Emma #61: October 1932
Karmelkorn, hickory nuts, missionaries, dentures, receivership, and floor wax
Sat 1. Ruth gave her lesson today. Joan Hoff was away. Ruth played for the ladies’ chorus this evening.
Sun 2. We went to church & SS—to Salem church in the evening. It is reported that a letter was sent to Conf asking for Rev. Rowley to come here—and to remove Rev. Wardle. Ona Reep was here all afternoon.
Mon 3. We are all ready to go to Mason City with John and Alice. It is raining. Gladys paid me $3.00 for dying & sewing her dress. Put my Dutch cheese down to 10¢ per lb. Went to a show in the evening. So poor that we left. Got home about 12:15 PM. Left a pkg of Karmelkorn for Ruth.
Karmelkorn was a brand of candy-coated popcorn that was founded in 1928—the owners patented the formula and franchised hundreds of stores over the next several years. The original brand is now inactive although candy-coated popcorn continues to be very popular!
Tue 4. Went out to Gerrys today and went nutting at Clengennan—Gerry & Miriam went too. We got about 2 bu. We got so cold & tired.
Wed 5. Finished writing a bit for the dem. at Sac City. I feel so badly to have to give it up. Went to the first prayermeeting of the year at Wardles tonight. Went to Robertsons this PM.
Thu 6. It has been so cold. Went out to Gerry’s to go nutting but we did not go so I helped Miriam with her dress. We cracked a bunch of hickory nuts & got some ready to send to Katharine.
Hickory nuts are similar to pecans, and quite delicious, but they are not sold commercially because they’re very difficult to get out of the shell without a lot of breakage. Here’s a guide to foraging for hickory nuts, and a recipe for wild hickory nut shortbread cookies.
Fri 7. Have cleaned upstairs, done the washing, helped Miriam with her dress & made dutch cheese etc. Am going to sweep downstairs now. Look for Ruth home this PM. Poor Dad! He has a hard thing to face tomorrow. Has to go before his creditors at Eldora.
Sat 8. Dad went to Eldora. Meeting was not bad. I felt free to go to Ft. Dodge with Robert Grooters & Ruth. He had two passengers. We stayed all night in Ft. Dodge. Have to pinch myself to see if I am awake.
In the continuing unfolding of Tell and Emma’s losses, I was interested to see that whatever came out of this meeting must not have been as bad as Emma feared. She sounds quite relieved.
Sun 9. Heard Bishop Lee from the Philippines. Phoned Gerrit & Linnie. They came after me. Heard Miss McCleavy. She thinks she may come down to my house before she sails for India.
Emma was very active in the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. Bishop Edwin Lee was born in Iowa and was a minister and missionary for most of his life, mostly in East and Southeast Asia. I found references to Ella McCleavy in this 1930 report of a WFMS North-East India Conference and the 1932 Year Book of the WFMS (worth a look just to see the extent of this organization’s activities around the world!) She was an evangelist in Muzaffarnagar, in the state of Uttar Pradesh.1
Mon 10. Linnie & I just stayed at home and visited today—doing the things we wanted to.
Tue 11. Linnie & I went to Soo Falls with Harry. We began work on my teeth.
Harry Muilenberg, the son of Emma’s sister Linnie and her husband Gerrit, was a dentist in Sioux Falls, SD, about 260 miles from Hubbard.
Wed 12. Stayed at Linnie’s today. We made some pictures. Harry has a horse he wants Tell to come to get.
Thu 13. Went to Soo Falls again. Harry worked on my denture. Did not have the money to get it.
Here’s a 1930’s vintage dentist cabinet with replacement false teeth. Although historically dentures have been made of a wide range of material, by this time they were using acrylic resin and porcelain, laying the foundation for modern techniques.
Fri 14. Gerrit gave Harry $15.00 to get my dentures. He brought it home tonight. Letter from Tell says he will be here tonight & will go home tomorrow. Harry brought my denture. Tell & Ora came with trailer for the horse.
