This was a really fun post to work on. As the family eased into the post-war period, with growing kids and busy careers, their lives were very full and there were many interesting places to dig!
Wed 1. Couldn’t sleep last night so read “The Great Black Kanba.” It is a mystery story. Started it at 2:30 & finished it before morning. Didn’t want to get up but I did. Planted some lima beans & some lily bulbs Mrs. Berry gave me, also a small crabapple tree.
The Great Black Kanba, by Australian sisters Constance and Gwenyth Little (sometimes referred to as “queens of the wacky cozy,”) was published in 1944 as part of the Dell mapback series which ran from 1943 to 1951 and included at least 550 books.
Thu 2. Dad still complains of his back. I rubbed it with his medicine—ether & wintergreen—& put on the hot water bag. It is much easier.
This would have been a pretty effective combination to help Tell’s back, and was consistent with medical advice of the period. Oil of wintergreen is chemically similar to aspirin, with ether (which was fairly available) serving as a carrier that would pull the compound into the tissue. The heat would have helped with absorption and vasodilation while relaxing the muscles.
Fri 3. Ordered some tooth powder and shampoo of Mrs. Hueling. Mrs. H lives in a very large house in Moylan. Must be a story behind her taking an agency to sell cosmetics. In the evening Bob & Ruth, Vernon & Annette went square dancing over to the Elkington’s. They didn’t get home till about 1 A.M.
By the mid-1940s, Avon was the primary direct-selling cosmetics company in America—they used an agency/representative model, with a woman taking on a territory and selling from a catalog or sample kit. Here’s a 1946 Avon catalog—it includes tooth powder and shampoo along with many other things!
Sat 4. I took Bobbie in to town for her lesson and then went shopping. I bought a hand-forged aluminum bowl for Betty and a hand made spoon & fork (salad) for Bud & Mable Williams!
In 1932, Louis Schnitzer and Nathan Gelfman formed Everlast Metal Products Corporation, producing high-quality, hand-forged aluminum giftware as a stylish handmade alternative to silver. Here’s a bowl from the mid-1940s.
Thu 9. Ruth & I took Bobbie to school this A.M. and then did some shopping. The coal strike is on & there is little meat available. Bob finished the swing & spaded awhile. I finished the ironing, did the dinner dishes with Dad’s help, & got supper. Was too tired to go with Mrs. Emerson to a PTA meeting.
On April 1, 1946, the United Mine Workers called a nationwide coal strike and about 340,000 soft-coal miners walked out. By this time it had been going on for over five weeks with no resolution in sight. The shortages affected the whole industrial infrastructure and supply chain, including the railroads and the meatpacking industry.
Fri 10. While Ruth went for her music lesson I cut out my coat. I had planned to get more material, but by making the coat a bit shorter I got it out. Bob worked on the floors getting the rooms ready for the folk dance tonight. It lasted till 1 A.M. and I staid up till they all left. I played the Virginia Reel which was almost too much for me. Bob got a letter from Howard. He called him up and invited him to stay here awhile.
The Virginia Reel is a line dance—I imagine that Emma was playing the piano while the others danced. One of the traditional tunes for this dance is “Turkey in the Straw.”
Sat 11. Have been rather broken up by the tragic death of Mrs. Coppock’s daughter. She was bitten by a mad dog. Leaves two little children—a boy and a girl.
Rabies attacks the brain and spinal cord, often causing brain inflammation. Once symptoms appear, the fatality rate is near 100%. While vaccines were available, they were difficult to get and had much more significant side effects than those used today.
Sun 12. It is Mother’s day. I have a greeting from Gerald, a carnation corsage from Ruth, also four pretty handkerchiefs, 5.00 and a pretty statuette of a horse from Kay.
Mon 13. Bobby can be so sweet, as when she came down & slept with me this morning—and so very hard to manage, as she has been tonight. Sometimes I think I just can’t stand it any longer. She can talk so impudently to me. I will be glad when she gets through this stage. We had poke for supper. Got a telegram from Howard saying he would be here at six tomorrow morning. It looks very hard tonight to have one more.
