An Evening with Friends

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Tuesday, April 29, 1913:  Ruth and I went up to Oakes this evening. Made a trip up to McEwensville this afternoon.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma and her sister Ruth probably had a fun evening with friends. The Oakes family lived on a nearby farm and had several children close in age to Grandma and her sister Ruth.  Rachel Oakes is often mentioned in the diary. Rachel had a least two brothers—James and Alvin.

To visit the Oakes, Grandma and her sister would have taken the road that went past their home–and gone up the hill in the opposite direction from the way they’d go if heading into McEwensville.
To visit the Oakes, Grandma and her sister would have taken the road that went past their home–and gone up the hill in the opposite direction from the way they’d go if heading into McEwensville.
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They would have continued down the road past this farm.
Recent view of the farm where the Oakes lived.
And, then they would have turned down a lane to this farm where Rachel Oakes and her siblings lived.

13 thoughts on “An Evening with Friends

  1. I’m still in awe of the fact that these buildings, in this same location, still exist, and you can walk in the footsteps of your ancestors. 🙂

    1. It is amazing how many of the old buildings are still intact–and generally in good condition. I suppose that part of the reason is that the area is still a rural agricultural area.

    1. I’m always surprised how buildings seem to come and go over a relatively short period of time in suburban areas–while they often have lasted much longer in rural areas.

  2. I especially love your photos of the street, towns and places your Grandmother visited. They all retain the charm of a bygone era.

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