Category: Other

Sunday Routines

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

Sunday, October 27, 1912:  Went to Sunday School this morning. Carrie was over this afternoon. Miss Tweet was here also.

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

Sounds like Grandma spent a nice afternoon with two friends—Carrie Stout and Helen (Tweet) Wesner.

Grandma’s Sunday’s had a general routine—Sunday school, visiting with friends or relatives, and maybe a fun or relaxing activity— like a walk with a friend, or making ice cream, etc.

Sometimes the Sunday entries seem boring, then I remember how Grandma had to work very hard all week at school and on the farm—and I realize that these entries actually probably describe some of her happiest times.

Helping Pater

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

Sunday, October 20, 1912:  Oh dear me, was helping the pater today.

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons

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

The tone of the diary entry suggests that Grandma didn’t enjoy helping her father. What might he needed help with on a Saturday in late October?

Husking corn?

Gathering and storing potatoes for the winter?

Picking apples?

Bringing pumpkins, squash, and other winter vegetables in from the field?

Helping repair a piece of broken machinery?

Helping clean manure out of the stables before the weather got too cold?

???

Some Previous Posts on Fall Activities

Husking Corn

Harvesting Potatoes

Hulling Black Walnuts

How to Crack Black Walnuts

Made a Resolution

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

Saturday, October 25, 1912:  I’ve resolved to do something if carried out, I think will prove very beneficial to me at least. I’m going to try anyway and see the result.

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

Hmm—What was the resolution? The previous day’s diary entry mentioned a “convention” in McEwensville—though it wasn’t clear what type of convention it was.

If it was some sort of religious event—maybe Grandma resolved to be a better, more religious person.

The convention may have been  sponsored by one of the churches in McEwensville.

St. Johns’ United Church of Christ (It was St. John’s Reformed Church in Grandma’s day.)
Building that once housed Messiah Lutheran Church

What Was the Convention?

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

Thursday, October 24, 1912:  Didn’t have school this afternoon so we could go without missing. It was very entertaining. Enjoyed it much.  Would like to have gone to the convention again tonight, but it was raining. That’s what if did this afternoon, too.

Was out to Ruthie’s school before I went up to the church. Took Jimmie out, that is he was to stay with her.

The road Grandma would have walked to McEwensville.

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

Grandma’s 7-year-old brother Jimmie also attended the McEwenville School. Their sister Ruth was a teacher at a nearby one-room school-house. Apparently the students at Ruth’s school didn’t get the afternoon off for the convention.

Why did Ruth need to babysit Jimmie while she was teaching. Maybe their parents also went to the convention.

I still haven’t figured out what the convention was—though Grandma mentioned it the previous day when she wrote:

Wanted to go to the Convention this evening, but it commenced to rain and Rufus said she wasn’t going, but she did go when Rachel came . .  .

It almost sounds like it was something associated with one of the churches in McEwensville—though I’m surprised that the students got time off school to attend a religious event.  Or maybe it was some sort of local political convention–elections were rapidly approaching both then and now.

May be at Foot of Class

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

Wednesday, October 22, 1912:  Wanted to so to the Convention this evening, but it commenced to rain and Rufus said she wasn’t going, but she did go when Rachel came, and so I’m struggling with my lessons. Made ninety-two, but that didn’t do much good. Some got a hundred. I hate to be at the foot of the class. Wonder if I am.

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

Yeah! 92% on a geometry test sounds good to me—especially since Grandma’s entry the previous day suggested that she thought that she hadn’t done well on it:

Came to the conclusion that I didn’t know very much in Geometry. We had an exam in it this morning.

And, in the past she’d done extremely poorly in geometry. The day after a geometry test in September she wrote:

 Was rather surprised at the mark I made yesterday. Didn’t think I would hardly get that. Twas the kind that dummies get.

September 25, 1912

Why did Grandma think that she may have come in at the foot of the class? . . . Maybe her teacher indicated that most people got a hundred when he returned the test.

The Convention

I have no idea what “the Convention” was, but it sounds like an important event of some sort.

Rufus refers to Grandma’s sister Ruth. Grandma sometimes called her Rufus in the diary when she was annoyed with her. Rachel Oakes was their friend and neighbor.

What Should Grandma Write?

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

Monday, October 21, 1912:  Some good kind of mortal ought to tell me what to write, for I am beginning to get at the end of my string, as you surely can see by the tone of this entry.

I wish that Grandma had described what downtown McEwensville was like back then. I think that some of these homes were stores back then.

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

It’s interesting how Grandma seemed annoyed with herself when she couldn’t think of anything to write. Since she was keeping the diary for herself, it seems like she might have just some skipped days. But, Grandma seemed very disciplined about writing something every day. She must have been very firm with herself.

Short Visit with Oldest Sister

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

Sunday, October 20, 1912:  Went to Sunday School this afternoon. Mrs. Besse was here when I came home, but didn’t seem to make a very long stay of it.

The four Muffly siblings. Left to right: Helena (seated), Besse, Jimmie, Ruth (circa 1912)

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

Mrs. Besse refers to Grandma’s oldest sister. Besse was married to Curt Hester and lived just outside of Watsontown—less than two miles from the Muffly farm.

This entry made me realize that Besse hasn’t been mentioned much in the diary recently.

I believe that she was most recently mentioned almost two months prior to this entry on August 9:

. . . Went to Sunday School this afternoon. Besse and Curt were here today.

Earlier in 1912, Besse had a baby that died shortly after birth. On April 9 Grandma wrote:

I was an aunt for one brief half a day yesterday, but didn’t know it until this morning. I was so disappointed when I heard it was dead. My little nephew was buried this afternoon. The baby I never saw. I feel like crying, when I think I am an aunt no longer.

My sense is that Besse was having a rough year—though you’d think she’d be spending more time with her mother and sisters rather than less.