that Grandma's harsh words about Gilbert were because she was in her last trimester of pregnancy and just wanted the house to look nice before she had the next baby. He was probably thinking he had all day Saturday to work on the painting. That said, I am somewhat surprised Gilbert would stay downtown for a Mardi Gras event versus come straight home after work.

Three happy little travelers appoximately 9, 7, and 5 years old go went by themselves to a park to picnic. That's quite young these days for that kind of independence!)

Thursday, August 20, 1925

Thursday, August 20, 1925
Rain

I ironed while it drizzled outdoors and the boys played indoors and tore up Jack generally. Gilbert’s hay fever didn’t both him any, or rather asthma, on a day like this. It is remarkable how much better he is this year.

(I think Grandma preferred the boys to play outside because they were "boys" in general, and played loudly. She used the phrase "tore up Jack" several times, and I take it to mean that they made a mess of whatever room they were in. I'm sure our house was this way when I was growing up and we played inside on a rainy day, throwing couch cushions on the floor, getting out toys and books, deciding to move furniture around or getting out a card table and blanket to make a tent... just generally having fun.

For those in the family who suffer in August with hay fever, it appears you can trace this affliction back to Grandpa Gilbert. You will want to stay tuned to read about some of his treatments.

And, as noted a few days ago, I did find time to post some additional pictures on Grandma's Pictures. There is a picture of Gilbert in his office at the gas company and a graduation phote of Gilbert in 1909. Since Gilbert would have been 20 in this picture (he was born in 1889), this is likely to be from when he graduated from "business college". I do not know where he attended college, and Grandma did not mention which college in the family history that she wrote. Call out to family members.... does anyone know?

I also added a picture of Grandma's "papa" in his office and a picture of her nephew, Bob, who is mentioned in a diary entry a few days ago. I think Bob might have been just a bit older than Dale, and he looks like he's either a very nice polite little boy or someone who could talk his younger cousins into quite a bit of mischief! Anyone agree with me?

I want to thank my cousin David and his wife Leesa for providing this latest set of pictures. They did a wonderful job of scanning all the photos and copying them to CD's for everyone to enjoy.

Wednesday, August 19, 1925

Wednesday, August 19, 1925

There was a big industrial parade this afternoon so I let the boys meet Mama and see it. They went to the museum at the state house first and Dale saw so many things of interest. He talked about it more than the parade which the paper said was the largest in the history of Indianapolis.

(I did a quick online search for information on industrial parades in Indianapolis, and found a site about the history of Indiana beer, if anyone is interested. The connection is that there was also, apparently, a "magnificant industrial parade" in Indianpolis in 1900 when a brewing company won an award. I don't believe that Grandma ever drank beer or other alcoholic drinks, and I assume Gilbert didn't either.

I'm not surprised to read that Dale "saw many things of interest" when he went to the museum and would enjoy that more than the parade. As an adult, Dale was a world traveler. He and his wife, also named Ruth, went on vacations on every continent. On the occasions when they visited us, they would always do a nice slide show of the last place they visited, which might be Thailand or Europe or Mexico or ??? Dale had three children, and I need to reconnect with them, as I think they have more diaries and other notes Grandma made on calendars through the years.)

Tuesday, August 18, 1925

Tuesday, August 18, 1925

I decided I had better not do the washing any more regardless of cost so called up the laundry but they didn’t call for it till afternoon. Mama brought Bobby and Winifred over to spend the day. The boys had a great time playing in Dale’s “hut” while Winifred played with the cat and read.

(From what I can tell from the diaries, the laundry only did the washing. They brought back wet, but clean, laundry, which Grandma still had to hang out to dry and then iron.

Bobby and Winifred are cousins of the boys. Bobby was the son of Grandma's brother Guy, and Winifred was her brother Harry's daughter.

I believe the "hut" is something Dale built in the living room with old quilts draped across the furniture.)

Monday, August 17, 1925

Monday, August 17, 1925

Dad left with Gilbert this morning. I sewed till noon and made a couple of nighties. Then the pains came back and I concluded it was the paint causing it so shut out that part of the house and made button holes and felt better by evening.

(More sewing! I am sure I could not make "a couple of nighties" in a morning. And even not feeling well, Grandma continued to keep busy making button holes.)

Sunday, August 16, 1925

Sunday, August 16, 1925

Gilbert finally got the upper part of the bathroom done last night while I went to Coyners. Didn’t do anything but straighten up today as Dad was here. He took the kids to the park for a walk this afternoon and I had a good rest. Toward evening had severe stomach pains all night.

(I wonder if the paint fumes caused Grandma her problems of not feeling well? Sounds like they had a fairly relaxing Sunday, otherwise.)

Saturday, August 15, 1925

Saturday, August 15, 1925

Was so tired and done up today after my useless walk yesterday, that I could hardly wiggle. Mrs. Collins dropped in, in the afternoon and I told her about it so they took me to Coyners after supper and I got all the things I could pay for, and had some goods laid away to send Dale after next week. Dad went to Milt’s for the night.

(The neighbors to the rescue. The Collins family across the street had a car and often gave Grandma or others rides to various places. Sometimes it seems like Grandma wrote about all of them in the same car, which might be 10 or more adults and children. I bet they weren't all wearing seat belts!

I have no idea who Milt is, neither does Mom. We assume that he was a friend of Dad's, which is what Grandma calls her father-in-law.)

Friday, August 14, 1925

Friday, August 14, 1925
Warm

Got the house straightened up and bathed and walked over to Miss McGregor’s store with a long list to get and found the store closed until Sept. 8. Well I was hot and so tired when I got back. Nearly sick and Dad came to spend a few days. Albert went to the corner to wait for him and he walked past Albert and never saw him, so Albert followed him home.

("Dad" refers to Gilbert's father, James W. Smith, from Crawfordsville. Sounds like he didn't see his grandsons too often, to have missed one standing on the sidewalk waiting for him.

I am sure Grandma was frustrated to find out the store she wanted to go to was closed for several weeks. I'm guessing she was planning to get things for the arrival of the baby.)

Thursday, August 13, 1925

Thursday, August 13, 1925
Warm

Had a good sized day of it ironing and was so tired when I got done. I oughtn’t to do it I’m afraid but it is either iron or eat or don’t iron and don’t eat. I see no way out, no help in sight and so many things needed before the big event. I am badly discouraged. The boys scraped the kitchen and such a mess!! Gilbert painted the ceiling with sizing.

(I mentioned yesterday about the lead paint, and now the boys are scraping it off the walls. When you watch on TV today how they put on all kinds of protective clothing and masks whenever they remove lead paint, and contrast that with what the did in the 1920's, it is quite a difference.

I'm curious what the sizing was that Gilbert put on the ceiling. I am only familiar with sizing used to prep walls for wallpapering. Surely they didn't paper the ceiling? Perhaps "sizing" just referred to a type of paint primer?

Grandma's own words speak for themselves regarding how she felt. Of course, the big event is the birth of the next child, the fifth, which is 6 or 7 weeks away. I'm sure Grandma did have quite a bit to do to prepare. Many have already commented how hard she worked to keep everyone clothed and fed. As Mom said, they ironed everything they wore, plus sheets and towels, everything. And, if Grandma wasn't washing clothes or ironing them, she was making them or mending them.)

Wednesday, August 12, 1925

Wednesday, August 12, 1925
Hot and rain

I finally got my clothes dry after about ten o’clock. It rained up till then. Mama and Edna came over to help me sew, but of course there was more visiting than sewing. The smell of the paint made me pretty sick for a while. Had a headache most of the day. Dale went to Mama’s and carried home a big black cat, “Sambo”.

(There are certainly differences between 1925 and 2006. First, Sambo is not a politically correct name for a black cat. Second, pregnant women today stay away from areas being painted because of the potential harmful affects of the paint, especially lead paint, which is what they would have used in 1925. Remember a few days ago, Gilbert scraped the kitchen ceiling to get it ready to paint? Imagine the amount of lead-laced paint dust and chips that kicked up, in the kitchen where food is prepared. It's a wonder, isn't it, that they all survived in those days!

By the way, I don't know who Edna was and when I asked Mom she said she vaguely remembers the name but doesn't know what relationship Edna was to them. Any family reading have an idea?)

Tuesday, August 11, 1925

Tuesday, August 11, 1925
Rain
Had washing on hand but it poured down and drizzled till noon. Then I put the colored clothes out and they just barely got dry enough to iron by dark. Miss Dunlea told me in no kind terms not to throw my scraps to the chickens. I had tried to be careful and not throw anything they wouldn’t eat, but she has evidently got peeved at something.

(I assume that Miss Dunlea was a neighbor to one side or another who kept chickens. As far as I know, Grandma never had any chickens or other livestock in her back yard. Today there is probably a city ordinance against keeping any kind of livestock within the city limits!)

(08/24/2006 - Following is some additional info on Miss Dunlea. Using public census and index records, Annie in Austin, found out the following:

It looks like the neighbor was Mary/Mame Dunlea, born about 1873. In 1900, Miss Dunlea (Mary) was on her own, working as a riveter. (I didn't think women worked as "riveters" until World War II?) Her brother John and his wife, Annie Dunlea, lived elsewhere and had several children. By 1910 Annie appears to have died, and Mary was living with her brother John, who is listed as the head of the house.

By 1920, John is gone, the family was at a different address, [not the one by Grandma] and Mary was the head of the house, which included her father Charles Dunlea as well as John's 3 adult children.

By 1930, and as reported in the 1930 census, Mary owned the house by Grandma. Mary had 2 adult nieces and a nephew living with her, but not her father.

From Annie in Austin... "I guess she had to be pretty tough, but sure wonder what would bother the chickens? Aren't they like walking garbage disposals?"

I then called my mom and she remembered Miss Dunlea as a "crabby old lady" who didn't like anyone to be on her property. Sometime in the 1930's, a paper boy realized that Miss Dunlea had not taken in her paper for several days, so he told his parents, who called the police. They found her in the house, alive, but having had a stroke. She probably laid there for several days before the police found her. Mom said that's why you should be neighborly, because if you aren't no one notices if you haven't been seen for a few days, and you could be sick in your house, like Miss Dunlea. Mom doesn't know when Miss Dunlea died, but remembers a younger family moving in at some point.

As a kid, I remember that this is the house that you could see from a window on the landing halfway up the steps to the 2nd floor. I don't recall ever seening anyone around the house or yard when we visited Grandma in the 1960's. I do remember that when we looked at the house from that window on the landing, we could see a gun shaped stick of some sort on the roof, which we assumed was something Santa had dropped there one Christmas and it was just laying up there rotting away, whatever it was.)

Monday, August 10, 1925

Monday, August 10, 1925
Warm

Had to hull beans till noon. Didn’t feel a bit good. Couldn’t have canned the beans if I had wanted to, but we didn’t like those I canned last year, so hardly know what to do with so many. Put my clothes to soak as I have no money to hire it done, but feel like I was at the end of my string.

(I'm not sure what kind of beans they got yesterday from Bess, that needed to be hulled. Certainly not green beans. Any ideas,anyone?

Overall doesn't seem like a good day for Grandma.)

Sunday, August 9, 1925

Sunday, August 9, 1925

Gilbert got out his brushes etc. prepared to paint the bathroom and kitchen but they were in such bad shape he had to put them to soak and scraped the ceiling better. He got awfully dirty and after he cleaned up and rested he had to go to the terminal station to get some beans Bess left there for him.

(Bess was one of Gilbert's older sisters. The other sister was Nell. I think Bess must have brought the beans with her from Crawfordsville on the bus and left them at the bus station (terminal) or just shipped them on the bus for him to get. I don't think it was that uncommon for the buses to carry packages like that in 1925.)

Saturday, August 8, 1925

Saturday, August 8, 1925

Felt a little more peppy, so cleaned up my house early and had the boys bathed and ready to go to the Ripple with Daddy to swim as soon as he got home. Albert was so crazy to go, he fell down the front steps watching for Daddy and skinned one side of his face all up. Daddy gave them one good time to last all season.

("Daddy" refers to Grandma's husband, Gilbert. (Since Gilbert died in the 30's and was never known by his grandchildren, I have a hard time referring to him as "Grandpa". Yet, since I knew Grandma, I feel weird referring to her as Ruth, so early on I decided just to call them Grandma and Gilbert in my comments. Though sometimes when I talk about Grandma being pregnant, I wonder if people reading the diaries think that is weird. I may have to post a link over on Grandma's Pictures with a run down of who is who so people can refer to it to figure out who everyone is as they read the diaires. I know not everyone is reading "from the beginning", which is a post on Feb. 12, 2006 for Feb. 12, 1925.)

Anyway, regarding swimming, Grandma wrote in the family history that even though Gilbert was "crippled" by a childhood illness that left one leg shorter than the other, such that he had to use a cane to walk and wear a shoe with a built up sole on it, he was quite the swimmer and as a boy, rescued another friend from drowning.

I've also picked up that Gilbert often worked Saturday mornings at the gas company where he was an accountant. Perhaps he worked this Saturday to get month end reporting done?

Finally, I don't think they all bathed every day, so I found it odd she would have the boys bathe before they went swimming. But maybe even in 1925 they understood enough about germs to post signs at the pool "Please shower before entering the pool" like they do today? I wonder how they treated the water in the pool? The Ripple she refers to would be a pool in Broad Ripple on the northeast side of Indianapolis. They lived on the near east side so would have taken a bus to to get there.

I did some checking, and though Broad Ripple Park was listed as opening in 1946, there was a pool at that location that was used for the Olympic tryouts in 1924. Must have been a nice pool!)

Friday, August 7, 1925

Friday, August 7, 1925

Finished my ironing and sat and did my mending while I rested. The boys all are so well and happy these days. They surely are growing now. Ned says lots of words and is as cute as a button these days. The boys think there never was a baby as sweet.

(I guess a benefit of the older boys being grounded to their own yard and house is they spent more time with their little brother, Ned, who was 2 at this time. Grandma still refers to him as the "baby". I assume she stopped that once she had her next baby in a few months.

And for those who read the diaries all spring, it is nice to no longer have to read about all that illness they had, isn't it?)

Thursday, August 6, 1925

Thursday, August 6, 1925
Hot

I’m so tired these days I only did part of my ironing. Aunt Mollie, Fannie, Francis, and Betty drove in and they all were here in the PM. The boys made boats in the morning and sailed them in the bath tub and got the floor all wet. Ned got wet and I cleaned him up and the floor, then he got into a can of varnish. I had to wash him in turpentine and give him another bath.

(I do know who these four women were and how they really relate to Grandma, so I'll have to do some checking.

Sounds like the boys are still playing inside since they were grounded to their own yard earlier in the week. Perhaps Grandma should have re-thought that punishment, as it seemed to be creating more work and clean up for her!)

Wednesday, August 5, 1925

Wednesday, August 5, 1925
Hot

They boys had fixed a tent in the middle of the front room out of an old quilt attached to piano, chairs, etc. and are surely having a great time. Gilbert had work to do at the office and didn’t come home for supper. I sat and made buttonholes this PM. Felt so tired. Collins kids came this PM and started a fight with gang next door. I can’t have that.

(I guess since the boys couldn't leave the yard (punishment for coming how very late yesterday), they decided they would just play inside. Grandma has previously written how all the noise they made got on her nerves. I'm guessing her nerves were shot on this day, especially with it ending with a fight with the neighbor gang next door.

Remember, she was about 7 months pregnant on this date.)

Tuesday, August 4, 1925

Tuesday, August 4, 1925
Warm

Made a pair of rompers for Ned after I had given the house a good cleaning. The boys left about 9 to go fishing up the creek a little ways. They promised not to go far and to be back by noon, but didn’t get in till about 4. Found out Ron Johnson and Miller were in the crowd so the boys can not leave the yard after this for punishment. They are such a bad influence.

(I bet the boys were hungry when they got home if they left at 9:00 and didn't get back until supper time. I wonder how long she kept them confined to their own yard? Surely not the rest of the summer?

Otherwise, it would have been one of those days that Grandma liked, when she got a lot done, and it sounds like she got a lot done. I wonder how she was the next day, as generally she'd have a good day when she got a lot done and then be wiped out the next day.)

Monday, August 3, 1925

Monday, August 3, 1925
Warmer

Was too tired for utterance. Just sat still and sewed at the machine and got a lot done after all. Sewing doesn’t tire me much. Once in awhile it makes me nervous but not generally. Sitting still at that and getting a lot done makes me feel like a day well spent if I am resting. Had quite a storm and hailed about 5 this PM

(I think it is good that Grandma enjoyed sewing, as much as the family relied on her to keep them in clothes. I could not sit at a sewing machine all day long like that.)

Sunday, August 2, 1925

Sunday, August 2, 1925
Cool

Rained early in the morning and I thought it would be a good day to stay home and rest as I was tired and ached awfully. We had promised to go to Mama’s and Albert set up a tune when we talked of staying at home. It cleared off and we went. Gilbert took work with him. Guys and Burs both drove in. The boys had a big time. Georgia and Barney came as we were getting in. Had a nice visit.

(I checked with Mom and she has no idea who Georgia and Barney were. Anyone? Guys and Burs refers to Grandma's brothers, Guy and Bur (short for Wilbur) and their families.

Sounds like Albert was finally through with his long illness and was ready to go places and do things. No sitting home for him.

And I thought bringing work home to do, much less take to it your in-laws to work on, was a more recent social development? Sounds like they did it in the 1920's, too.)

(If you have already read the July 28th posting, go back and check out the comments for more info on "rolling down clothes". Thanks to Annie in Austin for some more research on this, and to Mom for confirming that Grandma did indeed "roll down the clothes".)

Saturday, August 1, 1925

Saturday, August 1, 1925
Cool

Got out in the yard and cut the grass, pulled weeds, raked etc. from the time I finished breakfast dishes till noon. It was a big job. Have been trying to get Gilbert to do it and he kept saying the grass was too long and ground uneven. Was awfully tired but the yard looked respectable for once since the tree fell.

(We know that Grandma was the gardener in this family! Remember, however, before you are too hard on Gilbert for having excuses not to work in the yard, that due to a childhood illness, his one leg was shorter than the other, which I am sure caused him some pain when he walked around a lot, especially on uneven terrain.

I do remember that Grandma had one of those big heavy rollers that they filled with water and then rolled all over the grass to even up the ground. I am not exactly sure now that I think about it how she rolled that thing around once it was full because it would be quite heavy. She didn't have a riding mower to attach it to. Their mower in 1925 was most likely a manual reel mower, which is supposed to be hard to cut with, especially if the grass is long.

Most experts agree now that rolling a lawn to even up the ground is not a good practice, as it tends to compact the soil, actually making it more difficult for the grass to grow.)

Friday, July 31, 1925

Friday, July 31, 1925
Cool

Mary sent the kids over while she went down town. She said she could get me some things, so I sent a list and she didn’t’ get back till after lunch. I had to get lunch for the kids. I made goldenrod eggs and they all were crazy about it. It was a tough day. They make no attempt to govern Robert since was sick and he is terrible.

(Mary was Mrs. Collins across the street. It almost sounds like she was paying Grandma back for having all her kids over there at the Collins' yesterday, by leaving her kids with Grandma. I sitll don't know how many kids there were in the Collins household. Sounds like Robert Collins, at least, was a bit of a handful.

Here's a recipe for goldenrod eggs at this link. If it is the same as what she made, we used to have them as kids, but we called them creamed eggs on toast.)

Thursday, July 30, 1925

Thursday, July 30, 1925
Cool

The boys went to Collins’ to play and I finished up my mending and did odd jobs. Made Gilbert a suit of underwear, etc. Just at 5:30, the Collins kids came in and they all went wild. I had a headache and their noise drove me crazy. They were in the yard to play, then upstairs on to the beds. They lost all the sense they ever had. So did I.

(Sounds like the boys...Dale, Dick, Albert, possibly Ned, had a great time playing with the neighbors across the street, which I know included at least a son named Robert. I think they also had a daughter.

And, as usual, Grandma spent the day sewing and mending. Seems she always had a needle in hand. Interesting, she also sewed their underwear.

I wonder how Mrs. Collins felt at the end of the day with all the Smith boys at her house?)

Wednesday, July 29, 1925

Wednesday, July 29, 1925
Cool

Got done my ironing and pressed pants for all the boys. Was awfully tired when I got done and set down to do my mending while I rested. Then Mrs. Collins came with Robert. They have been out of town. The boys took Albert to the park playground so Robert went up there, too. They had a big time I guess. The first Albert had been up there.

(I don't know about everyone else, but when I sit down to rest, I don't think about picking up mending to do. It seems Grandma was always doing something to keep the boys in clothes... washing, ironing, sewing, and mending. Those boys must have been hard on their clothes.

Mrs. Collins was the neighbor across the street, Robert was one of her sons. The park Grandma was referring to was Brookside Park, which is still one of several large parks in Indianapolis.)

Tuesday, July 28, 1925

Tuesday, July 28, 1925
Cool

Washed early and ironed lots of things thinking I would not have much left to do tomorrow but after I rolled them down, I still had a bushel basket full and I thought I didn’t have much of a washing this week. It was so cold the boys hovered over the register when Gilbert burned papers and then Dick went to bed to keep warm.

(I am confused on how she washed the clothes and if she had a wringer washer or not. I'll have to do some further research. At one time, I didn't think she had to wring out clothes, but now I am not so sure since she indicates she had to "roll them down".

It must have been very cold to want to fire up a furnace with papers in the summer time, since they didn't have any coal left from the spring. I checked the weather records, and the record low for July 28th in Indianapolis was set in 1962, and was 51 degrees, so it had to have been warmer than that in 1925.)

Monday, July 27, 1925

Monday, July 27, 1925
Cool

Made up my new towels and sheets and diapers so as to wash them this week. Put my clothes to soak after I got up from my nap. I lie down to get Ned to sleep these days and always doze a little myself. It makes me feel lots better. I go to bed early, too. I think lots of sleep is the reason for my feeling as well as I do.

(I'm not sure what she means when she wrote "made up" for the new sheets, towels, and diapers. Did she have to hem them, finish off edges or what? Perhaps they didn't come as 'ready made' as what we get today.)

Sunday, July 26, 1925

Sunday, July 26, 1925

Felt lots better. Just got dinner ready to finish up when Bess came. She and Fred had come over to go to the show this evening. He went to the ball game while she came out here. Gilbert took the boys down town to a show toward evening. Albert hadn’t been anywhere for so long and it was too cool to swim and too late to go to a park.

(Sounds like a nice Sunday, with some company. Bess was one of Gilbert's two older sisters and I assume Fred was her boyfriend. I don't know if Fred was the man she married. Whoever she married turned out to have another wife on the east coast, so the marriage was quickly annulled, and she never re-married. She was about 37 years old in 1925. I previously posted a picture of Bess here. Since the person in the photo with her is identified only as a soldier, I assume it was not Fred, whoever he was! According to Grandma's family history, Bess died in 1970 of a heart attack, which caused a fall and head injuries, with internal bleeding. Born in 1887, Bess was almost 83 when she died. At the time of her death, she lived in the county guardian home, having no money or heirs, other than nieces and nephews.

It seems the boys enjoyed going to movies, and would either go with their father or alone on many occasions.)

Saturday, July 25, 1925

Saturday, July 25, 1925

Got the upstairs cleaned and then gave out. I guess I over did myself going to town yesterday. Had to lie down most of the day. A storm came up just after noon so the boys couldn’t have gone swimming anyway. Gilbert cleaned up the house. I felt as if I couldn’t get my breath. My heart thumped like I had been running.

(Grandma does not sound like she was very healthy or had much stamina. There were times when she went "full out" like July 24, 1925, but those generally seemed to be followed by a collapse, much like she reported on this date.

The upstairs was basically two bedroom and a landing, plus a couple of little rooms tucked under the eaves.)

Friday, July 24, 1925

Friday, July 24, 1925
Pleasantly warm

Got an early start and went to town while Mama stayed with the boys. I did a lot of shopping and got a lot of sheets, towels, drapes, etc. Got tired but otherwise felt fine and was real pleased over my purchases. Got the boys each a toy or color book. The boys are too rambunctious , their Grandma can hardly stand their noise. I can’t either some days.

(When Grandma says she 'went to town', I believe she is referring to going to downtown Indianapolis to shop. And, I assume she road a streetcar to get there. She probably shopped at places like L.S. Ayres that are now gone from the ciy landscape, replaced by a large mall called Circle Centre. She would be amazed to see the shopping options we have today, but perhaps disappointed that all the local shops that she could walk to are also long gone (though most of those were gone before her death in 1972).

She had previously written that her mother (whom she referred to above as Mama and then 'their Grandma') never seemed to be around to help when she needed her. Sounds like she was helpful on this day.

Oh, and what else would you expect from four boys under the age of 10 other than noise?)

Thursday, July 23, 1925

Thursday, July 23, 1925
Cool

Tried to get my ironing done early but got tired and when I stopped, my iron wouldn’t start again so didn’t get to finish. Mama came out again and I never can accomplish anything when she is here talking. A letter from Harry that he has been wise to Mabel for years and wants a divorce. She is going to Chicago and will leave Winifred with Mama (maybe).

(Oh my, a divorce? Not too common in the 1920's I thought, so it must be bad! A few days ago for July 21, I wrote:

Grandma wrote in her family history that "Mabel's health would not permit her to do the hard work required by keeping house, even after the birth of their only child, Winifred Sylvia... things seemed alright between them until about 1925 when other personalities seem to be encroaching upon the scene." She also wrote that Harry and Mabel lived most of their married life together in boarding houses in Memphis were he worked for awhile. Based on the diaries, I think they also spent a lot of time living with Grandma's parents.

Wise to Mable? "He had been wise to Mabel for years?" I just assumed that "other personalities encroaching upon the scene" meant that Harry might have been seeing other women. Perhaps Mabel was the one who strayed? It sure seems like she didn't do much to contribute, at least in regards to housework, etc. Oh, and you should definitely check out the picture I posted of their daughter Winifred in Grandma's Pictures. You tell me, but I think she looks just a bit spoiled. And, Mabel is leaving her daugher with her mother-in-law, Grandma's mother. That seems a bit odd.

There is a lot to consider and wonder about in this latest diary entry. What is the whole story?

This all calls for some more research... time to call my Aunt!)

Wednesday, July 22, 1925

Wednesday, July 22, 1925

Washed early this morning and the man came and fixed my machine so I sewed the rest of the day. Can hardly write for Albert is such a chatterbox and since he was sick, he and Ned stay indoors too much. They need the fresh air but don’t stay out long. I am so nervous lately and all the boys so noisy, I feel like I could go crazy.

(All does not sound so good for Grandma as the last few days might have indicated. Remember that at this point she is nealry 7 months pregnant.)

Tuesday, July 21, 1925

Tuesday, July 21, 1925

Thought big day sewing but the spring in the foot piece of my machine broke and I didn’t get so much done. Mama came out in the afternoon. She can’t do any work on account of rheumatism in her hand and Mabel worries her to death, so she is having a hard time of it.

(Mabel is Grandma's youngest brother Harry's first wife. Harry was about 9 years older than Grandma.

Grandma wrote in her family history that "Mabel's health would not permit her to do the hard work required by keeping house, even after the birth of their only child, Winifred Sylvia... things seemed alright between them until about 1925 when other personalities seem to be encroaching upon the scene." She also wrote that Harry and Mabel lived most of their married life together in boarding houses in Memphis were he worked for awhile. Based on the diaries, I think they also spent a lot of time living with Grandma's parents. It's no wonder that her Mama worried about the situation!

Grandma previously wrote in her diaries that she never got much done when her mother came to visit, and that it seemed when she really needed her, she wasn't available!)

Monday, July 20, 1925

Monday, July 20, 1925

My, I can’t fill the boys up today. Gilbert had to work late and he came near not having any supper when he got here. I had to cook more for him. Dick was so tired he slept all afternoon and was still ready for bed when supper was over. I went to Mrs. MacGregor’s and got goods for a dress, Albert a suit and cut out lots of sewing.

(I can almost forget how hard it was for Grandma all spring and early summer; things seem so much better at this point for her and the boys! They've had several good days lately. "Summer-time, and the living is easy")

Sunday, July 19, 1925

Sunday, July 19, 1925

Loafed around all day with Gilbert. Dale and Dick went to Sunday school in the morning. Then after dinner they took the suitcase back to grandmother’s and told them all about their trip. When they came back they went to the show and saw some skeletons and Dick had bad dreams in the night and was afraid to sleep alone so I traded beds with him.

(I like to read that Grandma reported such a relaxing day, and not one with kids who were sick, or with a lot of work around the house to complete or when she felt "bum", as she called it.)

Saturday, July 18, 1925

Saturday, July 18, 1925

Hurried and got the house all cleaned up early and was ready to visit when the boys came home. They had so much to tell me they could hardly keep quiet while the other told his tale. Dale caught a fish, saw a skunk, etc. Dick got hold of a snake, rode a pony, etc. Such sunburned, happy little boys.

(I have a hard time imaging Dick as a rough and tumble little boy holding snakes, etc. I recall him as an older man, married, no children, who taught philosophy at the University of Louisville. Within the librairy archives at the university are many boxes of his writings, notes, etc. I've copied the intro to this collection below, but you can get more info at this link:

"The Richard Campbell Smith papers constitute one of the largest individual faculty collections in the University Archives. Composed of 38 boxes, the papers represent over thirty years of Dr. Smith's life, covering his years in graduate school (1948-1952) until his death in 1972.
Richard Campbell Smith was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1918. Except for a tour in the army during World War II, Richard Smith remained in Indiana for his education. From Indiana University's graduate school, he transferred to Yale University to complete his master's degree in 1953.
Hired by the University of Louisville in 1953, he served for several years as the sole member of the Philosophy Department. Because of his heavy teaching responsibility, the completion of his dissertation was postponed until 1960. Shortly after the conclusion of his dissertation, Dr. Smith and Dr. Richard Barber began a search for additional faculty. In 1962, Dr. Melvin E. Greer was hired, followed soon thereafter by Drs. Schuyler and Flodstrom.
Detailing the contents of each box indicates the nature and extent of Dr. Smith's involvement with the University as well as the intensity of his graduate studies."

FYI, his dissertation for his PhD was titled: Time Distinctions in Contemporary Philosophy. Wonder what that was about? The archives also include manuscripts of novels written by his wife, Carrie. None of these were published, including a novel called "The Wrestlers", which is listed as being 2216 pages. I assume those are 8.5 x 11 typewritten, double-spaced pages and if this was published as a book it would be fewer pages. Carrie did publish a novel before her death a few years ago, called Annie's Indian War, which she published under her maiden name. It is still available on Amazon.

You just never really know what a little boy will grow up to become!)

Friday, July 17, 1925

Friday, July 17, 1925

Did a lot of odd jobs mending, etc. then worked on my comfort top and pieced about half of it. Letters from the boys report a great time. They are coming home in the morning. I enjoy the peace and rest but of course I will be glad to see the boys. I have been tired ever since my trip to Mama’s. I was meant to be a home body, I guess.

(How nice that the two older boys thought to write their mother a letter while they were gone for the week. Would that happen today? How many people actually still send letters through the mail?

Grandma did seem to spend a lot of time sewing, either mending or making clothes, or in this case making a comforter for a bed.)

Thursday, July 16, 1925

Thursday, July 16, 1925

Ned seems so glad to have Albert to play with again. He is trying to talk the last few days and says lots of words now. Today he tried to mock Albert in everything he said. I sprayed all my winter coats and bedclothes with moth dope and put them away in newspapers and got out all the baby clothes I have to see what I will need.

(A little late putting away winter coats, wasn't she? That moth dope must have smelled, or at least I assume it smelled, like moth balls do today. I assume she also at one time sprayed the baby clothes with the same and stored them in the attic wrapped in newspapers.)

Wednesday, July 15, 1925

Wednesday, July 15, 1925
Hot

Got my work done easily and went to Mama’s. Stopped at Sablosky’s on the way and got me some larger shoes. Spent the day out there and came home in the cool of the evening. Albert had been saying he was not coming home till the others came, but when he saw me getting ready to leave he said “Oh, I guess I’ll go, too.” So he came with me.

(Thank you to all who kept reading with these diaries day after day, week after week, while they were all sick. I think that is behind them now! Seems like Grandma had a good day... new shoes, a long visit with her mother. Albert spent half a week, by my counting, with his grandmother before he was ready to go back home. The "others" he was referring to were his older brothers Dale and Dick who were visiting in Crawfordsville and not due back until the weekend.)

Tuesday, July 14, 1925

Tuesday, July 14, 1925

Got up early and washed, scrubbed the kitchen, and ironed and was done up by two o’clock. Then I went over the house with the cleaner. The folks report Albert as so much better, looking and acting like he felt fine. Mama insists that I come over there. She thinks I am not getting any vacation. But the quiet is what I need and Ned is better and no trouble alone.

(It sounds to me like separating the boys from one another for a few days gave them a chance to finally get well. Perhaps Ned and Albert were just passing their illness back and forth to each other?)

Monday, July 13, 1925

Monday, July 13, 1925
Cooler
Got up early feeling fine and picked up the cherries left in the top of the tree. We couldn’t reach them before, but now the tree is down I got every one. Got two more quarts canned. Ned was better but a little cross, but he is better off the way he feels to be at home and no one to tease him. Got my quilt out and worked on it a while.

(I feel bad for Grandma that their favorite (and only) cherry tree fell down in a storm the day before. (Did you catch the mention of that in yesterday's diary entry?) But, she made the best of it and picked all the cherries they couldn't reach before and canned them. Those cherries were probably pretty ripe by this time.

I wonder if Grandma viewed her quilting as a hobby or a necessity? We have one quilt that Grandma made; it is a crazy quilt made out of all kinds of wools and velvets with fancy stitching around each piece. She did not got to a quilting store to get the material to make it, instead she used scraps from old clothes. I guess that makes the quilt even more special to have. My older sister also remembers a 'cathedral window' quilt, which I don't remember at all. But then my sister quilts and I don't, so she would probably remember it. She probably also has the crazy quilt! I'm sure other quilts Grandma made are scattered about in the possession of cousins that we see every 10 years or so, if ever.

When we were little, we usually got a hand-made gift from Grandma, which I am sure we did not really appreciate at that time. She also crocheted, and one year she made us crocheted rings out of curtain rings to clip on the inside of our coats to hold our scarves. We did not tell her that as little girls, we really did not have any scarves like that. I'm not sure what happened to those. Another year, she made each of us a decorative pillow, and I've still got mine. I posted a picture of the pillow Grandma made me, probably in the late 1960's, on Grandma's Pictures.)

Sunday, July 12, 1925

Sunday, July 12, 1925,

Mama was bound I should come over there today but I hadn’t got my shoes yet and my feet swell so and Mr. Williamson, from Memphis was there so I didn’t want to go. I felt too tired anyway and do if I had to have it quiet for a while. The boys got off at 5:55 and Ned and I had it quiet. Had an awful storm about 3:30 that blew our favorite cherry tree down.

(I can't really make sense of the 2nd sentence, but here is what I think is going on. Dale and Dick left early in the morning to ride with Mac to Crawfordsville for the week and Albert was sent earlier to his grandmother's (Mama's) for the week, leaving Grandma home with just Ned for awhile.

Grandma's feet are swelling due to her pregnancy and she has to get some new shoes. She had a lot of problems with her feet later in life, probably caused in part by ill-fitting shoes.

And a big storm blew down the cherry tree, the one Gilbert spent all of his vacation picking cherries from.)

Saturday, July 11, 1925

Saturday, July 11, 1925
Hot

Got the boys bathed and dressed to go and suitcase all packed and Mac called up and said they were driving over in the morning early and offered to take them. The boys didn’t want to wait but Gilbert persuaded them and took them to the Ripple for a swim to make up for the disappointment. He took Albert to Mama’s for his vacation and left Ned and me alone for a rest.

(Athough Grandma doesn't come right out and say so, I believe the boys, Dale and Dick, were going to Crawfordsville to visit on their own. Luckily, Gilbert's good friend Mac offered to drive them. Otherwise, I think that they were going to ride the bus there alone, a trip of 50 miles or so.

Mac is Everett McMullen, whom Gilbert met in college. He is the one who convinced Gilbert to move to the city where he could get a job with the gas company. Gilbert first lived with Mac and his aunt when he moved to Indianapolis, and then moved in to a "room for rent" with a family that Ruth knew, the Bells. The Bells introduced Ruth and Gilbert at church.

Note: while looking at Grandma's family history, I noticed that she wrote Dale was born in 1916 and Dick in 1918, which would make them 9 and 8, not 7 and 6 as I thought. I need to do some further research to confirm the dates of their birth!)

Friday, July 10, 1925

Friday, July 10, 1925

Ned awfully cross but I managed to get the underwear patched and made Dick a pair of pants out of Gilbert’s old Palm Beach suit. We are going to buy Dale a pair of Palm Beach pants. Dale went to the dentist this AM and Don Couper went down with him and they went to the 5 & 10 and got treated to ice cream and had a big time. Had to send Dale after Mama’s suitcase in PM.

(From today's diary entry, we get a glimpse of how frugal Grandma was (and I assume other housewifes from that era). She patched underwear. I don't know about anyone else, but I throw out underwear that needs to be patched. She also made her son a pair of pants out of his father's old pants. I guess the material was still good, but other than cutting off old jeans to make a pair of shorts when I was a teenager, I don't think I've ever had pants made from another pair of pants. Dale, the oldest son, is going to get a brand new pair of store-bought pants. I am guessing that is because those pants would be handed down so that all four boys would wear them eventually, and so they could justify the expense. I did some research and I believe the "Palm Beach" pants were made out of a blend of linen and wool, which would make them cooler in the summer time.

And remember, too, that Dale was born in 1918, so he is 7 or just turning 7 when she wrote these diaries. She sent him with his friend (also about the same age) to see the dentist. I don't think today a dentist would even treat a child who showed up in his office without a parent. The office staff would probably call the police! And, I don't think they just sent kids every six months to get their teeth cleaned, like we do today, so there was probably a problem.

Then later in the day, Dale rode city buses or street cars alone to go to his grandmother's house to get a suitcase. Sounds like Dale had a big day! But, if they have previously canceled their trip, why did Grandma send Dale out after the suitcase?)

Thursday, July 9, 1925

Thursday, July 9, 1925

Net got up from his nap with fever again so that settles my going for sure. Gilbert talked last night like he wanted me to buy a dress and shoes and go over for Sunday only but it seemed to me like it would be too much expense and trouble for one day.

(Grandma was referring to a trip to Crawfordsville to see Gilbert's father and sisters. I had previously figured out that it was 50 miles or so to Crawfordsville, avoiding the interstates which would have not have existed, obviously, in 1925. But Grandma was being practical, and not even for a new dress and new shoes, did she want to bother with a one day trip to see her in-laws. With no car, they would have been taking a bus or two to get there, which I think would have taken several hours each way. It would have been a long, hot trip for a pregnant woman.

I was thinking about these diaries being written in 1925 and how they describe a life much different than what we learned in our history classes about this particular decade. Most of what we learned in school about the 1920's was that they were the "roaring 20's" when women started to "loosen up" and went dancing in jazz clubs and smoked cigarettes and raised the hem of their skirts up to nearly their knees. Prohibition was in effect, so all the alcohol was illegal, but people went to "speakeasies" to drink it anyway. Grandma certainly wasn't living that kind of life! (And my other Grandma, living on a farm in Southern Indiana, also wasn't out drinking and dancing in speakeasies!)

I found this website that lists slang from the 1920's. I doubt that Grandma, being mostly at home raising her children, would have have heard or said many of these phrases. By the way, I did not find the phrase "fought like sixty" that she used in yesterday's diary entry, but it is still interesting to read about some of the slang they used in that decade.)

Wednesday, July 8, 1925

Wednesday, July 8, 1925
Hot

Mama came over and took Albert down to Papa’s office and he had Dr. Best lance the gland. He did not give him gas but froze it. I guess he screamed and fought like sixty. They got lots of thick pus out of it and Papa took some to have it analyzed by the test showed no tuberculosis germs. He seemed much relieved and happy because they got him some ice cream.

(Is there anything that ice cream can't fix for a young child? Especially after what Albert went through.

I have never heard the phrase "fought like sixty", has anyone else?)

Tuesday, July 7,1925

Tuesday, July 7, 1925
Hot

Was too tired to iron much. Albert seemed so done up, too. His gland is swelling and looking red in a different place, lower than it was before. Probably gathering there and will have to be opened again. We won’t take him to Crawfordsville and I feel relieved in a way as it is too hot to hustle and get my things ready to go. Besides, Ned’s glands are still swollen although he is not ill.

(So, Grandma had to scrap her plans to go to Crawfordsville to visit her in-laws. She almost seemed glad of it, too much bother on a hot day. Can you imagine ironing in a house without air-conditioning when it is so hot outside?)

Monday, July 6, 1925

Monday, July 6, 1925
Hot

Albert still feverish and sick. I washed early and Mable came to try my dress on me. My feet swelled till I could hardly stand. Ned cries after me so these days. He won’t let me out of his sight. He won’t play except at my heels and he hugs that blanket till he is all broken out with the heat. He is so trying.

(Remember, Grandma is pregnant, which is probably why she was getting a new dress and why her feet swelled up if she stood a lot. I can only imagine how trying it must have been to have no air condititioning and sick kids, with no medicine to take for whatever they had. By the way, most of us who read this diary regulary assume that Albert had mono which is why he was sick for so long.)

Sunday, July 5, 1925

Sunday, July 5, 1925

Albert feverish today. Maybe too much excitement yesterday. The two boys went to Sunday School and Dick teased so hard to go to Broad Ripple in the afternoon that Gilbert took them to see the elephant show only on a promise that they help him to sort when they got back. So we all helped him with some work in the evening. I got a rest in the PM.

(I am surprised to read that Gilbert brought work from the office home with him. I thought that was more of a post WWII phenomenon? It would be interesting to know how many hours he worked each week on average, and how often he worked on the weekends, so we could compare it to our work lives today. FYI, he was an accountant for the gas company.)

Saturday, July 4, 1925

Saturday, July 4, 1925

The great day for the boys. Up bright and early. The baby seems lots better but cross and glands still swollen. It is a blessing I feel as well as I do, but pretty nervous and tired. Oh how can I stand two years more of baby crying? That is what a baby means. Bang-bang all day. Pretty fire works all night. Gilbert took Dale swimming at Broad Ripple. First watermelon of season

(Seems like not much has changed in all these years. They celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks, summer activities like swimming, and summer foods like watermelon, just about what we would do today. Mom says she remembers when she was little, the boys, who were then a bit older, would shoot Roman candles off the front porch on July 4th.)

Friday, July 3, 1925

Friday, July 3, 1925
Hot

Ned slept better last night and wasn’t so feverish today, but awfully pettish and cross. Perhaps this attack won’t last long. Papa thinks not. Albert seems better. His glands going down. We have hopes of going to Crawfordsville in a week. They will surely be well enough by then. If I can get ready.

(Gilbert was from Crawfordsville, so they would go there to visit family. I am sure there was a lot for her to do to get everything and everyone ready for a trip like that.)

Thursday, July 2, 1925

Thursday, July 2, 1925
Hot

Ned sick as he can be and his glands swollen again. I am so discouraged. It seems as if we will never get over this scourge. Papa brought out some new medicine to take and some things to apply on the glands. I hope it is more effectual than others have been. Mama took my dress home with her for Mable to make.

(It was nice to have a doctor in the family. In her family history, Grandma wrote that her "Papa", Dr. Rolla Campbell, practiced medicine in some form or fashion for fifty years. Around the turn of the century, he was focusing a lot of his time on making medicines and had several "agents" who sold it for him. She wrote: "When the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed he decided that he would have to discontinue his making of his medicines for sale by agents so he decided to limit his practice to make a specialty of gynecology, and not make house calls except in rare cases.")

Wednesday, July 1, 1925

Wednesday, July 1, 1925
Warmer

This evening we all worked in the yard. Ned seemed so well and happy and suddenly he cried for me to take him. He wanted me to bring him in and I did. Rocked him and finally put him to bed. He went right to sleep and an hour later woke up crying with a burning fever. I could hardly believe it. He was feverish and restless all night.

(Check out the pictures of everyone on Grandma's Pictures to imagine what this family of four young boys would have looked like, all out working in the yard on a summer evening. From what Grandma wrote previously, she had flower beds with cannas and august lilies (hostas) and clover in the grass, which they planted on purpose. In the back there was at least a cherry tree, catalpa tree, and tree of heaven (also known as 'stink tree'), along with grapes (which she wrote about how they were nipped by a late May frost).

Down in southern Indiana, my 'country Grandma' would have been working in a vegetable garden perhaps starting to pick green beans to can. She had a one year old son at this time and was expecting her second baby, due in the fall, the same as Grandma.)

Tuesday, June 30, 1925

Tuesday, June 30, 1925
Cool

Cleaned up the house and sewed. Made Ned an awfully cute romper out of goods Grandpa Smith gave him Christmas. Put some trimmings and kitten pockets on it. Felt like I didn’t get so much accomplished as yesterday though. Ned was sleepy and fussy and didn’t play much. Albert is cross, too.

(Sounds like Grandma still got a lot done, even though she didn't think it was as much as the day before, but the day before would have been hard to top!)

Monday, June 29, 1925

Monday, June 29, 1925
Cool

Felt pretty good and went to Miss McGregor’s store and got pattern and goods for Albert 2 suits and Ned a romper. Made both of Albert’s except for buttonholes in one. Worked out in the yard in the evening from suppertime till dark. Dick okay but a little swelling left.

(Wow, it seems like Grandma went from sick to better very quickly. I can't believe she sewed 2 suits in one day (except for buttonholes on one) AND worked out in the yard.

I suspect she was a better seamstress than most housewives in the 1920's, so I did some digging in the family history she wrote in 1970 to figure out if I was right about that. Grandma graduated from Shortridge High School in 1910, and didn't get married until 1915. So what did she do for those five years?

First she tried college at Butler College (now Butler University) which was at that time in Irvington. She didn't have the money to live on campus so she spent "several hours" a day riding the buses to and from her parent's home on the far northside, and it wore her out, so she dropped out before the first semester was over. Then she spent a few years helping her sister-in-law Ella with her babies until her father decided she should have more to occupy her time and "get her out of her shell", so they got her a job in a millinery store on Washington Street, east of Court Street. In her own words:

"From there as the seasons would change, I would go from the wholesale house to a shop, and after a year or two, I had become a first class "maker" and also had gained some experience selling in Block's and in a small shop on West Washington Street, west of the Statehouse, where I worked until I was married."

So, I think that's where she learned to sew so well, by making hats. I bet she made that hat she is wearing in the picture of her from 1914 in Grandma's Pictures)

Sunday, June 28, 1925

Sunday, June 28, 1925

Gilbert stayed home all day and helped me and I got a little rest and felt a little better. The children seemed a little better, too. These days are nice and warm but the nights and mornings sure cool. Dale got back OK and reported lots of fun. Had ice cream and all the lemonade he could drink. So we bought ice cream, too.

(I posted some additional pictures on Grandma's Pictures, including a picture of the four boys in 1924, a picture of Grandma in 1914, a little over a year before she got married, and a picture of Gilbert.

Maybe this day was the start of all of them doing better, healthwise.)

Saturday, June 27, 1925

Saturday, June 27, 1925

My head was much worse and I just didn’t have pep enough for anything. Poor Albert like this for so long no wonder he is cross. Mama took Dale to the O.E.S. picnic at Northern beach. Dick not well enough to go. Dale prepared to stay all night and go to Sunday school in the morning on his way home.

(Sounds like Dale at least got to go somewhere and do something a little different. FYI, O.E.S stands for the Order of the Eastern Star. I don't profess to know much about it, so click on the link if you want more info.

I think that Northern beach refers to some picnic grounds north of Indianapolis in Carmel, at least that is what I found when I did a web search. Sounds like if it is the same place that they have been in business for quite a while and are still in business today.

Poor Grandma, she was still sick, still has boys who were sick, and don't forget she was pregnant while all of this was going on.)

Friday, June 26, 1925

Friday, June 26, 1925

Ironed till 1:00. Got all done. I washed this week and a few pieces left over from last week and week before done, too. Feel awfully bum. The boys all better. Dick had a little fever this PM. Wish Albert’s gland would go down to stay. He has a better appetite but so pale and thin. It makes my heart ache to see him. Will he ever get over it?

(Sounds like they were getting back to a little bit of "normalcy", whatever that meant for them. I'm sure their laundry did stack up while Grandma was sick.)

Thursday, June 25, 1925

Thursday, June 25, 1925

Gilbert and I washed and then between showers he picked more cherries. Dick not very sick but fever in the PM and his glands behind the ears both swelled. Mama came over and helped seed cherries. Albert some better. No fever but the gland still swollen. He is awfully cross these days.

