Monday, May 29, 2017

My Grandmother’s Diary ~ Part 25, October 30 – November 10, 1920

1920 patterns for Halloween costumes

This is the 25th blog post with transcriptions of my grandmother's 1920 diary from Beverly, Massachusetts.  Her name was Gertrude Hitchings (1905 - 2001) and she lived on Elliott Street.  Her diary is a tiny 3" book with minuscule handwriting.  It has taken me a long time to transcribe, and the book is very fragile.  It has missing and torn pages, and the end of the book is gone, so I am very near to the end of this project with these November pages. Every Monday I post another section of the diary.  You can read the first installment HERE.



Halloween
SAT. OCT. 30, 1920
Up at 7.45 worked around
the house all the morn-
ing.  Stayed home all
afternoon took my bath.
Mr. Lowell over.  After supper went
to the store then stayed out a
while.  Went to bed at 11.30

SUNDAY 31
Up at 8.15 home all morning
Ma, Pa & Hollis gone to Topsfield
after apples. After dinner went
to walk with Mildred.  Went
down to Marion’s house a
while.  Went to bed at 9.

MONDAY, NOV. 1
Up at 6.45 went to school
all morning stayed home
all afternoon.  ???
around the house all the
evening and went to
Bed at 8.45

NOTE:  I was disappointed that Gertrude didn’t mention more about Halloween.  Perhaps it wasn’t celebrated? No special traditions? She mentions her parents and brother Hollis going to pick apples in Topsfield, the boarder Mr. Lowell, her sister Mildred, and first cousin Marion.

TUESDAY. NOV. 2, 1920
Up at 6.45 went to
school all morning stayed
home all afternoon. After
supper went to a party up
to Lappaville? With Elizabeth
and Herbert had a swell time
home at 11.30.  Bed at 11.45

WEDNESDAY 3
Up at 6.45 went to school all
morning went back for French
walked both ways home
at 5. Stayed home all the
evening and studied
Went to bed at 8.45

THURSDAY 4
Up t 6.45 went to school
all morning went down Helen’s
to dinner took Clement out
all afternoon.  Rus & Ethel down. After
supper Geo. & Henry came down
went over Ethel’s.  Bed at 10.15

NOTE: Gertrude attended a party on Tuesday with her friend’s Elizabeth and Herbert at “Lappaville?” (my Mom thinks it might say "Tapleyville" - a section of Danvers).  I couldn’t find a similar spelling via Google.  Was this a dance hall? An amusement park? She mentions her sister Helen, and Helen’s baby Clement.  She also mentions her brother Russell and his wife Ethel.  The two friends George and Henry came to visit again – it seems they always come together.



FRI. NOV. 5, 1920
Up at 7.30 stayed home and
worked all the morning
and afternoon. Went
down to the A&P before
supper.  Home all evening played
cards. Bed at 9.

SATURDAY 6
Up at 7.45 stayed home all
morning.  Home all after
noon.  Bill & Mr. Lowell over
After supper went over the skat-
ing rinks with Hollis had a
swell time.  Bed at 11.15

SUNDAY 7
Up at 10 home all morning
after dinner Ellsworth & Helen
up.  Went to walk with Eunice
Ty & Geo.  Home all evening
Played old Victrola.  Bed at 9.45

NOTE:  She mentions the grocery store “A&P”, someone named “Bill” and the boarder Mr. Lowell.  It must have been cold because she went skating with her brother Hollis.   Her sister Helen and brother-in-law Ellsworth came to visit, and this time she went out with her sister Eunice with Ty & George (what happened to Henry, who used to always come visit with George)? And who is Ty?

MON.  NOV. 8, 1920
Up at 6.45 went to school
All morning. After dinner
About 4.30 went down Helen’s
Stayed home all evening
Played the old Victrola  Mrs.
Butler and Mr. Small over.  Bed at 9.30

TUESDAY 9
Up at 6.45 school all morn-
ing home at 1.15 stayed
home all the afternoon
Rus, Ethel, Ma & Pa over Butlers. Geo
Ty Eunice and I went down Julien’s
Home at 9.30. Bed at 10.

WEDNESDAY 10
Up at 6.45 went to school
all morning brought my
dinner stayed for book [keeping].
Stayed home all evening
Bed at 9.30

NOTE: Gertrude mentions friends Mr and Mrs. Butler, and Mrs. Small.  She also mentions family members brother Russell, sister-in-law Ethel, parents.  Gertrude and her sister Eunice went out again with Ty and George to “Julien’s” (another friend? A place in Beverly?)

--------------------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “My Grandmother’s Diary ~ Part 25, October 30 – November 10, 1920”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 29, 2017, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/05/my-grandmothers-diary-part-25-october.html: accessed [access date]). 

3 comments:

  1. Heather - There is a Tapleyville neighborhood in Danvers, just eat of where the Liberty Tree mall is now. It being on the Beverly line, this might be the location she is referring to, just mispelled. It's the only thing I could find which is close to what she wrote.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Here's where I found it:

    https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ma/danvers/danvers-center

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sandra! My Mom thought it might be Tapleyville. It makes sense.

      Delete