Tue 14. Howard arrived this A.M. about 6. Dad saw him down at the train. He went with Bob & Ruth to Crozer & came home for lunch. After dinner Bob & Ruth went to Phil. and then to Princeton to hear a tenor & soprano for Spring Lake. I went along and took Gertrude out for supper. We took a taxi down to a café. Dinner cost 1.25 each.
Howard Grooters was Robert’s younger brother. He was 23 and single when he came to visit in Moylan. Bob and Ruth were putting a quartet together to perform for a series of summer events at Spring Lake on the New Jersey shore.
Wed 15. I finished the ironing & the other work, put David to bed & I took a rest. It has been a cool day & the the ground is still wet from the last rain. Bob, Ruth, & Howard went in to the city. Ruth came home at noon for lunch & then went to practice. She took me down town to buy some tomato plants which I got & set out. I worked out awhile. Dad puttied the car. After supper we did the dishes. Ruth put the children to bed and then went to the Hays home. Mr. H. came after her. Bob got a letter from Mr. Howell about the position at the Phil. School of Music. He would like it.
Bob went to NJ in April and bought a station wagon for $750, which Emma and Tell contributed to. I dug into this a little further, and learned that the Office of Price Administration set price ceilings on a wide range of consumer goods to control inflation. With high demand and low supply, finding a desirable vehicle was challenging. Based on the price, it was probably a 1938-1940 wagon, with the Ford Super Deluxe woody wagon being the most popular. It also probably needed a little body work. Here’s a 1940 model.
Thu 16. Today Bob, Howard, Ruth & I worked in the basement getting a room ready for Howard. I mended the clothes & put them away. Ruth went to practice awhile. Guess Bob & Ruth think I am a complainer—because I was anxious to get our tomato plants in. I am always in the dog house for something. Bob said tonight it sounded like complaining when I said I did not like the cord on my lamp spliced with two different colored cords. I wish tonight I were in my own home. Probably tomorrow I’d want to be back. A lot of my writing stuff came back tonight. It is disappointing. I’d like to make some money at it.
Fri 17. Bob drove to Phil. today taking Ruth to her lesson. She had a good lesson, she said. They took Howard & David. They asked me but there was much to do at home and I thought it best not to go. I cleaned the kitchen, baked some oatmeal bread. I went to town with Mrs. Coppock and took my shoes to be mended. This evening I went with Ruth to the church while she practiced. Mr. & Mrs. Hyatt, Mrs. Harrison and Edna Ryder came over to spend the evening. Bob made a record and gave to Edna. Mr. Hyatt also made a short speech into one.
A record made at home would have been a 78 rpm vinyl disc. Here’s a short video on the technology they would have used.
Sat 18. A busy day! I did up the kitchen work, cleaned the dining room & stairway, then took a rest while David slept. Worked an hour on my coat. I am so short of breath. I wonder if I’ll ever wear it! Bob & Ruth left early this A.M. & will not be home till late tonight. They took Howard & the Elkingtons to a Hostel meeting. Went in the car. I think I‘ll stay at home tomorrow.
The youth hostel movement started in Europe in about 1910. Hostels are simple, inexpensive accommodations that typically provide dormitories and common recreation rooms and cooking and eating facilities. They are often located along bicycling or hiking trails. The movement in America started in 1935, but was stalled by the war. Here’s a 1947 document from AYH (American Youth Hostels, Inc.) describing their plans to expand the movement as an investment in the fellowship of youth for world peace. The organization is still in operation as part of the international hostel movement.
Mon 20. The big thing to record today is the size of the oil check—67.98. That seems wonderful. Price has gone up. 6.80 for tithe. Heard from Gerald. He is counting the days. Was in the doghouse again this P.M. Sometimes I think I’d just like to drop out of the picture.
Although I’ve always thought of a tithe as money that was contributed to a specific church, it seems that Emma and Tell did it a little differently. I think they set aside the funds and used them in various ways to support what they saw as God’s work. Gerald was in the Missouri penitentiary and scheduled to be released fairly soon.