(Their focus at this time seemed to be on the cherries. When fruit is ripe, it's ripe and no waiting or restomg until you've harvested, I guess, even if you've been sick. Grandma had written a while back that they had intended to go "to the country" when Gilbert was on vacation, so how would they have gotten to the cherries if they had gone on their trip? Seems like Gilbert spent his whole vacation picking cherries!)

Wednesday, June 24, 1925

Wednesday, June 24, 1925
Canned cherries, got 10 quarts last eve and today. It rains so much Gilbert can’t pick steady, so we will lose a lot I’m afraid. Left my poultice off today but put it on at bedtime. Dick began complaining today. Sore throat and fever.

(Dick is the only who had not been sick so far, so I'm not surprised Grandma reported the above entry.

It was still cherry picking and canning time. My youngest sister wrote a comment that she would love to can, but is afraid of food poisoning. I'm afraid of pressure cookers blowing up the kitchen! I think canning was a necessity of life in the 20's, if you wanted to have any kind of canned goods at a reasonable price in the off season. Earlier in the spring, Grandma had written that she liked to provided good things for her family. Canned cherries for pies and candies, that's a good thing!)

Tuesday, June 23, 1925

Tuesday, June 23, 1925

Gilbert picked cherries and I seeded all day. Dale is almost all right now. No fever but a little swelling in his tonsils.

(Sounds like they enjoyed a quiet day, and all were a bit better.

More info on Gilbert, who is not mentioned all that often in Grandma's diaries, even though he is her husband. Gilbert's father was a farmer and it was thought that Gilbert, who was the youngest child and the only son, would grow up to help his father farm. But, when Gilbert was 5 he became ill and was confined to his bed with what the doctor called "white swelling" in the thigh bone on his left side. The thigh bone that was affected did not grow as much as the other thigh, and so he used a crutch and then later a cane to walk, because his left leg was always shorter than his right leg. Because of his illness, he didn't start school until he was 8 years old! As an adult he wore shoes with the left heel built up to compensate for his left leg being shorter, and then he still walked with a limp. His father sold the farm when he realized he would not have anyone to help him, and they moved around a few times before settling in Crawfordsville. In spite of his leg problems, Gilbert was a very good swimmer and once saved another boy from drowning.

So, I am guessing that it was not easy for Gilbert to take on chores like picking cherries, which might have involved several trips up and down a ladder.

I will post a picture of Gilbert on Grandma's Pictures in the near future.)

Monday, June 22, 1925

Monday, June 22, 1925

Better but still headaches. Keep a poultice under my eye. My nose has unpure pus since Wednesday. Did a little work today but not much. Stopped the iodine on Albert and his heart is better.

(Apparently taking iodine internally can affect your heart?

It's good to read that Grandma was getting better, along with Albert. Remember that Gilbert is on vacation this week, and they had hoped to go to "the country", but so far, it doesn't sound like they tried to do that.)

Sunday, June 21, 1925

Sunday, June 21, 1925

Better but no pep. This affects the nerves awfully. I’m so done up, no wonder Albert seems so all in. His heart is irregular now. Oh, I hope it doesn’t leave him weak in any way. He has no fever now. The folks brought chicken over and cooked it for dinner. In the evening my cheek got to paining more.

(Goodness sakes, what was this illness? I've read all three years of Grandma's diaries, and was always struck by how much harder it seemed to just live in the 1920's compared to today. Yes, I read all about them being sick, and especially about Albert being sick and thought it was bad, but when you read the diary entries one day at a time versus in one sitting, you really get a better feel for how long they were sick, and begin to feel the concern Grandma had for Albert and all her boys, and how helpless she felt not knowing what to do.)

Saturday, June 20, 1925

Saturday, June 20, 1925

We’re all better but no good. Gilbert cleaned up the house.

(Grandma's diary entry on this day was brief, and I will keep my comments brief as well. There is not much else to say about them all being sick.)

Friday, June 19, 1925

Friday, June 19, 1925

Gilbert starts his vacation. Taking care of the sick and we had planned so much fun in the country. Dale and I both so sick. The whole upper right side of my face and forehead and glands and tonsils poulticed with antiphlogistine. I look like I had been in a fight.

(It is nice to read that in 1925, Gilbert's company provided him with vacation time. It is not so nice to read that it started out with half the family too sick to do anything. By "fun in the country", I think Grandma was referring to them going to Crawfordsville, where Gilbert grew up. I checked and it is about 50 miles from the east side of Indianapolis to Crawfordsville, and today that trip would take right at one hour with the interstates. If you chose to avoid the highway, the trip jumps to 56 miles and takes 1.5 hours. They didn't have a car, so they probably took a bus to get there, which would have added to their trip time. It was definitely not a small trip for a family of two adults and four young boys to make.)

Thursday, June 18, 1925

Thursday, June 18, 1925
Hot

It rains every night and they are so long and miserable. Three of us pretty sick . Thank goodness Ned is so much better, almost himself again. Mama came out again, too. Oh my head! My eye poulticed shut.

(I actually think rain at night is a good thing and much better than rain during the day. Grandma had complained earlier that her mother (Mama) never seemed to be around when she really needed help, but it seems she was there this time.

As I wrote yesterday, I'd like to move on from all this sickness, lest I lose some people's interest, but you can't make up real life, you just have to keep going with it. It does get better for them, I promise!)

Wednesday, June 17, 1925

Wednesday, June 17, 1925

Poulticed myself up, my head bursting it seems. Gathering up one nostril and back of the eye. Now I can sympathize with the little ones. Dale got up with sore throat, fever, etc. Albert still feverish. We’re all plastered up with antiphlogistine. It’s a relief but oh, my. Papa started his taking iodine inwardly. Mama did the same.

(If I were writing a book about a housewife and mother in the 1920's, I would have long ago made everyone healthy and not continued all this discussion about being sick. However, this isn't fiction, it is Grandma's real life and so, we continue on. I looked up "antiphlogistine" and it is a paste that you can still get today, but many of the references are for a type that is used on horses for muscle strains. A quick check on iodine shows that it was indeed taken to cure "impending colds". I am sure Grandma's parents didn't want to get what she and her family all had!)

Tuesday, June 16, 1925

Tuesday, June 16, 1925

The soreness in my throat has traveled back to my glands under my ears. Felt awfully bum, all day. Seeded cherries most of the time. Had an electrical storm this PM and had to lie down with Albert. It was not as bad as last night’s however which was as severe as they make them, seems to me and we were both too nervous to sleep.

(Even when sick, Grandma didn't stop working. She had cherries to seed, and I'm sure they wouldn't keep. I don't know what kind of refrigeration they had, so I called Mom. Mom said they had a wooden ice box and when they needed an ice block, Grandma put a card in the window and the ice man would drive by each day, and if he saw the card, he would stop there and deliver whatever they needed, either a 25 pound block or a 50 pound block of ice. Mom said that's what they had until the late 30's or early 40's when they got an old used refrigerator with the coils on top. She remembers standing around the back of the ice truck and getting the chips of ice left when the ice man broke off the blocks of ice.)

Monday, June 15, 1925

Monday, June 15, 1925

Got up early to wash and got shocks every time I touched any thing about the washing – clothes, water, etc. It unnereved me so I simply went to pieces, Gilbert did all he could and the boys wrung out the rest. Got done early but was too done up to iron. Had a little soreness in my neck, too. Boys picked cherries.

(Not such a good day it seems. Sounds like Grandma had just about had it with everything.)

Sunday, June 14, 1925

Sunday, June 14, 1925

Had sore throat last night and felt generally bum. Papa and mama came over in PM. Guys drove around too. Ned seemed better but too hot to sleep. Albert’s neck swollen more than ever and he lays so quiet. His temperature 102.

(Remember, "Guys" is how Grandma referred to her brother Guy and his wife.

Albert seemed to still be fighting whatever it was that he had. They certainly had a different way of treating illnesses in 1925. So far from the diary entries, we know that Albert was examined by his grandfather (a "women's doctor") and a surgeon who lanced his gland, but no other doctors. Other than when they applied poultices to his neck, I do not recall Grandma mentioning in her diaries giving him any other medications. Certainly much different than today!)

Saturday, June 13, 1925

Saturday, June 13, 1925
Rain

The school boys got tickets for an attraction at Broad Ripple which implied free rides on every thing. They were wild to go and Gilbert promised to take them. We hadn’t counted on rain. But it didn’t rain much in the PM. The free rides were a hoax. They got one. Gilbert showed them a good time and took them on their first ride on the Thriller. Dick never said a word. Dale didn’t like it.

