19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Friday, April 24, 1914: Didn’t do anything hardly.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll share a fun 1914 ad for Postum. Can you still buy this old-fashioned coffee substitute? I haven’t seen it in years. I wonder if it really was better for us than coffee.
19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Sunday, April 19, 1914: Was storm staid at church this afternoon. Had on a pair of new shoes and no rubbers, but managed to get home all the same.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Grandma—
I hope your shoes weren’t ruined. Do your feet ache from walking home with wet feet? Maybe you’d feel better if you soaked your feet in TIZ.
19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Friday, April 17, 1914: Nothing much doing today.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll share a hundred-year-old advertisement for Underwood Deviled Ham.
According to Wikipedia, the William Underwood Company first made deviled ham in 1868.
The devil logo was trademarked in 1870 and it is the oldest food trademark still in use in the United States. The red devil that debuted in 1895 and started as a demonic figure who evolved into a much friendlier version when compared to the original.
Sometimes I’m amazed which foods have lasted for more than a hundred years.
19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, April 14, 1914: Was housekeeper today. Mother and Ruthie went on a shopping tour. Oh my, they did bring the things home. Ruth got a hat of the latest creation, trimmed and bowed for the family’s spectations.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Maybe Ruth’s hat had a “wired frill”
. . . Interesting that Grandma’s sister Ruth bought a new hat after Easter. Easter, 1914 was two days prior to this entry. Maybe the hat was on sale.
—
Spectations?? Is this another archaic word?
19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Saturday, April 11, 1914: Nothing much doing.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
The previous day Grandma went to shopping in nearby Watsontown. Did she walk past the Mansion House? It’s still around—though it’s morphed over the years from being a “modern” hotel to being a bar and grill.
19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Friday, April 10, 1914: Went to Watsontown this afternoon. Don’t have a new hat for tomorrow. Well, you see it will be Easter, that’s why. Oh, I don’t mean tomorrow; I mean the day after tomorrow.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Whew, another ambiguous diary entry. . .
Did Grandma buy an Easter hat when she went to Watsontown. . . or didn’t she?
19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Wednesday, April 8, 1914: Nothing much. Don’t seem to have so much to do. My music lesson is easy for one thing.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
What songs was Grandma learning how to play? Maybe she had sheet music for some popular songs.
Sheet music published between 1911 and 1914 that I recognized included:
1911
1912
1913
1914
You can find the lyrics and recordings for these songs (and many more) on the Public Domain Music.org site, as well as on YouTube.
