November 1957

November 1

Friday.  Ladies luncheon at church.  Some did calling.  Susan and I went to World Community Day program Midland Heights Methodist Church – Mrs. Kyle Engler speaker.

November 2

Saturday.  Kenney took flu – vomited Sat night – very dizzy headed – not able to play pitch.

November 3

Sunday.  Didn’t go to S.S. and Church.  Stayed home and nursed flu.  Vomiting again.

November 4

Monday.  Had to phone Clare.  We couldn’t make it for Graydon’s birthday.

Graydon's birthday was November 5 - he was 59 this year.

November 5

Tuesday.  Graydon’s birthday.  Missed group meeting at Etta Hayman’s

November 6

Wednesday.  Grocery day.  Paid bills – my first time in V. B.

 My Granddad must have paying the bills - I know she had never written a check until after he died.  He must have really been quite ill.

November 7

Thursday.  Garden Club met in Alma.  I stayed with Kenney.  My!  What a rainy day.

November 8

Friday.  Stripped bed and washed up everything.  Trying to get rid of flu germs.

November 9

Saturday.  Baked cake and took lunch out to Grandma’s.  Had everything ready when Maude came home from beauty shop.

November 10

Sunday.  Roll call day at church.  What a crowd!  Fellowship dinner after the service – more fun! And more food!  Had to set up more tables.

November 11

Monday.  Wilma, Jessie, Edith Parr, Lola and I made CWF year books.

November 12

Tuesday.  Missed CWF Meeting and went to Springdale.  Stayed at JoEllen’s and K.M.’s over week end.  Baby sat at K.M.’s while he and LaVonne went to Dallas to ball game.  SMU beat Ark. 27 to 22.

November 13

Met Mr. Barker at our Springdale house and arranged to have trees topped.

November 14

Thursday.  Baby sat at JoEllen’s and went to K.M.’s next day.  Got lots of mending and altering done.

November 15

Friday.  K.M. and LaVonne left for Dallas at one P.M.

November 16

Saturday.  Windy day but sun shining.  Kids played out nearly all day.  Watched TV at night.

November 17

Sunday.   We took the children to S.S. and Church.  Rainy day.  Joe taught the S.S. lesson.  We were proud of him.  K.M. and LaVonne came in about 9:30.

November 18

Monday.  We went to Springdale bank to pick up abstract and deed and to make deposit.  Left for home a little before ten a.m.  Lots of rain and drove slowly.  Home at 2.

November 19

Tuesday.  Lunch at Nora’s.  Ada & Ruth were there.  Group meeting at Grace’s 2:30 P.M.

 Ada was Grandma Comstock's niec - would have been Aunt Nora's first cousins - Ruth her daughter.

November 20

Wednesday.  All went to Grandma’s for supper.  A.M. grocery shopped.

November 21 - 23   Just wrote the days of the week.

November 24

Sunday.  Ira & Minnie had lunch with us.  The whole family had supper at Grandma’s.  Letty & Cy came.

These Sundays with everyone would not take place so much once they moved to Springdale.

November 25

Monday

November 26

Tuesday.  Pretty good prospect on our place.

November 27

Wednesday.  We drove to Tulsa by way of Tahlequah.  Had lunch with Mattie.  Tulsa four P.M.

Mammaw's sister, Mattie...

November 28

Thursday.  Thanksgiving dinner with Graydon’s family – also McKims were there.  Attended service 10 A.M. at East Side Christian Church.

November 29

Friday.  Put in a good part of the day working on a quilt for Clare.

November 30

Saturday.  Graydon took us to the bank to see how it had been remodeled.  Beautiful – opened acct.

What they would do with account in Tulsa, I've no idea, but I'm sure it pleased Graydon.

October 1957

October 1

Tuesday.  Went to Group meeting at Minnie’s.

October 2

Wednesday.  Made preparations for District Convention.

October 3

Thursday.  Dist Convention at our church.

October 4

Friday.  P.M.  We went to Springdale.  Found JoAnn broken out with chicken pox.

