Barbara Anne Waite's Blog, page 7
January 27, 2012
Letter Writing – A Lost Art
I have been so pleased with the response to Elsie's story. Some have really made my day by sending me a note telling me how much they enjoyed reading Elsie. Thank you each and every one who has read the book.
This "tidbit" will be about the lost art of letter writing. I would not have been able to write "Elsie" without the letters she had saved. Her letters from her mother were a connection that I treasure. I never knew my great-grandmother, May Carrie Hayes. Through her letters I have had a glimpse into her relationship with Elsie and a picture of her character.
Elsie's letters were her only way to communicate with her family in California. While Elsie lived in Cornville, letters were sometimes delayed for weeks due to the rivers being too full for the mail carrier to safely cross. The post office was three miles from the Girdner farm, on the other side of the Verde River. I have one delightful picture (not included in the book) that shows the "mailman" on horseback with huge canvas bags of mail tied upon the delivery horse. We used to stamp letters "Airmail;" makes me wonder if Elsie felt like writing "horse-mail" on her envelopes mailed from Cornville. When she was living in Williams she often mentioned walking down to the train to mail a letter. By 1891 all railroads were required to provide cars meeting U. S. Post Office specifications. These mail cars carried postal clerks who sorted mail en route.
Phone calls were not possible in Cornville and difficult and costly from Williams. Letters were a bond that went beyond what I think telephone and email accomplish today. Elsie did not send many greeting cards but she carefully wrote word pictures for her family and gave great detail of what she was seeing, doing and even what she was eating.
I can imagine the anticipation for her family as they waited for those precious letters from their daughter in a new state that was still thought of as the "Wild West." Her mother would likely read the letter and then it was passed around to Elsie's father, her sisters and Aunt Mamie. I know the letters were treasured because some years later Elsie's mother returned to Elsie all the letters she had written from Arizona.
I wonder what we will leave behind as a record of the significant events of our lives. I encourage friends to leave behind a permanent record of what their lives were like for their grandchildren to someday treasure. Thanks Elsie and May Carrie Hayes for saving those letters from 99 years ago. They are a priceless inheritance. I am blessed.
January 7, 2012
Grape Nuts Cereal – “Relieves Mental Dullness”
Grape Nuts Cereal – “Relieves Mental Dullness”
I read through Elsie’s letters and journals to decide what was interesting enough to include in a book. I pondered on including her frequent references to what she was eating. Elsie often mentioned Grape Nuts as the cereal she ordered from Sears Catalog or the McStay Grocery catalog. I discovered in my research that in 1910 Grape Nuts was advertized as “relieving mental dullness.” One ad from 1906 for Grape Nuts says, “If you could have a look in the dining rooms of Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell and other Universities, you would discover Grape Nuts and Cream on many of the tables. No food on earth so surely rebuilds brain and nerve centers. There’s a reason for GRAPE NUTS.” The ad shows a bulging bicep and it reads, “Builds Strength.”
I never thought of Elsie as a body-builder type. But I doubt if many Harvard or Yale students were as well read as she was. So perhaps Grape Nuts did build rebuild brain and nerve centers! Her mental alertness was certainly there for all the years I knew her, of her nearly 100 years.
I often give credit to the SEES chocolates she loved for her mental alertness.
Now that I am a grandmother myself I often think of the lessons I learned from Elsie. One I have been pondering on lately has to do with the value of repetition. Kids love repetition. I never knew Elsie to ever bake me a single cookie on my frequent visits to her house. But she never failed to offer me Hawaiian Punch from a heavy Amber colored Carnival Glass pitcher and store bought cookies. When we divided up Elsie’s remaining treasures after her death I chose the heavy carnival glass pitcher. When I see it I am reminded of so many pleasant afternoons curled at her feet listening to her relate her stories to me while I drank Hawaiian Punch and ate store bought cookies. I cherish the memory of her relating to me her history. When I speak to ladies groups I often challenge them to write their memories down to have for generations that follow. But now that I think about it, maybe what I should be saying is, “Forget about creating elaborate holiday dinners and time-consuming endeavors, but sit with your grandchild at your feet and tell them your memories.”
