Emma #51: December 1931
Christmas treats, mended stockings, card games, and a sad end to the year.
Tue 1. Ironed some, Went to Ladies Aid at Leibensteins in the PM and to Choir practice in the evening. Worked on the quilt for Miriam.
Wed 2. Went down town to a Steward Board meeting which we did not have. Bought goods for my WFMS dress. It cost $1.14. They had just 6 yds and I had just the right amount in my pocket book. Went to prayer meeting in the evening.
Memorandum
Did not get a look-in on the Kelvinator Contest—not any one in Iowa. Money is scarcer than hen’s teeth.
Emma entered this contest in August. The grand prize was $5000, which would have been equivalent to over $85,000 in today’s dollars.
Thu 3. Miriam and Gerald came down to wash and they all stayed for dinner. I made pies and opened meat—& had baked potatoes with gravy. In the PM I went to Eldora in the truck with Daddy. Showed Alice my coat. She thinks it is nice. Was glad to stay at home in the evening. Vic came over in the evening.
Fri 4. Had a peculiar night. Thought my heart was going to stop beating several times. Have been busy getting ready for the class party tonight. Have cleaned some & sewed some. Made a meat loaf & some bread. Ruth did not go to school this PM as she is feeling sick.
Sat 5. We were busy today moving beds around and putting the house in order. We have been getting ready for the kiddies to visit us awhile—while Miriam is sick. Looked over ground cherries and apples & canned four qts—also started making some hand lotion. Dad & Ruth went to the basketball game. I was so tired I went to bed after writing to Katharine. Possibly John & Alice, Cal & Clara will be over tomorrow.
As I mentioned last month, it is interesting to note that Emma doesn’t directly mention Miriam’s pregnancy. I also learned that the “rabbit test,” one of the first early-pregnancy testing techniques, was developed in 1931.
Sun 6. Went to church & SS. Had Gerald and his family down for dinner. Gerald took a sleep. I had made some sugared popcorn for the kiddies. Took some to Lottie on Sunday night.
Here’s a recipe for Grandma’s Candy Popcorn. Yum!
Mon 7. Did the washing today also some for Miriam. Mrs. Walker came over in the PM and we had a nice visit and a nice prayer together. Mended hose in the evening.
As I was researching the art of mending stockings, I ran across this stunning image from 1934 by photographer Dorothea Lange, titled “A Sign of the Times—Mended Stockings, Stenographer, San Francisco.” Here’s the source, with more information about Lange and her work.
Tue 8. It has been a full day. Did the ironing this AM. Went to Miriam’s after dinner to help her make her quilt. Went to choir practice after supper. Got a letter from Gertie with some pretty poems in.
Gertie was one of Emma’s sisters, married to John Schieferstein. At this time she and her family were living in Oregon. I found a few of her poems in a scrapbook. Here’s one:
Wed 9. We went to prayer meeting in the evening at the parsonage. The lesson was John 15 and was on Heaven. Rev. Wardle is a fine Bible student. Sewed a little today. My pen is having a spell. Cleaned it out with naptha. Maybe it will do better after awhile.
Emma would have been using a fountain pen. Here’s what “having a spell” looks like…and some guidance on how to clean a fountain pen. The writing on the following pages is much clearer!
Thu 10. Had the morning prayer-meeting here. Had a good time. Went to Tobers after dinner to a com. meeting to plan a pound party for the preacher. We planned it for Tues. PM but I kicked that all over after I got home and decided to have it at night at the church. Ruth went to an Epworth League party at the church this evening. Sent Gertie’s poems to Katharine—also read them to Mrs. Deardorf, Mrs. Walker, to Mrs. Marshman and Gladys.
If you don’t know what a pound party is, check out the very first entry in these journals, in which they had a pound party for the previous preacher, Rev. Rowley.
Fri 11. It has been a coldish rainy day—cloudy and dark. Did not get up very early as I was not well in the night. My heart was so slow. Seemed it wanted to stop. Am feeling much better this PM.
Sat 12. The kiddies were down today and we made doll furniture. They went to see Santa Claus. Jerry wants a barn and a pasture for Christmas.
Sun 13. Had a nice Sunday. Studied Revelation in SS. Had a nice chicken dinner. Ruth had Arline & Ruth Boeke for supper. Talked to Mrs. Deardorf about the play. Wrote to Marion Moon who is in jail for 6 mo today. I am sorry for his wife and boy. Our sins can not be borne alone—the innocent have to suffer with the guilty.
Mon 14. Washed for Miriam today. Am going to Iowa Falls with Ruth in Mrs. Deardorf’s car. It was lovely of her to ask me. Am planning to buy a few things—very few.
