How to Make Four Hats Out of One

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

Monday, September 8, 1913: Nothing very much.

The hat of black velours, showing its simple original shape with a band of black grosgrain ribbon one inch wide. (Ladies Home Journal: September, 1913)

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

Sounds like a slow day on the Muffly farm. After all of the work the previous week when the threshers were there, Grandma probably was ready for a more relaxing day.

Did she browse through the September, 1913 issue of Ladies Home Journal? If she did, she would have learned how to make four hats out of one. The article said that it was an “economical way to good dressing.”

The plain band need not be taken off for any of these trimmings, as the others cover it completely, and are applied with milliners’ pins.

The first illustration shows a drapery and long soft bow of Oriental ribbon, which is six-inches wide. Two yards are required to make it.

The second illustration, showing the Continental shape, the trimming is of white moiré ribbon, plaited, and made on a canvas foundation. Three yards of ribbon six inches wide is required to make it. The band measures three inches wide and the cockade six inches high, and three across, widening to five inches at the top.

A little more dressy touch is given in the third trimming, which shows a crushed band of soft silk ribbon of a deep orange color. The feather fantasy at the side is of the same color, shaded and tipped with coque. This is held in place by two small plaited bows of the ribbon. One yard and a half of ribbon about seven or eight inches wide will be required for this trimming. The bow measures four inches across and two inches wide.

Did Sister’s Milking

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

Sunday, September 7, 1913: Went to Sunday School this afternoon. We got a most refreshing rain towards evening. Ruthie is away to spend the day and I had the milking to do.

"Broken" cows standing still while being milked. (Photo source: Kimball's Diary Farmer Magazine, December 15, 1911) — Grandma probably milked cows in a barn that looked similar to this one. (Photo source: Kimball’s Dairy Farmer Magazine: December 15, 1911) .

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

Based on the diary, I think that Grandma and her sister Ruth shared the chore of milking the cows. The family probably had 6 or 8 cows—and each girl milked 3 or 4.

If one sister went somewhere, the other would milk all the cows. Over time the informal trading of the milking chore would balance out—and each sister got some needed breaks.

Grandma visited her cousin Alma for three days in August—and Ruth probably milked all the cows while she was gone. Now it was payback time.

It’s Easier to Practice When the Music’s Fun

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

Friday, September 5, 1913: I have such a pretty piece of music. I think I’ll have this one in better condition than my other ones, because I like it and it isn’t very hard.

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

Way to go, Grandma! I’m glad that you’re finally able to play some fun music—and you’re going to be well prepared for your weekly piano lesson

You’ve only been taking lessons since June—and so many diary entries have suggested that you’ve struggled to practice.

It is so much easier to practice pretty music than uninteresting pieces. Maybe you’re getting past those boring “beginner” pieces.

Hundred-Year-Old Directions for Boiled Ham

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

Thursday, September 4, 1913: I guess most any one could guess what followed for today.

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

This modern ham is NOTHING like hams a hundred years ago. Old-time hams were smoked in smoke houses, salty, and very flavorful (and probably had lots of nitrates that weren’t good for us). (Picture Source: Real Simple)

The threshers were at the Muffly farm. The previous day Grandma wrote that the threshing machine had arrived.

Neighbors and the threshing machine operators would all be helping with the threshing. And, the men who came to help expected a big meal. Grandma, her sister Ruth, their mother, and perhaps some neighbor women would have spent the day cooking and serving a huge meal—and then they would have washed mountains of dishes.

What did foods did they serve? . . . desserts . . . potatoes . . .meat. . . .

Ham was popular back then. I bet they served incredible ham that had been cured and smoked on the farm the previous winter.

Here are the directions for cooking a ham in a hundred-year-old cookbook:

Boiled Ham

Select a medium-sized ham; soak overnight in cold water. Clean and wipe; cover with cold water; bring to the boiling point, and then simmer until tender, allowing thirty minutes to the pound. Cool in water in which it was cooked. Take off the skin, sprinkle with sugar, and cover with seasoned cracker crumbs. Bake twenty to thirty minutes. Decorate with cloves, garnish with parsley and lemon, and serve hot or cold.

A more aromatic flavor is given to the ham if a bouquet of sweet herbs and one half cup each of onions, carrots, and turnips are boiled with it. Many baste the ham, when baking with cider.

Lowney’s Cook Book – Revised Edition (1912)

Here’s a few previous posts with recipes for seasonal foods that may have been served to the threshers:

Open-faced Apple Pie

Pickled Cabbage (Pepper Hash)

Pickled Beets and Eggs

Spiced (Pickled) Crab Apples

Hissing Threshing Machine Arrives

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

Wednesday, September 3, 1913: An old buzz of a threshing machine is hissing away outside now. I suppose I’ll have a nice time tomorrow.

Old postcard advertising a Case threshing machine. [circa 1910]

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

Threshing day was one of the busiest days of the year on farms a hundred years ago. In the days before combines, threshing machines separated wheat (and other small grains) from the straw. Huge steam-operated threshing machines went from farm to farm.

The threshing machine probably arrived on the Muffly farm with a hissing sound a hundred years ago today–and the actual threshing was done the following day.

The previous day Grandma’s father was ill and fainted—I hope that he was feeling better and able to help. (Maybe he’d overworked trying to prepare for the threshers—which somehow contributed to his fainting.)

I think Grandma was being sarcastic about having a nice time the next day. It took lots of labor to operate the threshing machines —and the men who came to help expected a big meal. Grandma probably planned to spend the day cooking, serving food, and then washing dishes.

Grandma’s diary entries in previous years about threshing provide more information about what threshing was like:

November 18, 1912:

I’m half way out of something that I worried about before school started, and that was that I was afraid I’d have to miss school when Pa had his threshing done. They started today and well I went to school today, too. So glad I don’t have to miss, that would be too bad for me.

[Note: Of course, Grandma didn’t need to worry about missing school in 1913 like she had in previous years since she’d graduated in the spring.]

September 12, 1911

Had to run around town this morning and accomplished some errands. Have to sleep with Rufus tonight as the threshers are here.

[Note: In the diary Grandma sometimes called her sister Ruth, Rufus.]

September 13, 1911

Was in such terrible trepidation this morning, lest I would have to miss school and help Ma with the work, but Besse came to my relief. So glad I was. I missed those stacks and stacks of dishes for dinner, but have to confront them tonight.

[Note: Besse was Grandma’s oldest sister. She was married and lived in nearby Watsontown.]

How to Treat Fainting: Hundred-Year-Old Recommendations

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

Tuesday, September 2, 1913: Papa was very sick today. He fainted this morning. I was scart quite a bit for I thought he was worse than what he really was.

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

Whew, what happened? I’d be “scart”, too.

What did the family do? Did they pull out a book that included information on home health care –perhaps the Compendium of Every Day Wants—to figure out how to treat him?

This is what the Compendium had to say:

FAINTING

This is caused by an interruption of the supply of blood to the brain. Lay the person down at once so that the head is lower than the body. Sprinkle the face with cold water and hold ammonia or smelling salts to the nose. If the person has any tight clothing, loosen such garments. Open the window to admit plenty of fresh air; apply hot bricks to the feet and avoid all noise and excitement. The person will revive without any attention in many cases, but in severe cases, a mustard paste may be placed over the heart; and if breathing stops, artificial respiration should be begun.

Compendium of Every Day Wants (1907)

Grandma’s Grades

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

Monday, September 1, 1913:

Another month to greet us comes.

September with her golden scenes.

Is here once more to tell us that

Tis not for long e’er autumn intervenes.

Again and yet again comes the opening of school. Again chimes the dear old bell in the belfry of the ne’er to be forgotten M.H.S. No more can I respond to its summons. No more can I hasten back to my beloved studies and bury myself in their wisdom. No more can I taste of the sweetness of school days. There are indeed past, but their memory lingers still.

A recebt photo of the building that once housed McEwensville High School. — A recent photo of the building that once housed McEwensville High School.

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

Grandma, I can feel your pain. Last spring you were thrilled when you graduated from McEwensville High School (M.H.S.). It must feel really strange for school to start and no longer be part of it.

When the school bell rings, I bet it really hurts that you didn’t get a teaching job. But, I don’t know that for a fact since you’ve never mentioned it in the diary.

I’ve speculated that you tried, but failed, to get a teaching job at a nearby one room school house since both of your older sisters became teachers after they graduated from high school.

During your school years, you worried so much about your grades. Weren’t they good enough for you to get a teaching position?

Well, I checked the school’s grade book, and discovered that your grades weren’t fantastic, but they were darn good. (See note below about how I found the grade book).

Most of your grades were in the upper 80s and you had some in the low 90s. Arithmetic was your best subject–across the year for Arithmetic you averaged 91 3/7. I love how your teacher calculated the average using a fraction. I don’t understand why you didn’t get a job.

Does life seem to be passing you by? . . .No job. . . .and, no boyfriend. A hundred years ago women often got married in their late teens and early twenties. Some of your friends probably have serious boyfriends and are looking forward to marrying soon, but you don’t have a boyfriend or prospects for an early marriage. . .

Hang in there . . . my crystal ball tells me that you’ll get married when you are 26. 🙂

—–

Sometimes I’m amazed to discover information and artifacts that I’d assumed were gone forever.

The readers of this blog are wonderful . Janet Shuman put me in touch with her mother-in-law Jane Shuman who had the old grade book from McEwensville High School. I almost shook with excitement as I flipped through the pages—and found my grandmother’s grades. Thank you, Janet and Jane!