Friday, February 28, 1936 - Mother Got Paid Tonight

"Mother got paid tonight.  Grandpa Kenfield fixed Joyce's chair.  Mother and Daddy went to the show.  Jack went over to Junior's and played.  Bill went down the hill with is schoolmates then he went to his [Junior's?] house."


Junior is another friend I don't know about.  I guess it's time to plan more researching!

 

Thursday, February 27, 1936 - Mother and Daddy Went Away

 

"Jack and I went over to Moore's house.  Mother and Daddy went away.  Before Mother went she gave Jack medicine and told him to go to bed, but he didn't.  Mother gave us each a sandwicth.  It had lettuce, Meat, salad dressing and butter in it."

My goodness!  I have so many questions!  Who were the Moores?  (I'll have to research them)  Where did Marie and Bryan go?  Why did Shirley cross out the last two sentences.  

And Jack!  He was always being naughty, ha ha!  I'm guessing Shirley often was exasperated with him because she was probably supposed to be watching him.

Wednesday, February 26, 1936 - Joyce's Perfume Bottle

 

"Jack is sick in bed with a cold.  I went to school today.  Joyce has got a perfume bottle and lets everyone smell it.  Daddy went after Mother.  Jack feels better now.  Mother made Joyce's doll a bonnet."


I'm guessing Joyce was given an empty perfume bottle to play with.  I wonder if Marie knitted, crocheted, or sewed that doll's bonnet?

Saturday, February 22, 1936 - Trying to Make Candy without Kerosene

"Mother, Daddy and Jack went to the show.  I got some candy ready to cook and there wasn't any kerosine.  When Mother, Daddy and Jack got home we had lunch.  I cut pictures out of papers for Billy."

 

Monday, February 17, 1936 - Candy and Pennies

 

"Jack's teacher gave every pupil candy.  Marie didn't come to school this morning.  Joyce is learning to cut paper with her shears.  I have been saving my pennys.  I have 26¢ now.  Jack has 15¢ ($1.15) now."

I used this Inflation Calculator to figure out that 26 cents is about $4.89 today. Fifteen cents in 1936 is about $2.82 today, and $1.15 is $21.64 in today's money.  I am wondering if Jack had a dollar bill in addition to 15 pennies.

Doing a little digging on the internet told me I could get a 2.5 oz. Snickers barfor five cents, and a loaf of bread for nine cents in the 1930s.

Friday, February 14, 1936 - Valentine's Day

 

"I got six Valentines.  Our teacher gave each pupil a Valentine with a sucker in it.  I went down to Aunt Elsie's.  She gave me two peices of cake.  Jack got five Valentines.  Aunt Elsie got a Valentine from her sister today."

Monday, February 10, 1936 - "The snow comes up to my waist in some places"

 

"Mother and Daddy and Billy went to the show.  Jack and I made Valentines.  Bob made Johnny cake.  for dinner.  We didn't have to go to School.  The roads are not plowed.  The snow comes up to my waist in some places."

Interesting that they couldn't get to school, but they could get to the theater!

Sunday, February 9, 1936 - A Homemade Puzzle

 

"Jack, Joyce, and I played Sunday School.  It is so cold out that they didn't have Sunday School at our School.  Jack and I didn't know what to play.  Mother cut a picture into peices.  She gave it to us.  We tried to put it together.  It was a hard puzzle to put together.  Mother and Daddy went o Grandma Kenfields."


It's obvious that the snow and cold are starting to take a toll.  No school, no Sunday School.  I'm not sure if Sunday School was held at the school building or the church, after reading Shirley's entry.  I'm guessing that the frequent visits by Bill and Marie to the Kenfields were to help out the elderly couple with the snow removal and to check up on them.

Saturday, February 8, 1936 - The Snow Shoveling Crew

 

"The snow is blowing.  Bob, Jack went skiing today.  I went down to Elsie's.  Men were shoveling the road to their house.  I baked a cake.  We had part of it for supper.  Jack carried half of a pail of water for Elsie.  Daddy went over to Grandma + Grandpa Kenfield.  Bob went to work on the roads shoveling snow, but couldn't because they had to be 18 years old."

That must have been a disappointment for Bob.  I'm sure he could do a man's work, as he had been helping to support his family for some time.

It sounds like neither Shirley's household nor Angie and Elsie's household had running water.  There is a photo of a well pump in the back yard here.

Friday, February 7, 1936 - Skiing on a School Snow Day

"Bob, Jack and I went skiing this morning.  Jack and I found a little hill to ski on.  We could ski up and down the hill.  Marie Server came over to play.  Bob gave us a penny.  Bob was skiing on a bigger hill then we was.  The snow came almost up to my waist.  This has been the worst winter for years."

Shirley was correct.  The winter of 1935-1936 was the coldest on record for many of the midwestern states, and February in particular set new low temperature records. 

 

Thursday, February 6, 1936 - Wool Socks for Jack and Family Photos

 

"Grandpa Kenfield bought Jack a pair of wool soxs.  Uncle Angie and Aunt Elsie visited to our house today.  Elsie has a new dress.  Mother showed some pictures of Angie, Daddy, Mother's brothers and family, her sisters and family and us kids, etc.  I gave Elsie a picture of me.  Mother gave her one of Angie."

My grandfather Bob told me that when he was young, he and his brothers and cousins would work all summer at Grandpa Kenfield's farm.  At the end of summer, Grandpa Kenfield would purchase each boy an outfit for school.  This makes me wonder if Jack did some chores at the grandparents.

