Emma #76: January 1934
A new year, sunshine salad, farm loans and programs, a young mind-reader, and Ruth's journal
Mon 1. Today begins a new year. We went to call on John and Alice this PM. I was disappointed not to get anything off the farm after Dad put in so many hours. Garnette and Mrs. Mohler were here in the evening to plan a shower. It is to be next Friday for Ona Robertson-Miller and Edyth Rash Robertson.
Tue 2. Today the date can be written 1-2-34. Rev Wardle called this AM to ask us to help them give a party for the Gospel Team on next Thursday evening. I called on Helen Culver this PM. She brought me home and staid awhile. I wrote a little poem called “The Bride”. Am going to keep my poems in my new scrap book.
Wed 3. I got a pattern and the goods for Katharine’s sleeves today. Invited the Wardles for dinner. They stayed till almost dark. Ona was here also. Ruth went home with Ona for supper & we all were at prayer meeting at Wardles. Gerald brought us some meat & Junior Hansen brought us a rabbit. We had the roast Libbie Knowles gave us today.
Thu 4. Spent the morning baking cookies for the Gospel team party. We had a nice time at Wardles. It was almost midnight when we got home. We served cocoa and cookies.
Fri 5. Today Ruth and Garnette gave a shower for Edith & Ona. It was at Mohlers. The girls got a lot of nice gifts. Served lemon jello with pineapple and carrots in it with crackers & cheese heated & coffee. Red & Ona, Garnette, & Ethyl were here in the evening. Dad had a caller—Bill Koeppen. It may be Dad can get a loan on the farm.
I found a recipe online for this…they called it Grandma’s Sunshine Salad.
Sat 6. Today became a wash day & a cleaning day. It was so warm we hung things out doors. Ruth will have everything clean to go back to school. She went to Robertsons to practice a trio in the evening.
Sun 7. It turned pretty cold today. Ruth planned to go to Iowa Falls but guess Leo forgot her. Rev. Cligg preached & had the Lord’s Supper this AM. We went to Wardles in the PM. Went to church at night—only eleven there. Dad phoned for Gerald to come in the morning.
Mon 8. We went with Gerald to take Ruth to the Falls then back to his place & after he took the kiddies to school we drove to Eldora. Were at Johns for dinner. We went over to apply for a loan on the farm—which John deeded to me. Guess he was pretty glad to get “shet” of it. We applied for $13,000. Hope we get it. It will run for 35 years—interest 4½% Due May & Nov.
Tell’s brother John had bought the property when it was foreclosed, and leased it to Gerald. Now he’s transferring it back to them—I don’t know how their finances were set up, but in 1929 Tell transferred his share of the oil lease into Emma’s name, so there must have been some benefit to having Emma as the owner of this as well. (BTW, “shet” is a colloquial term meaning being “shed” of something/free of it.)
The government set up the Farm Credit Administration in 1933, which included long-term agricultural real-estate loans at favorable interest rates.
Tue 9. Finished the ironing this AM, and have been sewing. Have patched the lining of my coat. It was some job.
Wed 10. I have been getting ready to go to Des Moines. We went to prayer meeting at Mrs. Thompsons this evening. Heard yesterday that Robertsons have to move but it is not settled. Had a wave put in my hair today—a water wave. Am arranging to go to Des Moines with T.O. Russeter.
Here are instructions for doing a water wave, a form of permanent wave popular in the 1930s.
Thu 11. I went to Des Moines this AM with Mr. Russeter. Paid him instead of the bus. Got to YW about noon. Found Mrs. Johnson there eating dinner. We attended the afternoon session and were entertained at Porters home on E 42 St. We had a lovely home to stay in.
Fri 12. We took the street car and went to Wesley church this AM. Stopped a few minutes to shop. I got my mystery daughter a little gift. Attended the meeting the rest of the day and stayed for the S.B. banquet. We were the last ones out of the church. Had a fierce ride home through the snow.
Sat 13. It is Sat evening. We got home pretty late last night. Mrs. Johnson came with me. I have not done much as I have been pretty tired. Mrs. J went home this AM. Geo Moon brought us a note from Ruth.
Sun 14. Tried to get to SS on time. Went to church both morning & evening. Red & Ona were here, also Geo Moon & Jimmie Short. Wrote letters in the PM.
Mon 15. Spent the most of the day cleaning up the house. Fixed an overcoat for Tell in the PM. Thought I would go to the Gersham class but decided not to.
Tue 16. Finished the overcoat and sewed some. Dad & I played Rook at night.
Wed 17. Gerald & Miriam were in for dinner today. I have been sewing today on Mrs. Wardle’s dress. We went over to Vic Knowles’ for prayer meeting. Mrs. Robertson came home with us to visit awhile. They may have to go to Stratford as the order has come to combine the three R. routes & have but two.
In the October 1930 entry, I described Tell’s brother John’s role in establishing rural postal routes. John Robertson was a postal carrier, and it sounds like they were shutting down his route. Stratford is about 35 miles west of Hubbard.
Thu 18. Mrs. Wardle came up today and tried on her dress. I have worked on it most all day. Finished it and took it to her on my way to Hoffs to WFMS meeting. We worked on slogans for Katharine. They are giving two Fords away each day at a store in Cleveland. Hope she gets one.
