Emma #36: September 1930
Lots of laundry, a bunch of books, sewing suits, and the Hardin County Fair
Mon 1. We washed and ironed today. Went down town in the PM. Ruth was not feeling well & went to bed early. On bottom: Andrew Swartz’s note due.
Tue 2. Katharine & I went to Marshalltown to shop. We bought goods for a suit—Katharine got a hat. We came home & cut out the suit & I got about five hours in on it. Katharine went to a SS party—ate Hot Dogs! New leathers are stiff.
Here’s a 1930s-era suit pattern:
Wed 3. We have finished Katharine’s suit. We are going to have a chicken & some ice cream for supper. Katharine is leaving tomorrow. How I hate to see her go. We went to see Minna in the evening. She was glad to see us.
Thu 4. Tell, Ruth, & I drove Katharine to Nevada to take the train for Chicago. She looked so nice in her new suit. How I hated to have her go but such is life. We got home in time for Ruth to get to school in time for afternoon session. Went to the club at Lotties in the evening.
Fri 5. I worked at the shop today, then rested awhile. Ordered a new file for the shop. Ruth & I drove to Eldora Friday after school. Got some tomatoes of Alice.
Sat 6. Today we canned a box of pears and 8 qts of tomatoes. In the PM we had the WFMS & KH’s meet at the church.
These are two church organizations—the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society, in which Emma was very active, and the King’s Heralds, which was the young people’s organization connected with the WFMS.
Sun 7. Today was Daddy’s birthday. We had John & Alice & Gerald and his family here for dinner. We had a fine chicken dinner. Tell went after John & Alice, and Ruth & I took them home. We took a ride after dinner out to the new bridge & then to the cemetery. We went to SS this AM but there was no church in the evening at our church. Wrote to Katharine.
Mon 8. I did a big washing today. Am pretty tired. Seem to lack pep.
Electric washing machines became fairly common in the 1920s, but dryers were not in widespread home use until the 1950s, so clothes were hung on outdoor lines to dry. Here’s an example of a 1920s-era washing machine, including a wringer to extract most of the water from the clothing—one item at a time.
Tue 9. We got up and did the ironing this AM, after which I went to the shop and worked until almost noon. In the afternoon I went to the I. Conf. Dad was there a little while. About ten were there. Think Rev. Rowley will not be back. A young man by the name of Ferris was there asking for work.
Wed 10. Daisey & I have canned two boxes of peaches and a few tomatoes. Have 22 qt. of peaches. We got a nice letter from Katharine. Ruth plans to go to the Falls this PM. I went with Dad about 10 to the farm. Daisey had dinner ready when we got back tho it was only eleven. She had mistaken the time. I just finished baking some cookies. Wrote K.
Thu 11. Ruth & I went to the Falls after school yesterday. I got some goods for a suit for Ruth. Cut it out today and got quite a bit done on it. Daisey went up to help Miriam. Mrs. Robertson & Mrs. Swallum called in the PM. Wrote K.
Fri 12. I sewed awhile this AM. Then in the PM Daddy & I went to the County Fair. It was so hot & dusty but there was a big crowd there. Ruth is to give a class party tonight. They plan to play golf.
Last month Emma wrote about the miniature golf course they had built on their property.
Here’s a nice article about the history of American agricultural fairs. This article from the Des Moines register goes on to list about 80 fairs being held across the state throughout August and September of 1930. The Hardin County Fair is still going strong!
Sat 13. Have finished Ruth’s suit. It is made like Katharine’s and looks very well. Daisey & I have canned 14 qts of vegetable soup today. Ruth & I went out to Mrs. Meeker’s with Daddy to deliver a wagon. Gerald is still sick. Went down town awhile last night & then played a game of golf.
Sun 14. We went to SS this AM, then took Gladys with us up to Radcliffe to hear Rev. Muhleman at their Harvest Home service. Had a good chicken dinner. In the evening we took Vic Knowles with us out to hear Miss Malen at Evergreen. It looked very rainy but we did not get any.
There’s more about Miss Malen the evangelist in the February 1930 entry.
Mon 15. Today is wash day. It is always a hard day. We had a Steward Board meeting today. The other four members want Rev. Rowley back if he will do his business differently. They are away now. Ruth has painted her furniture today. No school either today or tomorrow.
Tue 16. It took us a long time to get the ironing done. I dug potatoes for a long while and picked up ground cherries. Ruth & I went to Iowa Falls this PM. We nearly turned over coming home. I took back Sir or Madam by Berta Ruck which I had read. Got two new books.
Berta Ruck was a prolific Welsh romance writer, publishing over 90 novels from 1905 to 1972.
