Monday, December 31, 2007

Della's Journal - Christmas Presents

This is Installment 53 of the Journal of Della (Smith) Carringer (1862-1944), my great-grandmother, who resided at 2115 30th Street in San Diego in 1929.

The "players" and "setting" are described here. Pictures of some of the players are here. Last week's Journal entry is here.

Included in Della's 1929 Journal are lists of Christmas gifts given and received in 1928 and 1929. I have transcribed them below:

==========================

Gifts Given - 1928:

* We gave Etta rubber apron, table cloth (for her to work the corners), F[orrest]: telephone pad,
* We gave Rose Red & white apron, children doll bed & book.

Gifts Received - 1928:

* Lyle's gave us front room 5 light chandelier
* Ma two p[ai]r stocking & 1.00
* Betty to Ma chair cushion.
* Betty to me box letter paper & hand bag
* Betty to Grandpa handkerchief
* Betty to us towel with her first machine stitch
* Betty to us box of candy, Ed box of candy too
* Frank Morrill to A[ustin] two blue handk[erchiefs]
* Frank Morrill to me nice towel & cards
* Frank Morrill to Ma nice towel & cards
* Me from Mrs. Stearns Chicago handkerchief
* A[ustin] from Mrs. Stearns of Chicago handkerchief
* from Ed to me rubber apron
* from Pinkhams to us lemons to A[ustin] to me clothespin bag, to Ma darning bag.
* from Etta handkerchiefs 2 & box flowers
* from Etta to Ma handkerchiefs 2 & box of 3 hank[erchiefs]
* from Rose Kimball roasted hen & dressing & gravie.
* Mrs. Matajaka fruit cake
* Mrs. Auble nut cake, New Years.

Gifts Given - 1929:

* Betty's picture with poinsettias to 1. Gilbert girls, 2. Mrs. Putnam, 3. Miss Thoren, & her house also two of house 4. Mary Dyar, 5. Aunt L[ibbie Crouch], 6. Will's [this is William Crouch, son of Sam and Libbie Crouch], 7. Charlie Woodward, 8. Florence Elliott, 9. Mrs. Easterbrook, 10. Ella Stanton, 11. Mrs. Trusher, 12. Putnam.
* We gave Sun boy & Union boy [Sun and Union are newspapers] box candy each, Roberts & Jack.
* Made Rose apron, fancy coushion, gave the children each a book & box of candy to each also Earnest & Clinton, Geo. & Rose together.
* Candy to Miss Thoren, & Betty picture also one of her house on Fern St.
* I gave away some canned fruit. Mrs. Schmidt & woman in Ma's house.
* Gave Jessie candy, nuts, fruit, pr. silk stockings to Hazel.

Gifts received 1929:

* They [Pinkham's] gave Ma handkerchiefs
* Me towel from Hazel she worked
* Jessie gave me rubber apron
* Present given me Mr. Smith at Rockwell Field a silk scarf.
* Etta gave me lunch cloth & 4 napkins & laundry bag.

==============================

I doubt that these lists are complete, since the 1929 lists don't consider Lyle's family, and none of the lists discuss what Della, Austin and Abbey gave each other. The lists are interesting - lots of handkerchiefs, eh? They apparently sent Betty's picture to a number of friends and relatives.

There are some clues for the extended family here - I don't know where Charlie Woodward lives, but he is still alive. Mrs. Stearns, Mrs. Easterbrook, the Gilbert girls, and Ella Stanton are mysteries to me still.

Next week I'll do the Christmas card lists.

No comments: