Former Pastor Preached Sermon

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

Sunday, June 7, 1914: Our former pastor was back to preach this morning. Went for a walk this afternoon.

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

Grandma attended the Baptist Church in McEwensville. The church hadn’t had a minister since early January—so it must have been a real treat to have a visit from the former pastor.

On January 4, 1914 Grandma wrote:

Our minister is going to leave soon. He preached his farewell sermon today. I am so sorry to see him go. There were some misty eyes in church this afternoon.

And, on March 29, 1914, she wrote:

Went to Sunday school this afternoon. Attended church, which isn’t very often since we don’t have a regular preacher as yet. . .

And, in the weeks since then she only mentioned going to Sunday School, so the church probably still did not have a new minister.

The McEwensville Baptist Church is long gone. It probably shuttered its doors sometime during the 1920s. A hundred years ago there were many more small churches in rural hamlets than there are now. Many struggled financial and found it difficult to keep a minister because they were unable to pay very much.

Dr. Price’s Vanilla Extract Advertisement

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

Saturday, June 6, 1914: Same as ever.

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

Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll share this advertisement for vanilla extract that appeared in the April, 1914 issue of Ladies Home Journal.

Went to Town

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

Friday, June 5, 1914: Went to Watsontown this morning.

Recent photo of the view Grandma would have had as she walked into Watsontown. (Well, the isn't exactly the same because 100 years ago there would have been a bustling railroad station where the vacant lot with the yellow truck is in the photo. — Recent photo of the view Grandma would have had as she walked into Watsontown. (Well, the isn’t exactly the same because 100 years ago there would have been a bustling railroad station on the right.)

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

Hmm. . . Why did Grandma go to the nearby town of Watsontown? . . . Did she go shopping? . . . Run an errand for her mother or father?

1914 Bridal Veils

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

Thursday, June 4, 1914: Ditto

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

Oh dear. . . another slow day. . . The previous day Grandma wrote, “Nothing doing.”

While Grandma was doing nothing, maybe she flipped through Ladies Home Journal and pored over the pictures of bridal veils—and selected her favorite veil, while dreaming that she’d someday have a storybook wedding. . . .Or maybe the pictures depressed her and made her worry that she’d never get married.

The New Bridal Veils

As old as the wedding ceremony itself is the custom of wearing the bridal veil. Of course the bridal veil need not be an expensive article, for, unless there is rare old lace in the possession of the brides’ family, it would be perfectly charming and dainty made of fine tulle or of sheer net. Fine lace may edge the veil, or form or trim the cap or head covering, but this is not essential for the beauty of the veil.

Trimming the veil with orange blossoms is likewise a custom of long standing. Still there is no reason why other white flowers or strings of pearl beads cannot be substituted should one’s fancy so dictate.

If you enjoyed these pictures and would like to see some more bridal veils from the same issue of Ladies Home Journal, go to Fashion a Hundred Years Ago. It is the companion site to this blog, and I posted several additional pictures there.

Lateral Trunk and Waist Exercises

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

Wednesday, June 3, 1914: Nothing doing.

Source: Personal Hygiene and Physical Training for Women (1911)

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

Grandma—

You seem so bored. I really hate to suggest it because you do so much hard physical labor—but maybe you’d feel a little better if you did a few exercises.

—

Here are the directions in a hundred-year-old book for doing Side Bend Exercises—though the book calls them Lateral Trunk and Waist Exercises (Good grief—that’s a mouthful. I wonder if that’s what people actually called this exercise back then.)

Lateral Trunk and Waist Exercises (Figs. 49, 50)

First Position—Stand with the feet nearly together and the arms extended above the head; the arms are relaxed at the wrists and elbows, so that a slightly curved line is formed as is shown in the figure. First sway to the left, bending at the waist line as far as possible, and return to the original position.

Second Position—The attitude is the same as in the first position; sway to the right in the same manner.

These exercises strengthen the muscles on the sides of the abdomen and the lower part of the back , and are an excellent means to reduce the size of the waist in case of corpulency.

Personal Hygiene and Physical Training for Women (1911) by Anna M. Galbraith

You might also enjoy this previous post:

Hundred-year-old Exercise for Shoulders and Back

Gossiping with a Friend

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

Tuesday, June 2, 1914: Carrie was over. We had some gossip and some other rare tidbits. Miss Ruthie, she spends the days away now.

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

Grandma—

Yeah! A friend managed to navigate her way into your lonely castle at the side of the brook!

What did you talk about? PLEASE tell us the gossip and the rare tidbits. We want ALL the juicy details.

—

Carrie Stump was a friend of Grandma’s who lived on a nearby farm.

—

Hmm. . . Miss Ruthie? . . . Was Grandma annoyed,? . . . Jealous? . . .Grandma had various nicknames for her sister Ruth. For example, she often called her Rufus when she was upset with her.

What was Ruth doing these days? Ruth was a teacher at a nearby one-room school house during the school year—and in past years she helped with the house and farm work during the summer months. Did Ruth have a job in Summer 1914? . . . or was she spending her days at friends’ homes? . . . or doing something else?