Barbara Hillard Smith’s Diary, October 1918

Today we return to the 1918 diary of Newton teenager Barbara Hillard Smith. You may read our introduction to the diary, and Barbara’s previous entries, here:

January | February | March | April

May | June | July | August | September

As regular readers of the Beehive know, we are following Barbara throughout 1918 with monthly blog posts that present Barbara’s daily life -- going to school, seeing friends, playing basketball, and caring for family members -- in the words she wrote a century ago. Here is Barbara’s August, day by day.

Image: Kodak snapshot of unidentified individuals playing tennis, Glades Club photograph album, ca. 1900-1910. MHS Photo Coll. 270. 

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TUES. 1 OCTOBER
Went over to Pegs. Lasell closed. Tennis

WED. 2
Over to Pegs. School still closed.

THURS. 3
Surgical dressings – morning + evening – shampoo – in town.

FRI. 4
Pegs. Made masks in evening.

SAT. 5
Over to Roxbury in [Hurry]. Made masks.

SUN. 6
Church closed. Ben, Margaret + Wendell to supper

MON. 7
Made masks. Took care of sonny.

TUES. 8
Over to Pegs. Took care of sonny. Pete’s room. Met R. Dirwin

WED. 9
Over to Pegs. Nothing doing.

THUR. 10
Over to Pegs for lunch. Played cards. Pete sick.

FRI. 11
Over at Petes and at Pegs. Took care of sonny.

SAT. 12 COLUMBUS DAY
Went over to Pegs

SUN. 13
Pete to dinner. I had an awful cough

MON. 14
Cough worse. Hung around at Pegs

TUES. 15
Went to Cochituate. Cough Better.

WED. 16
Hung around. Mrs. Reed’s

THUR. 17
Mrs. Spauldlings. Cousin Bert came. Dance at Eli’s. S- is a dear.

FRI. 18
Down town. Wrote letters

SAT. 19
In town. Grandma fell three times. Dr. Godfrey’s.

SUN. 20
Hung around. Walk with Peg. Peg to supper.

MON. 21
School. In town

TUES. 22
School. Up to Babies

WED. 23
School. Up to Babies. Mother went to New York

THUR. 24
School. Down to Muriels. Muriel over night

FRI. 25
School. Babies. Muriel over night. Boil.

SAT. 26
Mother came home. Sick?

SUN. 27
Rally Sunday. Morgen Thalers for supper.

MON. 28
School. Babies.

TUES. 29
School. Peg’s. Came down with flu.

WED. 30
School. Babies. Felix Ranlett wounded

THUR. 31
School. Went swimming. Reed’s in Evening

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If you are interested in viewing the diary in person in our library or have other questions about the collection, please visit the library or contact a member of the library staff for further assistance.

*Please note that the diary transcription is a rough-and-ready version, not an authoritative transcript. Researchers wishing to use the diary in the course of their own work should verify the version found here with the manuscript original. The catalog record for the Barbara Hillard Smith collection may be found here.