I love that Marie was showing family photos to Elsie, making her feel like part of the family.  I wish I could time travel and see what family photos were being shown and given.  Perhaps one of them was the Robbins family portrait seen here.

Wednesday, February 5, 1936 - Calendars for the Bedrooms

 

"I went down to Elsies and ate supper.  I made a calendar for Bob, Bill, and Jack to hang upstairs.  I made one for our Bedroom.  I gave Joyce my crayons so as to color.  I didn't have to go to school today.  The snow is so deep and the roads not plowed, so they shut the school up."

What is interesting about this entry is that it explains the sleeping arrangements.  The boys slept "upstairs", which I believe was probably a half story or attic, given the photos we have of the house.  There is a window in the south gable.  It appears that Shirley and Joyce shared a bedroom.  Where did Bryan and Marie sleep?  Did they share a room with the girls or did they sleep on a fold out sofa in the living room?  Were there two small bedrooms on the main floor?

Zillow states this house has only one bedroom and one bath, and 552 square feet, but then again, it states the house was built in 1938, which is obviously wrong!.  The square feet is probably considered usable space only and the upstairs is likely not counted.  Another real possibility is that there was no bathroom at the time my family lived there.  They likely had an outhouse and used a tin tub for bathing; and then later on, one of the bedrooms was converted to a bathroom.

Monday, February 3, 1936 - A Hair-Do, Dice, and Sweet Popcorn

 

"Mother went down to get her hair curled.  She said I could get mine curled in spring.  I went down to Aunt Elsie's.  I played dice with Mother and Daddy.  Jack poped corn and put sugar on the corn because he liked it sweet.  We had a half a hour noon at school.  We get out a half a hour earlier."

I remember my Grandmother Robbins (Jeanne - Bob's wife), who was a beautician, talk about how perms were done in the old days, with electric curlers, each one of which was wired.  Sometimes hair would burn.  I imagine it would also be dangerous, with the possibility of electric shock if there was a short.  The price of beauty!

Sunday, February 2, 1936 - Sunday School, Paper Dolls, and Candy

 

"I went to Sunday School today.  We bought a Sunday paper.  I cut the paper dolls out of it.  Jack and I went to Grandma Lewis.  She gave us peanuts and candy.  She gave me some paper dolls for Joyce and I to play with.  Bob gave us a penny to buy candy.  Mother gave us some candy too."

Friday, January 31, 1936 - Mother Got Her "Knew" Coat

 

"Marie Server came over and Jack poped corn and I got some apples out and we had lunch.  At school today we played games.  Mother got her pay today.  She got her knew coat.  I got a ride home with Mrs. Rosengren from school.  Mother got her dresses back from Evans dry cleaners.  You can get one garment cleaned for fifty cents and two for fifty one cents."

Evans Dry Cleaners was at 1121 Third Street in Muskegon.  Google Street View shows that the building now houses a game store, The Griffin's Rest.

Thursday, January 30, 1936 - Shirley Goes Skiing

 

"I went down the hill with Bob and Jack.  Jack got cold and started to go home.  Bob told him to wait till we got to the top of the hill, and we would go home with him.  Jack didn't wait.  I had a apple when I got home.  We took skis to the hill.  I fell down about two or three times.  Marie Server was over when I was down the hill."

Wednesday, January 29, 1936 - Arithmetic and Uncle Angie's Job

 

"I went to Marie Server house and played school.  Uncle Angie got a job working at the Norge.  Mrs. Rosengren showed me how to do a problem in arithmetic.  I think I did it the way she told me and I got it wrong in arithmetic class.  I must to have not watched her very close.  Bob, Bill, Jack went down the hill."

I found this online article, which explains the history behind the building that held the Norge, a refrigerator company: "Norge Corp., which came to Muskegon in 1891 as the Alaska Refrigerator Co., bought the factory building in 1936 as part of a huge expansion program. Within two years, Norge would employ an estimated 4,500 workers."  I'm sure this was a huge relief to the many previously unemployed families in the area.

This Facebook page for Muskegon Heritage Museum has some photos of a Norge refrigerator at the museum.  And this photo on Pinterest shows the Norge building likely around the time Uncle Angie worked there.

Tuesday, January 28, 1936 - Mid Term Results

 

"We got our mid term tests back today.  I got B on mine.  I got a new tablet at school today.  Mother and Dad gave Joyce, Jack, and I a penny.  Jack pulled us over to the store on the sled.  Joyce had a sucker.  Jack and I had a candy bar.  Mother and Daddy went over to Grandma and Grandpa Kenfeild."

Sunday, January 26, 1936 - Doughnuts, Cake, and Cupcakes

 

"We went to Sunday School today.  Billy went down the Heights to get the Sunday paper.  I wanted to go down to Angie's but couldn't.  Jack and I went over to Grandmother and Grandpa's house.  Grandpa gave us each a doughnut.  We had cake for supper.  We are going to have cupcakes tomorrow for lunch."

Wow!  Lots of sweets that week!

Saturday, January 25, 1936 - Magazines for Shirley and Jack

 

"Mother bought Jack a Mickey Mouse magazine.  She got me a playmate magazine.  Mother and Daddy went to the show.  We read stories out of them.  One storie out of my book is Tick Tock Tower.  We want to get the March magazine of Children's Playmate.  We've got the January magazine now."

I found a copy of the January issue of Children's Playmate on Amazon with photos here.  While I found information online about the history of Mickey Mouse magazine, the precursor to the comic books, I didn't find specific history about the publication of Children's Playmate.