26 – Slow: Great Aunt Emma, part 1

The two small diaries written by my great aunt Emma Louise Knaus have been sitting in a genealogy closet for a while now, passed on by my aunt Gladys Knaus. I've looked into them a couple times, and remembered them documenting a pretty slow life in rural Texas: the first covering 1946-1950 and the second 1951-1955. So for these next couple blogs I decided I'd finally scan and read those diaries, and see what I could find out about Emma, especially her life in Texas between the ages of 57 and 68 with her husband Matt Oliphant.

Emma on far left, about age 12, with her family circa 1900

Emma was the 7th of 10 children of Clemens Knaus and Eliza Greub, immigrants from Prussia and Switzerland; Eliza had 3 boys with her previous husband, so Emma was her 10th child, born 2 May 1888, two years ahead of my grandfather Dan Knaus (far right-front in the family photo above).

Emma, right, with younger siblings Dan and Jessie

Growing up with three other sisters, six brothers, and three half-brothers, home must have been a busy place on her father's large successful farm in Boulder County, Colorado. At the age of 18 Emma married a Texan, Matt Oliphant, who was 22. The 1910 census shows them farming next to Matt's older brother Bruce in Valmont, Boulder County, only a few miles from Emma's birthplace. For two decades they lived in Colorado, but sometime between 1935 and 1940 they moved to Texas, just a little south of Dallas, close to Rice where Matt's younger sister Addie Mae Harper lived.

Matt Oliphant and Emma Knaus: probably a wedding photo

The 1940 Federal Census shows Matt and Emma Oliphant living in Navarro County, Texas, having previously lived in Routt County, Colorado in 1935. Matt is 4 years older than Emma, age 56 in 1940. According to family trees online, some of his siblings had been born in Navarro County, so he must have lived here a bit when he was younger. This is where the first of Emma's two diaries begins, at the start of 1946, shortly after the end of World War II.

They lived near the Trinity River border of Henderson County, maybe ten miles from the unincorporated town of Chatfield; The small town of Rice was 6 miles further; the 1940 census found 489 people there, but that decreased to 396 by 1950. Corsicana, a larger town, was 15 miles; the 1940 census found 15,232 people there - by 1950 that had increased by 4,000.

Emma was the only one of her 9 siblings and 3 half-siblings not to have children; by the time of her diaries, she would have been long past that fork in her life. Her brothers and sisters did give her 26 nephews and 20 nieces, and her half-brothers another 7 half-nephews and 4 half-nieces. I have heard that she was a favorite aunt to many of them. During the 10 year span of her diaries, she and Matt traveled at least twice the 850 miles back to Niwot, Colorado, visiting her relatives and friends there. She kept in touch by mail around birthdays mostly. The handful of newspaper clippings, and notes about new births in the family show an interest in her nephews and nieces.

Dan Knaus with sister Emma and brother-in-law Matt Oliphant, on one of their visits

Emma wrote almost daily in the two diaries. The first entry, January 1, 1946, starts with "Nice day. We took dinner up to Aunt Lizzie's, spent the P.M. with Addie Mae..." Emma is 57, and will turn 58 that year; Matt is 4 years older. Emma's diary entries are a few sentences long at most, and note a few highlights of the day. 

First diary entry

The 5-year diary, with ten days shown across 2 pages, provides a more pulled-back, distant view of life. A single entry consolidates all the bustle, confusion, work, and emotions of the day. Emma was consistent; she missed a few weeks in 1955 when she and Matt were visiting in Colorado, and some days were terse like "Ice," "103 degrees,""Rained all day," "Worked on house all day," but most had at least a few sentences.

1946-50 Diary, showing pages for July 18-19

Emma talks about weather, sickness, chores, the economic life of a poor Texas farm in those years. There is no indoor plumbing, and in 1946 no electricity. Heating comes from burning logs from trees they have to cut down and saw, and later from a gas heater.