Wed 17. Today we have cleaned house a bit. Took Mrs. Baker with us after bitter-sweet. I got some apples at Bivers. We came back by Chester Vicmans to see the blackened ruins of their house which burned down this PM. They have gravelled the street north of us today with the gravel they are removing from main street.
Thu 18. We made plum and apple butter today. It is fine. Think I’ll make a few tomato preserves yet and then I’ll be through canning.
Fri 19. The most important thing today has been the Steward Board meeting at which we wrote a letter to the Dist. Supt asking for Rev. Rowley’s return if he would do his business in a different way. He promised to give no more checks unless he had the money in the bank. John and Alice were over a little while in the afternoon. They began paving on Main Street today.
Sat 20. I sewed a bit today. Got discouraged with a dress and put it away. Went to bed awhile as I did not feel very well.
Sun 21. This is the last Sunday of the Conf. year. We heard Mr. Rowley both morning and evening. Ruth & I took Mrs. Mohler and Mrs. Robertson out to Evergreen to hear Miss Malen at a Woman’s meeting. There were 108 there. I wrote a carbon letter to Tell’s brothers & sisters. It was so cold last night but it has warmed up to be uncomfortable today.
The Boylans were big letter-writers. I have quite a few family letters, many of which were typed with multiple carbon copies.
Mon 22. A Big Washing! It always seems good to get one done. Afterwards Daisey & I canned soup and carrots. Tell & I drove to Eldora in the PM. In the evening we played golf.
Tue 23. I have written to my Unit leader to arrange a series of Unit meetings the week of Oct. 12th. Finished reading The Way to Plenty which is a book—the 11th—put out by the Pollak Foundation for Economic Research. It is very interesting. Written by Foster and Catchings. Also read The Young May Moon by Martha Ostenso.
Foster and Catchings were American economists who promoted “underconsumption theory”—the idea that economic downturns happen because workers can’t buy everything they produce. Here’s an interesting article about them. The Road to Plenty (1928) is their most influential book—a fictitious conversation between individuals from diverse backgrounds about post-war economics which evolves into an in-depth discussion of savings, high prices, inadequate wages, underemployment, and other constraints on purchasing power. Here’s a link to a PDF of the book.
I found a synopsis of The Young May Moon here: “The heroine, Marcia Gunther, deeply loves her young husband, Rolf Gunther, but is frustrated by his sexual inhibitions. In a fatally wrong-headed attempt to awaken his passions she threatens to run away to another man. Regretting her rash act, she returns home in the early hours of the morning, only to discover that he has drowned himself. She then does set forth on a long inward journey of atonement, but in the end is persuaded by Rolf's best friend, the sardonic Dr. Paul Brule, to allow herself to love again—and to respond to his love for her.” Yikes!
Wed 24. Have spent a good part of the day at the shop making out statements. This evening Ruth had a SS class party. We had the first good rain for several months. I wrote to Katharine. Finished The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart.
Thu 25. It is cloudy today. We—Tell & I—got up early & drove to M-town for some repairs. It is rather cold. I had some sweetcorn off the patch I planted July 14. Finished Two Flights Up by Mary Roberts Rinehart today.
Most corn grown on farms is “cow corn,” which is used for feed and many commercial products. The corn we eat is another variety—sweetcorn. Here’s an article explaining the difference.
Fri 26. Did a bit of sewing today. Daisey is sewing carpet rags.
Rugs were often made from strips of discarded fabric and worn-out clothes. The narrow strips were woven, crocheted, or coiled and stitched (sometimes after braiding several strips together) into long-lasting rugs. This picture is from a short article on the history of rag rugs.
Sat 27. We cleaned up the house today.
Sun 28. We went to SS this AM. Ruth & I went to hear Rev. Bok preach. We drove to Eldora after dinner. Talked to Mrs. J. About decided to go to Branch meeting.
Mon 29. Washed today and interlined and mended my coat. Have had a busy day. Will almost finish The Story of Grenfell by Dillon Wallace. It is very interesting.
The Story of Grenfell (1922) is the biography of Wilfred T. Grenfell, a pioneer in the development of Labrador and Newfoundland, Canada. A medical missionary, he was sent to Newfoundland in 1892. He opened hospitals in Newfoundland and throughout coastal Labrador, and later expanded his mission to develop schools, an orphanage, cooperatives, industrial work projects, and social work. The book is now in the public domain.
Tue 30. Have finished the ironing. Unless I feel quite differently I will not go to Branch meeting. It does not seem the thing. Ruth & I have had a most hectic PM. Started for Iowa Falls right soon after dinner but the car acted up & we did not get there. Steward Board meeting at night.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of Emma’s journal! See you next week for October 1930.