Posts
Jan 6 8.58
Jan 14 9.55
Jan 20 6.15
Jan 21 6.15
Jan 27 6.30
Feb 2 9.81
Feb 17 5.13
Feb 23 11.10
Mar 5 8.80
Mar 18 4.95
Mar 26 5.95
Historical Map of Siberia
10 years ago
Marginalia
There was a table at the back of the diary for 1954, apparently showing egg sales. I say apparently because I can't puzzle out either the quantity produced or the price per dozen. Here's the table in any case - if anybody can figure this out, by all means let me know!
Jan 6 8.58
Jan 14 9.55
Jan 20 6.15
Jan 21 6.15
Jan 27 6.30
Feb 2 9.81
Feb 17 5.13
Feb 23 11.10
Mar 5 8.80
Mar 18 4.95
Mar 26 5.95
Jan 6 8.58
Jan 14 9.55
Jan 20 6.15
Jan 21 6.15
Jan 27 6.30
Feb 2 9.81
Feb 17 5.13
Feb 23 11.10
Mar 5 8.80
Mar 18 4.95
Mar 26 5.95
November 29th, 1954
Mon. washed. To Advance to take chair. To Opal's - Fern & I & Opal on committee for refreshments (Star) on Dec. 8th.
November 2nd, 1954
Tues. Election Day. "Sheesh". Still dreary and cold. Cland and Frona left for Florida. Carl Galloway in for trustee. Earl and us went to Lebanon. Emmett Clay died.
November 1st, 1954
Mon. A bad day. Dark, cold. Snow. Washed - wash hair. cold @ nite. got our big heavy comforter out. Ha.
October 24th, 1954
A beautiful Indian Summer day. The children came to get Jane. We went to Danville Indiana Christian Church to Shirley Jean Byrum's and Jack Fuller's wedding.
October 16th, 1954
Sat. Cold. I washed windows, made chili. Honk went to town. Had [oil] put in car. Had tires changed, all ready for winter.
October 7th, 1954
Thur. worked. cool day, pretty. I went back to Lebanon in evening to Russell & Hitch to see Cora Ruth.
October 5th, 1954
Tues. To work. Cora Ruth Turner died [killed] @ 11:15. To Walter Mc's @ nite. Mr. Giles, Marvin & Jean made final settlement for west South Street property, $10,300.
October 3rd, 1954
Sun. To Sunday school & church. Marvin& Jean here for Dinner. Honk to board meeting @ Dover church.
September 30th, 1954
Rained today - first rain in a long time. New tank - Skelgas brought out but did not attach up. Worked 8 - 4.
September 26th, 1954
Sun. Aunt Elsie & I to mothers. Jean, Marvin, Tom, Jane here at nite. Told us they had sold their Lebanon property to Ernest Giles. McDoodle called said Granny had fell in kitchen. Honk & Marvin went.
September 21st, 1954
Tues. windy, cold. Equal noxial weather. Aunt Elsie, Aunt Laura, Uncle Vern - George Clark here. To Aunt Elsie's for supper. A nice time.
September 16th, 1954
Thur. To work. Had ear ache - to Indianapolis saw Dr. Leo Sparks - fungus out of ears - $6.
September 15th, 1954
Wed. Nice day. To Dover - Dell Kelsey's & paid my dues. To fish fry @ Dover @ nite.
September 12th, 1954
Sun. Moved the sheep from Leach's over here. Put a few cans of peaches in the freezer.
September 11th, 1954
Sat. The kids all here. Tom some better of asthma. Bought sheep off Leach, $100.
September 8th, 1954
Tom still bad with asthma. Their first day of school in Lafayette - Tom not able to go.
September 6th, 1954
Mon. Labor Day. We washed. Jean and Marvin and Tom came down to Lebanon and on here to get Jane. Tom having hay fever terrible.
September 5th, 1954
Sun. To Jean's today to see their new home on Elk Street. A pretty day. Jane came home with us.