I wonder if they still sell bottles of Hawaiian punch syrup ? I know I still like Grape Nuts. Thanks Elsie for all your stories and the way your life was uncluttered with long to-do lists. It was filled with time for wonderful true stories and love and occasional Hawaiian Punch and Grape Nuts.
Grape Nuts Cereal – "Relieves Mental Dullness"
Grape Nuts Cereal – "Relieves Mental Dullness"
I read through Elsie's letters and journals to decide what was interesting enough to include in a book. I pondered on including her frequent references to what she was eating. Elsie often mentioned Grape Nuts as the cereal she ordered from Sears Catalog or the McStay Grocery catalog. I discovered in my research that in 1910 Grape Nuts was advertized as "relieving mental dullness." One ad from 1906 for Grape Nuts says, "If you could have a look in the dining rooms of Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell and other Universities, you would discover Grape Nuts and Cream on many of the tables. No food on earth so surely rebuilds brain and nerve centers. There's a reason for GRAPE NUTS." The ad shows a bulging bicep and it reads, "Builds Strength."
I never thought of Elsie as a body-builder type. But I doubt if many Harvard or Yale students were as well read as she was. So perhaps Grape Nuts did build rebuild brain and nerve centers! Her mental alertness was certainly there for all the years I knew her, of her nearly 100 years.
I often give credit to the SEES chocolates she loved for her mental alertness.
Now that I am a grandmother myself I often think of the lessons I learned from Elsie. One I have been pondering on lately has to do with the value of repetition. Kids love repetition. I never knew Elsie to ever bake me a single cookie on my frequent visits to her house. But she never failed to offer me Hawaiian Punch from a heavy Amber colored Carnival Glass pitcher and store bought cookies. When we divided up Elsie's remaining treasures after her death I chose the heavy carnival glass pitcher. When I see it I am reminded of so many pleasant afternoons curled at her feet listening to her relate her stories to me while I drank Hawaiian Punch and ate store bought cookies. I cherish the memory of her relating to me her history. When I speak to ladies groups I often challenge them to write their memories down to have for generations that follow. But now that I think about it, maybe what I should be saying is, "Forget about creating elaborate holiday dinners and time-consuming endeavors, but sit with your grandchild at your feet and tell them your memories."
I wonder if they still sell bottles of Hawaiian punch syrup ? I know I still like Grape Nuts. Thanks Elsie for all your stories and the way your life was uncluttered with long to-do lists. It was filled with time for wonderful true stories and love and occasional Hawaiian Punch and Grape Nuts.
December 17, 2011
Cornville, Arizona Christmas of 1913
Elsie wrote often to her family. Though she was 25 this was her first Christmas away from home. Here are some excerpts taken from her letter describing that Christmas 98 years ago. Keep in mind that rules for teacher said they were not to keep company with men in ice-cream parlors – nothing was said about 40 miles alone in a buggy with a man!
Dec 26th 1913
My Very Dear Family,
What a splendid Christmas you sent me! I don't know how to thank you for all the lovely things, which certainly are just what I wanted! They all came, 3 boxes, with a delightful lot of other things for me, on Christmas Eve. They were in very good condition. The things to eat you made yourself are too good for words, Mama, and it is lovely to have them from home. The fruitcake I'll keep awhile. The cookies are a joy, and the candies all delicious. And that fat home?like stocking, Aunt Mamie! I let out such a shriek when that came to view. Before I went to bed I put on my table the lovely wee evergreen K. got for me when we went for the big trees, and piled my packages all around it high, and tied my unlooked at stocking to my little bedpost! It was fearfully late then and I didn't get up until ten on Christmas. I made my fire, and then went back to bed to look at my stocking, just as I would have seen it first at home. I did think a great deal of everyone of you, with very special love.
The candied cherries and the ginger I particularly appreciated in the stocking Aunt Mamie. I'd been wishing for raisins and dates, too, Mama. I'm having a feast of candy, and it's delightful to have so much that I can give it out freely to some of these people who don't know so much about candy! Someone else here, I think it must have been Mrs. Hurst, gave me a box of delicious homemade candy. There was a dainty cup and saucer from "the children." M. and I got a fussy card of greeting from Mr. Barron, the Red Rock school teacher. Glen Girdner gave me an ancient Indian war?club head of stone that he said I could give the Pomona museum. I'm charmed with that. Mrs. G. made a pretty towel rack for M. and me. I know I'll have at least cards from several more of my friends. It's almost worthwhile being "away" to be so beautifully remembered.
