Need to Watch Cows Again–But School Begins Soon!

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

Saturday, August 26, 1911:Everything seemed to have gone wrong today. Hard to tell what the cause really is. I have to watch the cows, and I don’t like it, but school will soon start and then that task will be ended.

I bet that the pasture on the Muffly farm looked similar to this one. (August 1, 1911 cover of Kimball's Dairy Farmer Magazine)

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

I continue to be befuddled by diary entries that talk about watching the cows. Grandma mentioned watching them numerous times during the summer. She also wrote about chasing cows that had somehow gotten into the corn field, orchard, and other places they weren’t supposed to be. And, she mentioned when she was finished watching the cows:

I’m through watching cows for the present time—at least. That was my duty for one wk.

May 26, 1911 diary entry

There must have been several people who took turns watching the cows. Grandma probably was responsible for watching the cows for a week; then she probably had several weeks off while others–her sister Ruth, her mother (??), others (??)–watched them

I remain clueless as to why the cows needed to be watched. It still seems like they should have been securely contained in fields fenced with barbed wire, but apparently they weren’t.

Vaccinating for Smallpox a Hundred Years Ago

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

Friday, August 25, 1911: Jimmie the cub was vaccinated this morning and looked so very much in pain, but still nervous during the process. It has been so rainy all day and is raining. I guess unless it has stopped awhile ago. My everyday shoes, like the Wonderful One Hoss Shay seemed to have gone to pieces all at once, so I have cast them aside for a better pair, but will soon follow their predecessors.

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

Grandma’s 5-year-old brother Jimmie would begin school in September, so he needed to get a smallpox vaccination.

I’m not sure exactly what the laws were in Pennsylvania in 1911, but in 1905 a US Supreme Court decision (Jacobson vs. Massachusetts) upheld the right of a state to require the smallpox vaccination.

Fewer people got smallpox in 1911 than in previous generations because vaccination programs were becoming well established—but there still were regular outbreaks across the U.S.

I was amazed to discover that people were actually catching smallpox in central Pennsylvania in 1911.

I’m again sharing an article Milton Evening Standard that I first posted on January 21 because it is so relevant to this entry.

In January 1911 there were smallpox outbreaks in two nearby towns (Washingtonville and Mausdale) located about 15 miles east of the Muffly farm.

Milton Evening Standard, January 21, 1911


Two Bachelor Uncles

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

Thursday, August 24, 1911: Although the weather looked exceedingly threatening this morning and continued to drizzle now and then all day, Ruth and I went over to Ottawa on the train in spite of the silvery rain drops. I have two bachelor uncles living there and wanted to go over so bad after an absence of seven year anyway, if not more. Our visit was but of short duration, but we intend however to visit them again this coming fall. Making a longer visit than this one and to visit a certain park not far away.

Recent photo of the railroad track by the Muffly farm. It's hard to picture, but there once was a feed mill by the tracks--and it was a flag stop for a passenger train.

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

Grandma and her sister Ruth probably flagged down the Susquehanna, Bloomsburg, and Berwick train at the feed mill near their farm. The train stopped at every hamlet between Watsontown and Berwick—and Ottawa was a stop on the line.

Ottawa is a tiny village in Limestone Township, Montour County—and is located about 12 miles east of the Muffly farm.

Transportation was more difficult a hundred years ago than it is today, but it seems somewhat surprising that Grandma hadn’t seen two uncles who lived only a few miles away for at least seven years.

I think that the bachelor uncles were Samuel and George Muffly.  They were brothers of Grandma’s father. According to the 1910 census Samuel Muffly was a 43-year-old single male. He lived with his 34-year-old brother George and his 59-year-old widowed sister Mary Feinour and her two children, 19-year-old S. Kathryn and 14-year-old John.

It seems odd that Grandma only mentioned her uncles and did not mention her aunt and cousins—but maybe they had moved out of the household by 1911.

(In case you care—The Church of Latter Day Saints Family Search tool makes it really easy to search old census records.  I also found Samuel in the 1920 census. He was still single and was still living in Limestone Township, Montour County—but he was living alone.)

Delightful Chats with Friends

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

Wednesday, August 23, 1911: Tweet and her mother were here this afternoon. Besser went to town this afternoon with her little “yum yum” to get him some things to wear to school. Miss Stout is called this evening, and we had a very delightful chat.

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

It sounds like a pleasant day spending time with friends. Tweet was Helen Wesner’s nickname.  Miss Stout referred to Carrie Stout. Both Tweet and Carrie were friends of Grandma’s.

Recent photo of the road Tweet and her mother would have taken to get from McEwensville to the Muffly farm. It would have still been dirt in 1911. (The roads have changed over the years--and this road now dead-ends at Interstate I-180.)

Based upon previous entries I thought that the Muffly’s did not have  a telephone—but this entry suggests that they may have recently gotten one. (Or perhaps “called” was being used in an older way and instead refered to a visit.)

Besser refers to Grandma’s married sister Besse. Besse did not have any children, but there  was a previous diary entry which mentioned Besse bringing her nephew out to the Muffly farm, so “yum yum” may refer to him. But why would a person be called a yum yum? . . . . I guess that slang  (and the meaning of slang words) has just changed over the years.

Mother’s 49th Birthday–She’s Getting Old

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

Tuesday, August 22, 1911:  Mother was kind of mad this morning. It was her birthday, and I guess she realizes she is getting old and doesn’t like the idea. I’m busy watching cows these sunny August days. Wouldn’t you like to help me. I surely would appreciate it.

Mother: Phoebe Muffly (Circa 1900--So she would have been about 11 years older than she is in the photo when this diary entry was written.)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years 

Grandma’s mother, Phoebe Derr Muffly, was born on August 22, 1862 so it would have been her 49th birthday. It sounds like she was having a bit of a middle-age crisis. Her youngest child, Jimmie, was going to enter first grade in a few weeks–so I suppose that she felt like she was moving into the next stage in her life.

For almost a quarter of a century child-rearing had been the center of Phoebe’s life. Her oldest living child Besse was born in 1888. (There may have been an older one who died at an early age—see previous post.)   Phoebe probably felt good to finally have her youngest child almost ready to start school—but it probably also was a bit scary and made her feel old.

In 1911 most women did not have jobs outside of the home and it often was even more traumatic for woman as they reached menopause than it is now.

A hundred years ago books and magazines encouraged women to develop new interests and become involved in new activities as their children grew up.

With a variety of valuable and permanent interests, the mind is well safeguarded against attacks of worry. A woman should increase her recreations, leave home for short intervals, travel . . .

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

Calf’s Weak in his Legs

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

Monday, August 21, 1911: Had to go up to McEwensville early this morning on an errand for Dadda. I have decided to name Mollie’s calf Wobbly as he is rather weak in his legs, but he’ll get stronger bye and bye.

A calf that is "strong in the legs" (Source: Wikemedia Commons)

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

The calf was born Saturday morning. I’m surprised that it was still wobbly. Most calves stand up within an hour or two of birth—and would be sure-footed by the time they are two days old.

Was Going to be Mad. . . But Then Decided Not To

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

Sunday, August 20, 1911: Went to Sunday School this morning. Went over to see Miss Carolyn this afternoon, but she happened to be not at home. I was going to be mad at her for something she didn’t do, but then decided not to. That’s the best way I guess. It wasn’t very much anyway.

Click on the photo to see a larger view of the diary entry.

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

This is the second time that Carolyn has been mentioned in the diary. She was previously mentioned six days earlier on August 14. I’ve not been able to figure out what her last name was.

We’ll never know what Carolyn didn’t do—and why it angered Grandma. But, I like the way Grandma worked her way through her anger at Carolyn as she wrote the entry.

. . . was going to be angry….but then decided not to…..that‘s they best way, I guess . . . .wasn’t very much, anyway.

I’m not a handwriting expert—but sometimes I can almost sense the emotion from the way certain words are written. It looks like Grandma pressed down very hard when she wrote the word “then”.

Grandma talks about being upset, but the bolded “then” (I think it was written with determination) suggests that Grandma was trying to mentally convince herself that she really wasn’t upset.