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

Sunday, May 24 – Thursday, May 28, 1914: Nothing much doing.

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

Since Grandma didn’t write anything specific for this date, I thought that you might enjoy seeing this 1914 advertisement for horses in Grandma’s local newspaper, the Milton Evening Standard.

It’s hard to imagine how far agriculture has come in a hundred years—and that living horses were the primary providers of “horse power” in 1914.

The spring planting season would have been a busy time on the Muffly farm. I wonder how many horses Grandma’s father owned to help with the work.

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

Friday, May 22, 1914:  I saw the dear little babe this evening. How proud I was that it was my little niece. How I longed for one, I alone know. Ruth and I attended the commencement at Watsontown.

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

Grandma—

Congratulations! Your niece sounds really special. Did you get to hold her?

Did you sister Besse get any baby gifts? I saw an advertisement for Carter Baby Carriages in your local paper. Maybe someone will give her one. It looks awesome.

—

The baby was born two days prior to this diary entry. On May 20, 1914, Grandma wrote:

This afternoon I learned that I am an “auntie” for the second time. It is a little baby girl. Mingled with this new joy is a dim foreboding.

—

Besse lived in Watsontown. It is located about 1 1/2 miles from the Muffly farm. Grandma and her other sister Ruth probably stopped by Besse’s home to see the baby then continued on the commencement. MyWatsontown has a list of the 1914 graduates. There were 12 graduates. Which were friends of Grandma and Ruth? I don’t recognize any of the names.

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

Thursday, May 14, 1914:  Had a job this afternoon, and it lasted quite a while, too.

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

Hmm. .. Grandma—

You aren’t giving me much to go on here. What was the job?. . . cleaning the house? (I don’t think so , since you just completed the spring housecleaning a few days ago.). . .   pulling weeds? . . . cleaning manure out of the barn? . . . doing laundry? . . .

—

I’m going to go with the laundry. . . Farmers clothes get very, very dirty; and it can be a lot of work to get the stains out of overalls and other work clothes.

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

Monday, May 4, 1914: Nothing much doing for today except to work.

 

What was Grandma doing? It hardly seems possible that the spring housecleaning would last this long, but maybe she was still helping with it.

—-

Occasionally a post takes a surprising twist or turn as I work on it—and goes off on a tangent. Today is one of those days.

I was looking for a 1914 advertisement for some sort of cleaning supply—and found this advertisement for Jap-a-Lac. As I was cropping it, I suddenly noticed that there was a menorah in the picture.

Why was a Jewish symbol in the ad? I know next to nothing about Jewish history a hundred years ago. Did many Jews live in the US in 1914? Did the Glidden Company think that putting a menorah in the ad would increase sales? Were the owners of the Glidden Jewish? . . . .

 

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

Sunday, May 3, 1914: Was going to a sale this afternoon but changed my mind and went someplace else. Am waiting on my thimble (Ma has it). Want to mend some holes in my socks.

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

Grandma- You need some Buster Brown Darnless Socks!

—-

Hmm . . . This is a really odd diary entry. May 3, 1914 was a Sunday.

The previous day (Saturday), Grandma wrote, “Ditto.”

Did she actually write both of entries at a later date—and get confused about which day was the Sunday? . . . though that doesn’t exactly make sense, since she seems to be writing in the moment.

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

Tuesday, April 28, 1914: Was going for trailing arbutus this afternoon, but the other girls didn’t have time to go, so it’s postponed til tomorrow. Developed my plates. The negatives are spotted some, where they got touched.

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

Yeah Grandma! I’m glad that you’re still taking photos and developing them. This is the first time you’ve mentioned photography in months. What a fun hobby!—though it sounds difficult to get perfect photos.

What did you take photos of? . . . friends? . . . family? . . . or perhaps you convinced your parents to buy your film and supplies by saying that you’d take photos to help keep an accurate record of the farm operations.

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

Friday, April 24, 1914: Didn’t do anything hardly.

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

Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll share a fun 1914 ad for Postum. Can you still buy this old-fashioned coffee substitute? I haven’t seen it in years. I wonder if it really was better for us than coffee.