$5 Bill is Crowning Star of Graduation Gifts

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

Thursday, June 12, 1913: I was a bad girl today and am taking myself to task.

When Pa came home he brought me a graduating present. It was the crowning star of them all: a five dollar bill.

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

This is one of the few time that Grandma mentioned her father in the diary. It generally seemed like he probably spent much of his time out in the barn or fields—and that he wasn’t very involved in household activities

The previous day Grandma wrote that her father was away and that her married sister Ruth had come out to “help take care of us for Pop was away.”

What was he doing when he was away? Whatever it was must have gone extremely well, if he felt prosperous enough to give Grandma a five dollar bill for a graduation present. This would be the equivalent of about $120 today.

The graduation gifts sure straggled in over a long time period,Grandma graduated from McEwensville High School on April 23. In April she wrote that her mother gave her a $2 gold piece. It’s surprising that her father gave a separate gift, and that it took him a month and a half to give it to her.

Grandma made quite a haul. This is at least the 22nd gift that she received.

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Overall a good day—but Grandma was mad at herself. Why did she do that she was taking herself to task?

Married Sister “Taking Care” of Family

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

Wednesday, June 11, 1913: Besse came out this evening to stay overnight and take care of us for Pop was away.

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

Where did Grandma’s father go? . . . and why? Farmers generally stay pretty close to home—especially during the busy planting and harvesting seasons.

Besse was Grandma’s oldest sister. She was married and lived in the nearby town of Watsontown.

Why did the family need to be cared for when their father was gone? Grandma was 18-years-old and her mother probably was also at home (at least the entry doesn’t indicate that she went anywhere). Seven-year-old Jimmie was the only person who seems like he may have needed any care–but I don’t picture that her father was generally very involved in taking care of him.

You’d think that two adult women won’t need another one to take care of them.

Maybe what Grandma really meant was that Besse came out to help with all of the farm work. The diary entry two days ago said that Grandma’s sister Ruth had gone on a trip to Washington, DC, so the farm was short-handed by two people .

Old Washington DC Excursion Train Ad

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

Tuesday, June 10, 1913: Nothing much doing.

Source: Watsontown Record and Star (May 1, 1914)

$3.00 LOW RATE

Sunday Excursion

Washington

Sunday, May 3

A Rare Chance to Visit the National Capital

SPECIAL TRAIN LEAVES

Williamsport . . . 12:01 A.M.

Market Street. . . 12:05 A.M.

Muncy . . . 12:30 A.M.

Montgomery. . . 12: 38 A.M.

Dewart. . . 12:47 A.M.

Watsontown . . . 12:52 A.M.

Milton. . . 1:02 A.M.

Returning, Special Train will leave Washington. . . 5:40 P.M.

The Trip of a life-time. An education as well as a delight. An opportunity to see “The Heart of the Nation,” a city of magnificent distances, unlike any other city in the country.

An Ideal Sunday Outing

See the New National Museum, Library of Congress, Capitol Building, Concoran Art Gallery, and the varied sights of Washington, “The City Beautiful.”

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

Grandma’s sister Ruth left the previous day for a week-long trip to Washington DC.

Today the 200 mile drive from McEwensville to Washington DC takes at least 3 1/2 hours. I have no idea how low the train ride was a hundred years ago.

It is not what Ruth did, but I was surprised to discover that back then there were one-day excursion trips to DC from central Pennsylvania. The train left Williamsport right after midnight—and picked up people in several nearby towns and then raced to DC. The route would be reversed in the evening.

Imagine the excitement of catching a train in the middle of the night—and pulling into Union Station at dawn. . . and seeing the capitol outlined in the early morning sunlight.

Dang—I almost put myself into the story—and was ready to book a seat on the next excursion train; then I remembered that it was 2013.

Sister Visits Washington, DC

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

Monday, June 9, 1913: Our dear Ruthie left this morning for Washington DC. Wonder what I will do without. She won’t be home for a week at least. I surely will be lonely while she’s gone.

Am fixing my last summer’s white dress. It got too tight around the waist. Isn’t that a calamity?

DC.capitol.1913 — Post card of US Capitol, Washington, DC (circa, 1913)

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

Even today, trips to Washington, DC are often considered really special trips. I wonder why Grandma’s sister Ruth went to DC. Was it a holiday trip with friends?

. . . Or maybe the trip was work related. Ruth was a teacher at a one-room school house—maybe teachers were able to take trips to DC for professional development reasons.

Post card of Union Station,Washington, DC (circa 1913)

In any case, Grandma sounds bummed. Is she most concerned about the extra work she’d have to do (there were definitely more cows to milk twice a day without Ruth, and probably lots of other additional chores). . . or about being lonely without a sister to talk with?

And, any day is a bad day when you realize you’ve gained a few pounds.

Which Margaret Does the Diary Entry Refer to?

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

Sunday, June 8, 1913: Went to Sunday School this morning. From there I went along home with Margaret. Spent the afternoon and I came home later on.

2010 photo of the same section of Main Street, McEwensville. — I can picture Grandma and Margaret happily chatting as they walked down this street on a nice June day a hundred years ago.

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

Another minor mystery–Margaret could refer to one of two friends: Margaret Bryson or Margaret G. (I don’t know Margaret G.’s last name. )

My gut feeling is that Grandma went home with Margaret Bryson after Sunday School (though I don’t think that Margaret Bryson generally attended the same church–the McEwensville Baptist Church– as Grandma), because she is the Margaret most recently mentioned in the diary. She was the sister of Blanche Bryson and on May 13, 1913, Grandma wrote:

. . . The Bryson girls were down.

But, then again, Margaret might refer to another friend, Margaret G. On January 29, 1913 Grandma wrote:

. . . Margaret G. came home with me to stay till tomorrow. We had a dandy time this evening, although I am afraid our lessons suffered some. Rufus made candy. And so the evening went.

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I’d like to thank Janet Shuman for making a comment on the previous post about the Bryson girls. She told me that Margaret was the name of Blanche’s sister. Janet is related to the Brysons—and her comments have really helped me learn more about them.

Didn’t Do Very Much (Again)

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

Saturday, June 7, 1913: Didn’t do very much today, as there wasn’t very much to do.

Recent photo of the stream that flows through the farm Grandma grew up on. The old Muffly barn is in the background--and the cows were probably pastured in this field. — Recent photo of the stream that flows through the farm where Grandma grew up. If you look really hard, you can seen the house and barn through the trees.

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

Sigh . . . Nothing happened, AGAIN???!!!??. . . Grandma must have done something a hundred years ago today.

This is the fourth day in a row that Grandma either wrote that there wasn’t anything worth writing about or that she didn’t do very much.

There are numerous places throughout the diary where Grandma indicated that nothing happened on a certain day –but generally this type of entry was isolated and sandwiched between entries of more substance.

What was happening (or not happening) in Grandma’s life in June, 1913 that made her feel like she had nothing to write about? Was she too tired to write because she was working very hard on the farm? . . . or was she bored now that the excitement over her high school graduation was long past? . . .or . . .

Birthstones, 1913 and 2013

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

Friday, June 6, 1913: Nothing doing, therefore not worth writing about.

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

Since Grandma again didn’t write much, I’m going to pick up where I left off yesterday. Yesterday I wrote about how an advice columnist named “Aunt Harriet” told young men in the April, 1913 issue of Farm Journal about what they should expect to pay for a wedding and engagement ring.

Aunt Harriet bemoaned the high cost of diamond engagement rings and wrote that:

Of late years it has become quite customary to use the birthstone of the young lady for the engagement ring, and these can be had in a variety of settings and at various prices.

She continued:

The stones for the twelve months are as follows: January, garnet; February, amethyst; March, bloodstone; April, diamond; May, emerald; June moonstone; July, ruby; August, sardonyx; September, sapphire; October, opal; November, topaz; December, turquoise.

I had a vague memory that modern lists of birthstones include zircon for one of the months, so checked the American Gem Society website and found that the stones have changed for a few of the months since 1913.

The 1913 August birthstone was sardonyx. It’s a banded mineral that was often carved into cameos.