As this month begins, Emma, Tell, and Chris & Lou Boylan (Tell’s brother and his wife) are visiting Berne & Elizabeth Boylan (another brother and his wife) in Salem, OR.
Mon 1. I drove down to the city this PM. Took Lou and Elizabeth. Lou bought a Silex coffee pot for Elizabeth. Berne, Tell, and Chris drove to Newberg on a business deal in the evening. Lou, Elizabeth & I played dominoes.
Tue 2. Berne took Chris & Lou with him to see Mt. Hood via Portland etc. Tell & I stayed here. Elizabeth & I did a big washing. We have been pretty busy at many things this afternoon.
So much beauty!
Wed 3. A rainy day! We did the ironing & some mending today. Tell fixed the vacuum cleaner, the bathroom & hall lights, the stove, & connected a wire upstairs so we have the clock going. Got a letter from Katharine today.
Thu 4. How bitter words can be! My day has been miserable because of the unkind words that I have said & that have been said to me. I shall try not to go to bed mad—or get up mad. I did not know I had been so ugly. Tell, Chris, & Berne have been gone all day. A letter from Gerald says he has sent for his church letter. I drove down town today.
I have no idea what the unkind words were about…she doesn’t mention this incident again. It sounds like Gerald and his family are settled in Missouri and are transferring their church membership.
Fri 5. This is another dark day. Chris & Lou have decided to go Monday. Tell, Chris, & Berne went to Portland again. I have been sewing for Elizabeth all day. Lou, Elizabeth, & I played dominoes in the evening.
Sat 6. This has been a beautiful day. Elizabeth, Lou & I visited the linen mills today. We went down town this afternoon. Elizabeth & I had our hair waved. Tonight Tell, Berne, Lou & I went to the church to see The picture “The King of Kings”. I did not like it very well.
According to this article, Oregon once had a thriving flax and linen industry. Here’s a view of the Salem linen mills from about that time.
The King of Kings was an epic silent film about the last weeks of Christ’s life, produced in 1927 by Cecil B. DeMille. Here’s the trailer…you can find the whole movie on YouTube as well.
Sun 7. Tell & I went to church & SS. In the afternoon Berne took Lou, Chris, Elizabeth & me on a long ride. Went to Independence—crossed on a ferry. I packed a little for we are planning to drive Chris & Lou to Grants Pass tomorrow.
Mon 8. Tell decided he did not want to drive. Chris & Lou are going on the bus, so unless I go on the bus I can’t go to see Gertie. Have decided to go on the train. Berne hustled me to the depot & back after the pocketbook I forgot. Had a lovely ride down on the train.
Here’s an early map of the railroad routes in western Oregon. Looks like a beautiful run from Salem to Grants Pass. Gertie Schieferstein, who lives in Grants Pass, is one of Emma’s sisters.
Tue 9. Gertie & I took a walk to an old cemetery this PM. John took us for a long ride on the Redwood road to look at a farm acreage. It was a lovely day tho a bit cool. In the evening I went to Gertie’s choral club practice & to a class party of which she is the teacher.
Wed 10. I have sat around and crocheted today. A Mr. Pratt called this afternoon. He invited us to go to church with him tonight. He is a Duncard. Gertie and I are waiting for him now. I did not hear from Dad today. Got a card yesterday. Yesterday was Johnnie’s birthday. Gertie & I went to a Duncard revival meeting. Heard Rev. Kaughman preach. Played dominoes after getting home.
The Dunkard Brethren are a conservative, evangelistic Protestant denomination. They believe in adult baptism, and engage in missionary work, revival meetings, and other religious activities.
Thu 11. This has been a beautiful day. Got letters from Katharine & Ruth today, a card from Dad & some second hand letters from Gerald & his family. A card from John told of Ansley’s death on April 3. Gertie & I went to a picture show (free) this PM. “Babes in Toyland.” I have made a dress for Louise today.
Ansley Hurley was the bachelor brother of Alice Boylan, the wife of Tell’s brother John. Babes in Toyland was a 1934 Laurel and Hardy musical Christmas film. Here’s the movie trailer…you can find the whole movie on YouTube as well.
Fri 12. I made over a silk dress for Gertie today. John took us for a ride down the river road this afternoon. In the evening I went to a Grange meeting at Merlin. June Graham took us in her car. It turned out to be a dance—it was a scream.
The Grange is a social organization in the United States that “encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and agriculture.” Here’s a link to a photo of the Grange building in Grants Pass.
Sat 13. Finished up my collar and pair of baby shoes & sent them down town to sell. Gertie washed. We drove down town in the rain after some groceries.
Sun 14. I went to church & SS in the morning and church in the evening. Slept a good share of the afternoon. It has rained a good deal today.
Mon 15. Another cloudy day. I started a hooked rug. Got a letter from Tell sending me $25—enough to send Linnie her $17. I will write her soon. I do not feel at all well tonight. Gertie has a headache and so have I. Tell asked me to write in the family letter.
Tue 16. Have written the family letter this AM. It has rained & sunshined? both today. Today is Charlie’s birthday. What a long way apart we are. We looked at a place today and I have decided it is the place for us to rent—$20 a month for ten acres. I sent Tell a Special Del. letter.
Charlie was one of Emma’s brothers. At this time he was living in Washington, DC and working as a linotype operator at the Government Printing Office.
Before Priority Mail and Express Mail, the Postal Service offered Special Delivery service, which began in 1885 and involved putting on extra postage that entitled a piece of mail to “immediate delivery.” Here are some 1935 Special Delivery stamps.
