May 9, 1931
Father Lambertis had mass at 9 a.m. Boots O’Connell and Anna Claira Smygie both about 7 yrs. old were dressed nice in white to make their 1st communion, being [illegible] by Mrs. Susie O’Connell Lauller, Mrs. Leon Baudrey the God Mother, Geo. (Buster) [Susman?] and Bobbie O’Connell were alter boys. Mrs. Mary (Alb) Schaffer organist, Annie and Blanch O’Connell, Helen and Milicent Smygie, Kathryn Sullivan (Mamie Smygie’s girl), Myrtle Color [Colar?], Margie Larson & [illegible.]
Mr. Alb Rice[1. Based on earlier journal entries, I think she meant “Albert Price” here rather than “Albert Rice”.] died Apr. 20-1931 – found laying on the floor. Mr. and Mrs. Ike Ranta, Mrs. Rose and Albertine & Ruth Smygie, myself, Bob Riding, Lester Rudio, Roy Dyvig, Earnest Korting, Thadius Smygie, [space] were there. Dick Fletcher was taken to Helena sick about then too & died.[2. Image: Mary Gertrude (Rumping) Schenck Schaffer Riordan, “School Record Journal,” screen shot of p. 17; MS, 1929-1948 (Marysville, Montana); privately held by Stella Dalin, (address for private use), Helena, Montana, 2016. Mrs. Dalin is the granddaughter-in-law of the journal’s author.]
April 18, 1931
I had a happy day today. Mrs. L. Korting, Shirley Dalin[1. Shirley was Mary’s granddaughter and would have been 8 years old at the time.] and myself went shopping and looking around, then had coffee & pie for lunch at the [??] lunch place, then went to the show “1/2 shot until sunrise”,[2. According to Wikipedia, Half Shot at Sunrise was a 1930 movie starring the comedy duo of Wheeler & Woolsey. Yeah, I’ve never heard of them either. The only point of interest seems to be that the musical credit went to Academy Award Winner Max Steiner who went on to score hundreds of films including Gone With the Wind, Casablanca and King Kong. Oh, and here’s a movie clip I located on YouTube – just in case you’re interested.
] then went to Frances & her & Christie played the piano & saxaphone (Oh! I loved it so, could they realize it they’d play more for me. I don’t care and can’t enjoy it after I am gone. And on coming home Alb[ert] was tired and wanted for help on words went until my days happyness was spoilt by him. Then I went down to the dance. It was clean, nice and another joy I got by Christie dancing once with me & he took me as far as the school house home at 4 p.m. Ed Haley[3. I located a couple named Louis and Bertha Haley living in Marysville in the 1930 census. They had three sons: William, age 28; Edward, age 21; and Albert, age 19. See 1930 U.S. census, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, population schedule, School District 12, Marysville, p. 186 (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 25-26, sheet 1-B, dwelling 25, family 25, Edward Haley; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 April 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication T626.] had 8 teeth pulled in Helena, & was sick. And my heart is running away with tears.
I love this journal entry. It reminds me of how little it takes to make a mother happy. Lunch and a movie with a granddaughter. A piano and saxophone recital put on by your adult children. A dance and a walk with your son.
It surely was a happy day.
NOTES
April 16, 1931
Maud, Jno, Polly and myself picked flowers over the same ground here at home as when we were children with Mother.
From Mary’s photo collection – a rare photo of Mary’s mother Eva with her two daughters Maud and Mary.