Emma #228: July 1947

Tue 1. Ruth took the children to camp this morning & this evening went with Mrs. Emerson to the Camp program. Bob went over too after he got home from New York. Dad & Gerald came home, bathed and cooled off in pajamas.

Men’s pajamas! Here’s a 1947 ad. I’m sure Tell and Gerald’s were home-made rather than store-bought, but the styles would have been similar.

Wed 2. Got my work done & went with Bob & Ruth to get Katharine in Paoli. Visited awhile and went shopping for groceries in Media. Katharine took a sleep. Got my last lesson today in my study course.

As she did almost every summer, Katharine came down by train from Cleveland—be prepared for a sewing binge!

Thu 3. We looked at some old evening gowns for Ruth. She has to have one for Ithaca. I am trying to decide whether to go or not. Katharine cut out her grey chambray dress today. We looked for little Jerry today but he did not come.

Robert had a performance scheduled at Cornell University.

Fri 4. We got up rather late. I fixed stewed chicken with noodles for dinner. Katharine & I have sewed and ironed. Ruth & Bob worked on the fire place. They did not get it all done. Bob took us to see fireworks but we did not see much.

Sat 5. This has been a beautiful day. I have helped Katharine with some sewing today. We finished two dresses—one new and one made over. Katharine is getting ready to attend a two weeks advisory course at Columbus. She will leave a week from today. Then she plans to come back here & help with the sewing till Oct 1^st when she will go back to Columbus to school. Bobby went to Chesapeake Bay with the Forbes today. Got to go on the “Black Duck.” Ruth & Bob finished the outdoor fireplace today and we ate our supper out there.

Ruth & Bob’s Forbes neighbors were relatives of the well-to-do New England family. The Black Duck was a yacht that belonged to the family. More on this to come!

Sun 6. Dad & Gerald planned to go to Spring Lake but Gerald decided not to go. He has been drinking so much. He left today at about 11 A.M. Said he’d be home at 3. It is nearly 8 P.M. & he hasn’t come. He must have meant 3 A.M. Katharine, David, Bobbie & I have been home all day. I have not heard a sermon for three weeks at least. People are excited over the disc in the sky.

In June-July 1947, there was a rash of reported sightings of unidentified flying objects, starting on June 24 when pilot Kenneth Arnold reported witnessing a string of nine shiny disc-shaped objects flying past Mt. Rainier. The media coined the terms “flying saucer” and “flying disc” to describe them. Hundreds of copycat reports were made over the subsequent weeks—the 1947 craze has been extensively studied and is regarded by scholars as the “birth of a modern myth.”

Tue 8. The ironing was done today. Katharine and I have sewed and sewed. She is making a new dress. Will have about 14 to take with her for two weeks of school. We hope to have everything done tomorrow. Bob, Gerald & Ruth cleaned up the wood pile by the garage. Since the fireplace is done there will be lot of company. Gerald has been at home all day. It has seemed good to have him at home and alright.

Thu 10. Katharine and I finished a white evening dress for Ruth today. The bodice is made from a dress Rachel gave me. The net skirt is one Mrs. Chapman gave us. The flower Katharine had and Ruth will be dressed fine for Ithaca. I have about decided to go & take the kids. Annette will go to the hospital in a few weeks to have a Caesarian operation.

Annette was a family friend and former renter at Ruth and Bob’s. Caesarian section is a surgical procedure by which a baby is delivered through an abdominal incision. Although today elective caesarians are sometimes performed at maternal request without a medical indication, in 1947 this would likely have meant that there was an identified complication.

Sat 12. Bob & I just got back from Paoli. We took Katharine over to take the train for Cleveland. She will leave tomorrow night for Columbus. Gerald went to work this A.M. Did not come home after work. He breaks my heart. Life can be awfully hard at times. Dad went to see Chapmans today.

Sun 13. It has been a beautiful day. Dad went to church. Bobby went with the folks. David staid with me. He said this A.M.: “If God didn’t make us we’d have to make ourselves up.” I have been reading Aurora Dawn by Herman Wouk.

Aurora Dawn was a 1947 debut novel by Herman Wouk, who would later win the Pulitzer prize in 1951 for his historical fiction novel “The Caine Mutiny.” It is a satirical look at the early days of radio and advertising in New York.

Mon 14. It has been a rainy wash day though I got the most of the clothes dry & ironed. Bob & Ruth went to town to teach. Gerald worked today. Slept all night in the hammock. Said a bolt of lightning knocked him & Whalen’s son to their knees. Whalen is in the hospital. Got a letter from Nora & Daisey, one from Linnie & Gertie. A letter from Katharine said she had arrived in Columbus alright and was planning to go to an 8 o’clock class.

Thu 17. We finished putting 40 snap fasteners on the seven sunsuits tonight. Three suits are for Bobbie, four for David. Ruth cut out two dresses today which will probably be finished this week though there is some mending to do. We got the oil check today (76.91). It is a job to keep the tithe invested. I want to send some more to the starving people. I do hope I can go to Ithaca though it looks very doubtful.