Wed 17. Got a wire from Tell that he would be here tomorrow. I am so glad he is coming. I am hungry to see him. Have been sewing for Louise.
Thu 18. Have been sewing today. Tell got here—was so tired from the drive. We went out to look at the place. Think we will take it. I will raise a lot of chickens. John, Gertie & I went to church tonight. The preacher called this afternoon. I was so glad to have Tell meet him. The Dist. Con. met Apr 12. I had a letter from Ruth. The Sacrament by candle light was beautiful.
Fri 19. We went with Mr. Kilgore today to see Pearl Mattie about renting her place. Tell did not want much to rent it but I did, so we decided if she would give us a six-month option we would rent—also if she would let us use her furniture.
Sat 20. Tell & I moved into our little house today. We call it Rainbow Ranch on the Redwood Highway Route III. We had our family prayer the first thing and it was so fine. Tell read the 14th of John. We are going to be happy here I am very sure. Went to town this evening and got some groceries. We will write the family tomorrow.
In next month’s installment I’ll have more to say about Grants Pass, the Redwood Highway, and the Rainbow Ranch.
Sun 21. We drove into G.P. this morning for SS & church. Found when we got to the church we were an hour early. Went up to Gerties. Among others we joined the church. It made me very happy to do this on Easter Sunday. John, Harold, Aunt Gusta, Mrs. S., Gertie called Sunday. We went to the program in the evening. It was then I noticed “The Middle Aisle.”
Emma’s been in town for two weeks and they already have a place to live and have joined the church! The “Middle Aisle” comment refers to Ruth’s wish to be married in a church that has an aisle down the center.
Mon 22. George and Pearl—our landlord & lady—called today. We have bought a cow from them which we will get tomorrow. We put our card in the mailbox. Will get our first mail out here tomorrow. We went to buy some chickens but forgot them. Decided later to just buy baby chicks. We ordered 500 for May 15th. Also rented an electric brooder. Fun!! I say so.
Tue 23. We got a letter from Berne enclosing Ruth’s & Bob’s Easter greeting yesterday. How Dad loved it! We also got a letter from Vic telling of his $1200 job in Webster City. Today we will get our first mail at our new address. We look for Berne today. Am writing G.A. Nissin about Hoodoo paper. Berne got here just after supper. We looked up the Log Cabin Lunch Stand but decided we would not go into it.
Just as I was about to go off on a tangent wondering if Emma was getting into voodoo, my assistant Jeanette figured out that Hoodoo paper referred to a form of ant repellent.
Wed 24. Rev. Wemett called this morning. We had a nice visit. We told him about “The Middle Aisle” & he told us of his daughter’s wedding in the church at Klamath Falls. We had Mrs. Augustine Lempke, Toledo Ohio, Mrs. Louise Schieferstein, Gertie & Joan here for dinner. We had a nice dinner of things mostly given to me. Mutton, beans, corn & pickles from Mrs. C.G. Spoon—our landlady.
Thu 25. I bought 5 hens and a rooster for $4.25 from a neighbor. They are fine chickens. I think I will try to raise a few friers to eat. Betty came out with us and her folks came out after supper. John & Dad went to look at a cow but didn’t buy it. Waiting till morning.
Fri 26. We made arrangements to send our cream to Smithland Cal. The man left a cream can for us this morning. I kept busy all day. We went to town, brought Betty out again tonight. Got my curtains made. Called on the folks to buy the cow but it was sold. The Kilgore cow will be fresh June 15. A lovely day.
Sat 27. Margaret rode out on the bicycle this AM & Betty rode back (part way till the bike broke down). They helped me wash woodwork, iron curtains, etc. Margaret & I went for a walk. We found many kinds of wild flowers on the hillside. Tried to bake a cake but it was not much good.
According to this story about traveling in the Grants pass area, some of the signature wildflowers at this time of year include violets, Tolmie’s mariposa lily (aka Pussy Ears), and California poppies.
Sun 28. We went to church & SS this morning. I was asked to teach a SS class next Sunday—a class of girls. We heard a most wonderful sermon on “When Christ went borrowing”. It was very helpful. John & his family were out for dinner. We went in to church at night.
Here’s the church bulletin from this day listing Emma and Tell’s joining the church.
As a side note, looking at this reminded me of how copies were made before Xerox machines and laser printers. Mimeographs use a stencil (made with a typewriter) wrapped around an ink-filled drum. Paper is drawn between the rotating drum and a pressure roller forcing ink through the holes in the stencil onto the paper.
Mon 29. Sent my first cream today. Will get the first check next Monday. We washed, churned, slept, read, cleaned out ditches, did the regular work, made holders and everything seems fine. Heard from Will and Berne and John today. We looked for the preachers out but they did not come. It rained all day. Am planning for Tell to go to Conference.
Tue 30. We bought a 17 lb salmon and canned it today. We ate a big skillet full for dinner—have some for tomorrow & have 11 pints. We heard from Katharine & Gerald today. Gerald has a bad case of oak poisoning. We went to town. Saw Tom Mix’s Circus parade. We started to clean out the chicken house today. Kilgore had some folks here looking at this place.
Grants Pass is on the Rogue River, which is legendary for its salmon fishing. Tom Mix was Hollywood’s first Western star. His circus was traveling up the west coast—here’s an ad for a show the following day in Roseburg, just a few miles up the road.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of Emma’s journals. See you next week for May 1935.