This is the 16th 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.
THURS. JULY
8, 1920
Got up at
7.45 went
over to
Butler’s all morn
ing after
dinner layed
down slept
all afternoon
After supper
went down
Ella’s. Marion down there, too
Came home
went to bed at 10
FRIDAY 9
Got up at
7.30 over
Mrs.
Butler’s all morning. After
dinner went
downtown came
home, stayed
home all after
noon. Ma & Pa up Russell’s
Ella up
after supper stayed
Around the
house bed at 10.15
SATURDAY 10
Got up at
7.45 went over
Butlers all
the morning
stayed home
all afternoon
Mr. Lowell
over. Around the
house all
evening went down the
store went
to bed at 10.30
NOTE: It must have
been hot weather again. Sleeping during
the hottest part of the day was a coping method in the days before air
conditioning. Gertrude mentions her cousin Marion, friend Ella, and that Ma & Pa were at her married brother Russell's house. Mr. Lowell, the boarder was home (he seems to be there on most weekends).
SUN. JULY
11, 1920
Got up at
9.15 went over to
Butlers a
little while home the
rest of the
morning. After dinner
Ella & I
took a walk
Over
Kernwood came home then
went to ride
with Brick & Eunice
over North
B. Bed at 10.30
MONDAY 12
Got up at
7.30 worked
all morning
over Butlers
After dinner
went to Idle-
wood with
Brick. Stayed
home all the
evening
went to bed
at 9.45
TUESDAY 13
Got up at
6.45 over to Butlers
part of the
morning. Helen
and baby up
all day. Went to
ride with Gladys. Home all
evening bed
at 10.30
NOTE: Gertrude mentions working over at Mrs. Butler's again. She also mentions her friends Ella, Brick and Gladys, and her sisters Eunice and Helen. A walk to Kernwood probably included crossing the bridge into North Salem. She visited Idlewood Park in Wenham again. This was a popular summer place for swimming, boating and music - and it was on the trolley line from Beverly.
WED. JULY
14, 1920
Got up at
6.45 went
over Butlers
a little while
home the
rest of the morning
After went
over Butlers sized
my
sweater. After supper
went to
ride. Ella & I slept
in the tent
bed at 10-
THURSDAY 15
Got up at
7.15 went over
Mrs.
Butler’s at 8.15 came
home and
went downtown at
11. Over Mrs. Butler’s all after
noon
knitting. After supper
stayed
around the house
went to bed
at 10.00
FRIDAY 16
Got up at
7.15 went
berrying all
day up ??
walked both
ways got 3
quarts came
home at 6
stayed home
all even
ing and went
to bed at 9.45
NOTE: Gertrude mentions "sizing her sweater" - she was a very busy knitter all her life. She went downtown, which would have looked a lot like the 1915 postcard you can see at the top of this blog post. She slept in the tent again (must be another heat wave). I can't figure out where she went berrying, but she was gone all day.
SAT. JULY
17, 1920
Got up at
7.30 worked
over to
Butlers all morn
ing came
home after dinner
worked around
the house.
Mr. Lowell
came over after
supper went down
Ella’s
came home at
9.30 bed at 11
SUNDAY 18
Got up at 9
went over
Butlers a
little while
Eunice &
I and Gordon went
up to Russells
& spent the
day came
home at 5.30
out on the piazza
all
the evening
bed at 9.45
MONDAY 19
Got up at
7.30 went over
Mrs Butlers
all morning
After dinner
went down
Marion’s
until 4:30 After
supper went to
ride with
Brick. Went to bed at 10.30
NOTE: Gertrude mentions working at Mrs. Butlers, and Mr. Lowell, the boarder, was back for the weekend. She went to her brother Russell's house with her siblings Eunice and Gordon. It must still be hot because they spent the evening on the piazza (old fashioned word for the front porch). She visited her cousin Marion Hoogerzeil and went to ride (bicycle? trolley car?) with her friend Brick.
----------------------------
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Grandmother's Diary ~ Part 16, July 8 - 19, 1920", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 27, 2017, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/03/my-grandmothers-diary-part-16-july-8-19.html: accessed [access date]).
What a wonderful possession to have. These glimpses into our ancestors daily life are precious.
ReplyDeleteI have a diary from my Mom, and until now I hadn't thought of including it in my blog. I also have my grandmother's notebook, which I have written about many times.