Emma #2: November 1927

The indented italized words are those of Linda Hoopes to help a visitor to these

journals better understand "the who, what and where" they are reading about in the journal pages,)

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~Tues 1st. Colder, cloudy. Had the second class meeting with my girls tonight after school. ~Wed 2nd. Taught Mrs. Hoon’s class today. Went to prayer meeting and choir practice. ~~Emma had a regular rhythm of church activities…Wednesday night was prayer meeting and choir practice. I may sometimes shorten some of the entries that mention this to keep from getting too repetitious, but this part of her life is always there in the background.   ~Thur 3rd. Will went home today. I went to the Junior Conference & hurriedly wrote a club paper on “The Unity of the Arts.” Webster City tomorrow. ~Fri 4th. Went to Webster City today via bus & Mrs. Johnson’s Hudson. Spoke at a WFMS luncheon. ~~In this month’s entries she mentions traveling to several towns ranging from 10-100 miles from Hubbard, including Radcliffe (10), Eldora (15), Alden (20), Webster City (40), Ft. Dodge (60), Humboldt (75), Rolfe (100). ~~Hudson was an American automobile manufacturer from 1909 to 1954. This is a 1925 Hudson, and here are some images of a fully restored 1927 Hudson.   ~~Sat 5th. Made Ruth a coat out of Aunt Daisey’s old one today—it was some job. ~~Emma sewed many of their clothes; my grandmother Ruth and great-aunt Katharine were very skilled seamstresses, and my mother sewed dresses for my sisters and me when we were young. It was common to remake older clothes to fit someone else.   ~~Sun 6th. We borrowed J.B. Strother’s car & went to Eldora today. Took Betty & Margaret. Wrote a family letter after coming home. ~~Betty and Margaret were Emma’s granddaughters, who would have been just a few years old at this time. The family was full of prolific letter-writers. They had a regular “round-robin” letter that was sent from one household to the next, with new information being added before sending it on.   ~~Mon 7th. A cloudy washday. Went to an Ex S.S. Co meeting this PM. Tell went to Rowley with Herman Strate. ~~Tues 8th Still cloudy tho’ warmer. Went to Ladies Aid at Gladys Strother’s this PM. Read one of the “Cutter” stories aloud in the evening. ~Here’s an interesting article about the history of the Ladies’Aid Society in the Methodist Episcopal church. ~The Cutter stories probably refer to work by Bess Streeter Aldrich, a popular writer of novels and magazine stories of the era. She was from Cedar Falls, Iowa; her work emphasized family values and Midwest pioneering history.   ~~Wed 9th. Taught Ruth’s class in Bible school. Went to prayer meeting and choir practice. ~~Thur 10th. We went to Mrs. C.L. Clemmons today to the WFMS. Stayed with the kiddies while Miriam & Ruth went for a walk. Cloudy but warm. ~Miriam was Emma’s daughter-in-law; at this time she and Gerald had two daughters.   ~~Fri 11th. Helped with a chicken-pie supper. Then went to the schoolhouse to hear Benefit Athletes program. ~The chicken pie supper was probably a fund-raiser for the church and its missions. This was a widespread and popular practice.   ~~Sat 12th. Gerald & I got in the parsnips, carrots & rutabaga today. ~~These are root vegetables; an important source of food in the fall and winter. 1 roots photo   ~~Sun 13th. Margaret Sater, Delilah Buey, & Lucile Miller were baptized & taken into the church today. We brought Nora home with us from Eldora today. ~Tell’s sister Nora was about 60, single, a teacher, and living in Eldora with her brother Will and sister Daisey.   ~~Mon 14th. Washed some. Ironed some. Had my girls’ class meeting. Am ready to go to Alden on the bus. Stayed with Mrs. Johnson all night. ~~Tues 15th. Drove to Early today. Cold & stormy. Had a wonderful meeting. Visited with J.L. Whitney & wife in the evening. ~~Wed 16th. Warmer today. Came to Rolfe this AM. Sunshine today. Splendid service in PM. Went to bed instead of going out in the evening. Miss Golisch, our missionary speaker, is wonderful. ~I found Anna Lulu Golisch listed in the 1940 yearbook of the WMFS; she was stationed in Nanking, China.   ~~Thur 17th. Today we came to Humboldt. Had to drive back to Rolfe after Mrs. G’s grip which was forgotten. Had a wonderful meeting with the Ladies Aid. Drove to Ft. Dodge at night. It’s fun looking up these little towns! Rolfe is a rural town established in 1884; its population peaked in 1920-1930 with about 1030 people—as of 2020 it’s a little over 500. Ft. Dodge, incorporated in 1869, had a population of about 2200 in 1920s and about 25,000 in 2020. ~~Fri 18th. Stayed at the YWCA. Met two lovely girls Misses Case. Had a fine meeting at the church & then at Mrs. Share—Ladies Aid. Drove back to Alden. Called home. All well. Rev. Haas died this AM. ~In those days there were a number of woman-only establishments that provided lodging for traveling women as well as permanent residents, including some that were run by the YWCA. Here is a link to the Ft. Dodge YWCA, still in the original building built in 1914. It currently houses a range of services—including a food bank and drug rehab.   I~~Sat 19th. Today we are holding our Unit meeting at Alden. Miss Golisch & I came home on the bus. So happy to be home. ~~20th Sun. Miss G took our TO this AM. Over $41.00. Held a service in Radcliffe in the evening. Met Mrs. Clark of Eldora—also Miss White, a cousin of Miss G’s. A beautiful day. Nora went home today. ~I think TO is Tithe Offering. The amount is about $640 in today’s dollars.   ~~21st Mon. Attended Mr. Haas’ funeral today. Rainy & foggy. ~~22nd Tues. Cloudy & colder today. Went to choir practice tonight. Did my washing & worked at the office. ~The office was Tell’s farm implement company in Hubbard.   ~~23rd Wed. I visited school awhile today then taught in Bible school. ~~24th Thur. Thanksgiving day! We went to church. Rev Rowley preached in Salem church. Then Gerald’s and we all went to Eldora—John, Alice, Will, Manora & Daisey were there. Gerald & the Rowleys spent the evening here. ~Fun fact: 1927 was the first year Macy’s had a balloon in its Thanksgiving Day parade.   25th Fri. Sewed today. Nearly finished a red wave dress for Katherine.  ~I` couldn’t find any information specifically on a “wave dress,” but had fun looking at 1920s ladies’ dress patterns. Very flapper-y. Here’s another site with some mens’ and womens’ clothing fashions in 1927.   ~~26th Sat. A beautiful warm day. We sewed again today. Read “Molly-Make-Believe” this evening. ~Molly Make-Believe is a sweet, old-fashioned romance by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott.   ~~27th Sun. A dark lonely day. Taught my class of girls at SS—church twice. A chicken dinner & a walk with my reading filled the day. ~~28th Mon. Washing. SS class meeting. WCTU at Parks’ with a chorus practice filled the day. It rained in the AM. Sun shone in the PM. (Mrs. J. Johnson’s birthday) ~~29th Tues. Attended Ladies Aid at Mrs. Buchan’s. Practiced in the evening for chorus & choir. ~~30th Wed. Taught in Bible school. Had a Stewards Board meeting – Prayer meeting and choir practice. See You next week for December, 1927. Photo credit: Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash