Leaves on the Trudgian Tree

Exploring the lives of one Trudgian family in Galena, Illinois through the eyes of their daughter, Lillian, during the years of 1913 through 1931. Lillian's authentic diary entries explore the family, neighbors, what is happening in Galena, as well as, national events and of course the weather and the crops!

Name:
Location: Portage, Michigan, United States

Since all three volumes of "Lillian's Diaries: Whispers From Galena's Past" have been transcribed and published, I am currenting working on another book about the Trudgian (Tregian/Trugeon) family. This time it will be a novel based on historical events which involve my ancestors in Cornwall in the 1400-1600's. I have just started organizing my research so it will be a year or two before you will see it in the bookstore! I have just finished leading a Genealogy Class for beginners at my church. At the end of the six session class everyone had discovered some new information about their ancestors but there was, of course, many more questions to be answered. So I started the "Whispers From Our Ancestors" blog to provide a space for us to share our genealogical joys and roadblocks. Http://seekingourpast.blogspot.com is open to everyone doing genealogy - beginners to experts and all those inbetween.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween From Galena, IL


Happy Halloween
Saturday October 31,1925: It is a nice day. Thought the road too slippery to go to town. Frozen again tonight so Dad, Ma & I drove up to Aunt Annie’s this evening. A beautiful moonlight evening. Halloween! Friday was a beautiful, clear day and a beautiful moonlight evening, altho it was cold. Ground thawed some but froze again at night. We ironed and baked.



Thursday was very cold again. The roads thawed a little in the wheel track. Len went to Scales Mound. I sewed in the afternoon on my dress. Wednesday was a beautiful clear but very cold morning. The window panes were covered with frost, just like New Year’s day. About nine-thirty in the morning it was eighteen about zero. The snow staid all day and the ground remained frozen, softening just a little. Len went to town. Quite a number of cars on the road especially in the evening. The therometer said eight above at 9:40 in the evening. Tuesday Len & Ruby started for Elizabeth at 8:30 to go to Mr. Gensler’s funeral. About ten or ten thirty it started to snow and snowed all day. Snowed several inches, looks like January weather and cold too. Guess it would make sleighing all right and I bet dandy land sleigh riding for children. It hardly seems possible that it be such weather so early. Len & Ruby got home before dark. The funeral was at 1 oclock from the Methodist Church at Elizabeth. Mr. Adam Stiefel got run over by a truck at Elizabeth this afternoon. Reports were he was in a serious condition.


Monday it snowed some in the forenoon. It was cold and cloudy rest of the day. Mother churned. Len fixing on his car so as to go to his Uncle’s funeral tomorrow. The worst weather for the longest time I ever saw. Didn’t have any Fall yet at all. Sunday we didn’t go to church as the roads were slippery yet. Mother walked to Aunt Annie’s in the afternoon. At nearly dinner time we all went up in the car. That afternoon Mrs. Eustice & Palmer came out to Aunt Annie’s. Ruby & Len came home to do their chores. We stayed to supper. About nine oclock Uncle Edd brought us home. Ruby & Len were gone to Scales Mound. Mr. Gensler, Len’s uncle, died.

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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Another Galena Mainstay Passes Away

Saturday, October 24, 1925: It rained today. Len, Dad & Ruby hauled in corn. Friday Mother baked and ironed. Tonight there is a basket social at Independence School. I would like to have gone very much but wasn’t able to go. Thursday we washed. It snowed that afternoon making things quite white for awhile.

Wednesday we all went to town in the afternoon. All but Len went to Eliza Bastian’s funeral. We went to the church. The church was nearly full. Rev. Smith preached. He is going to leave for Chicago tonight. Mrs. Bastian had a grey coffin, and many flowers. It was raining when the services were over. So we put on chains to come home but wouldn’t have needed them out this way. Tuesday, well Anna and Aunt Lizzie got started from here at eight o’clock. Anna has a very fine six cylinder Oldsmobile touring. While she was home she, Uncle Thomas & Aunt Rachel went up to Ft. Dodge, and Aunt Lizzie went to Hampton to see her brother she had not seen for nineteen years. Mrs. Haines came back with Anna to Eliza Bastian’s funeral. I let out my dress that afternoon. That evening Len, Ruby & I went to town. Ruby & I went to Harris Hall to the indoor fair put on by the Standard Bearers. They had a program and candy booth and fortune telling and a fish pond. They also sold sandwiches, cake & coffee. It was quite nice.

