1910 & 1911 Handwritten Diary Edith Carr James School Teacher Milford Iowa Lakes

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1910 & 1911 Handwritten Diary Edith Carr James School Teacher Milford Iowa Lakes. It was 30 miles over there and back. The other folks went over to Uncle Franks. Edith lives with her family in Milford, Dickinson Co., Iowa. She has three siblings, Ivar Roswell, Lola M. and Dosia E. WELCOME TO SALLY’S DIARIES: Before I get started describing this piece, I want to let you know that I have a podcast. I’ve taken some diaries from my private collection and shared them on our podcast called “Diary Discoveries.” We’ve got 66 episodes out now and you can find it on all the usual podcast venues. So if you enjoy the compelling and adventurous stories from vintage diaries then please check it out. Plus, I was asked to do a TEDx talk in Vienna about this very thing, collecting diaries, and if you are interested in this sort of thing just put into the search engines “10,000 diaries” and you should come up with it. It was a privileged and blessing to be able to share what I’ve learned in the last 36 years. And with all that said…… Up for auction today is a diary that represents the years 1910 & 1911 written by 21 year old Edith Adella Carr, soon to be Edith Adella James as her wedding day is 4 days before Christmas in 1911. Edith lives with her family in Milford, Dickinson Co., Iowa. She’s a teacher, living at home with her parents John P. Carr and Sarah Ellen (Rohr) Carr. She has three siblings, Ivar Roswell, Lola M. and Dosia E. Edith has a full life living in Milford which is known for being in the “Iowa Great Lakes” region. Edith talks a good deal about going to Spirit and Trumble Lakes with groups of friends. Milford has quite an interesting history and when I went to look up the history of the town, one thing stuck out to me and that’s because Edith also talks a good deal about taking the train to Spencer and surrounding towns. On Wikipedia it said this…. “Two passenger trains made daily trips from Des Moines to Spirit Lake, as well as another from Spencer. Until 1910, excursion trains came to the Lakes Area from Des Moines, Algona, and other towns on weekends and holidays. The last passenger train left Milford for Spencer in 1951. The last freight train left Milford for Spencer in 1976. The tracks were dismantled in 1978 and later became a part of the Iowa Great Lakes Recreational Trail.” Edith writes every day for each year about teaching, attending events at the Opera House, traveling on the train, photography (she loves taking pictures and quite often), the Yankee Robinson Circus, and much more….and of course being with Elmer. As stated above, she and Elmer marry on December 22nd, 1911 and on Christmas day she writes this… “December 25th, 1911. Uncle Frank, Lester, Aunt Sade and Nellie went home this morning. We finished packing. Uncle Frank’s were all over for dinner. Papa and Zard took Elmer and I to the 8-30 train. I left my dear home to go to my own home. Elmer and I stayed at the Earling Hotel in Spencer. We went to moving picture show. It was not much good.” I think she and Elmer lived in Cresco after they married which is about 166 miles from her home town of Milford. But the 1920 census shows the family living back in Milford and that might be because in 1918 Elmer joined the army to fight in WWI and Edith might have moved back to Milford to be with her family while he was gone. That’s just an assumption. But her mother did pass away in 1916, so perhaps the couple moved back to Milford to help her grieving father. I can tell you that Edith and Elmer had a son born in 1920, Ivan E. James. Elmer passed away in 1950 and Edith in 1965. The diary is long and when open it measures about 13” and that’s why it looks cut off in the scanned pictures above. I’ve shared a few example entries to give you a better idea of the contents…... 1910 “January 21st, A fine day. Papa went to Spencer and I went to Spirit Lake to attend teachers meeting. I went to Fred Jones. Martha Antisdel was there. We all went to spelling contest in evening, had a good time. Opera House was crowded.” “February 10th, Surprise on Sheton’s. The folks went and had a big time, about fifty there. I went up to Mittses in the afternoon. Old Queen got sick. Papa and Uncle Frank staid up all night at Sheton’s with her.” “February 26th, A nice day. Ella and I went to Spencer on afternoon train. Then came home and went to surprise party on Phil Sandberg. Train did not get to Fostoria till eight o’clock but we went to party anyway. Had a fine time.” “March 14th, A warm day. I walked to school then home in evening. Ed Brown and Leslie Brigham began picking corn for us. Revival meetings began in Fostoria, I had three new scholars.” “April 29th, Hot, so hot today. Lola came home from Fostoria with Roy Mitts. Ivan, Ed, Ella, Lola and I went to Lena’s social at Halfstad’s school house. A big crowd. She made $17. Bert Mitts got my box.” “May 6 th, A cold rainy day. My last day of school. We had a program and picnic, we had to eat our dinner in the school house because it rained. Fifty one were there. We had a big time. I gave two exams after school. A big day.” “June 15 th, Ivan took us to Fostoria. We left at 6-10 A.M. Mr. Pugh came as far as Jefferson with us, he went to Wisconsin. We arrived in Madrid at 12-30 and went to Aunt Mary’s for dinner and called up Uncle Daves and Rolland came in after us and after supper we all went to the big wedding, Edith and Clara were married, had a double wedding. About 150 were there. Got home about one o’clock. The girls got a lot of presents.” “July 31 st , A nice day. Everybody going to the lake. Lola and I went to church to hear Rev. Shirk speak. Heard a good lecture. In afternoon Mittses came down and we had ice cream. Lola, Bernise and Jessie went to church in evening. I did not.” (one crazy entry a few days later when she said