JoAnn was in Kindergarten - she caught several of the childhood diseases and brought them home to share with Laurie.  Of course I had them all years earlier, but my experiences in taking care of them were very helpful when my own children went through this phase.

October 5

Saturday

October 6

Sunday.  Springdale.  Graydon’s folk took us to the Chicken house to eat.

A-Q Chicken House - still right there in Springdale.

October 7

Monday.  Baby sitting at JoEllen’s and waiting for Laurie to take chicken pox.

And of course she did....

October 8

Tuesday.  Spent night at K.M.’s

October 9

Wednesday

October 10

Thursday.  Closed the deal on our Springdale place.

So now it's official - they would be moving into the neighborhood quite near Mom & Dad and K. M.'s family.

October 11

Friday

October 12

Saturday.  Came home from Springdale.

October 13

Sunday.  S.S. and Church.  Chaplain preached.  Bob & Wilma at international convention.  Supper at Grandma’s.  Maude, Nora, Letty & Cy, Kenney & myself there.

October 14

Monday – rainy

October 15

Tuesday.  Met with group one at Lola Clarks

October 16

Wednesday.  Wash day for Minnie and me.

October 17

Thursday.  Did some sewing on things for Christmas.  Wrote letter to Jay.  Spent evening with Grace while Doc and Kenney went CMF dinner.  Paul Wallace speaker.

October 18

Friday

October 19

Saturday

October 20

Sunday.  Robert Cox had heart attack at the church.  No sermon.  Ira and Minnie’s Anniversary.  Grace and I had a six o’clock dinner for them.

Aunt Minnie and Uncle Ira were married October 20th, 1918 - so this was their 39th Anniversary.

October 21

Monday.  1 P.M. met with Jessie and some of the ladies to work on year book.  Grace and I took flowers to hospital.

October 22

Tuesday.  Rainy, gloomy day.

October 23

Wednesday.  Went to Springdale.  Got A.D. started on Makepeace deal.

No clues here, either - don't know who A. D. was ...or Mr. Makepeace.  Doesn't seem to be the house in Springdale and they sold the house they left in Van Buren to my granddad's youngest brother, Paul Comstock.

October 24

Thursday.  Waited around to see the newly acquired house till too late to come home.  Finally got in.

October 25

Friday.  Left for home just as the house was being vacated.  Arrived home at noon and learned Bob Cox had died.  Went to funeral at City Heights.

October 26

Saturday.  Nora and us and Grandma & Maude over for lunch

October 27

Sunday.  A.M.  S. S. & church.  Called and talked with Jay.  Birthday party at Paul & Neva’s – Minnie & Paul, Pauline, Aura & Lester.

The late October or early November birthdays would have been Minnie & Paul's, both on November 4th - she was 68, he was 51.  Pauline's birthday was October 2nd - she was 52.  Her husband, Aura Clark, would be 63 on November 22nd.  Uncle Lester Delzell was 63 on October 6th.

October 28

Monday.

October 29

Tuesday.  Farmer Jones luncheon at Church – made $66.

October 30

Wednesday.  Springdale again.  Met with W.C. Rogers concerning our new home.  Got a man to help put out bulbs.

W. C. Rogers was a building contractor in Springdale - he did some major renovations to the home before they moved in.  He had built two homes for Mom & Dad - on Crouch Street and Wayland Drive.  He sold Don and I our first home on Shipley Street that he had built as a starter home for his daughter, but she had divorced and left the house empty.  The winter of 1962/63 was very cold and we had a lot of sub-zero temps.  Donnie and I were living in one of Joe Steele's rent houses that was build up on piers with no insulation in the floors and we had only a big Siegler space heater in the living room for heat.  We drug our mattress in front of it and slept with Steve between us to keep warm at night.  W. C. offered us his daughter's house if we'd just take up the payments - nothing down.  He and Don went to the savings & loan and transferred the mortgage that day on a handshake deal and with the help of one of the young men who worked with Don at L-P Gas & Equipment and their respective pickups, we moved into the little house that night.  Central heat. Blessed!  We paid about $11,000 for that house - our monthly payments about $75.  Of course at that point in time, we thought we'd be rich if Don's salary ever reached $100 per week.

October 31

Thursday.  Came home.  Halloween.  No damage.

I think there was more damage done at Halloween back then - especially to a darkened house where it appeared no one was home.  Soaping windows or window screens was a favorite "trick" - even to the store windows downtown - but throwing eggs was fairly common place, too.  Trash often dumped on porches.  In the rural areas, mailboxes were knocked down & outhouses tipped over. Usually someone put something or other on the flat roof of Springdale High School - motorcycle, or bicycles - one year a Volkswagen bug.  

Treats were often homemade - candied apples or a bag of popcorn, homemade cookies.  Times have changed.

September 1957

September 1

Sunday.  A.M.  Sunday School & Church.  Had Grandma, Maude and Ira & Minnie for dinner and supper.

September 2

Monday.  Mostly did yard work.

September 3

Tuesday.  Two P.M.  Conducted Executive Board meeting for Ruby.  Made plans for feeding people at District Meeting at our church.  Took Maude to High school to see Mr. Kelley about work.  K.M.’s birthday.

My uncle K. M. was 43 that year.

September 4

Wednesday.  Grocery shopped with Nora and Maude.  Mr. Hall started work on front porch.  Maude starts her job at High school.

As I recall, Aunt Maude worked in the high school cafeteria.

September 5 - 7  She wrote down the day of the week but made no comment.

September 8-16  [blank]

September 17

Tuesday.  Saw our doctor.  I had dropped 10 gr sugar – First in ten yrs.  Otherwise a good report.

September 18

Wednesday.  Went to Springdale.  Stopped in Alma for a little visit with Mrs. Clarence Johnson.

September 19

Thursday.  Spending a few days looking at homes.

I'm not sure what was going on this month, but this about the time they were making the decision to move to Springdale to live near K. M. and JoEllen - two of their children.  She must have been preoccupied with this decision.  She would be leaving many friends and relatives and her church work behind - I wonder if she was concerned about my Granddad's health.  I didn't realize this at the time, after all I was teen-ager totally occupied with "self", but I suspect this decision and move was very difficult for my grandmother.

September 20-21

September 22

Sunday.  Went to church with JoEllen.  Bill Cloud preached a good sermon on “Tomorrow”

September 23

Monday.  Bought property in Springdale.  Came home and found back yard in mess.  Pecan tree damaged by storm.  Got permanent at Rita’s.

That would be house on Pleasant Street in Springdale.

September 24

Tuesday.  Came home from Springdale but not in time to help with CMF.  Found pecan limbs all over the place.

September 25

September 26

Thursday.  Put in the day cooking and getting ready to serve banquet to B & PW (Business & Professional Women) Bosses night.  Letter from Mr. Makepeace.

September 27

Friday.  We went to Fayetteville to take Makepeace papers to lawyer.  Drove on to Springdale for a little while.

I have no clue - unless Mr. Makepeace was selling the house in Springdale to them.

September 28

Saturday.  Nora, Kenney and I took food and ate with Grandma and Maude.

September 29

Sunday.  The usual S.S. & Church.  Minnie and Ira ate lunch with us.

September 30

Monday.

August 1957

August 1

Thursday

August 2

Friday.  Nora, Ada, and Ruth came to Van Buren.

August 3

Saturday.  The bunch had lunch at Nora’s.  Ada and Ruth left for their home in Longview, Tex.

Ada was Ada Birchfield Riddle, first cousin of my grandfather's.  Ada was the daughter of Grandma Comstock's sister Antoinette (Ettie).  She always came from Texas for Grandma Comstock's birthday parties.  Ruth was Ada's daughter.

August 4

Sunday.  A.M.  Sunday School and Church.  Stayed home rest of the day.  Ira & Minnie came in the evening to watch TV with us.

August 5

Monday.  Papa’s birthday.  Mattie called.  Wants us to visit with her family in Tahlequah Tuesday.  JoEllen and girls came.

My grandmother's father was born 5 August 1856 - he had died in 1950.