August 30th, 1954
Cool. Ironed. Monday. Ruth Helens put permanent in hair @ nite. $3.00 to Ruth. I gave $160 for Lilt Regular.
August 24th, 1954
Tues. Ironed. Took Tom to Dr. Shaw for dental appointment. Jame came home with me. Shower for Pat Canada at Ulen Country Club.
August 19th, 1954
Thur. worked. Went to Dr. Foster's to see about having two little calves "clamped".
August 17th, 1954
Tues. Cold and rain. Fired up furnace. Tom here & Jane - Jean & Marvin to Lafayette. Jean came for Tom, he was going to Bill Hitch's.
August 15th, 1954
Sun. Harold to Sunday school & church. We all went to Uncle Verne's for birthday supper. Jane came home with us. Hot day.
August 14th, 1954
Sat. Another wreck @ Dover. Cecil Bush and a woman from Greenfield. To Earl's @ nite.
August 9th, 1954
Mon. Foggy. Misty. Washed. A pretty afternoon. Had another bad wreck @ Dover. 2 cars, 6 in one car, 2 in the other, all hurt. (1 died).
August 2nd, 1954
Mon. Washed. rained in the morning - to Claude Frona's @ nite. Had quit a storm @ nite.
August 1st, 1954
Sun. To Sunday school & church. Honk to church meeting @ nite. Jean and Marvin bought property in Lafayette.
News from 1954 - July 24th
Who could've foreseen the turmoil the end of the First Indochina War would cause in the US a mere ten years later?
July 11th, 1954
Sun. to Honk's folks. The children came out this morning. Frank Canada married to Pat Johnson.
July 9th, 1954
Fri. to picture show @ nite. Drove to Indian Reservation sure had a good time. Took pictures @ Smoke Falls.
July 5th, 1954
Mon. Clear day. Caught 45 Blue Gills and pike. Had fish for supper. Sent 7 cards home. Comfortable day.
July 3rd, 1954
Sat. arrived @ Shawona at 8am this morning. Naomi, Carmen and I went to Shawona got our groceries - eggs, bacon, rolls, coffee. Chili for supper. Slept well all nite.
June 26th, 1954
Sat. Honk to town. Had machine oiled - new points new manifold tires transferred getting ready for vacation.
June 13th, 1954
Sun. Don, Naomi, Bob, Carmen here for dinner. Mother & Mr. Collins here in afternoon.
HOT
June 6th, 1954
Sun. To Sunday school. To our June birthday party @ park. Next year to have it third Sunday in June.
June 1st, 1954
Tues. ironed. Had new furnace put in. Mr. Weliver here new furnace $485. we wanted oil - [will] burn around $450. Vookivich won 500 mile race.
May 30th, 1954
Sunday. a nice sunshine day. to Sunday school and church. Uncle Verne, Aunt Laura - Aunt Elsie here.
May 29th, 1954
Sat. Had an awful storm last nite. Mr. Weliver here to inspect the old furnace - no good.
Catching Up All At Once
So it's really December 26th - things got a wee bit hectic over the summer on Honk & Helen's old farm - but we're caught up now, and figured this would be a good time to catch up on posting here.
May 23rd, 1954
A beautiful day. To Sunday school and church. To Crawfordsville after noon. To Kathleen's. To Walter Mc's @ nite.
By Way of Comparison
We still find lumps of coal in the barnlots and around the house. I can't imagine what 11 tons of coal would've looked like in the basement! The company (Brown Brothers) that sold the coal is long gone, and it's tough to find sources of heating coal now. But I did run across this article with the following tidbit:
One ton of coal costs about $200 on average, that equals 200 gallons of oil, 310 gallons of Propane, 1.7 tons of wood pellets, 1.4 cords of wood, 27,000 cubic feet of natural gas, or 8,200 kWh's of electricity.