that her folks killed over 100 rats!!!). “August 18th, A nice day. We washed in the morning and after dinner Ivan, Elmer and I went to Spencer, Chantangua. Heard a good lecture and saw moving pictures in evening. Came home on 10-20 train. Got home O.K.” “September 30 th , A fine day. Elmer and I went for a drive after dinner. We went to Kendallville and Minnesota, first time out of the state. Got home about seven and had supper then Elmer Powers came over and we played crokinole. We both learnt a lesson.” (I looked up this game and it looks very interesting and so fun. It said that Crokinole is a classic Canadian dexterity board game invented in 1876. Players take turns flicking wooden discs across a circular wooden board, aiming to land in the center 20-point hole while knocking opponents’ pieces into the outer "ditch". The first to reach 100 points wins.) “October 30th, A nice warm day. I stayed home in forenoon and after dinner Ivan and I drove 3 ½ miles north of Terril to see about a school. It was 30 miles over there and back. We got home about 6 o’clock. The other folks went over to Uncle Franks. Zard and Ollie came up in the evening.” “October 31st, A fine warm day. Ivan pickled corn and papa plowed. Mamma and I washed. In evening Ivan and I went to Halloween party at Carl Allens, seen the witch and had fortune told. All had a good time. Turned cold in evening.” “November 26 th , We did Saturday’s work and mamma finished Lola’s dress. Had a phonograph (does she mean photographer? Or record player) stay here all night. He came in covered wagon and broke down here by the house. Bert Mitts stayed all night here.” “December 22nd, A nice day. It snowed some. Mamma and Ivan went to Spencer. I received a letter in the evening and was very much disappointed. I fixed my gingham dress. Zard brought bees up here.” 1911 “January 28th, A nice day. Mamma and I did some scrubbing. I baked and went to Fostoria twice to meet Elmer then he came on six o’clock and phoned out so I went to get him. The roads are quite rough. Papa and Uncle Dan took Ned to Spencer, sold him for $200. Ethel is better, folks here at home nearly all sick.” “February 24 th , A fine day. Lola and I went to farewell party for Jennie Sandberg at Edna Mittses. Took some pictures. Folks went to surprise on Auntisdel and then to school house to hear program. School out for two weeks vacation. Ella has pink eye. I received a letter from St. Paul. Ivan sold Grace and Fan for $350.” (I believe they moved into a new house as a lot of work is being on on it.) “March 23rd, A nice windy day. We papered the sitting room and Ivan, Lola and I went to surprise party on Frank Fliss but it turned into a dance. Had a fine time, lots of strangers.” “April 9th, Uncle Frank’s all came over. I took some pictures. Lola and I went to see if a Tischer girl could work for us. She is coming next Monday. A man got his arm shot off up by Mr. Tabers on the lake. An accident.” “May 26th, A windy day. Papa, Dosia and Johnnie came after. Wind nearly blew us away. Fourteen of us went to Clifton’s to hang May baskets, had a big time.” “June 9th, A fine day, our last days of school. We had a big picnic at Miller’s Bay. Amos Yager and Levi Vreeland took my school in a lumber wagon. There was twenty of us, we had a big time. About 90 were at the picnic. We all had a hot ride over to Arnold’s park. We got home about seven and all tired out. But that was my last day of school.” “July 4th, A fine large day. We all went to the Park. Ate dinner. Lena, Meria, Elmer and I went to Spirit Lake to see the races. We went up on a boat, came back in an auto. The boat got stuck in the mud. We got home about twelve.” “August 28 th, A little cool. The engine would not go so we did the washing with out it. Elmer helped wash, after dinner Elmer and I went to the lake. Had a boat ride and took some pictures. Got home about 8 o’clock.” “September 15 th, Mamma and I ironed in forenoon and we all went to Milford fair after dinner. Races were good, had a fight. I got left up there and came home with Lloyd Place. Seen Hattie.” “October 6 th, A dark rainy day. We butchered and got ready to go to Bernise’s party. Wilma, Lloyd, Floyd, Henry, Ina, Lola, Dosia and I all went to Places school wagon. We surely had a big time, only nine were there but we had a time never to be forgotten.” “November 25th, A fine day. I helped do Sat. work and after dinner Dosia and I went to taffy pull at Tlams. Had a great time. I took some pictures. Then in the evening we went to a party at Frank Flissl’s. Ina came home with me. We got to ride. Lola went home with Minnie. I got my dishes and waist from the National.” “December 21st, A great day. Our wedding day. Grace and Albert arrived in Fostoria at 11-30. We was married about 12-30. About fifty one guests were present. It snowed some in the evening. Nellie Latta came in the evening.” “December 25 th , Uncle Frank, Lester, Aunt Sade and Nellie went home this morning. We finished packing. Uncle Frank’s were all over for dinner. Papa and Zard took Elmer and I to the 8-30 train. I left my dear home to go to my own home. Elmer and I stayed at the Earling Hotel in Spencer. We went to moving picture show. It was not much good.” Much more than what I’ve quoted here. Then here are a few of the many names she mentions of the folks in the area: Hubbard, Belle Shatto, Fred Runion, Evelyne Carter, Minor Jones, Grant Donaldson, Guy Jones, E. M. Sargent (his boy killed by a horse), Ralph Blackman (died), Ben Glade (died), George Henderson, Elmer Heneman (cream hauler), Mr. Crow (an agent), Johnson, Nora Stouffer, Fred Mitts, Nellie Smock, Pete Benson, Preacher Yates, Vernon Tickham, Cain, Whitefield, Anna Lawrence (died), Clifton, Pugh, Glen Chapman, Mabel Clifton, Dr. Collester, Cornea Henderson (died of paralysis), Henman, and more. Closed, the diary measures about 4” x 7” and is in good shape other than the cover being a bit worn.