Tag: 1911

Grandma’s Personality: Unbroken, Feisty . . .

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

Wednesday, September 27, 1911: All my fears, my doubts are over. Mollie and I are just in clover. She stands to perfection. She is entirely broken, hers indeed is a gentle nature, almost the opposite of her owner.

"Broken" cow standing still while being milked. (Photo source: Kimball's Diary Farmer Magazine, December 15, 1911)

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

Mollie was Grandma’s cow. She had her first calf in August and it was sold two days prior to this diary entry. Grandma worried that the young cow would not take kindly to being milked—but Mollie apparently stood still and didn’t kick.

It’s interesting how Grandma compared herself to the cow. She said that the cow had been broken and had a gentle nature—but that she’s the opposite

This implies that Grandma considered herself to be feisty, energetic, a firebrand, a rabble-rouser.  . . .

I’d also argue that she was self-reflective.

I’m not sure whether Grandma saw these attributes as good or bad. Women a hundred years ago were generally encouraged to be obedient and to subsume personal desires. However, the suffragettes were active in urban areas —so maybe Grandma was able to see her spirited personality in a positive way.

But my gut feeling is that Grandma didn’t appreciate the value of these traits. Grandma was probably constantly told  by her parents and others that she was stubborn—and, reading between the lines– I sense that she was trying to change herself so that she was better behaved like the cow.

I know that I can’t change the past so I shouldn’t even go there, but I really, really hope that Grandma wasn’t too hard on herself.  A little feistiness is much better than a broken spirit.

Pull the Blinds–There’s a Burial in the Cemetery

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

Tuesday, September 26, 1911:  Was in doubts and fears as to how Mollie would act when I commenced to milk her. Pop milked her last night, but I had to do it after that, so I got up early this morning, resolving to come off conquering and I did. Hurrah. She didn’t kick.

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

The calf of Grandma’s cow Mollie was sold the previous day. It sounds like Mollie is adjusting to the change.

The previous day’s issue of the Milton Evening Standard had a front page article about the death of John Sheep, the grandfather of Grandma’s friend Helen  “Tweet” Wesner.  It says that Mr. Sheep died at his home after a long illness.

Milton Evening Standard (September 25, 1911)

I wonder if Tweet was upset—though I suppose that she probably was expecting it.

The article indicates that Mr. Sheep was buried on this date in the cemetery next to the McEwensville school.

My father says that when he was a child attending this same school that the classroom blinds were always drawn whenever there was an interment to keep the children from getting upset. It probably was the same a generation earlier when Grandma was a student.

The brick building in the background once housed McEwensville School.

It seems like it would be equally upsetting to know why the blinds had been drawn but not be allowed to see it—but I guess that people handled death differently back then.

In many ways death was closer to people a hundred years ago. Most people died at home —yet the community apparently tried to protect children from death by doing things like pulling the blinds.

Teaching Farm Kids the Value of Money

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

Monday, September 25, 1911:  Our old teacher Mr. Northrop came back to teach school today. I like him better than the substitute we had. Sold Mollie’s calf today. Weighed 145 lbs. Came to $10.87. Quite a vast sum to get all at once. Guess I’ll save it and get a watch or something as useful.

Kimball's Dairy Farmer Magazine (June 15, 1911)

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

Mollie was a cow that Grandma owned. The calf was a little over a month old. (It was born on August 19.)

It’s uncanny—but this diary entry brings back strong memories of my own childhood.  It’s amazing how some child rearing practices go forward from one generation to the next.  . . .

My parents taught me about money by enabling me to become the owner of a cow. I’m now guessing that my father was taught the value of money by becoming the owner of a cow—just as his mother (Grandma) had before him.

When I was 9 or 10 I joined a 4-H club—and wanted to show a calf. My father said that I could buy a calf from him for $25. I only received a dollar a week allowance—and did not have anything close to $25. So he got an envelope out, labeled it “Sheryl’s calf”, and said that I should put half of my allowance into it each week. He then stuck the envelope in a cubby hole of his large roll-top desk.

Every week, I’d pull the envelope out and put two quarters into it. Occasionally I’d count the money to see how close I was to $25. Sometimes I’d ask my parents if I could exchange some of the quarters in the envelope for dollar bills. And then later I exchanged dollars for five- or ten-dollar bills.