So that 9 and a half tons of coal that was $125 in 1954 would be $1900 in 2009. What a difference 55 years makes, eh? But in the end, it's pretty much the same: $2000 is about what I spent last year on propane to heat the house throughout the season.
May 21st, 1954
A pretty day. Worked. Brown Brothers brought our coal - 9,670 lbs. - $125. There are two ton in the basement. Earl came @ nite.
May 16th, 1954
To Honk's folks - Bob & Carmen there. The children came @ nite for Jane. Had sandwiches and Cokes, drumsticks, coffee. Rained.
May 3rd, 1954
Washed. To Crawfordsville, bought black shoes, girdle & ear rings.
To Mary Shaumons funeral. Songs "I Came to the Garden Alone", I Am Coming Home". Funeral preached from 23rd Psalm.
White Leghorn Chicks
Fifty five years later, there are still White Leghorn's in the henhouse, although we'll probably brood a little later this year as we already have a goody supply of eggs. Helen bough her day old chicks for 3¢, the price this year is $1.91 - here's a link to the birds at one of the few remaining interstate hatcheries, McMurray. I'm sure Helen's came from a lot closer than Iowa, but can't pinpoint the exact source.
April 18th, 1954
Easter Sunday. To Pleasant View @ 5:15 in morning - to Aunt Elsie's for dinner - to Frank's @ nite.
April 4th, 1954
To the folks - Cleo and Jeanette there. Frank & Fern came @ nite. The men went to board meeting. Stormed all nite.
March 29th, 1954
Washed - Honk and I to Thorntown with Franks for installation of officers "Eastern Star".
March 28th, 1954
Jean - Marvin - Tom - Jane - Aunt Elsie here for supper. Hail storm covered ground. Bad night - rained.
March 21st, 1954
To Sunday school & church. Jean, Jane, Tom & Marvin here a while in the evening. Uncle Vern, Aunt Laura & Aunt Elsie here @ nite.
March 20th, 1954
March 8th, 1954
A beautiful day. To Crawfordsville. Bought blue nylon shoes, Rhine stone necklace, nylon white gloves. To Walter Mc @ nite. Aunt Elsie bought monument for graves.
March 7th, 1954
Jean came after the children. To Earl Cannada's at nite - Earl & Luveta there. Elso Green died today.
February 28th, 1954
Sunday. Prepared church table - Honk & I didn't go to church. 16 here. We had Sunday school class.
February 26th, 1954
worked. Rosemary Beck & I to Hospital to meet with hospital staff - chief of staff Dr. Speith.
February 23rd, 1954
Raining - cleaned front room rug - waxed kitchen floor. To town - had deed recorded. Honk went to Lodge.
February 22nd, 1954
Ironed. Honk sowed clover seed on 35 acres. Harold Maguire here. Washed & waxed bath room floor. Washed my hair. And pin curled.
February 20th, 1954
Sat. washed. To town in afternoon - took 2 feather beds & mattress to Elmore Browning. Had a hard rain in the afternoon. Home Sat. nite.
February 17th, 1954
Wed. 50°. Worked - a beautiful day. To Thorntown Christian Church Fellowship supper. Sent Lucille Young a Birthday card.
February 14th, 1954
Valentines. Frank & Fern Martin have signed papers for Honk and I to go into Eastern Star. We went to Mother & Dad Collins.
February 13th, 1954
Sat. washed - also 4 strips of nets I stretched. Jane and Tom came out and spent the nite. I drove to Lebanon - brought flowers for Mary Ann.
February 9th, 1954
Tues. To Crawfordsville. Bought navy blue dress with touch of red. Washed my hair at night and pin curled.
February 8th, 1954
Mon. Ironed - washed dining room curtains. To Aunt Elsie's for dinner. Moved her meat & vegetables to Boone Co. Locker.
