A few months ago, my cousin Kim gifted me with the 1977 weekly journal my great-grandma Rose Jones Stewart Hochmuth kept. She was going to give me the one for the year I was born which was 1974 but it doesn’t seem grandma was keeping a journal then. As noted on this journal’s first page, Rosie gave this to her mother for Christmas in 1976. The journal itself is hardback and has a section on how to “Getting the most out of [your] Today 1977” journal that includes a guide to international clothing sizes for the worldwide traveler, a section for budgeting and financial advice for the year, and a section for recording “important personal or family data.” The content section breaks it down further into first-aid lists, family milestones, international temperatures, the Amtrack network, gardening guides, and so much more. It really was a one-stop record-keeping book for all your household needs and Grandma Rose was no exception. Her entries started quite short and to the point but by the end of the year, they became full-on paragraphs of juicy family tidbits and views into her life and thoughts, not just brief snippets of her feeding the cat or planting seeds.
What was most intriguing to me though was her commentary on certain days about her life; at one point she reflects upon her unhappy first marriage as her daughter’s marriage is ending in divorce. I also like that she sprinkles little sayings and quotes throughout the journal depending on her mood and what’s happening in the world around her. For me, this just presents a different side of her that I didn’t get to see. I spent time with her growing up and I did know her, but not “well” by any means… I do have fond memories of her throughout my life but I wasn’t close enough to know any of her deep thoughts on life, love, or her hopes for her grandchildren or great-grandchildren, even. But this journal gives me a chance to go back to revisit her and in some ways, I sort of feel like I’m spying on her, as though I’ve taken a time machine back to peek through their window for a year. (And perhaps Leonard Hochmuth’s family too… they had contacted me a while ago looking for information on him. Maybe these mentions of him will help them piece together at least one year of his life.)
In any event, I plan to publish these a week at a time as I think daily is a bit much of a strain to do on a daily schedule. Anyway, I hope my Stewart/Jones/Hochmuth family will enjoy this year-long ride with me as I transcribe Rose and Leonard’s life in 1977 in Ohio during a superbly nasty winter.
Note: I’ve left her spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as is.
For this first batch, there is a note in the front for “Notes for December” that says:
Fell heir to a cat. Not by choice. Some one dumped one out day or so before Christmas – Hungry and in bad shape.
Arch, Lori, Lisa & Jill down Wed before Christmas.
Rosie, Darryl, Kim Robin down Christmas Eve.
December 31, 1976 – 5° below zero
January 1, 1977 – Snowing hard. Seems to be swirling from all directions. Very windy. Henry brought in the mail.
January 2, 1977 – Still snowing and drifting. Winds up to 36 mile per hour. Ventured out to feet the cat and clear a path to the garage. Reminds me of 1950.
January 3, 1977 – Fed the cat. Snow had drifted around the trailer and thought I’d have to dig out the cat. Could hear him meowing. Made path to the mail box. Winds up to 43 MPH today – Pipes froze in the trailer. Cold water only in bathroom.
January 4, 1977 – Burrowed my way back to the trash cans. Burned over a weeks supply of trash. Could scarcely see my way back to the trailer. Cold! Cold! Swirling, blinding snow. Worst winter I’ve seen since 1950.
January 5, 1977 – Snow still coming. I do what I have to do out doors & then back in the house again where its warm and try to get some sewing done. Sewing room is a mess. had to take the drawers out of the cutting tables so some of the heat could get to the wall that covers the water pipes.
January 6, 1977 – Same old cold. Nothing – Check over the green house to make sure the heater is going, then beat it back to the house. Henry brought in the mail today. Brenda made us a path to the road, and the patio. Low 32°, high 35°.
January 7, 1977 – Electric was off for three hours this eve. Len and I had to dress by the heat from the oven so we could go to bed. Tried to write a letter by candlelight – Funny how an evening can drag without T.V. Guess we’re spoiled by all the modern things. Wrote Ethel a letter by candlelight – made me feel like I was back on the farm again. I used to think years back, that oil lamps shed pretty good light; but after electricity, ugh! Rather drab – almost depressing.
(Click photos to enlarge)
I’ll be back next week to post the second round of journal entries from Grandma Rose…. stay tuned!