17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Friday, February 14, 1913:Cupid didn’t send me any valentines. Didn’t feel very well this morning.
My dearest sister was going to a box social, and then didn’t go because no one came for her. I’m glad I wasn’t going for then I would have been disappointed.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Hundred-year-old Valentine Postcard
I bet Grandma wished that a special guy had sent her a valentine like this one.
February must be the month for box socials. Grandma and her sister Ruth went to one the previous week-end.
Poor Ruth—it’s hard to be stood up. (Maybe I should be looking at this from Grandma’s perspective and feel happy—but I can’t help feeling bad for Ruth.)
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Grandma’s matured a lot. In 1911 and 1912 she was really into sending ugly valentines–sometimes called vinegar valentines–to people who annoyed her; but in 1913 she never mentioned them. You might enjoy these posts from previous years:
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Wednesday, February 12, 1913: Whose birthday is it? I heard that question asked today. Knew it before anyway. Was weighed today. Not very pleasant news. It was a pound more than last time, but I owe some of that to heavier clothing.
At last we have our subject to write upon. Titled the American Revolution. Wonder if I could get the gold piece. At least I intent to try and do my best.
Source: Wikipedia
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
A hundred years ago two presidents’ birthdays were celebrated in February. Lincoln’s birthday was on February 12 and Washington’s on February 22– though Lincoln’s Birthday never was an official federal holiday.
In 1971, the observance of Washington’s Birthday was shifted to the third Monday in February as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The Act did not change the name of the holiday, but it is now commonly referred to as Presidents Day in honor of both presidents.
Our teacher made such a wonderful proposition today. It was made to our class. The one who writes the best essay on a given subject is to receive a two dollar and a half gold piece.
At the time I’d assumed she just failed to mention the essay topic, but apparently it took the teacher half a month to come up with the topic. . . .strange. . .
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An aside—Whenever I gain a pound, I also owe some of the gain to heavier clothing. 🙂
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, February 11, 1913: We are trying to get a program in sway for our next meeting.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Hmm…How do you get a “program in sway”? What were they trying to do?
On February 7, 1913 Grandma wrote that she was elected president of the Literary Society. I think that she and the other officers were trying to pull together the program for the next meeting.
According to the Free Online Dictionary, sway can be either a verb or a noun. One meaning for the noun is “control”. So in other words, they were trying to get the program under control.
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Sunday, February 9, 1913: Went to Sunday School this afternoon. I forget to study my catechize lesson, so I didn’t know it very well.
The McEwensville Baptist Church was torn down many years ago, but Grandma would have walked down this road to go to church.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Grandma occasionally mentioned catechism classes in the diary. The first time she mentioned it was on the very first day of the diary—January 1, 1911:
. . . This afternoon I went to Sunday school and attended catechize after church. On my way home I received a charming new year’s gift. (Thanks to the donor.) The first day of the new year is almost spent and I feel rather sad.
Went to S.S. this afternoon and attended Catechize.
Whew, Grandma’s been taking catechism classes for more than two years. That seems like a really long time. And, she also seems really old to be taking them. She’s 17—almost 18 years old. I believe that Grandma attended the McEwensville Baptist Church.
I wonder:
How many years did young people need to attend catechism classes before they could join the church a hundred years ago?
What was the typical age when people joined the church back then?
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Saturday, February 8, 1913: Went to Watsontown this morning to get some stuff for a box social. Ruth and I went up to McEwensville this evening. I did not spend a very enjoyable evening since the person I wanted to get my box didn’t get it and the person I didn’t want to get it got it. Rode home with Ruth and her friend. He’s one of the bald-headed types.
Ruth Muffly
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
I think this is the first box social that Grandma’s gone to since she began the diary—though her sister Ruth went to one in February, 1912.
Box socials always seem like something out of story books. The girls prepared beautiful box lunches with enough food for two that were then auctioned off to raise funds for the school or some charity.
The winning bidder would eat the food with the girl who made the box.
It sounds like the box social turned into a disaster for Grandma.
Ruth was 21—the guy she was with sounds older. How old was he?. . . 30??. . . older??
