My Grandmother's Diary ~ Part 16, July 8 - 19, 1920

Cabot Street (downtown) in Beverly, Massachusetts 1915

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.  

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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]).