My Grandmother's Diary Part 11 (May 9 - 20, 1920)

1920 advertisement for Doan's Kidney and Backache pills

This is the 8th installment of my grandmother's diary from 1920.  Her name was Gertrude Hitchings (1905 - 2001), and she was living on Elliott Street in Beverly, Massachusetts.  The diary is a tiny 3", and every Monday I publish a new section, with transcriptions of the tiny handwriting.  You can read the first installment HERE .  I'll post more of this diary every week for Amanuensis Monday.

In these two weeks of diary entries Gertrude was sick with a mysterious illness...

SUN. MAY 9

Got up at 9 o’clock had

breakfast stayed home all

morning.  Mr. Lowell stayed over-

night.  Took a walk with Marion

& Annie came home 5.45.  Russ & Ethel

came down but didn’t stay.

Home all evening went to bed 9.30

Monday 10

        Pa’s birthday         Fair

Got up at 7.45 went

To school home 1.15 Went to Salem with Ma

3.45 got a pair of shoes came

home 6.15.  Went out after

supper a little while

went to bed at 10.15

TUESDAY 11

                           Rain

Got up at 7.00 went to

school at 7.45 home at 1.15

Stayed home all afternoon

Went out a while

after supper came in

9.30 went to bed at 9.45

[NOTE: This seems like a normal week for Gertrude with school and errands. The mysterious Mr. Lowell "stayed over", which makes me think he might have been the boarder my mother mentioned.  Marian is her first cousin, Annie must be a school friend.  Russ and & Ethel are her married brother and his new bride. ]

WED. MAY 12, 1920

Sick stayed in

bed all day, didn’t

go to school.  Got

soar throat and head

ache.

Parent’s day at the schools

THURSDAY 13

Bed all day not

Much better

Tonsilitous

FRIDAY 14

Feel a little better

today.  Ethel came

over 9.30  Helen and baby up

Ma & Ethel went to Danvers  John ???

Ellsworth & Rus up to supper

NOTE:   Gertrude's illness is a "soar" [sic] throat and head ache.  The diagnosis seems to be "Tonsilitous" [sic].  Her sister in-law, Ethel, visits, and so does her married sister, Helen and brother-in-law, Ellsworth.  Russell is Gertrude's brother.  John is a mystery. 

SAT. MAY 15, 1920

Lots better to-day got

up went down stairs at

12.30  Laid down all

afternoon have got

rheumatism in my back

and side.  Sick all night.

Mr. Lowell came over after supper.

SUNDAY 16

A little better but still got an

awful pain in my back.

Nana up after

dinner.  Marion

came up to see me,

too.

MONDAY 17

A little bit better

today after dinner

got up awhile Marian

up to see me at night

ma went to ???

[NOTE: The sore throat and headache have advanced to a backache.  She suffers from this all week.]

TUES. MAY 18, 1920

Not as well today

had to have the

doctor at 2.30

Mrs. Butler over after

supper feel a lot

better now

WEDNESDAY 19

Better this morning

Doctor came in at 12.30

He thinks it is my kidney

Marion up all afternoon

THURSDAY 20

Not much better this

morning Dr. Didn’t

come in today. Marion up

and Mr. Lowell came over

??? better tonight.

[NOTE:  Finally the doctor is called, not once, but twice.  He thinks it is a kidney problem.  This could be serious in the days before antibiotics, and before pain killers (well... they had morphine in those days).  Poor Gertrude!]

Part One  posted December 5, 2016

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/amanuensis-monday-my-grandmothers-diary.html

Part Two posted December 12, 2016

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/amanuensis-monday-my-grandmothers-diary_12.html   

Part Three posted December 19, 2016

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-grandmothers-diary-part-3.html   

Part Four posted December 26, 2016

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-grandmothers-diary-part-4.html   

Part Five posted January 2, 2017

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-grandmothers-diary-part-5.html   

Part Six posted January 16, 2017

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-grandmothers-diary-part-6.html  

Part Seven posted January 23, 2017
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-grandmothers-diary-part-7.html   

Part Eight posted January 30, 2017
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-grandmothers-diary-part-8-march-28.html  

Part Nine posted February 6, 2017
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/02/my-grandmothers-diary-part-9-april-15.html

Part Ten posted February 13, 2017
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/02/my-grandmothers-diary-part-10-april-27.html


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Grandmother's Diary ~ Part 11 (May 9 - 20, 1920)", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 20, 2017, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/02/my-grandmothers-diary-part-11-may-9-20.html: accessed [access date]).