What Kind of Clocks Did People Have in 1913?

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

Sunday, May 18, 1913: Went to Sunday School this afternoon. Had to hurry some while on the way, for I thought I would be later and I was.

Source: Kimball's Dairy Farmer Magazine (December 15, 1911) — Source: Kimball’s Dairy Farmer Magazine (December 15, 1911)

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

Grandma–How late were you? . . .a few minutes? . . half an hour? Weren’t the clocks working quite right at home?

According to Wikipedia, wrist watches didn’t become popular until the 1920s. What kinds of clocks did your family have? . . . a wind-up alarm clock? . . . a wind-up pocket watch? . . . a grandfather’s clock?. . . some other kind of pendulum clock?

A Celebration of Something

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

Saturday, May 17, 1913: Went to Watsontown this afternoon. There was a big time going on in there. The celebration of something. I don’t just know exactly what. There must have been at least four or five different bands. I’m pretty tired by this time. Had to do all the milking after I came home.

Were the bands marching down Main Street?

Or maybe they were playing at the Watsontown Park.

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

Hmm—Sounds like fun, though it’s interesting that Grandma wasn’t quite sure what the event was about.

Did her sister Ruth stay at the celebration in Watsontown?

Based on previous diary entries, I think that Grandma and Ruth typically each milked several cows.

They sometimes traded the milking chore so that one of them could do something else. Grandma might milk Ruth’s cows one day—and Ruth would milk Grandma’s a few days later.

1913 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Advertisement

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

Friday, May 16, 1913: Doing nothing of any account.

Why The Motorcycle Keeps Boys on the Farm

Don’t expect your boy to be happy on the farm if the summer season brings only work. When the day’s works is over don’t tell him, the horses are too tired for road work, because it is this tying to the farm, this inability to join his chums in their pastimes or to seek his own pleasures that often makes farm life distasteful to him. Get him a

HARLEY-DAVIDSON

It will let down the bars and take him where he wishes in a fraction of the time he would use by team. It will open up a thousand and one pleasures heretofore denied him. You will find he will return at bed time, happy, contented and satisfied with his lot in life. But when you buy him a motorcycle, be sure that you obtain one that is economical, reliable and durable. Buy him a Harley-Davidson, because

It is the Most Economical

The Harley-Davidson holds the world’s official record for economy.

It is the Most Reliable

The Harley-Davidson is the only machine which has ever been awarded a diamond medal and a thousand plus five score in an endurance contest. The plus five was for its super-excellent performance. These awards were made by the National Federation of American Motorcycles.

It is the Most Durable

The first Harley-Davidson made, over eleven years ago, has covered now over one hundred thousand miles and is still giving satisfaction and today retains even its original bearings.

Seven departments of the U.S. Government use a total of nearly 4000 of these machines.

Over 3000 R.F. D. Carriers daily cover their routes on a Harley-Davidson, a fitting tribute to the reliability of this machine.

Call on our nearest dealer for demonstration or write for catalog.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company

PRODUCERS OF HIGH GRADE MOTORCYCLES FOR OVER ELEVEN YEARS

776 A Street MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

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

Grandma wrote little, but probably was working very hard.—doing housecleaning, cooking, farm chores, etc.

The sons of farmers also worked hard—and this June 15, 1913 advertisement in Kimball’s Dairy Farmer magazine played on the fear that they might leave the farm for the city.

You also might enjoy these previous posts that contained other ads that played on similar fears.

Old Billard Table Advertisement

1913 Victor-Victrola Advertisement

Most Popular Baby Names, 1913 and 2013

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

Thursday, May 15, 1913: Doing nothing of any account.

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

Since Grandma didn’t have much to say a hundred years ago today, I’m going to follow-up on some comments I got several days ago—

On May 10, I did a post about whether Grandma’s name was really Helena or Helen. The post got lots of comments—and several people mentioned that their grandmother’s or great-grandmother’s name also was Helena or Helen.

This got me thinking about popular baby names in 1913—and popular names a hundred years later in 2013.

According the Baby Center website, none of the ten most popular baby names in 1913 were in the top ten in 2013.