February 7th, 1954
Feb. - Taking care of Communion Table 1954
Sun. To church and Sunday school. A beautiful day.To Frank's @ nite. Frank - Harold - Earl - to church board meeting @ nite.
Bark Cloth
Today's post mentioned "bark cloth" - and I had no idea what it was! A bit of Googling turned up this excellent thread from a eBay forum, and now I know. The picture at left if of the type of door covering that Helen most likely would've bought this is just a guess, although from the flotsam and jetsam left around here when we bought the place, I'd say it's a pretty good one. Here's the concise description from the eBay forum - go read the whole thing for more history!
Barkcloth, in its original form was made from the bark of the Tapa tree in Hawaii. It is beaten, not woven. From that native cloth (if you come across that, it's now called "tapa" and is pretty rare), sprang forth what we NOW call barkcloth.
Technically, barkcloth is a weave. To be exact it's a Momie Weave. From the 8th edition of "TEXTILES" (a textbook): "Momie is a class of weaves that present no wale or other distinct weave effect but give the cloth the appearance of being sprinkled with small spots or seeds. The appearance resembles crepe made from yarns of high twist. Fabrics are made on a loom with a dobby attachment or electronic control.
"Bark cloth is a heavyweight momie weave fabric used primarily in furnishings. The interlacing pattern usually uses spun yarns and creates a fabric with a rough testure somewhat like that of tree bark, hence the fabric's name. The fabric may be printed or solid. The rough texture adds visual interest to the fabric and minimizes the appearance of soiling."
Now, a little bit more of the informal history...
Before, during and following WWII, there were many GI's and sailors stationed in Hawaii. These sailors saw these brightly colored barkcloth curtains and other home furnishings (as well as some shirts) and brought or sent them home...back to the mainland. In the years following -- the late 1940's through the 1960's, bark cloth became a staple fabric in the home interior textiles market. The most collectible of these barkcloths are the atomic "Eames era" prints popular in the 1950's and early 1960's.
February 2nd, 1954
Tues. To town, bought Venetian Blind - also green bark cloth for front room door.
February 1st, 1954
Mon. A beautiful day - ironed, washed windows. - cleaned on house - washed my hair.
January 31st, 1954
Sun. A pretty day. (Marvin - Jean)(Uncle Verne)(Aunt Elsie) To Mothers. Jane & Tom visited with us. We took Tom home @ nite - Jane came back with us.
January 30th, 1954
Sat. Washed - a pretty day. Jean - M - TJ here a while in morning. Frank and us went to Colfax for supper (we came back to Walter Mc's @ nite).
January 26th, 1954
Tues. (Cloudy - rains). To thorntown for meat. Earls and Freds came @ nite. Thunder and lightning.
January 23rd, 1954
Sat. Pretty day. Phil here. Baked a pie, swissed a steak. Honkie & I here all day.
January 20th, 1954
Wed. Rained all day. Drove in hard rain to work.Cecil Bush & Utokia have a new baby boy. David Edward - 8 lbs., 12 oz. Honk has a drippy cold.
January 19th, 1954
Tues. Dark day - rained some. Cleaned wall paper (finished dining room and part of living room).
January 18th, 1954
Mon. Cold. 17° above zero. Beautiful day. Ironed, washed my hair - pin cur. Wash down bathroom, cleaned side walls in dining room. The children came @ nite.
January 17th, 1954
Sun. Cold, still day. 20°. To Earl Cauder's for dinner - Ham, gravy, mashed potatoes, baked beans, potato salad, peach butter - side dish of spiced grapes in mayonnaise - pumpkin pie - coffee.
January 16th, 1954
Sat. Cold. Washed. To Lebanon, got groceries for Aunt Elsie. She bought a new refrigerator. $509. To Walter Mc. @ nite.
January 11th, 1954
Mon. Ironed - cleaned ceiling in dining room. Jane came home with Honk. Aunt Elsie sold house in Indianapolis.