The money accumulated and in less than a year I owned my own calf named Dolly. After Dolly grew into a cow, she had calves of her own. If it was a male calf, the calf was sold and I received the money. If it was a female calf it was mine—and the size of my personal herd grew.

Sometimes Little Brothers Get Even

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

Sunday, September 24, 1911: Went to Sunday School this afternoon. Only learned seven verses for today usually have twenty-seven. Was fooling with Jimmie tonight sprinkling him with water, but pretty soon he gave me a regular dunking (almost a whole tin cup full I judge) when I least expected it. Had to hang my dress up to dry.

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

Jimmie was Grandma’s six-year-old brother. Sometimes when you tease little brothers they get even.

Memorizing Bible Verses

Whew, I can’t even imagine having a goal of memorizing 27 Bible verses a week. In fact, I can’t even imagine memorizing 7 Bible verses per week. Grandma was trying to memorize 700+ Bible verses for Sunday School so that she’d get a free Bible.  The diary entry from the previous Sunday said:

One reason for my regular attendance is that if you learn a number of verses from the Bible (over 700 it is) you will in the course of time receive a Bible.

Awful Morning: Needed Some Peace

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

Friday, September 22, 1911: Had such an awful time this morning. Everything seemed to have something wrong about it. Decided to clear out this afternoon and have some peace, so I walked over to Ruthie’s school and made her a visit.

Sometimes a walk just makes you feel better!

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

Grandma didn’t have school on this day. McEwensville High School was closed on both Thursday and Friday so students could attend the Milton Fair. She’d gone to the fair on Thursday—so she was at home on this Friday morning.

Did Grandma and her mother had a disagreement over what she should be doing? . . maybe washing the dishes vs. reading? . . . or doing the laundry vs. relaxing? . . . or . . .

I’m not sure exactly which school her sister Ruth taught at—but it probably was one of the one-room school houses near McEwensville. It seems odd that it was in session when the McEwensville School gave students the day off.

Rode Ferris Wheel

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

Thursday, September 21, 1911: Went to the Fair today with Miss Carrie of course. We took a ride on the Ferris Wheel (a thing I was never on before) and a ride on the Curling Wave. Saw a good many people I knew and more that I didn’t know. I got rather tired walking around all afternoon and sot such a thumping headache. Got home about six o’clock and then had to do all the milking as Ruthie hadn’t yet made her arrival.

The Ferris Wheel at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 (Photo Source: Wikipedia)

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

Grandma and her friend Carrie Stout went to the Milton Fair. According to yesterday’s entry McEwensville High School gave the students the day off to attend the fair.

The rides sound exciting. I checked Wikipedia and discovered that the first Ferris Wheel was at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. It was invented by a bridge builder named George Ferris, and manufactured by Bethlehem Steel in Pittsburgh.

I was somewhat surprised that a fair in central Pennsylvania would have a Ferris Wheel only 18 years after very first Ferris Wheel was created. I imagined that new technology once diffused more slowly than it does today. But I guess that 18 years was a long time—both then and now.

I asked my father about the Milton Fair. He cannot remember there ever being a fair at Milton, but says that when he was young, people called the area on both sides Route 405 near the Arrowhead Restaurant “the fairgrounds”.

Fair Week!

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

Wednesday, September 20, 1911: Guess this was our teacher’s last day, and I’m not sorry. Our real teacher is coming next Monday so I have heard. Papa and Mamma and Jimsey went to the fair this afternoon. I expect to go tomorrow if the weather is favorable. We have Thursday and Friday off for the fair.

I always feel especially energetic and alive on beautiful fall days--I wonder if that's how Grandma felt as she planned her trip to the fair. (McEwensville is in the background of this recent photo.)

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

The students at McEwensville High School have had a substitute teacher since the beginning of the school years (see yesterday’s post for more details).

McEwensville High School and the primary school shared a building (the high school was on the second floor; Grades 1-8 were on the first). Apparently the primary school didn’t have classes a hundred years ago today—since Grandma’s little brother Jimmy went with her parents to the fair. I wonder why the high school had school. You’d think that two schools would have been on the same schedule.

Well as least she got Thursday and Friday off—and is ready for some fun.