Sat 15. Harry, Tell & Ora went in Oak’s car to Soo Falls. Mildred, Bob & I went in Ora’s car. Got the horse loaded. I was too sick for words coming home. Had such severe pain.
Sun 16. We started for home after a nice chicken dinner. Reached John Sullivan’s for an evening meal. We drove on home arriving about 2 AM. I had a bed in the car—but it was a long long way.
Mon 17. Have not done a great deal today. Have been rather sore & tired. Am anxious about our money matters. Think we will soon lose the telephone. Got a check from Katharine and were able to pay our coal bill.
According to this article on prices of items in 1932, 2 tons of pea-sized coal cost about $9.50. According to this article, they would probably have needed at least 4 tons of coal to get through a winter season, and maybe more. And here’s an article on the labor involved in heating a house with coal.
Tue 18. Have been getting back to normal after my nice visit at Linnie’s.
Wed 19. Went to Robertsons this PM—also to Mrs. Mohlers—and to prayer meeting. It is Rev Wardles birthday. Took them a pint of cream. Washed this AM.
Thu 20. Ironed & mended today. Have also written some letters & mailed K’s ground cherries.
Ground cherries are not actually cherries, but members of the nightshade family similar to tomatillos. Here’s a guide to growing them.
Fri 21. We drove to Eldora this PM (Tell & I). Got some bittersweet on the way home. Have packed a box for Mrs. Clegg. Took up the linoleum today.
Sat 22. Mrs. Peterson, Bob & Ruth came down this AM. Mrs. Peterson & Bob will be down for dinner tomorrow. Ruth had but two pupils today. She went to bed early as she was up till 2 AM at Mason City. She is not very well.
Sun 23. Mrs. Peterson & Bob came for dinner. They took Ruth back. We went to the farm & drove the car back.
Mon 24. Went to the farm. Picked a few ears of corn. Then went & picked up hickory nuts—nearly a bushel.
Tue 25. Have been scraping my kitchen floor—getting ready to varnish it. Heard from Miss McCleary today. She is coming to see me.
Wed 26. Had a prayer meeting here this PM. Mrs. Swallum, Mohler & Robertson were here. Did not go out at night as I had Jerry.
Thu 27. Jerry has been here during corn picking. His mother is trying it.
Emma’s youngest grandchild Jerry was 4. He and his family had moved out to the farmhouse a few months earlier, so they were all getting used to farm life.
Fri 28. Gerald & Miriam have decided to go to Sioux Falls after the grey horse of Harry’s. They will take Mamie, who is supposed to pay their expenses. I phoned Harry. They will leave the children with me. Have all three tonight. I have cleaned the two front rooms today.
Sat 29. Ruth came home with Robert last evening. Were here for supper. Ruth had to play at the schoolhouse. Have kept busy today. The kiddies make a lot of work. Made them some games today. Lyle Knowles was married.
The Knowles family were close neighbors of the Boylans. Lyle’s father Vic is mentioned in several journal entries. And I found this sweet article in a book called Hubbard in Retrospect that was produced for the 1981 Hubbard Centennial.
Sun 30. Church, SS & dinner. Robert came after Ruth after church. He had not had dinner. Hated to see her go. Gerald did not get home today. Betty & I went to church at night.
Mon 31. The last day of Oct! The receiver got the truck today. He said I did not need to disconnect the phone now. Gerald’s are not home yet. I have washed, made hominy and made some floor wax.
A receiver is a court-appointed officer who has the responsibility of managing a debtor’s assets to satisfy claims against them by a creditor.
And Emma wrote this floor wax recipe in the Memoranda section of the journal.
Floor Wax—Gov. Recipe Melt 4 oz bee’s wax in 1 pint turpentine over hot water. When melted add 3 oz aqua ammonia (10%) & 1 pint water. Stir till creamy. This looks alright but I have not tried it yet.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of Emma’s journals. See you next week for November 1932.
This got me interested in the question of the impact of foreign missionaries, and I found this in-depth article on connections between historical locations of Protestant medical missions (which were part of the WFMS work) and current regional differences in medical outcomes.