Gertrude Codman Carter’s Diary, July 1917

By Anna Clutterbuck-Cook, Reader Services

Today we return to the 1917 diary of Gertrude Codman Carter. You may read the previous entries here:

Introduction | January | February | March | April | May

June

 

Only two pages of Gertrude’s diary from June 1917 remain in her diary for that year, the rest having been sliced out at some point before the volume was donated to the Massachusetts Historical Society. Only July 26-31 remain. Still, in even these half-dozen entries we see Gertrude’s life contain everything from a party at the beach to a visit to a former cook who had served the family, now on a pension, to design commissions, to tea with a woman whose son has just enlisted and will soon ship out to war in Europe.

I turn it over Gertrude.

* * *

26 July.

To Lodge school to tea.

 

27 July.

Mrs South had a bathing party at the [illegible]. Rather fly [illegible] but amusing. Being a Friday & [illegible] day, a number of people [illegible]. So I planted my red sunshade in the sand & Clarence Hayden & I made ourselves into a “Vogue” cover for the amusement of the others. The children had a good time. John frisked about.

 

28 July.

Went in to see Mrs Plumer the old cook. Her cooking days are over. I am paying for [illegible] & [illegible] has a pension.

 

To Barton’s after tea

 

29 July.

John’s [illegible] lesson. “But Mummy, which were the nice people?”

Jacob & Esau

Took John to drive. Lovely sunset at C. Hayden’s.

 

30 July.

To Ilaro & town.
Called on the Majors.

 

31 July.

Savannah about green plots.
Inspection of auctions.

11. Dr Gooding dentist. He has invented [illegible] oval playing cards and has asked me to design a cover for them.

 

Tea at Mrs [illegible]. Her son has gone to enlist and she is very sad at his departure.

 

* * *

As always, if you are interested in viewing the diary or letters yourself, 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.

 

This Week @ MHS

By Dan Hinchen

The Society is CLOSED on Monday, 3 July, and Tuesday, 4 July, for Independence Day.

We return to the Society after a long holiday weekend with a couple of public programs on offer. Here is what’s coming up:

– Wednesday, 5 July, 12:00PM : Come on in for a Brown Bag lunch talk with Lyle Nyberg of the Scituate Historical Society titled “Rivermoor: A Summer Colony in Scituate.” This talk looks at the upper class Bostonians of a century past who spent summers in Rivermoor on Third Cliff in Scituate, including the first American to provide prefabricated houses. Through his Colonial Revival houses, George Welch helps turne what had been farmland since Native American times into a select summer colony. This talk is free and open to the public. 

– Thursday, 6 July, 6:00PM : Stephen Kurkjian is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Boston Globe and was the newspaper’s lead reporter on the Gardner art heist. Join us for an author talk with Kurkjian who will discuss his latest book, Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled off the World’s Greatest Art Heist, share details on the investigation, and offer a possible missing motive. This talk is free and open to the public, though registration is required. A reception will precede the talk, starting at 5:30PM, followed by the program at 6:00PM. 

– Saturday, 8 July : This is your last chance to catch our current short-term exhibit, “Impossible Dreamers: The Pennant-Winning 1967 Red Sox.” View rare photos of the 1967 season taken by retired Boston Globe photographer Frank O’Brien, a collection of 1967 artifacts including Carl Yastrzemski’s jersey. The exhibition is free and open to the public June 24 through July 8th.

While you are here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: The Irish Atlantic: A Story of Famine Migration and Opportunity.