Fri 18. Dad’s vacation starts today. He will go back to work Aug 4, I believe. Ruth got a new clothes reel today. I will try it out tomorrow I think if it doesn’t rain.

Here’s a 1947 ad for a clothes reel from Sears.

Sun 20. I went with Bob & Ruth to Spring Lake today. Took the children. I watched the ocean awhile after we got there. We fed the swans on the lake and then I took the kiddies to the Methodist SS. We all went to different classes but afterwards we went to the church service together. Then we walked to the car & met the folks and drove to the country where we ate a picnic dinner.

In some family photos I found this picture of Bobbie, which I believe was taken at Spring Lake or nearby. She would have been 8 years old in 1947.

Mon 21. Dad’s first vacation day is over. He worked in the garden awhile. I did a big washing—Ruth’s & mine—using the new clothesline. I started to iron tonight and dropped it (my iron) breaking the handle. I am so sorry. Gerald has not found a place to stay so it looks like I could not go to Ithaca with the folks. Dad says he can’t be left alone. It is very disappointing. Life can be so hard. Was ironing tonight. Dropped my iron and broke the handle.

Here’s a 1940s-era iron.

Wed 23. Bob & Ruth, Dad & Bobbie left for Ithaca early this A.M. After looking forward to it so long it was most disappointing not to get to go. David & I got along fine today. He helped grind breadcrumbs, took a long nap, played awhile at Israels. Walked with me twice after the mail, etc. He said as he came down from his nap “I ‘tend mother is at home.” I have kept busy. Interviewed Mrs. Forbes about “The Black Duck.” She invited us to go sailing a week from Sat. at about 3 P.M.

Thu 24. It is 10 P.M. and I suppose the concert at Cornell is over with. Got a card from Dad this P.M. written yesterday noon.

I found this review of Bob’s concert at Cornell; it mentions Ruth as his accompanist.

This one had a special resonance for me because it mentions that he sang “Lindy-Lou” as an encore. My parents named me Linda Louise partly in honor of this song, which was written by American composer Lily Strickland. Here’s a recording of Paul Robeson singing it.

And just for fun I asked one of my AI resources to comment on the article. Here’s an excerpt from the response:

The reviewer is the most interesting lead. Conrad H. Rawski (1914–2005) was not a routine local writer. He was Vienna-born, took his PhD in history and musicology at the University of Vienna in 1937, emigrated, and joined the Ithaca College faculty in 1940 — he’d become Dean of its School of Music in 1949. (He had a remarkable second act: a Master’s in library science and a career as a Petrarch scholar and information-science figure at Western Reserve/Case Western.) So this isn’t a generic notice; it’s a working musicologist with a European Lieder pedigree assessing Bob. That explains the register of the prose — the Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal) and Flaubert (Salammbô) framing of Duparc, the “mauve chiaroscuro,” the parsing of “Straussian parlando.” Worth knowing who was holding the pen.

Sat 26. The folks got home from Willseyville at 2:20. Started at 6:45. It was 234 miles. The car got over 20 miles to the gallon. The folks went to Watkins Glen taking Lillian yesterday. Dad went in to see Cornell Campus. It contains 25 acres. Lillian sent home a gallon of lard, a half gallon of maple syrup, 2 doz of eggs besides some cake and cheese. Dad gave the girl a 1.50 box of candy & I had Ruth get Lillian some hose. Bobbie brought home a rabbit. Gerald is not himself tonight. I still believe he will change.

Mon 28. I did not wash this A.M. as it was so rainy. Bob took me to town to shop. I got groceries. I started caning a chair today. Think it will look alright. It is plastic cane. Ruth fixed a rabbit pen. Bob suggested we all go to New York with him on Thurs. It would be fun if the kids were good. Mrs. Forbes came over to check up on our going sailing Sat. We plan to go. Gerald went after cigarets he said. It is now 11 P.M. & he is not home.

In case you want to try your own caning…

Tue 29. I went with Bob to Paoli to meet Katharine. David went along. Katharine has been attending a two weeks conference at Columbus. She has a room and is all set to go to school. After I got home I did the washing. Ruth got lunch for all of us. I put David to sleep & took a rest myself. Then Katharine and I worked on caning. We are caning the two cherry chairs that were in the studio. One is all done but the last binding.

These are caned chairs from the family are hanging up in the garage. They may be the ones Emma described.

Thu 31. This morning was not so hot but it was better for Bob to go to New York on the train which he did. He got home this evening with nothing definite to report. Ruth took Katharine, Bobbie & me to the Woolen Mills. It is 100 years old & going strong. We stopped at a market & bought some vegetables. Got the chair all finished today. Ordered us a couple books on caning. Bobbie’s rabbit got killed by a dog today.

I think this would likely have been the Crozer Woollen Mills, in Upland, PA near where Ruth was teaching at the Crozer Seminary.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of Emma’s journals. See you next week for August 1947.

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