Tue 15. Went to Eldora with Daddy. Did not get home until about 3:30 PM. We decorated the church then, and I came home & went to bed. Brought some oysters home. They were spoiled. They curdled in the first milk and Dad washed them all off and put them in the second milk. They curdled that too. We tasted them & they nearly made us sick. We went to the parsonage to prayer meeting. We went to the church to a pound party for the preacher. They received a lot of things.
Wed 16. Spent a busy morning vibrating between the door bell and the telephone. Had two callers—Mrs. Wardle and Mrs. Walker. Have worked at cleaning up the house. We decorated the Christmas tree tonight. Daddy went to a telephone meeting and I am “cutting” prayer meeting. Will write to Katharine.
As I was looking around to see what kinds of Christmas tree decorations they might have used, I learned that the first Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was put up in this very same year—1931—when construction workers on the site put up a 20 ft balsam tree and decorated it with paper garlands, strings of cranberries, and a few ornaments. The workers then lined up to receive their paychecks, distributed by a foreman standing behind a wooden crate.
Thu 17. Got up early and did my ironing. Went to Robertsons to the prayer meeting. Mrs. Walker came down and we made the little red bags to use as Memorial bag for Don M. Lund. Went to Mrs. Bakers for Missionary society in the evening. There were twelve present. Mr. Van Patter drove us up in the car. Wrote to Arlene Dillon today.
Fri 18. This is the last day of school. Time goes right along. Katharine will not be home for Christmas. Ruth gave Cecil Robertson a comb & glass & nail file in a leather case. It was nice. She got a handkerchief laundry case made out like a little shirt.
This is the first year that Emma and Tell’s daughter Katharine was not home for Christmas—she was living in Shaker Heights, OH, and teaching school.
Sat 19. Sewed some today. Made a scarf for Katharine—or started it.
Sun 20. Went to church & SS. Ona & Lottie were here for dinner. Lottie staid a long while to visit and Ona & Ruth went to practice. I went up to see Jerry afterwards and then went to church. The preacher was sick so we went to the Zion church.
Mon 21. Am so tired tonight. Did both Gerald’s and my washing. The children were here for a long while. We sent Katharine’s & Linnie’s packages today. Hope K’s get there by Christmas.
Tue 22. Ironed and made a lot of Christmas candy today. I sent some to Katharine.
I remember helping make hard candy when I was a kid…here’s a recipe similar to the one we used. Each color represented a different flavor—cinnamon, peppermint, anise, lemon, etc.
Wed 23. Ruth’s birthday. We helped decorate the church in the AM and spent the rest of the day getting ready for her party. We had a nice time in the evening. Fifteen girls were here. They played progressive Rook. Dad played with them. Each brought a gift. We gave each girl a favor (home made candy). Tom Hoskins & “Cupie” came in after the party. Ruth got a lovely gift from Katharine—stationery with her name on—and a pajama bag & perfume from the girls.
Rook is a fast-moving card game—here are the rules. And here’s a description of the “progressive Rook” version. This also sparked a bunch of memories of playing various card and word games with our family—hearts, Password, “up the river, down the stream,” Scrabble…so much fun!
Thu 24. The day before Christmas. We have invited Gerald & his family down to stay all night. Had the Christmas program at the church and our home tree afterwards. Sent Miriam part of the Kraut Mrs. Robertson sent me. It was so good. Went to the Christmas program. Jerry spoke so nicely. Too bad Miriam could not have seen him.
Fri 25. Had buckwheat cakes for breakfast. They tasted good. Am getting things ready for dinner. Gerald killed the chickens. We made ice-cream, have plum pudding, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, pickles etc. In the afternoon we drove over to Alice’s. They were rather lonely as Ans had not come. It has been a warm sunny day. The seasons seem to be changing. Geralds family had gone home. Ona & Ruth were here for supper. Trelick Johnson came to see Ona in the evening & we played Rook. Ruth ate her dinner at Ona’s.
Sat 26. Have been reading and writing and being lazy this morning. Frances called for some patterns.
Sun 27. Had a nice SS class today. Practiced for our program this PM. We had a nice program in the evening.
Mon 28. Helped Daddy with his telephone report. Typed a list of stock holders names. Did both Miriam and my washings today. Am pretty tired tonight.
Tue 29. Did not get the ironing done as I had to help Dad until about 1:30. Was sick this morning.
Wed 30. Was called up to Miriams this morning as she was sick—rather last night about 12 PM she walked the floor practically all night. Had to have Dr. Wray come down and use thigh forceps to take the baby—I came home about 8 PM, as I was about sick. The baby did not live.
Poor Miriam. I’m guessing the baby was in a breech position—before ultrasound, and before the increased use of c-sections for breech births, she would have been in a very difficult situation. It sounds like she was giving birth at home, and they had to call the doctor in. What a terribly sad way to end the year.
Thu 31. Dr. Wray got a nurse for Miriam last night. She is there today and I have the children here. They are a busy lot.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of Emma’s journals. See you next week for January 1932.