Dubuque, Digging and Death

Saturday April 18, 1925: Dad, Ma, Ruby & I went to town this afternoon. Before we came home we drove over to Tippet’s on Park Ave., thinking Uncle Edd and the Aunts were there getting ready for the Snows, Mattie and Grandpa to come home. Snow was going to meet them about 200 mi down state with the car. They were there already. Got home about twelve oclock. Today is Grandpa Tippet’s ninetieth birthday. Saw Mary and the children. Stormy after we got home but didn’t rain very much. Friday all felt tired. Baked and etz. Thursday morning Sally had six little puppies out in the summer kitchen. Len & Ruby drowned four and left two. Then Friday morning they drowned one more.

Thursday’s morning about eight thirty the Stauss came on their way to Dubuque. So we jumped in our clothes, put together some lunch and went. We met Stauss in town. Went thro Menominee. Ate our dinner before we got to East Dubuque. About eleven thirty we got there. Well, Ruby got a hat and I a dress. Paid twelve dollars for it. An odd dress and odd color. Yellowish brown. Mother got a brown coat. Mrs. Stauss got a coat and dress. Edna a coat and hat & Eloise a hat. They went home by Hazel Green & New Diggings. Wednesday, morning all but Mother went to town. Ruby had Dr. Stone fill our teeth for her. I had one pulled - upper right side next to the wisdom tooth. It didn’t hurt but it was a terror to pull. Broke up so. And the roots was hooked. Came right home. Hurt awfully this afternoon. Some easier this eve. Mother & Ruby tore off the paper in Ruby’s room this afternoon.

Tuesday I worked about the car in the afternoon. Mother and Ruby made a little more garden. Edna Stauss went along to Galena with J. Virtues. They stopped. They, Raymonds & Mr. & Mrs. Stauss want to go to Dubuque some day soon. Said Len could ride along or take his own car and go along. Monday we washed. Aunt Margaret came down. The others had gone to town. They came down this evening. Last Sunday was Easter. A most beautiful day. Very warm and roads very dusty. We all went to Galena to services that morning. The church was full. Had to use chairs. Mr. & Mrs. Jack Combellick’s five week old baby girl had died Friday and was buried from the house at one oclock. Mrs. Whitham’s funeral was at three on Easter afternoon. We didn’t have any company that day.

A Trip To The Dentist: never a happy experience

Sat 16:Today we baked bread, coffee cake* and a cake. And, we also cleaned up. Ruby helped hay all day. They also picked corn after dark. It was a lovly moonlight evening although cool. I rather wanted to go to town tonight but Dad didn’t come until it was so late.

We all went to Dubuque yesterday. We went over on the new cement road. It took 45 minutes from Galena going over & 40 minutes coming home. I had six teeth filled. At least that is what was supposed to be done. One of my teeth had nearly as much of a hole as before. I believed I was badly hoodwinked. The dentist wanted me to have 50 or 100 dollars more work done. I paid twelve dollars on the bill. That is all I had but a few pennies.

Thursday was another nice day but cooler. Len and Ruby went to look for a stock hog. Then they went to Elizabeth, then to Wulff’s where they bought their hog but couldn’t have it until Wulffs are done with it. Mother, Ruby & I each dug some potatoes that day and we also ironed. Wednesday, Einer was here all day painting. He and Len put some roofing on the barn. Ma and Ruby washed while I had to do the housekeeping. Einer wasn’t coming till its dry enough for a second coat. It was a lovely day.

* One of the coffee cake recipes that Lillian used can be found on page 49 of Lillian's Diaries: Whispers From Galena's Past. This particular recipe was handwritten by a Miss Sophia Sachs who was born October 22, 1892. Leonard Stauss' mother was a Sachs before she married his father. I will have to do more research as to how Sophia fits into the lineage.

Ever wonder how I obtained Lillian's diaries? You'll be able to find out when the ISGS's Winter Quarterly comes out. I was most honored to be asked to write an article on the subject by the Illinois State Genealogy Society and thrilled that my article was accepted. The ISGS will also be doing a review of the first volume of Lillian's Diariesin the same issue.

"Tue, Sept. 15,1926: Monday Dad, Ma and I went to town. Today, Len wanted to go to Dubuque as Raymond's family [Leonard's brother and family] and his folks were going. So Ruby, Ma & I went along. We took Len's car and went to Scales Mounds and nearly to Shullsburg, Wisconsin. Then we drove through New Diggings and etz. We It was about ten oclock when we got over to Dubuque. I bought a winter coat and hat. Coat is wine color bolivia*. The hat is also about the same color. Coat cost nineteen-fifty and hat six dollars. It was about dark when we got home."

Dubuque, Iowa seemed to be the Trudgian family's favorite place to shop. It appears to be it was like going into Chicago from the suburbs. The big city with so many choices. Lillian is always very detailed with what she bought and how much she paid for it. Where her money came from I will never know. In Vol.I she mentions when her mother or Ruby pays for Lillian's items, so it appears she did have a source of income. And she does write about little projects she works on like the bouquet of flowers she makes and sells. But the whole family often went on shopping trips and Lillian hardly ever comes home empty handed. I don't think her flower bouquets footed her bills. Every year she sat down and created a list of everything she spent money on. Another Trudgian house treasure was finding a stack of these lists. I can tell you how much almost anything a woman needed in the years 1916-1928 cost. I love these little extra views into the time period.

*bolivia - I tried to research this word. Everything tells me that Bolivia is not a color or a fabric, but a country - another time I need that old dictionary. My best thought cames from an Wikipedia article on Chicha which is a term used in some regions of Latin America for several varieties of fermented beverages. In the country Bolivia,amaranthus chicha is traditional and popular. Amaranthus is collectively known as amaranth or pigweed and is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are recognized, with inflorescences and foliage ranging from purple and red to gold. Not only is it used for a beverage, but also for a dye. I think the "wine color bolivia" blended the whole beverage/dye/chicha concept together and is meant to portray a reddish-purple wine color. Let me know if you come up with a better explanation.