17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Sunday, September 15, 1912: Went to Sunday School this morning. Was over to see Carrie this afternoon.
A recent late summer photo of a corn field at the edge of McEwensville.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Carrie refers to Grandma’s friend Carrie Stout. She lived on a nearby farm that was located about half way between Grandma’s house and McEwewnsville.
Carrie is the most frequently mentioned friend in the diary—and she seemed to be Grandma’s closest confidant. I think she was a couple of years younger than Grandma.
What did the teens do on a nice September afternoon? . . . chat about the latest happenings? . . . gossip about other friends?. . . giggle about cute buys? . . . go for a walk? . .. explore new things? . . .
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Sunday, September 8, 1912: Went to Sunday School this afternoon. Had Harvest Home services at church.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Harvest Home was one of my favorite Sundays when I was a child. Do any churches still have Harvest Home services?
I loved to gather fruits and vegetables for the beautiful display in the front of the church—and then during the service I enjoyed looking at the interesting squash, pumpkins and other vegetables. And, it always made me feel good that the food would be given to needy families after the service.
A hundred years ago did Grandma also gather produce for Harvest Home, and help create the display?
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Saturday, September 7, 1912: My Saturday’s work is done for today, but I still have a heap of lessons to digest before Monday makes its appearance again. It usually takes me awhile to get myself in the notion of studying. After which I usually go to work.
Recent picture of the house and yard where Grandma lived when she wrote the diary.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
I’m surprised how insightful Grandma was when she realized that even though she tended to procrastinate that she would eventually accomplish the task at hand.
When I was a teen, I got mad at myself for dawdling—yet I continued to do it over and over; and never seemed to “learn” to get things started early.
I don’t think that I knew myself well enough when I was young to realize that I will eventually get a task done (and done well) even if I delay starting it. Now I see procrastination as part of the process (and a time for creative thinking).
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, September 3, 1912: Nothing doing today.
President William Taft (Republican)
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Since nothing much happened in Grandma’s life a hundred years ago today, I’m going tell you a little about the 1912 presidential race.
(Somehow with the Republican convention last week and the Democratic one this week, this seems like an appropriate time to step back and take a look at the big picture.)
Lots of economic, social, and environmental issues dominated the campaign rhetoric in 1912:
How much power should corporations have?
Should tariffs be high or low?
Was the government corrupt?
Did political machines have too much power?
How important were environmental issues?
What role should government play in developing social welfare policies?
Should woman have the right to vote?
What role should Blacks have in the political process?
Should children be allowed to work?
In 1912, William Taft was the current president, but there was a three-way race between Taft (Republican), Theodore Roosevelt (Bull Moose Party), and Woodrow Wilson (Democratic).
Former President Theodore Roosevelt (Bull Moose)
There had been a schism in the Republican Party between Taft and Roosevelt, which led to Roosevelt breaking away to form the Bull Moose Party.
Roosevelt had been president early in the 20th century. He was part of the progressive wing of the Republican party, but in 1908 he decided that he did not want to run for re-election and supported Taft as the Republican nominee.
However, by 1912 Roosevelt felt that Taft had not appropriately continued the progressive path he’d begun, and ran against him for the Republican nomination. When Roosevelt lost the nomination he founded the Bull Moose Party.
(Roosevelt said that he was as fit as a bull moose—and somehow it ended up being the party name.)
This split basically ensured that Woodrow Wilson would win.
Wilson was the governor of New Jersey when he received the Democratic nomination. He’d previously been president of Princeton University—but in 1910 ran for governor because he was frustrated by the infighting within the university over issues such where the graduate school building should be located, and whether or not there should be eating clubs on the campus.
Woodrow Wilson (Democrat)
Wilson stayed out of the brawl between Taft and Roosevelt, and easily won the election.
Many of the campaign issues soon seemed less important. . .
. . . . in 1914, World War I would break out in Europe.
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How aware was Grandma of the national issues? Did she listen to any campaign speeches supporting one or another of the candidates? Did her father talk about who he planned to vote for? Did she hope that within a few years that she’d be able to vote?
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Saturday, August 31, 1912: The Lutherans had their S.S. picnic down at the park today. I got down there sometime after eleven. On the whole I had quite a nice time. Met three or four girls, four it was. Didn’t have to do the milking when I came home, as it was already done.
Raymond Swartz
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Was Grandma’s future husband (and my grandfather), Raymond Swartz, also at the picnic?
My grandparents were members of Messiah Lutheran Church in McEwensville when I was a child. I assume that Raymond was raised Lutheran, and that Grandma converted from Baptist to Lutheran when she got married.
Raymond lived on a farm just south of McEwensville and also attended McEwensville High School. He was three and a half years younger than Grandma—and did not seem to be on her radar screen when she was writing the diary.
When Grandma wrote this diary entry she was17—Raymond was 13.
Farm Chores
Did Grandma’s sister Ruth do Grandma’s share of the milking? Numerous diary entries mention times when Ruth got home late –and Grandma got stuck with the milking. For example, on June 12, 1912, she wrote.
I’m mad at that Ruth tonight. She goes away and leaves me with the milking.
I think this is the first time a diary entry suggests that maybe Ruth also got stuck with all the milking sometimes.
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Thursday, August 29, 1912:Was real nice going to school this morning. You see it rained last night. Had our first visitors at school today. They were Miss Cakes and Miss Bryson. We had our last class, while they were there.
Recent photo of building that once housed McEwensville High School.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
It sounds like the rain the previous night broke a hot spell.
Here’s what the weather report in the New York Times for August 29, 1912 said.
The Weather
. . . Temperatures remain below the seasonal average in the Northeastern States, the region of the Great Lakes, and the Upper Mississippi Valley, and continue high in the Lower Ohio and Middle Mississippi Valleys and throughout the South. . . . .
Steamships departing Thursday for European ports will have moderate variable winds and overcast showery weather to the Grand Banks.
Cool—It’s amazing that there was a steamship forecast. How many steamships left the port of New York on a typical day? . . . How many people were on those ships? There must have been a lot or the New York Times probably wouldn’t have included the steamship forecast.
Visitors
I’m not sure who the two visitors were. Miss Bryson might possibly refer to Blanche Bryson, She was a friend of Grandma and her sister Ruth.
