Tuesday, February 25, 1936 - The Thaw

 

"I went out doors and played.  Bob came home this morning.  Aunt Elsie got her hair waved.  It is awful slushie out doors.  Marie came over to play we played school.  Mother & Daddy went to Angie's and Elsie's house."

Monday, February 24, 1936 - The Fifth Grade Arithmetic Book

 

"Tomorrow I think we are going to be through our fifth [grade] arithmetic book.  Bob is staying at our cousins house.  I fell down twice in the water going to school.  I baked a cake while Daddy went after Mother."

I wonder which cousins Bob was staying with?  They had so many!  I'm guessing Shirley fell because it was icy and slushy.

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!

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. 

 

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.

Tuesday, February 4, 1936 - A Good Book and a Report Card

 

"I bought a book home from school called Just David.  I like it very much.  Bob read it through tonight.  I got my ears and fingers cold coming home from school.  I got my spelling words alright.  I wanted to go to Elsies, but couldn't.  I got my report card.  I got A in reading, Health, English, Geography and spelling.  I got B in Penmanship, arithmetic and deportment."

Just David was written in 1916 by Eleanor Hodgman Porter, the author of Pollyanna.  It was a bestseller.  Now out of copyright, you can read it for free, here at Google Books.

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."

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.

Friday, January 24, 1936 - A Letter from Phyllis

"I went to school today and started to do some of my mid term test.  I got a letter from Phyllis Taylor today.  I went down to Angi's and Elsies house.  Billy came after me to come home.  I was making the beds here at home and Bob said 'Look what you left under the lamp.'  I looked and there was a letter from Phyllis."

What a nice surprise that must have been for Shirley to get a letter from her friend!

 

Tuesday, January 14, 1936 - An Evening with Friends

 

"a family named Dixon moved.  a boy named Billy is their boy.  I don't like him very well.  I change my set to where he sat in school.  Jack and I went to Marie's house to-night.  We played with colored buttons.  We made flower gardens and houses out of them.  Bob & Llye Server went skiing.  Bob stayed and played cards."

How clever to make flower gardens and houses out of colored buttons!  I'm thinking this was something like mosaic pictures.  Also, I learned something about my grandfather, Bob:  that he skied...probably cross-country, as downhill skiing is limited to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Friday, January 10, 1936 - A Spell Down and Sledding

 

"Today at school we had a spell down. our side won. next week we are going to have a mid-term-test.  Bob, Jack, I and Lyle Server and Marie Server went down the hill.  I took Joyce out doors today.  We went down the hill on Lly's toboggan.  he made it himself.  Billy Bought a toy airplane to make."

This photo of Joyce playing in the snow, Winter of 1935-6,
may well have been photographed on January 10.

Thursday, January 2, 1936 - The Snow House

 

"today Bob, Jack, and I built a snow house. We have every thing but the roof built. Jack, Bill, and I had a snow ball fight. Mother and daddy went to the show. Daddy and Jack and I took down our Christmas tree. Joyce wanted to scribble in this diary. Joyce went to bed tonigt at 9.30 P.M. instead of 8.30 P.M."

This photo of Bob Robbins was taken in the backyard
 of the Austin Street house, January 1936.
It's possible that is the snow house behind him and to his right.

Shirley's Immediate Family

 

The Robbins Family
Back row, left to right: Jack, Bryan, Bill Jr.
Front: Marie, Bob with Joyce, Shirley
October 1942 - six years after the diary was written
5 Acres farm, Coopersville, Michigan

In nearly every entry of her diary, Shirley mentions either one or both of her parents and at least one sibling.  Her family was obviously an important part of her everyday life.  Here's a little background about the family she grew up in and how old they all were at the time of this diary.

Shirley's dad was William Bryan Robbins, Sr.  Born June 5, 1896 in Hesperia, Michigan (which lies on the Newaygo-Oceana County border), he was named for that year's Democratic presidential nominee  and famed orator, William Jennings Bryan.  Sometimes he was called Bryan and sometimes he was called Bill.  He came with his parents and siblings to Muskegon Heights, Michigan from Ensley Township in Newaygo County around 1916.  I'm calling him Bryan in this diary when I mention him, to clarify that it's not Bill Jr.  He was 39 and 40 years old during the year this diary was written.

Shirley's mother was Marie Lewis.  She was born May 15, 1902 in Whitehall, Muskegon County, Michigan.  Her family moved to Muskegon Heights around 1913.  She was 33 and 34 years old the year this diary was written.

Bryan and Marie met when Marie's maternal grandfather, John Wilkinson Sr., died September 10, 1917.  Bryan was working as a chauffer and drove the hearse for John's funeral.  They started courting the next few years, through Bryan's service during World War I in North Russia as part of the American-North Russia Expeditionary Forces (read more about his service at my AnceStories blog here).  When Bryan returned to the U.S. after his service, he and Marie married on Christmas Day 1919 at her parents' home at 1132 Hoyt Street, Muskegon Heights.  They lived there until after the birth of their first two children.  They had been married 16 years the year the diary was written, and celebrated their 17th anniversary the last week of 1936.