August 6

Tuesday.  JoEllen had wreck on the way to BDGCo.  All taken to hospital but no one seriously hurt.  We didn’t get to go to Mattie’s family gathering.

BDGCo – Berry Dry Goods Co. where my grandfather worked for many years.  This was the wreck when the 1957 almost new blue Plymouth was totaled.  My right eyebrow split open, glasses broken, knee badly bruised, jaw walloped when I was flung over to the driver's side and hit either Mom's head or the steering wheel  (it's bothered me ever since).  My sisters both had holes in their dresses from the battery acid that splashed through the windows.  We were hit by a young girl driving her boyfriend’s car – she ran a stop sign, never even slowing down, and hit us broadside pushing us across the street into a sturdy light pole at the corner of a car lot.  The engine of our car was practically squeezed to the ground.  Laurie was about two and believed that Mom had caused the wreck and would cry whenever a car got close from the side or rear for months after.

August 7

Wednesday.  Graydon and family came for two days and nights.  Played shuffleboard at Paul’s.

August 8

Thursday.  Graydon, Don & Kenney went thro Ft. Smith’s new City National bank.  Hamburgers for dinner.

August 9

Friday.  Took picnic lunch and went with Graydon’s folk to Natural Dam to swim.  They went on to Fayetteville and we came home.

August 10

Saturday.  JoEllen called they would come Sunday on way to L.R.

August 11

Sunday.  A.M.  SS & Church.  For Sunday dinner we had Ira & Minnie, McKims and Kay’s boy friend.

That would be Don Haden….

August 12

Monday.  Joe and JoEllen spent all day getting settled on insurance and new Plymouth.  Left 7:30 P.M. to drive to L.R.

My sisters were left behind in Van Buren.

August 13

Tuesday.  Didn’t take JoAnn and Laurie to CWF breakfast, but did go to nine o’clock meeting.  Kids enjoyed the nursery.  Put out washing.

August 14

Wednesday.  Babysat with JoAnn and Laurie.  JoEllen and Joe came in time for dinner.  Picked up girls and went on home.

August 15

Thursday.  A.M. Cleaned house.  Went to Nora’s and brought Grandma here for a few days.

After taking care of two of granddaughters for several days - now she has her mother-in-law.  The lack of notes would suggest Grandma Comstock required more supervision than the little girs!

August 16 - 17

August 18

Sunday.  S.S. & Church.  Stayed home with Grandma all day.

August 19

Monday

August 20

Tuesday.  Took Grandma & Nora to see Uncle Bob.  A.M.   P.M. drove to Springdale.

Uncle Bob was surelyAndrew Bartholamew Christopher Wood - Grandma Comstock's brother.  He was about two years younger than Grandma and died the next year.  I believe he was a barber in Uniontown.

August 21

Wednesday.  Spent day at JoEllen’s.  P.M. Becky & Ike came.

August 22

Thursday

August 23

Friday.  Everyone except Kay went to Ginger Blue for dinner

I’m sure I had a date on a Friday night.

August 24

Saturday.  P.M. we came home.

August 25

Sunday.  A.M.  S.S. & Church.  Then to Rena with Ira & Minnie for the Hays reunion.  P.M. went to Grandma’s for supper.

The children and grandchildren of my Mammaw's oldest brother Will Hays, had annual reunions and then semi-annual reunions.  I took Mom to one in the late 1990's.  Will had 15 children - only one died in infancy and Will had died when his youngest was only a year old.  Some of Will's family still live near Van Buren.  Part of their gathering was always to clean up the cemeteries and attend church together out at Rena on Sunday morning.

August 26

Monday.  Did a lot of cleaning in Garage & Storage.

August 27

Tuesday.  Attended group 1 meeting at Wilma’s.  9:30 A.M.  Evening – went to a meeting in Paris (Paris, Arkansas) with Preacher Bob and Mrs. York.  Making plans for district Convention – Oct. 3^rd.

August 28

Wednesday.  Washing machine broke down with Minnie’s washing in it.

August 29

Thursday.  Washed & cleaned house all day.  Washed house out side.

August 30

Friday.

August 31

Saturday.  Called on Ruby about board meeting.