(I assume that by "school boys", Grandma was referring to just the older two boys, Dale and Dick. Sounds like they got their first taste of carnival rides, but weren't too "thrilled" with the Thriller. Can you imagine what the ride must have been like? Was it safety inspected before they let people ride it? I would assume not. I did a quick Internet search for more information on what these carnival rides might have been like in 1925, but didn't come up with much. Anyone find anything in their own search?

It was nice that they did get to go on an outing and do something different for a change, even if they only got to go on one ride.)

Friday, June 12, 1925

Friday, June 12, 1925

The last day at school. Dale got first prize again for having the most 100’s in the room for the term. Dick came in third for his room. Albert took a little worse this PM. His fever came up and he lay so quiet again. Poor little soul, I’m afraid this will get the best of him yet.

(School obviously went much later in the spring in 1925, and I would guess they didn't go back until after Labor Day in the fall. I think all of Grandma's children did well academically, and that certainly carried over to their adult lives. Three of her four sons went on to become college professors, in philosphy (Dick), theology (Albert) and geology (Ned) and Dale was a successful business man.

So, Albert's illness continued. I am guessing that he missed most of the last 6 weeks of schools being sick like he was. Hopefully, summer and warmer weather helped him get better!)

Thursday, June 11, 1925

Thursday, June 11, 1925
Cool

Dale’s foot better but he decided not to go barefooted for a while. Ned is improving, others can notice who are not with him so constantly. I can hardly notice a change. Cut out the nighties after the kiddies were in bed. Gilbert ordered a big ladder to get the cherries with. Albert helped pick and played with the boys in the garage.

(Grandma hadn't written too much about Dale, the oldest, or for that matter Dick, for awhile. It seemed her energies and thoughts were focused on Albert who was sick for so long, and then Ned, who also was sick. I am relieved to read that they began to improve after so long being ill.

She wrote a while ago that the boys went barefoot a lot in the warmer weather. I'm sure this did result in more foot ailments, such as the sore on Dale's foot.)

Wednesday, June 10, 1925

Wednesday, June 10, 1925
Cooler

Ned was better this AM but feverish toward evening. I managed to get a little mending done and seeded some cherries with him on my lap. Albert better, his gland still running. The boys have been picking cherries for me. Got about two gallon all together. Dale developed a sore on his foot which I doctored.

(Cherry picking time. They had at least one good cherry tree in their backyard. Grandma canned quite a bit it seems. Earlier she canned some pineapple she got from the "vegetable man" and the family enjoyed strawberries, which I also think were purchased, based on the time of year that they were eating them which was too early for strawberries to be ripe in central Indiana. Grandma doesn't mention harvesting any vegetables, so I am inclined to think that her gardening was more flowers and a few fruit trees, and not too many vegetables.)

My other grandmother would probably not have purchased nearly as much of their produce, since they lived on a farm. At this time of year, "country Grandma" would probably have been knee deep in peas and other early spring crops, working on preserving those for a growing family. I remember many stories about the large quantities of fruits and vegetables that they canned as each was harvested. It seems they never had a break in canning and preserving food as it became ready for harvesting.)

Tuesday, June 9, 1925

Tuesday, June 9, 1925
Warm

Ned fretful and I just had to do some ironing. Mama came over and wheeled Ned while I did what I had to. I’m discouraged about getting any vacation. The time is getting short and I have garments we need to make before we go and cherries to take care of. They are ripe now.

(A few days ago in her diary, Grandma lamented that her mother wasn't all that helpful; we see that on this date, she did come and help out some. Hopefully, clothes got made and the boys got well enough that the vacation plans worked out. We'll see. If had to make clothes for my vacation, it would be a long time before I had a vacation!

But at this point, it was cherry picking time! Now that's something I could do.)

Monday, June 8, 1925

Monday, June 8, 1925
Warm

Ned seemed better but his neck swollen yet so I tried electricity on it and his fever came right up. There must be pus in there. Albert had to have a poultice again last night. His gland is swollen more again. I shall poultice it at night and use ointment on it in day time. So keep other skin from being irritated. Poulticed Ned this eve.

(Not sure what that electricity thing is all about! Sounds a bit scary. It seems like treating Albert and Ned's illness was almost routine for Grandma at this point, applying poultices and ointments on a daily basis. I think from previous entries in the diary, the poultice was made from flaxseed.)

Sunday, June 7, 1925

Sunday, June 7, 1925
Cooler

Rain last night – a blessed relief. Not enough water fell to help the farmers a great deal, but the heat wave is broken all over the country and Ned is much better. He slept last night and not much fever now. Papa came over for dinner. Afternoon we sat on the porch while the boys read or drew. Had ice cream for supper “Oh boy!” Ned said.

(Sounds like they all had a nice day. I can just imagine them all sitting on the porch on a Sunday afternoon enjoying the cool day, better health, and each others' company. I assume the ice cream was home made. A couple of the pictures on Grandma's Pictures show the porch of the house, especially the 1st picture I posted.)

Saturday, June 6, 1925

Saturday, June 6, 1925
Hot

I write as I rock and hold the baby. He is a little better but still looks like the babies in a near East ad. Big, sad eyes in pale faces. Bony bodies, wasted away. It just breaks my heart to see him. Occasionally he smiles and plays a little. But his neck is stiff and swollen a little under the ears.

(Ned, the baby, was still sick. Sigh, when will they all be well again?)

Friday, June 5, 1925

Friday, June 5, 1925

Left the poultice off of Albert this AM. Gilbert is better and Ned slept late, so I washed. The dry heat wave is killing lots of people in the U.S.A. Poor little Ned. Sick and feverish yet although some better, so tottery he can’t walk across the room, but he hadn’t even tried before today.

(Heat wave? 1925 seems to have had its share of weather events. There was the tri-state tornado in March, which I think is still the deadliest on record, a mini heat wave at the end of April that set records for Indianapolis that are still standing, and then a frost in late May that damaged vegetable crops. Now a heat wave in June?

Seemed like everyone was a little better on this day, though not quite all 100 percent yet. But in 1925, what medicine did they have a for a 'quick fix'? They just had to ride these illnesses out with poultices and rest and hope for the best.)

Thursday, June 4, 1925

Thursday, June 4, 1925
Hot

Baby so bad his temperature 103. Poor little soul doesn’t know his daddy or brothers. His feeble cry for “mama” all the time breaks my heart. Gilbert and Albert better. My mother is never on hand when I really need her. But she seems to think she helps me a lot to hear her talk. Dick bit by Kersey’s dog and G. attacked.

(I am not sure what "G. attacked" is all about.)

Wednesday, June 3, 1925

Wednesday, June 3, 1925

Found Gilbert’s tonsils covered with patches. They hardly feel sore but probably cause the trouble. Papa swabbed them out. Washed Ned’s ears out with syringe and he seemed a little better. Went to sleep. I write as I hold him. I don’t rest or eat these days. Just hold Ned night and day.

(Rough couple of days for the Smith family. I'm sure it was helpful to have a physician in the family (Grandma's father "Papa") to tend to their ailments. I've heard stories that Grandma remembered as a little girl that her father spent a lot of time making medicines, which often involved simmering concoctions on the stove for days at a time. Then, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was started in 1906, he could no longer make and sell his own medicines. His specialty as a physician was gynecology.)

Tuesday, June 2, 1925

Tuesday, June 2, 1925
Hot

I got at the end of my string this evening. Such a pain in the pit of my stomach warns me if I eat, I’ll be next. Gilbert is real sick today. Temp 102, aches all over, etc. Albert seems a little better, still keep the poultices on him. Was up a dozen times in the night. Ned cried so much. So much worse today, I am so worried about him!

(Everyone was sick, what else can be said.)

Monday, June 1, 1925

Monday, June 1, 1925
Hot

Albert sick and quiet as can be, kept poultices fresh on him all day and night. Baby seemed a lot better. Albert is so good and no trouble at all. I got a little relief for the baby played with the boys some after they came home.

(I do feel for Grandma in this situation with a sick child who didn't seem to be getting better, but I promise he did get better over the summer. I'm still not sure what diagnosis they gave him, though I think there was mention of "glandular fever", which when you look it up is a reference to Mononucleosis.

The older boys must have still be in school on June 1.)