Robert Louis Robbins ("Bob") was their first child, born September 21, 1920 in Muskegon Heights.  He was my paternal grandfather.  Two years later in the same city, William Bryan Robbins, Jr. ("Billy") was born, on May 22, 1922.  Bob was 15 and 16, and Billy was 13 and 14 the year this diary was written.

Marie, with Shirley and Jack
Probably around 1929 or 1930

In 1923, the couple was enumerated for the Michigan census of WWI Veterans in the city of Muskegon, which borders Muskegon Heights on the north and west.  In 1924, they lived in Conklin, Ottawa County for a short time, before returning to Muskegon by the summer of 1925, where Shirley Marie Robbins was born August 14, followed by Lloyd Jack Robbins ("Jack") on June 3, 1927.  The family was enumerated in 1930 15 416 East Broadway, Norton Township, Muskegon County. However, Joyce Elaine, the "bonus baby", was born in Muskegon on December 26, 1933, 87 years ago today.  They lived on Broadway at least until 1935, then moved to their home on Austin Street, at what is now 2874 Austin, where this diary takes place.  Shirley was 10 and 11, and Jack was 8 and 9 when the diary was written.  Joyce was mostly two years old in 1936 and turned three the last week that the diary was written.

Joyce and Bryan (with doll), 1935,
 at the house on Austin Street,
 where this diary takes place.

At the time of this diary, Bryan was an unemployed, disabled WWI veteran.  He was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one of the triggers of his disorder was sudden, loud noise.  Because of this, it was nearly impossible for him to work in his trade, automobile mechanics, for a while.  In addition, there was wide-spread unemployment due to the Great Depression.  Bryan stayed home and cared for toddler Joyce, while Marie worked at the Amazon Knitting Mill, also known as the Amazon Hosiery Mill, in Muskegon.  Bob contributed to the family income by working on a farm in Grant, Newaygo County, about 30 miles east.  Billy, Shirley, and Jack attended the local elementary school (I'm still researching which one).  Billy had a paper route and Shirley did a lot of the household chores and even prepared meals and baked.

In skimming through the diary, I have not come across a mention of any family pets.  But I've seen photos of a dog named Jack taken around this time.  That has got to be confusing, given the fact that Shirley's younger brother had the same name!

Joyce with Bryan and a dog ("Jack"?)
on the back porch of the Austin Street house, 1934.
Notice the electric wringer washer.

Introducing Shirley's Diary: A Depression-Era Girl's Story

 

Eighty-five years ago today, a 10-year-old girl named Shirley received a diary as a Christmas gift from her mother in Norton Township (now Norton Shores) on the outskirts of Muskegon Heights, Michigan.  She wrote in it nearly every day in the coming year of 1936; she missed a few days, but came back and filled them in later, a common occurrence, as any diary-keeper can tell you.

Dec 25, 1935
Dear Daughter
Wish you a Merry
Xmas & many of
them - Mother
 [added later, Marie's birthday "May 15" and "June 5 Dad."]

This girl's name was Shirley Marie Robbins, and she was the third child and oldest girl of my great-grandparents, William Bryan Robbins, Sr. and Marie (Lewis) Robbins. She was a younger sister of my paternal grandfather, Robert Louis Robbins.

I discovered this diary just a few months ago in my paternal grandparents' things that had been shipped west from Michigan to Washington State after they passed away in 2003 (Grandpa) and 2012 (Grandma).  Some of the things came to my dad as the oldest son, and some came to me as the family historian.  After Dad's death in late 2019, the boxes of family history photos, documents, and books were stored in my spare room.  Life is finally settling down after his death and the chaos of the pandemic; recently, I started sorting items and storing them in better containers for future preservation and sharing with family, which is how I found the diary.  How I wish I had found this diary before 2020 started, because 1936 was a mirror year of 2020:  they were both Leap Years and election years and the days of the week match.  For example, today, December 25, 2020 is a Friday.  Christmas Day 1936 was also a Friday.

This book is for the
year 1936.
Shirley Marie Robbins

Additionally, I would have liked to have published this blog last year, because it poses many questions that probably only Great-Aunt Joyce, Shirley's little sister and the youngest of Bill and Marie's five children, could answer in full.  Sadly, Joyce passed away five days ago, on December 20, 2020 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  She would have been 87 years old tomorrow, December 26th.

Shirley (left) and Joyce Robbins
Mother's Day 1944
5 Acres farm, Coopersville, Michigan

I don't have a lot of knowledge about Shirley's life, nor have I (yet) located a good photo of her taken in 1936 or in that general time frame.  What I do know is that she was born August 14, 1925 in Muskegon, Muskegon County, Michigan. I know her parents started their married life in nearby Muskegon Heights, and lived in Conklin, Ottawa County, Michigan early on.  At some point, they returned to the Muskegon Heights/Norton Township area, where this story take place.  I don't know if they were living in Muskegon proper at the time of Shirley's birth, or if she just happened to be born there.  Some of these puzzles may be solved as I research during the coming year.  I'll share more about what I do know about Shirley's post-diary life at the end of 2021.  I will let you know that she passed away February 17, 1992.

Join me on this journey as we learn more about Shirley's life as a 10- and 11-year-old girl, our Robbins and Lewis family history, the history of Muskegon County, and life during the Great Depression.