There are a lot of references to slogan contests in the newspapers of this era. I didn’t find this one, and I don’t think Emma was correct that they were giving two cars away each day, but Emma did love to enter these contexts.
Fri 19. Have spent this day sewing, etc. Dad thinned out my hair. I am thinking of having the front of it “permanented.” Dad has not felt well today. Ona & Red were down in the evening. Gerald went to a corn-hog meeting. He figures he will get $250 yet from the government. Betty will stay all night. Ruth came home on the bus.
As part of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, the government initiated a number of programs aimed at supporting prices and adjusting production. The corn-hog program was one of these.
Sat 20. It is not very cold out this AM. I did a big washing today.
Sun 21. We went to SS & church this morning. Afterwards we were at Wardles for dinner. Ruth went home on the bus.
Mon 22. Did part of the ironing this morning then went to the Beauty parlor in the PM to have the front part of my hair curled. Went to see Mrs. Hoff about the invitations also for the class party Friday night.
Tue 23. We took the dining room curtains out to dust out. The day is lovely. We will have Fred Mitchell here to speak & sing on Friday night. We have invited nearly fifty. It will be some crowd if they all come. We plan to serve sherbet, cookies & coffee.
Wed 24. This is another beautiful day. The house cleaning goes merrily on. I washed the bedroom curtains—three of them today. Mrs. Wardle came to spend the afternoon and I worked on her dress. Mrs. Mohler came for our prayer circle. Dad & I went to Mrs. Raker’s for prayer meeting. It turned very cold today.
Thu 25. It is much colder this morning. Am going to bake the cookies I stirred up last night, and iron curtains. We got a letter from Berne this AM. The cow is not fresh yet.
Fri 26. We have been busy all day getting ready for the class party tonight.
It is over. We had a lovely time although not half we invited came. There were 23 of us altogether. We had Fred Mitchell do the entertaining. He brought his pianist with him. Mr. & Mrs. Walthall, Robert & Ruth came down. We served sherbet, cookies & coffee.
Sat 27. Have spent the day cleaning up after the party. We took things home when Gerald came in at night. Dad went to the farm today. They are going to sell four cows of Alice’s today. Geralds were in awhile tonight.
Sun 28. We were sorry to see the weather change today. It is cold and windy. We went to church & SS today. Gerald & Miriam came in to get Ruth to take her to the Falls. Geo Moon, Vic Knowles, Dorothy Spiller were here today. It is very cold. We hate to go out.
Mon 29. It is so cold. We were so glad to get some money from Katharine so we could get some coal. We were almost out. The pipes were frozen this AM. Gerald & Dad went to Whitten today to see about buying a tractor. Miriam & Garnette went along to see Alice Strother-Haefercamp. We called on Swallums in the evening.
Here are the high and low temperatures for these dates. Brrrrrr!!
Tue 30. Another cold day. Some more pipes to thaw out. Cow is not fresh yet. Swallums came after us to go up to hear the radio. We heard the Seth Parker broadcast, where we heard four men talk—men who were away from home for years, who were going back. Tell went up at noon to hear Jackie, the 5½ year old boy who is a psychic mind reader. Mr. S gave Tell his old radio.
Here’s a story about the young mind reader…“Jackie was born in a railway station in Chicago. His father and mother were acrobats. Four months later Mrs. Merkle fell from a trapeze and was killed. Jackie then began touring the country with his father.”
Wed 31. I went to hear Jackie at noon today. He is quite a wonder at telling people’s names and occupations. In the evening we went to Deardorfs to prayer meeting. The Rev. MacDonald was there. He is getting pretty old. Hubbard was his first charge.
Special Feature: Ruth’s Journal
I found a 1934 diary that Ruth started. She wrote in it daily through April 25, and then stopped. It’s mostly an account of her daily classes and music lessons & rehearsals, but I’ll share a note or two from it in upcoming installments, because I find it fascinating to think about my grandmother as a young college student preparing for life as a professional musician and dating my grandfather-to-be. This month:
Mon 8—Jerry, Dad, and Mother brought me to Iowa Falls this morning. We were here by eight o’clock. I went to Harmony, then to French. I took a voice lesson in the p.m. Bob came over for a few minutes at noon. We went to Glee Club tonight, then Bob took me to “Little Women” at the Rex. It was very good. To bed at 12 o’clock.
Here’s a 1933 lobby card for this movie.
Sat 13—I didn’t get up until nearly ten o’clock this morning. I worked Harmony and did not much of anything. Bob came up about two o’clock and we listened to the Opera—L’Africaine. Tonight Mabel and I went to a ten cent show at the Met.
L’Africaine is an 1865 French grand opéra in five acts with music by Giacomo Meyerbeer and a libretto by Eugène Scribe. Here is a video of Placido Domingo performing the best-known aria from the opera—”Pays merveilleux!...O paradis.”
Tue 23—Methods this morning. I’ve been practicing quite a bit today. Washed my hose, listened to the radio, Mabel went to Etude. We went to Madrigal practice. Mabel and I went to Viola’s and toasted marshmallows in her fireplace.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of Emma’s journals. See you next week for February 1934.