Mrs. G. told me she had written you a Christmas letter, Mama. From the way she spoke, I wondered if possibly she wrote partly to speak of K. She likes him ever so much, and praise from her seems to be mighty hard to win. Do please tell me if she says anything about him! Possibly she thinks he stays too late when he calls, or that we should oftener have a chaperon! But she's never intimated that. It would be hard to arrange anything conventionally in Arizona.
The entertainment went off beautifully, and I did enjoy it all, work and all. Mrs. G. worked like a Trojan.
Monday K. and I drove some 20 miles there and back (was that shocking?) and got beautiful trees. The place was beautiful. One tree was on each side of the front space used as a platform. We decorated with garlands and wreaths and had large candles in the windows, and little ones on the tree. M. and I got tree ornaments, tinsel, etc. for our share to help the Sunday School, and the children in my room made lots of things? gifts and decorations. It looked beautiful. We had gifts (M. and I) for the children, and the community gave money for a treat of nuts, candy, and oranges.
I wore my pink and black and white dainty dress tho I was behind one of the trees to prompt most of the time.
Mrs. G. was costumer, and did it beautifully, while I helped a bit with that and acted as manager. The children were adorable! They looked so dear in their "best clothes "I wanted to hug them all to death. They did beautifully. I wrote one or two of the things. We had garlands and so on to add to the effectiveness. I had to face the audience to lead the Santa Claus song at the end that was the signal to Santa himself to run in with his pack on his back. Since I know so little about music I felt like an idiot to go through with all the motions! But it seemed to be all right, as far as Cornville is a judge. It would be different in a town!
Afterward, when at last costumes etc. were collected, K. and another young man and Glen carried my things to the shack. I surely was excited. Almost all my packages from home and all came in that day's mail, and were brought to the schoolhouse in the evening by the Johnson's.
I hardly had time to be homesick. I took little ten-cent gifts to the little Hurst girls, and that was lots of fun, glass watches with leather and fob, filled with Pure Food candy, from a California mail order house. We played croquet. I got all the Girdners to come over for candy and to see my things. They are lovely to me. I showed them my entire photograph and Kodak book last night. Mrs. G. said it seemed as if she knew my folks and felt as if they were her friends. I hadn't known before she thought that much of me.
I'm brave now I'm well and have been staying alone all night. Eva is too much the "baby" to leave home at night. The boys sleep out and near the shack. The school year is half over.
With very much love to you all,
Always your Elsie
December 2, 2011
First Northern Arizona Fair- 1913
Among Elsie's papers was a tattered, detailed, program for the First Northern Arizona Fair. It is dated Oct. 28, 1913. I thought it was delightful. Several years later Tom Mix, the director of the events at the fair was one of the highest paid "movie stars." Here are some excerpts from that treasured program.
Program of Track Sports:
1. 1/2 mile free-for-all. First money $100. Each horse is to carry at least 110 pounds.
2. Quadrile on horseback.
3. Exercises by Troop L, 5th Cavalry U.S.A.
Special Events:
Fancy shooting by Capt. A.H. Hardy, who uses Peters Cartridges.
Exhibition Flight – L.F. Nixon uses a Curtis Bi-Plane with an 8 cylinder, 60 horse-powered engine.
Potato Race- Two mounted teams of four men ech contest to see which can carry the most potatoes from a depot to their respective goals, using a wooden spear to carry the potatoes.
Broncho Busting by Tom Mix. Mr. Mix is a recognized King of the Saddle.
Pony Express- By Tom Mix- Exhibition of how the trans- continental mail was carried before the railroad, at the time when the U.S. Government had a standing offer of $10,000. for the man who could make the trip from St. Jo, Mo. to San Francisco in less than 18 days.
Special Event:
Tug of War between picked teams of Cavalrymen and Cowboys.
