My Grandmother’s Diary ~ Part 15, June 26 – July 7, 1920

1929 Children sleeping on a fire escape
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How did people survive sleeping during heat waves before air conditioning?  You can find out how my grandmother survived this in her school girl diary.

This is the 15th 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.  Gertrude was a 14 year old school girl when she kept this little journal.  The book 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.

SAT.  JUNE 26, 1920

Got up at 7.30 had breakfast

went over Mrs Butler’s at 9. Came

home had dinner.  Ethel

came down. Rus and Mr. Lowell

over to supper.  Went up to the

store after supper.  Home all

evening went to bed at 10.30

SUNDAY 27

Got up at 9 had breakfast

went over Mrs. Butler’s at 10.15

came home stayed home all morning

after dinner Mildred and I

went to walk up reservoir

Home all evening went to

bed out in the tent at 9.30.

MONDAY 28

Got up at 6.45. Went

over Butler’s at 9.  Came

home at 1 home all

afternoon reading home

all evening went to bed

in the tent at 10.

NOTE:   In these diary entries Gertrude mentions sleeping in the tent.  This was another version of sleeping outside on a sleeping porch during the hot summer weather.  In the days before air conditioning some people used to set up sleeping pavilions in their back yard.  That must have been fun!

The reservoir she mentions here must be the Folly Hill Reservoir, which was not far from Elliott Street. She mentions her brother Russell, his wife Ethel, her sister Mildred, and the boarder Mr. Lowell who was usually there on weekends.

TUES. JUNE 29, 1920

Got up at 7.45 went

over Butler’s all morning

went downtown for Mrs. B.

Helen and baby up all day

Went up Danvers played tennis

after dinner.  home all evening

and went to bed at 10.30

WEDNESDAY 30

Got up at 7.15 went

over Butler’s all morning

came home at 12.45. After

dinner went to ride with

Ella ??? came home

got supper.  Went out with the

bunch around here.  Bed at 10.30

THURSDAY, JULY 1

Got up at 7.15 went over

Mrs. Butler’s at 8.30 and went

downtown.  Down Ella’s all

afternoon.  After supper went

to walk with the kids

went to bed at 10.15

NOTE:  Gertrude mentions her sister Helen, her friend Ella, and going to work for Mrs. Butler (housework?). 

FRI. JULY 2, 1920

Got up at 7.15 went over

Butler’s all morning.  After

dinner went downtown with

Ida & Eunice got a pair of shoes

Came home at 5. After supper

Went riding with Ella and

Gladys.  Went to bed at 10.

SATURDAY 3

Got up at 7.30 went over to

Mrs. Butler’s all morning

worked home all afternoon

rained hard all day Mr.

Lowell over In the afternoon.

Stayed home all evening and

Read went to bed at 9.30

SUNDAY 4

Got up at 8.30 had break

fast at 9. Home all the morn

ing.  After dinner went to

walk came home at 5.

Stayed up all night watched

Bonfire went to bed at 1 A.M.

NOTE:  Gertrude mentions her friends Ida, Gladys and Ella; and her sister Eunice.  She mentions the boarder Mr. Lowell and working at Mrs. Butler’s house.  On the 4^th of July she went to see a bonfire until well after midnight! I wonder if she slept out in the tent that night? 

MON. JULY 5, 1920

Got up at 8.30 went over

to Butler’s home all morning

Ellsworth, Helen & baby up Mr. Lowell

too.  After dinner went

down to Ella’s.  After supper

went to ride.  Came home watched

fireworks went to bed at 10.45

TUESDAY 6

Got up at 7.30 over Mrs.

Butler’s all the morning

Went down Ella’s after dinner

and then went down

town.  After supper went

down Ella’s a while, we

slept in the tent bed at 9.15

WEDNESDAY 7

Got up at 5 had break

fast at 6.45.  Went on the

Sunday school picnic up

to Idlewood had a

swell time home at 8.

Went to bed at 10.

NOTE:   The firework display was on the night after the 4^th of July.  She mentions her sister Helen, brother-in-law Ellsworth, friend Ella, and the boarder Mr. Lowell.   Her Sunday school picnic was at Idlewood Park in Wenham where she “had a swell time”.  Gertrude hardly ever mentions church or Sunday school in her diary, but it was an important part of her life growing up.

Click here for another diary entry about Idlewood Park:

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 15, June 26 – July 7, 1920", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 20, 2017, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/03/my-grandmothers-diary-part-15-june-26.html: accessed [access date]).