Monday we spent the day carrying in celery, endive, radishes and some cabbage. As we were eating supper Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie came. They said we were going to have more company. Anna Bates* had called out from Annie Zimmerman’s that they are coming out. Just she and Aunt Lizzie. Anna said she was awful nervous driving out over the hills by night. But they got out all right. Anna was going to start for Chicago again in the morning. The next day she is going to go up to Michigan again to take the car up. Then she is coming back again to Chicago to work. They expert to go south in December as Mr. Bates wants to stay there to go deer hunting first. He walks with crutches now is worse than he was. (Eliza Bastian died yesterday afternoon.)

* Anna Bates is the same Anna Trudgian mentioned in the last posting. Austin Bates was her first husband

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Sunday, October 17, 2010

A Lady of Mystery

Photo courtesy J.Temperly
Sunday, October 18, 1925: We all went to town to church this morning as the new minister Rev. Brewster said to take a peek at the new preacher. Rev. Smith was here yet too. He helped some but Rev. Brewster preached. I couldn’t understand him very well. It rained while we were in church. We had to put chains on the tires to come home. It didn’t rain any more after we got home. This evening Ruby & Len went to town to go to the Presbyterian Church on the hill as they were having their Mission Festival in there. Ma & I rode as far as Aunt Annie’s but they weren’t at home so we walked home. Saturday was a nice, clear day. We were busy with Saturday work. We also dug carrots and beets.


Friday was cloudy and cold and drizzly in the afternoon. Ma baked. I fixed our car but didn’t get much accomplished. Thursday, Dad, Ma & I went to town in the afternoon. It was a nice clear day. Aunt Annie said an article in the Scales Mound Items stated that Mrs. Anna Bates* came from Chicago to Aunt Lizzie's Saturday and Sunday Aunt Lizzie went with her to Waterloo. If she had her car I suppose it was too muddy to come down here. Wednesday was a rainy morning, not very nice for Jerry’s wedding. Ma & I fixed and sewed in the hems of two of Ruby’s dresses. Ruby helped husk corn. In the evening we all went up to Aunt Annie’s.

Tuesday we ironed and baked bread. Ruby & Len started to husk shock corn. We were about ready to go up to Aunt Annie’s in the evening when John, Ethel, Leslie and Aunt Annie came. Ethel asked us to their school social a week from Friday. She also asked us to their Parent Teachers Association* two weeks later. Glad we were done with our supper and chores early. Ethel said that Gerry Glick is to be married tomorrow to Miss. Kern. Monday we washed and cooked some beets.

* Anna Bates, sister to Wilbur and Alvin Trudgian, cousin to Lillian was my great-aunt. She has always been a mystery in the family, as several comments throughout Lillian's diaries mention. She was married twice, in both cases there is little known of her husbands. Upon her death the family learned she had been living for years with a younger man in Arizona. The photo above is her as a toddler. If any one ever runs into information about Anna (Trudgian) Draper, Bates please share.....or a Richard King in Scottsdale Arizona.

* Parent teachers Association - anyone know when the PTA started in Illinois?

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Sunday, October 10, 2010

An Early Winter.....

Saturday, October 10, 1925: Had a very hard frost last night. Everything froze, thick ice froze. The celery and etz. froze stiff. Quite cold all day. We all went to town this afternoon with both cars. The roads not very good. Friday was very cold and snow flurries most of the day. We were busy baking, churning and brought in some squash and some beets. Thursday was cloudy and cold again. It was rainy during the night. We finished digging potatoes. Dad also picked some apples. We also made some fall grape jelly.


Wednesday I finished assembling Leonard’s car and to try it we went up as far as Aunt Annie’s in the forenoon. At about eleven-thirty Ruby & Len started out in quest of a stock hog. Hardly knew where they were going. They came back before dark with a pig. They got it out at Arthur Wulff’s. They said the roads are bad out that way. They carried the hog in a crate on the side of the car.