Fancy Shooting , by Mr. and Mrs. Ad Toperwein, using Winchester rifles, shotguns and ammunition.
Northern Arizona Burro handicap:
Age limit, 12 years. The boys who come in first with banners get the first prizes. No rider shall get off his burro or punch another boy in trying to take his banner away.
Prizes- First: $ 10. suit of clothes given by Biles Lockhart Clothing Co.
Second: $5 cash given by W.O. Ruggles.
Third: Pair of shoes by B. B. Co.
Fourth: hat by Ed Block.
Fifth: knife by Arizona Mining Co.
Consolation prizes- First boy in without a banner: $2 sweater by Biles-Lockhart Co. All other entrants 2 seats by Elks Theatre.
November 26, 2011
Thanks to Holly Weiss for this review
A Wonderful Debut!,November 25, 2011
By
Holly Weiss "Crestmont" (NY) – See all my reviews
This review is from: Elsie – Adventuresof an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916 (Paperback)
"Well there was this cowboy…" corrals your attention on the first page of Elsie: Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher. Writing a biography requires not just a talented author, but also a compelling subject. Barbara Anne Waite's book about three years in her grandmother's life have both. Published to coincide with Arizona's centennial, the book discloses the social and economic climate during the early 20th century. It captures Elsie's sense of adventure, optimism and self-assurance. The reader is quickly absorbed in the story.
Cultured, college-educated, Elsie, who hails from a well-to-do California family, sets out in 1913 for her first job in an isolated, rural town. We learn from letters to her family how she adapts to teaching grammar school in a one-room schoolhouse and comes to love Arizona. She bathes in Oak Creek, rides horses and revels in her students. Ever the social butterfly, she quickly makes friends. She falls in love and suffers personal tragedy. Taking the challenge of teaching seriously, she soon works her way up to larger schools and high school classes. She is a no-nonsense woman full of pluck and resourcefulness.
A year after her grandmother's death, the author found her diary. "I loved and still love Arizona," Elsie says of her three years there. Waite clearly "gets" her grandmother and portrays her life and emotions clearly. Waite's website states that her research consisted of not only Elsie's letters and diaries, but also personal narratives on cassette tapes, manuscripts, interviews with her former students and newspaper accounts.
Biographies are often so overloaded with detail that the reader flips pages to find the interesting parts. Not so with this highly readable book. Elsie's letters are fascinating. They are interspersed with photographs, illustrations, diary excerpts and author explanations. Footnotes bolster the historical context.
Elsie lives and breathes books and words. She inspired her students to love literature. You will cheer this unique, fascinating individual.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
By the way Holly wrote a terrific book called "Crestmont". She is a gifted writer so this review thrills me.
November 15, 2011
Books read by Elsie during her Arizona Years
One of the interesting things I did not include in the book was a list of what Elsie was reading.
At the end of her diary there is a list of books read from Sept. 1913 – Christmas 1916.
I am familiar with a few of these. Most I have not read. It has been interesting to see that some of these books are now available for free on my Kindle. So I hope to at least attempt to read some of what Elsie devoured. I must admit I have been so busy writing my own book that I have not taken the time to read from Elsie's list. Nevertheless it is interesting to see what women were reading nearly 100 years ago.
Many of these she read out loud. She loved the sound of words and as a child I loved to have her read to me. This encourages me to keep a list of what I am reading. I have joined an online group called Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com). Within that site there are many different groups and genres of books. Other readers leave their lists of what they have read, recommendations, and reviews of books. I just joined a group of history readers that is sending me a free copy of a new biography of Queen Elizabeth courtesy of the publisher.
Elsie-Adventure of An Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916 will be on a list on Goodreads (with reviews posted eventually). I must admit I am anxiously awaiting reviews.
It was difficult to read her writing so any misspellings of these books are likely mine. I tried to decipher her list as closely as possible. Perhaps we can be challenged to read more classics by considering what Elsie read.
Elsie's list Sept-April Cornville 1914-1915:
"Some of the books read in Cornville":
parts of Lais parts of LeMorte D'Arthur
Taming of the Shrew Poems from Browning
At The End of the Rainbow (G.S. Porter) Quatrocentisteria
Friendship Village Love Stories Poems from Tennyson
Being a Christian (W. Gladden)
Books Read aloud to Marguerite:
T. Tembaron Poems from Arnold
The King's Highway
Adventures in Contentment (In her journal she said this one made her want to marry a farmer.)
The Gay Rebellion by Chambers (about women rebelling against male chauvinism)
Read to the schoolchildren:
The Little Lame Prince Alice in Wonderland
Joseph Vance Marie Claire
The Spoilers Laddie
The Green Bough The Hollow of her Hand
Alice for Short The Promised Land (M. Antin)
Books read during the summer of 1914
The Antiquary The Alhambra
The Sketch Book The Iliad
The Odyssey Lower Depths (M. Gorky)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
General browsing and short stories, books, poems, Bible, studied History, arithmetic
"Some" of the Books read in school year 1914-1915
Browsed in Wordsworth Septimus (Locke)
Girl with the Green Eyes (Fitch) Servant in The House
In The Twinkling of an Eye Treasure Island
The Light that Failed Nigger (Sheldon)
The Test The Purple Stocking (!)
Inside of the Cup Trelawney of the Wells
Gladsworthy's plays, Strife, etc. Riders of the Purple Sage
Quo Vadis Paola and Francesca
Francesca DaRimini My Friend from India
Last Days of Pompeii Waverley
The Supremacy of Jesus
"Some" of the books the summer of 1915:
Studied in mathematics Some of Arnold's Poems
The Gods are Good The Princess
Rob Roy Emerson's Essays
The Barrier (Rex Beach)
The Courage of the Commonplace (read aloud to her by her friend Alice Parker)
Books read (complete) in Williams 1915-1916:
The Ancient Mariner Horatius
Virginia The Tailsman
The Vicar of Wakefield A Waif of the Plains
Vanity Fair Kim
Plain Tales from the Hills Light of the Western Stars (Zane Gray)
Amethyst Box Franklin's Autobiography
Silas Marner David Copperfield
Guardian Angel Les Miserables
Bleak House (Dickens) The Marble Faun
The Daughter of Joris The Passing of the Third Floor Back
Mill on the Floss Tale of Two Cities
Ivanhoe The Lay of Lake Regillus
South Sea Tales Call of the Wild
The Lady of the Lake The Breath of Life
On Berwen Banks
Books read in Part:
Poetry of Bryant, Poetry of Burns, Poe's tales Midsummer Night's Dream
As You Like It Calhoun on Nullification
The Sea Wolf Poetry of the People
Beyond our Power (Bjornson) Spreading the News
The Woman in the Alcove (A. K. Green) The Merchant of Venice
True Americanism Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Pollyanna Grows Up (Eleanor Porter)
Books read the summer 1916:
The Silent Places
Garthowensome of DeMaupassant's tales
The Hoosier Schoolmaster Thelma (Marie Corelli)
The Right Of Way Man who Married a Dumb Wife
Lillie – a Mennonite Maid
Books read over Christmas 1916
Great Expectations Joseph Vance
Twelfth Night Love's Labor Lost
For The Soul of Rafael Martin Chuzzlewit
The Schoolmarm of Squaw Peak Oliver Twist (Partly)
Our Mutual Friend Cookbooks
Anderson Crow's Daughter Soul of a Bishop (H.G. Wells)
Girl of the Limberlost The Puppet Crown
The Great K&A Train Robbery The Bent Twig
The Schonberg Cotta Family Laddie
Following The Star The Little Minister
The amazing part to me is the realization that Elsie shipped all these books from California to Arizona and then back to California three years later. It is also interesting to note how many book she read over Christmas 1916. She was married on Christmas day 1916.
November 6, 2011
"Arizona History Recorded in Letters"
Thanks to Scott Craven of the Arizona Republic for including excerpts from "Elsie -Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916″ in his article in today's newspaper.
Today "Elsie" was listed on Amazon and the first shipment of the book should arrive here in a couple days. Anyone who wants a copy can order it from me here by e-mail request, or it can be ordered from Amazon.
I am excited that this book is generating some interest. It as been such an enjoyable project.