Tue 21. Today Bob went to New York for two lessons. Ruth and I worked some upstairs. Howard made a bookcase for Bobbie’s room. Mr. Berry took Ruth & me to the polls. It is in a garage. The local contest is between Judge Chadwick and Mr. Dewey. I voted for Chadwick. Guess this is the first time Dad has not voted. He neglected to register.
The primaries for the 1946 election were held on this date in Pennsylvania. In the past, Emma and Tell had voted in Iowa elections via absentee ballot, but it sounds like they had moved their official residence to Pennsylvania by this time. Apparently the Dewey/Chadwick Republican primary in Delaware County’s 7th congressional district was a bitter one. A newspaper story reports that “Chadwick received 38,402 votes and his opponent 38, 074. The election board said that the 284 military ballots remaining to be counted cannot change the result.”
Wed 22. This has been wash day. Such a big one! Ruth started it—I finished. Seven washes! Cleaned the basement & got the meals. David gave us a scare. He got unloosed & ran away. Forbes finally found him. I wrote a little cat story and am sending it to Baptist.
Thu 23. I went to a meeting of the Women’s Voters League or League of Women Voters today. In fact I paid my 3.00 dues and joined. It was a luncheon meeting. I went with Mrs. Berry. We went home via Warfields and got some ice cream.
Founded in 1920, the League of Women Voters made some significant changes in 1946 to move toward a more local focus.
Fri 24. The strike is on today—a very few trains are running. Truman spoke to the nation at 11 P.M. Said he would draft men to run the railroads and call out the soldiers to protect them. Ruth went for her lesson. Came home on the trolley. Dad did not have any trouble getting to work. Bob & Howard went to the Swarthmore play. Ruth staid at home.
Sat 25. I washed and ironed most all day. Howard spent the morning playing tennis. Ruth & Dad did the shopping. Dad painted the car. Robert taught all day. Howard moved to the basement room to sleep tonight. The strike was settled. Truman’s speech did the work. Train service will be back to normal by 11 P.M. I called on Mrs. Forbes this P.M. I like her house.
Sun 26. Dad and I went with Ruth to Wallingford this morning. In the afternoon I went with Bob, Ruth, Howard, & Bobbie to hear the Evensong at the Episcopalian church where Ruth takes her lesson. We stopped at a Jewish bakery and bought some rolls & cookies.
In the Anglican/Episcopal Evensong service, much of the liturgy is sung rather than spoken—often in a call-and-response format between two sides of the choir. Here’s a recent Evensong service from St. Peter’s Cathedral in Philadelphia, where Ruth took her organ lessons.
Tue 28. I sewed a few minutes today. Spent most of the time getting the dishes done, kitchen floor scrubbed, getting chicken, cabbage & biscuit & potatoes ready for dinner with Miss Early. I also baked biscuits & pie crusts. Ruth fixed the table—decorated it with white candles and red roses. Miss Early left a little after 8 P.M. I washed all the dishes. Howard & Ruth wiped them. Dad went to bed early.
Thu 30. Today we had a picnic on our lawn. The Wilmington Choir people brought their lunch and spent the afternoon and evening here. We had croquet & badminton to play. Dinner on the lawn and Bob sang a concert in the evening. Ruth Neal & her family were the last to leave. They went about 11 P.M.
May 30, 1946 was the first Memorial Day following the end of World War II. Until 1971, when it moved to the last Monday in May, Memorial Day had been observed on May 30th every year since its origins as Decoration Day in 1868. This sounds like it was a lovely get-together with music, games, and good company.
Fri 31. Ruth went to take her lesson. Bob & Howard went to to go sightseeing. I ironed all I could in the morning & took care of David. The folks got home about 1 P.M. David was asleep. The eggs came. Bob & Ruth unpacked them. The wood sawers finished sawing the wood & the boys piled it up. I went to town with the folks but there was no meat or butter to be had. I planned to work on my coat but only got a few minutes. I got the supper while Ruth finished the ironing. She developed a sick headache. I played croquet with Howard but he beat me. He & Bob staid up till 1 A.M. playing chess.
It sounds like Bob was enjoying the visit from his brother Howard!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of Emma’s journals. See you next week for June 1946.