January 10th, 1954
Sun. To Sunday school and church - a meeting of the church board, a dinner in church basement. To Perle Pitman's for Helen Pitman and Mabel McDaniel [birthdays] (Helen 45, Mabel 71).
January 6th, 1954
Wed. Snow. To work! Lucille Young came over this eve, Wayne [Young] sick. Mary Ann Grimes born today to Margret and Donald.
January 5th, 1954
Tues. Snow 3" deep. A Beautiful Morning. Ironed. Sent Mae Sharp and Bertha Isafelt Birthday cards.
Preserving Our History
I ran across this article yesterday in the Greencastle Banner-Graphic (a local paper) and am reproducing it below in it's entirety (sans photos) because way too much information is ephemeral, even (or especially) on the Internet. And this kind of tale is an important part of our shared history. Considering this blog, I can relate.
Clan treks to view family history
BARNARD -- On Dec. 29, 1923, Raymond L. Hopkins turned 21 years old.
Sometime between Christmas and his birthday that year, Raymond received a pocketknife as a gift. He took that knife into the woods on the farm where he lived with his parents, Ernest and Hattie, and his brothers and sisters, and carved his name and the date into a beech tree there.
On Friday, several members of Raymond's family trekked into those woods, located one mile south of Barnard, to look at the carving, which, 85 years later, is still clearly visible on the dusky white trunk of the tree.
Leading the march down a steep grade to the tree was Raymond's son Lloyd, 78, who now lives in Crawfordsville. Lloyd was accompanied by his wife Betty, daughters Pam Stevenson and Beth Jensen, son Kerry Hopkins and grandsons Skylar Stevenson and Seth Maxwell.
"This is all he talked about at Christmas," Skylar said.
Family lore has it that Raymond also carved a heart in the tree that bore his initials and those of the girl he would marry, Lottie Page. The heart has been weathered away, Lloyd said.
This past summer was the first time Lloyd had seen the carving. He was contacted by the people who now own the land, who said they had discovered it.
"We knew it was there, we just never had found it," Lloyd said. "We'd always heard the story."
Lloyd was thrilled to finally see the carving, as were his children and grandchildren.
"It really is something for it to still be here after all these years," Pam said.
In July, Lloyd and his brother Marion, who lives in Maine, went out to view their father's handiwork.
The Hopkins family moved to the Barnard property from Illinois when Raymond was a teenager.
Hattie Hopkins died on May 6, 1958, and Ernest died on June 11, 1961. The property, originally one 40-acre tract, has been subdivided and purchased by several different parties.
The land the carved tree is on is owned by an individual from Brownsburg.
"They said they're going to take some of the trees down," Betty said, looking around at the majestic forest. "Hopefully they'll leave this one."
In the last few years, Raymond has taken a great interest in his family history. He and a cousin discovered seven of their ancestors were buried in a small family plot, known as the Page Cemetery, in a wooded area just over the line into Hendricks County.
With the help of local cemetery restoration expert Jessica Felix, spruced up the area. A dedication ceremony for the tiny cemetery, where Raymond's great-great-great-grandfather was laid to rest, was held this past October.
"People talk about working the graveyard shift at night," Raymond said. "I worked the graveyard shift in the middle of the day."
By JAMIE BARRAND, Editor and JARED JERNAGAN, Assistant Editor
January 4th, 1954
Mon. Another beautiful day - 34°. Washed - cleaned up part of house. [wrote] a letter to my mother to thank her for [the] beef.
January 3rd, 1954
Sun. Beautiful weather. To Sunday School & church. Us - "Freds" - "Franks" to Walter Mc's @ nite.
January 2nd, 1954
Sat. To mothers - they gave us 3/4 beef - two front qtrs and 1 hind qtr. Jane came home with us.
January 1st, 1954
Fri - New Years Day. Jane was here, Jean came for her @ 9. I worked, Honk here. We went to "Freds" @ nite.
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