Lysol Advertising, 1913 and 2013

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

Wednesday, May 14, 1913: Nothing much doing, but the doing of rubbing, scrubbing, etc.

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

The previous day Grandma wrote that she hoped to finish washing the kitchen ceiling “by tomorrow.” Hopefully she finished washing the kitchen ceiling and moved on to other tasks.

Did Grandma use Lysol? It’s amazing that it’s been around for more than 100 years.

The Way to get Real Lysol is to buy it in one of these three packages—never in bulk

By merely insisting on these original sealed bottles, you are sure of getting the real antiseptic and germicide, Lysol, itself.

Your physician will tell you it is important to get real Lysol, because imitations sold as Lysol and for Lysol, but which are not Lysol, may be crudely made, uncertain and unsafe in action, even positively dangerous—you can’t tell. But you can tell this—Only Lysol itself has the unique antiseptic, disinfectant and germicidal quality that have made it the standard product for over 20 years.

Three Sizes

25¢, 50¢, $.100

Sold by druggists everywhere

Look for Signature of LEHN & FINK on the Label

The value of the genuine Lysol is proved by its use as an antiseptic and disinfectant in practically every hospital in America. Nothing so completely destroys disease-germs, prevents infections, removes odors and makes the whole house sweet and clean. Your druggist has Lysol in original bottles (with full directions) which protect you against substitution and make Lysol’s use easy and convenient.

Write for Interesting Lysol Booklet

Full of helpful hints and listing the many uses of Lysol in the home.

Address

LEHN & FINK

Manufacturing Chemists

103 William Street, New York

The small words in the logo underneath Lysol say “better than carbolic acid.”

2013 Lysol Website

I compared the information on the current Lysol website with the hundred-year-old ad. Some of the ad lingo is similar—and some different. The website headlines say:

Lysol—kills 99.9% of bacteria

Introducing Healthing

Cleaning is hoping you’re killing germs, Healthing is knowing it. Stop just CLEANING. Start HEALTHING.

SPRING INTO ACTION. SPRING INTO HEALTH.

Washing the Kitchen Ceiling

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

Tuesday, May 13, 1913: Started to earn my dollar washing off the kitchen ceiling. Want to get it finished by tomorrow. The Bryson girls were down.

Blanche Bryson (Source: “Cut” from picture in History of the McEwensville Schools by Thomas Kramm. Used with permission.)

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

Really?? Washing the kitchen ceiling?? Why?? I’ve knocked a few spider webs down from ceilings, but I’ve never washed a ceiling in my life.

Whew, it must have been a lot of work, if it was going to take two days. At least Grandma got paid for doing it. $1 back then would be worth about $24 today.

The Bryson Girls

One of the Bryson girls would have been Blanche. She was a friend and Grandma’s and her sister Ruth, and is mentioned several places in the diary. Blanche was a teacher at the Keefertown School, a one-room school house, near McEwensville. Both Blanche and Ruth went to the Sunbury teachers’ meeting that I showed a picture of a few days ago. I’m not sure what the other Bryson girl’s name was.

Creamed Asparagus on Toast

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

Monday, May 12, 1913: No important events to record.

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

Did Grandma do any “unimportant” things a hundred years ago today? Did she help her mother with the cooking? If so, did they eat asparagus or any other fresh, seasonal vegetables?

Yesterday I bought some asparagus at the store. It was good, but not as tasty as the wild asparagus that I remember finding in fence rows when I was a small child.

We often only found a few tender shoots, and to make the delicacy go further, we’d cream it and serve it on toast.

Creamed Asparagus on Toast

1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups milk

toast

Put asparagus into small saucepan; cover with water; bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. In a frying pan, melt butter. Stir the flour into the butter. While stirring constantly, slowly pour in milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. If mixture is too thick, add a little more milk. Gently add the asparagus and bring back to a boil; remove from heat. Serve over toast.

Yield: 3 – 4 servings

An aside—Does anyone remember the book by Euell Gibbons called Stalking the Wild Asparagus? The author lived in central Pennsylvania when I was a teen, and— though I never met him—it seemed exciting to have a minor celebrity living in the general area.