Iowa History

An IAGenWeb Special Project

The Journals of Emma Troutman Boylan

Emma #8: May 1928
May baskets, 8th grade graduation, and more sewing and gardening.
LINDA HOOPES
FEB 24, 2022

Tue 1. A warm beautiful day. I went to Ladies’ Aid at Van Patter’s and worked out doors in the evening. Katharine went with her SS class to dinner & a movie in Eldora & Ruth is taking her May baskets.

Ring the doorbell and run! May baskets were a tradition that involved filling small paper baskets with flowers and other goodies, and hanging them anonymously on someone else’s door.

Wed 2. Taught in Bible school today & then posted books. Was tired after cleaning sleeping porch & fixing up Ruth’s room.

Hot summer days and no air conditioning often meant sleeping on a porch, where there was a good flow of air to keep things a little cooler.

Thu 3. Set out cabbage & tomato plants this AM. It has been cloudy. Also planted nasturtium—dahlias—cress—bean—snap dragons, & lilies in the evening that Mrs. Brubaker gave Katharine. Ruth went to New Providence to a ballgame. Had our first asparagus today. Nora stopped for a half hour at noon.

So much planting to do. And the reward is in the harvest. Mmmmm…the first asparagus of the year! What a treat. Here are some recipes and some horticultural advice on harvesting asparagus.1

Fri 4. Today we went to Eldora in the evening to hear Aunt Nora read The Fool. It was very good. Took Gerald & Miriam & Naomi Haas. Katharine went to the Jr. Sr. Banquet.

Sat 5. This has been a busy day. Katharine & I worked outdoors till we were so very tired. John & Alice came over & stayed all night.

Sun 6. A most beautiful warm day. John & Alice went home about 4 PM. Rev. & Mrs. Rowley called. We were scared by the report of the house on the farm being on fire. Very little damage done. Margaret Strother Davis came to spend a little time here.

Emma and Tell lived in town and had a house on their farm property as well. I don’t know the story behind the farm house being on fire—apparently it wasn’t a big deal.

Mon 7. Gerald is sick today. It has been a beautiful warm wash day. Tell & I drove out to the farm to measure the room for papering. Ordered 100 Mastodon strawberry plants today. Also planned the picnic.

From a 1928 advertising brochure for the Mastodon, which describes it as the largest ever-bearing strawberry.

Oh, my goodness! The strawberry rabbit hole…fascinating to read about the history and breeding of the strawberry.

Tue 8. Have the ironing done. Betty & Margaret are here while Gerald is sick.

Wed 9. Today we took the Bible school on a picnic out at John Hornung’s farm. A pretty day.

Thu 10. Had WFMS today. Had a nice meeting.

Fri 11. I mowed the lawn today. Worked outdoors most all morning. Drove out to the farm in the evening.

Sat 12. Another busy day. Cut out Ruth’s dress. Worked out in the chicken yard cleaning it up. Went to a TB meeting at the school house. John & Alice drove over.

Sun 13. We went to a Mother’s Day program at the church this AM. Rev. Rowley preached the Baccalaureate sermon at the Zion church in the evening.

I was interested to learn that Mother’s Day in the US originated as part of the worship liturgy in the Methodist Episcopal Church (Emma and Tell’s affiliation).

Mon 14. Ruth went on her school picnic this PM. I washed—planted some flowers and beans and sewed some. Gerald plans to go fishing tomorrow.

Tue 15. Finished Ruth’s dress today & bought her some new shoes. Ironed.

Wed 16. Ruth has been home all day. She does not have to take exams. I sewed on my dress. We all went to choir practice in the evening.

Thu 17. We had Mrs. Haas, Ruth, & Naomi for supper tonight. Class day exercises in the evening. We had almost a cloud burst this evening—with a lot of hail stones.

Fri 18. Tonight Ruth graduates from Eighth Grade. She has a pretty flowered grey silk that Aunt Nora gave her—I made it. Katharine is glad to have her school out.

Buried in a box of family papers, I found Ruth’s eighth-grade yearbook from Hubbard Jr. High. She had 19 people in her class, and this is a handmade/carbon-copied document that includes pictures and a number of small treasures. I’ve scanned it into a PDF which you are welcome to download here.

Sat 19. There were seven of our club who attended Veasha day at Ames today. We had a nice time. Picnic dinner & supper.

VEISHEA was a multi-day student-run festival at Iowa State that began in 1922; its traditions included parades, performances, an open house, and cherry pies. The name is an acronym for the colleges: Veterinary medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics, Agriculture. The festival was “retired” in 2014 after a series of riots and disturbances.

Sun 20. Margaret Manora read Pilgrim’s Progress for our Sunday night program. We got over $10.00. August Hoelscher preached in the AM. Rev. Rowleys are at Gen. Conf.

Mon 21. I set out some petunia plants & dug awhile on my pool. Nora went home. Miss Reece & Katharine took her to Eldora. They also went to Iowa Falls in the evening to hear a concert given by Glen Drake.

Tue 22. We did a big washing today. Ruth & Margaret Suter entertained the Camp Fire girls at Wohelo Lodge. They served sandwiches, pickles, egg salad, cake, peaches, whipped cream & cocoa.

Ruth made this headband in Camp Fire Girls. The note pinned to it by my mom (Ruth’s daughter) says: “Mother made this headband when she was in Campfire Girls. Junior High age. She made it on a loom. That insignia was hers and nobody else’s.“

Camp Fire Girls was formally organized in 1912 and became coed in 1975. “WoHeLo” is the name created by combining the first letters of the pillars of Camp Fire: Work, Health, and Love.

Wed 23. We planted sweet corn on the hill this AM—also took up some roses for Mrs. Marshman. Ironed this PM. Ruth went to see Naomi Haas. Tell has sold 18 rotary hoes.

Thu 24. Ruth & I went to Iowa Falls on the bus. Mrs. Johnson came over & took us to the Mother’s Club which met west of Alden. Got material for Katharine’s dresses.

Fri 25. We made Katharine two dresses (almost) today.

Sat 26. Cleaned the kitchen—& patched the linoleum this AM. Am planning to work at the office this PM.

Sun 27. John & Alice spent the PM with us. Tell & John are planning to go to Ill. on Friday.

Mon 28. The girls & I got Miss Reece’s car & drove to Alden today taking Mrs. Johnson some shrubbery. Saw Mr. Tallman about Ruth’s lessons.

Tue 29. We did a lot of “fiddling” things today—Painted some spices cans. Ruth took her first lesson of Mr. Tallman.

Wed 30. Decoration Day. Tell & Gerald dug my lily pool today. It is 15 ft long & over 2½ ft deep. It will be cemented tomorrow AM.

Decoration Day is what later became Memorial Day. It was started in 1868 for Civil War remembrance. After World Wars I and II it changed to general remembrance, and in 1971 became standardized by Congress as Memorial Day—the last Monday in May.

Thu 31. Had the pool cemented today. It is oval shape—about 15 ½ x 12 ft. Canned a crate of pineapple today—45 pints—#30.

The US imported quite a bit of pineapple in 1928—mostly from Cuba.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s installment! See you next week for June 1928.

1.Photo credit: Gil Ndjouwou on Unsplash