17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Wednesday, October 30, 1912: Wish I could write something that would really be something, but as for this I call it nothing.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll tell you what I found out about several previous posts.
Several days ago Grandma mentioned a “convention” that she attended in McEwensville, but she never provided any details.
She also wrote that she’d resolved to do something that would be beneficial to herself.
I was in the McEwensville area last week-end and found a little time to dig through the old Milton Evening Standard microfilms at the Milton Public Library. I scrolled through the film–hoping to find a temperance society convention. . . or a lively political rally.
Instead I found a dull newspaper article (with lots names) about a Christian Endeavors convention. Christian Endeavors was a youth ministry. Here’s what the October 23, 1912 Milton Evening Standard had to say:
Endeavorers in Annual Session at McEwensville
Open Twenty-Third Convention with Services of Song
Rev. I.P.Zimmerman Chief Speaker Today
The twenty-third annual convention of the Northumberland County Christian Endeavor Union begun a two days session today at McEwensville with a large attendance.
Delegates from all parts of the county are in attendance. The convention was opened this afternoon with a service of song. Miss Ida McWilliams of McEwensville led the devotional service and Carl Watson delivered the address of welcome to which Miss Leah Lark on Shamokin responded on behalf of the delegates.
Rev. I.P. Zimmerman, of this place, was the principal speaker at the service this afternoon. He spoke on the pastor’s relation to C.E, and pointing out how the minister’s aid can be a great benefit to the work of the C.E. and gave instances of how a great deal had been accomplished through the instrument of progressive pastors.
Practical Plans and Methods was an illuminating address delivered by C.W. Winery of Bellefonte who is the president of the Centre County C.E. Union. An open discussion following several members taking part in telling how the society does things. The women will adjourn at 4:30 this afternoon.
Milton Evening Standard (October 23, 1912)
The Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor was a very large organization. In 1906 they had more than 67,000 local societies around the world and more than 4 million members.
Whew, it does sound like a big organization back then. I’d never heard of it until a read about it in the newspaper article.
One of these days, I’d like to go look up the Edmonton Journal for the day I was born. I think that’s cool that you can read the diary and then go to the library to see what you great grandparents read in the paper that day.
It is fun to find things in the old newspapers–though it takes a lot of patience (and good eyesight) to deal with the microfilms. The Edmonton Journal sounds like a bigger paper than the Milton Evening Standard. I wonder if it’s possible to find it somewhere online.
I should try and check into that, thanks Sheryl. My aunt and I have been to our Provincial Archives many times for our family project and yes, the micro-filmed records are sometimes rotten to try and read.
Neat, wish you were in town we could have lunch – my treat!! See what you missed! LOL It is interesting what you found. I am sure it was a very inspirational meeting.
It’s amazing what you can find in old newspapers. I just missed the big storm. It sure sounds bad.
You sure did! Glad that you had a nice visit.
So very interesting. Thanks.
S. Thomas Summers
Author of Private Hercules McGraw: Poems of the American Civil War
Thanks for stopping by.
Gee thanks for looking it up. I would have thought it was a political convention.
A political convention seemed like a logical guess to me, too.