Went Christmas Shopping

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

Tuesday, December 17, 1912: Carrie went with me to Watsontown this afternoon. I did my Christmas shopping. I didn’t take as much money as I thought I would. Jimmie wants to know what I got him. He wants a gun so awful bad. Got him one.

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

Carrie Stout was a friend of Grandma’s and Jimmie was Grandma’s 7-year-old brother. Given the recent very tragic event in Connecticut, it’s hard to know what to write today. My thoughts and prayers go out those affected by the tragedy in Newtown.

Injured Thumb While Butchering Hogs

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

Monday, December 16, 1912: Our dearest Ruth left for Sunbury this morning and my heart is rather sad. We killed some pigs and I took a slice off the end of my thumb. Oh sad the day, for I don’t care anything about having a sore thumb.

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

Butchering hogs is a lot of work. A hundred years ago today, the yard between the house and barn on the Muffly farm was probably filled with scalding troughs and large wooden tripods with hog carcasses hanging from them.

I wonder how bad Grandma’s cut was. A “slice off the end” of her thumb doesn’t sound good. (Click here to read a previous post on how they treated cuts and wounds a hundred years ago.)

Did Grandma miss her sister Ruth or was she being sarcastic? (Personally I might be annoyed if I had a sister who didn’t have to help with the butchering.)

I think that Ruth went to a teachers’ institute. She was a teacher at a one-room school-house near McEwensville. Winter break for the schools began the previous Friday, and I think that teacher institutes were held over the breaks to provide professional development and training for the rural school teachers.

Sunbury is the county seat of Northumberland County and is about twenty miles from McEwensville.

Old-fashioned Tatted Hankderchief Pictures

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

Saturday, December 14, 1912: Made some handkerchiefs this afternoon. Of course they weren’t very fancy ones, but good enough for me.

DSC06772.crop — Source: Ladies Home Journal (December, 1912)

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

Was Grandma making the handkerchiefs for herself –she might have needed them since she’s had colds for much of the Fall—or as gifts for someone else?

In the old days people made lovely handkerchiefs. Some had tatted or crocheted borders . . others beautiful embroidery.

(An aside—Does anyone know how to tat anymore? It is so delicate and beautiful.)

Grandma said the handkerchiefs weren’t very fancy. Were they actually plain or did she just think that she wasn’t very talented at making handkerchiefs.

From one yard of handkerchief linen six squares may be cut and trimmed.

Ladies Home Journal (December, 1912)

Girl’s Club December Activities

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

Friday, December 13, 1912: Our Literary Society met today. I didn’t take part this time. The kids got their parts off pretty good. Don’t have to go back to school again for two weeks. I’m so glad.

Building that once housed McEwensville School.

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

Wow, they had a long school break for the holidays a hundred years ago.

Grandma really enjoyed being a member of the Literary Society at her school. Across the last few months I’ve struggled to figure out exactly what the Literary Society did. At first I thought it was a book club—but more recent diary entries, including this one, suggest that they put on some sort of program.

I think that maybe I’ve figured it out. I found an article in the December 1912 issue of Ladies Home Journal called “The Rural School at Christmas.” It discusses how the rural school is often the center of social activities during the holiday and contained several suggestions.

One suggestion described activities a girl’s club could do. I think that the girl’s club described in the magazine sounds very similar to the Literary Society at McEwensville High School.

A Club for Girls

During the Christmas month this club looks up all of the literature and music bearing on Christmas. Christmas stories are told and Christmas songs and hymns practiced.

Ladies Home Journal (December, 1912)

Pink Eye

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

Tuesday, December 10, 1912: I’ve got the pink eye now. It’s in both eyes. I look a good bit like a fright. Can’t see very well at present. Oh dear, I wonder when I’ll get over my terrible diseases.

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

Good grief! PINK EYE! Grandma was sick so much during Fall, 1912—and I was really hoping she was getting over the cold that she’s complained about on and off ever since November 28. Now this . .

Here’s a remedy for sore eyes in a hundred –year-old book called The Compendium of Everyday Wants:

The following is a soothing lotion to be applied with an eye bath several times a day. One grain borax, one ounce camphor water.

Spanish Needles–A Pesky Plant or a Home Remedy?

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

Monday, December 9, 1912: Get in the Spanish Needles and had to pick them off of my clothes.

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

Spanish Needles are so annoying—

I have often gotten Spanish Needles on my clothes, but when I read this diary entry I couldn’t picture what the plants looked like . I never seem to notice the pesky plant until after tiny barbs are embedded in my cloths.

I googled Spanish Needle and discovered that it is part of the Astor family. There are several different closely related plants that are called Spanish Needle. Some have yellow flowers. . others have white flowers.

Grandma probably was just distracted and bumped against the Spanish Needle plants, but there’s a slim possibility that she was trying to gather Spanish Needle leaves (Are the leaves still on the plants in December?) to make tea and got the needles on her clothes.

For the past week or so, Grandma’s been sick with a bad cold and sore throat—and Spanish Needles are an old-fashioned remedy.

Its leaves are chewed for sore throat or boiled to make a tea that is said to help with upper-respiratory infections.

Our Local Life: What We Need is Here

Old-fashioned Crocheted Bags

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

Saturday, December 7, 1912: Am still ailing. Glad tis Saturday, so I don’t have to miss school.

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

It’s no fun to be sick! I often do handwork or crafts when I don’t feel well. I wonder if Grandma was feeling good enough to make any Christmas presents.

The November, 1912 issue of Ladies Home Journal showed some awesome crocheted bags that she might have been able to make.