Menorah in 1914 Advertisement

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

Monday, May 4, 1914: Nothing much doing for today except to work.

Source: Ladies Home Journal (June, 1914)

What was Grandma doing? It hardly seems possible that the spring housecleaning would last this long, but maybe she was still helping with it.

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Occasionally a post takes a surprising twist or turn as I work on it—and goes off on a tangent. Today is one of those days.

I was looking for a 1914 advertisement for some sort of cleaning supply—and found this advertisement for Jap-a-Lac. As I was cropping it, I suddenly noticed that there was a menorah in the picture.

Why was a Jewish symbol in the ad? I know next to nothing about Jewish history a hundred years ago. Did many Jews live in the US in 1914? Did the Glidden Company think that putting a menorah in the ad would increase sales? Were the owners of the Glidden Jewish? . . . .

1914 Buster Brown’s Darnless Socks Advertisement

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

Sunday, May 3, 1914: Was going to a sale this afternoon but changed my mind and went someplace else. Am waiting on my thimble (Ma has it). Want to mend some holes in my socks.

Source: Ladies Home Journal (August, 1914)

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

Grandma- You need some Buster Brown Darnless Socks!

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Hmm . . . This is a really odd diary entry. May 3, 1914 was a Sunday.

The previous day (Saturday), Grandma wrote, “Ditto.”

Did she actually write both of entries at a later date—and get confused about which day was the Sunday? . . . though that doesn’t exactly make sense, since she seems to be writing in the moment.

Did Both Men and Women Garden a Hundred Years Ago?

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

Saturday, May 2, 1914: Ditto

Source: Vegetable Gardening (1914) — Source: *Vegetable Gardening* (1914)

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

Grandma probably was still doing the spring housecleaning. May is also a busy time for gardening. Did the Muffly women take any breaks from the cleaning to plant a few seeds?

Here’s some advice from a book published in 1914 by Samuel B. Green called Vegetable Gardening:

If one were to figure the actual value of vegetables that may be raised on a half-acre plot of garden, it would amount to at least $100—ten or fifteen times what any common field crop on the farm will produce in the same area.

Besides, there is the satisfaction of having vegetables fresh, and of much better quality than can be bought in town or from a neighbor, unless it be a very near neighbor. Vegetables lose their freshness and character when much time elapses between their harvesting and use.

Caring for the garden is a bugbear of many farmers. If properly laid out and managed, the labor required will not be much more than for corn.

The garden should be near the house. It may be that much of the labor of planting and care will fall upon the housewife and children; although this ought not be unless they desire it.

The garden pays well enough to be given proper attend from the men of the house. However, the women will probably prefer to harvest the crop, and perhaps plan the apportionment of the garden space.

Hundred-Year-Old Newspaper Article: “Woman Masqueraded As Man” for 60 Years

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

Wednesday, April 29, 1914: <<no entry>>

Source; Milton Evening Standard (April 2, 1914) — Source; *Milton Evening Standard* (April 2, 1914)

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

A hundred years ago today was one of the few days when Grandma didn’t write a diary entry. Since she didn’t write anything, I thought that I’d share a hundred-year-old article I recently came across when I was browsing through old microfilms of the Milton Evening Standard.

1914 Kodak Advertisement in Farm Magazine

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

Tuesday, April 28, 1914: Was going for trailing arbutus this afternoon, but the other girls didn’t have time to go, so it’s postponed til tomorrow. Developed my plates. The negatives are spotted some, where they got touched.

Source: Kimball's Dairy Farmer Magazine (June 1, 1914) — Source: Kimball’s Dairy Farmer Magazine (June 1, 1914)

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

Yeah Grandma! I’m glad that you’re still taking photos and developing them. This is the first time you’ve mentioned photography in months. What a fun hobby!—though it sounds difficult to get perfect photos.

What did you take photos of? . . . friends? . . . family? . . . or perhaps you convinced your parents to buy your film and supplies by saying that you’d take photos to help keep an accurate record of the farm operations.

The Homelike Little Church

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

Sunday, April 26, 1914: Went to Sunday School this morning. Called on a friend this afternoon.

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

Almost every Sunday Grandma went to church at the Baptist Church in McEwensville. The church building is long gone—and I have no idea what it looked like.

But the March, 1914 issue of Ladies Home Journal had an article about “the homelike little church.” Maybe the McEwensville Baptist Church was somewhat similar to the church in the drawings.

The interior was planned to make it as comfortable and homelike as possible.

1914 Flower Embroidery Designs

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

Saturday, April 25, 1914: Plugging away.

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

Oh dear—Sounds like Grandma was still helping with the spring housecleaning. Did she get any breaks in the work when she could relax, and do something she enjoyed? . . . perhaps do a little needlework?

These selections of designs bring out a very pleasing effect in embroidery done with silks and natural-colored linen. The flowers are worked solid and the leaves in long and short stitches. To develop the beauty of the pattern fully requires a very careful combination of color and shading.

One or two pieces of such distinctive work are sufficient in a room; if more is used the effect is too striking.

Ladies Home Journal (August, 1914)