Tuesday was rainy in the forenoon, cleared in the afternoon. I helped Leonard put in brake bands in his car. Had quite a little trouble. Ironed today. Monday was raining. We washed and picked some ground cherries & etz. On Sunday Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie came down. It cloudy nearly all day and coldin the evening. We went for a walk up on the hill this afternoon.

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Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Fall Harvest Begins

Saturday, October 3, 1925: Len & Ruby went to town this afternoon. Roads are not very good. They are muddy. Friday we picked off more grapes and made jam & jelly and also baked. Flies were terribly bad. Thursday it had cleared off . We ironed and put up chow-chow, 2 quarts of ground cherries and picked off some grapes.


Wednesday, September 30th: It was rainy during the night before and also today. We made tomatoe preserve and catsup. We also grounded up the ingredients for chow chow. Tuesday we washed and made tomatoe (green) pickles. Uncle Edd and Aunt Annie came down in the evening. It was a lovly day. Monday we all went to town with two cars. The roads not very good yet. We went up to Zimmerman’s to get the shawl. They came home by train Friday night and Mr. Johnson came home Saturday evening. It rained out there Friday so that was why he didn’t come Friday. They said that Uncle Thomas told Johnson that Anna was going to Chicago on the noon train. She hasn’t heard from her husband (Bates) for sometime. Don’t know if she’s going to look him up or what.

Sunday we staid home all day. We did not have any company. Len went over to Bonhoff’s to tell them their pigs were over here. Saturday was a very rainy day, so we couldn’t go to town. Friday we were busy with baking as usual. Uncle Georges thought they might come in the eve, but didn’t come. Perhaps it looked too much like rain. Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie came down that evening.

Thursday we all went to the Elizabeth Community Fair. We left here about twenty after ten. Len & Ruby rode with Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie rode with us. We missed seeing the parade. A big crowd was there, Tresidders & Butchers and a good many others from around here. Uncle Bens, Uncle Henrys, Uncle Joes and Aunt Lizzie, Wesley and Sadie, Maryanne & children and Aunt Tillie were there. Len drove Uncle Edd’s car home as he didn’t feel very good today. Wednesday we ironed, hulled and put up 1 ½ quarts of ground cherries. Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie came down in the eve. We had intended to go to town that evening, so they went home early. We drove in there as Aunt Annie was going to try to call Zimmermans to see if they were home yet. When we got there Ma & Dad were there. They had come home on the train and had a ride part way. They walked from Charlie Ehrler’s. Uncle Edd met them and took them along back to their place. They came home with us when we came home from town. Tuesday was cold. We washed that day, but it didn’t dry very good. We got a card from Ma & Dad. They got out at Waterloo at five oclock. They went up to the Devil’s Backbone , and went through Strawberry Point. They had a cold windy ride. Anna was home yet. She was expecting Austin and his brother. They intended to go south for the winter.

Monday was quite cold. Ruby helped cut corn in the forenoon. We put up six & ½ quarts of tomatoes in the afternoon. We also washed up quite a few jars and picked up ground cherries and etz. We wonder how Mom and Pa were getting along in Waterloo. Sunday we had got up early. Pa and Ma got ready to go to Waterloo. The weather got so cloudy we thought it would rain. We didn’t know if they should start or not but they went as far as Aunt Annie’s and could see it was bright in the west. Len & Uncle Edd took them in. Ruby & I staid at Aunt Annie’s to help her. Zimmermans weren’t ready yet when they got there. I suppose it was anyway eight-thirty before they got started. It turned cooler and out to be a lovly day. We had to hurry awfully with our work to get ready to go to church. Uncle Edd went with us. We were a little late. We staid at Aunt Annie’s to dinner and supper. The Aunts came along with Uncle Georges. Maryanne’s baby was very cute. Warren was quite a boy.

The Ditmars- Uncles George, Ben, Henry, Joe, Dan; Aunts Annie, Tillie and Mag and Amelia ( Lillian's mother) with their parents 

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