1946 Mar 14, Thursday: "... Matt & I sawed wood with 2 man saw."

1948 Jan 2, Fri: "Took the cook stove to pieces and put it all together again. Better than new."

1955 May 6, Fri: " Worked on Butane oven until after 10 p.m..."

They have no washer-dryer; she has a couple washboards, and hangs laundry to dry. A couple years into the diary, they start going to town to do the wash: a laundry opened in Rice.

1947 Jan 9, Thu: "I washed but the weather was too damp for the clothes to dry, rained more in the night."

1948 Jan 7, Tue: "We went to town - washed at the new laundry on North Benton, .50 for 1 hr..."

In 1946 they had no refrigerator or freezer, and would buy ice; about 1950 they bought a new freezer (so they had electricity by then). In 1955 it broke down, three days after the warranty expired (some things never change).

1947 Apr 18, Fri: "... we got 25 lb of ice from ice man = .20."

1950 Apr 11, Sun: "I cleaned shelves & washed dishes. Matt went to Corsicana got a Cold Spot that he bought from Sears Sat eve for 175 bucks. Geo Coffey went with him then Johnnie Bates and his dad helped unload..."

1955 Sep 13, Tue: "Matt went to town to see Sears Roebuck about the ice box, a man will come out tomorrow, our 5 yr. guarantee run out Sept. 10, 1955."

1955 Sep 14, Wed: "I washed and ironed, a Sears man come to see the Cold Spot [freezer box], we needed a new relay box, he put it on and it started working, cost $11.20."

Clothing needed to be sewn and mended, reused, occasionally bought.

1947 Jan 14, Tue: "... Matt fixed shuttle carrier in sewing machine." 

1947 Jan 17, Fri: "...I made 2 aprons of Matts old blue shirts." 

1947 Jan 11, Sat: "... I started a quilt (rainbow & trip around the world)."

There are no nearby shopping malls; grocery items consist of staples such as flour and milk, often bought with the cash they got from selling eggs. Otherwise food comes from their garden, and foraging. Emma has to bake their bread, and can fruit, vegetables, and meat.

1946 Aug 23: "We went to town P.M. sold 8 doz. eggs @45 = $3.60, got 100 mash $4.95, 100lb maize $3.45, 25 lb flour $1.75. Bought sow from Leon Coffey $17, brought her home in McClung's trailer and she got away."

1946 Sep 2-3: "Planted turnips, pinto beans, summer squash."

1946 Mar 14, Thursday: "Foggy am. I washed p.m. and baked bread..."

1946 May 13, Monday: "We went to the river, picked 1 small bucket of berries..."

1947 Jun 25, Tue: "I canned 2 hens..." 

1955 May 19, Thu: "Rained from 12 a.m. until 8 a.m. I picked beans and canned 5 qt."

There is no TV. They get a used radio in 1946, but, with no electricity in the home, it has to be a "portable" one, probably using a car battery. They did subscribe to newspapers, and must have read them thoroughly.

1946 Jul 16, Tuesday: "...Bought a portable radio from Baker = $15."

1947 Dec 2, Tue: "McNess man came we paid him $3 for a year subscription to Corsicana semi-weekly Light beginning in Jan..."

There is no phone, so they often have to drive to see somebody, only to find them gone. 

1946 Jan 11, Friday: "... Mrs. T Weaver drove in on tractor to tell us that Lincoln Benton wanted to buy some chickens."

1947 May 6, Tue: "We went to Mexia to see Geo W McClung, he was in Baird Tex. Beer was $4.80 a case so Matt only got 1 bottle."

1950 Jan 1, Sun: "... Matt went to Weavers after our 2 sows. They were out, so left them, lost 1 tire chain coming back. We walked back found it at the end of the lane..."

Their automobile is old, and they are constantly fixing it, and having flats and other breakdowns. Their long trips to Colorado were an adventure.  

1947, Aug 14, Thu: "We went to town washed at Gilmores Laundry. Bought motor for wind shield wipers $5.75, a pr pants (khaki) 2.50 at Army store, had a blow out coming home."

1947, Aug 15, Fri: "Matt patched tubes, used all the patches, put 12 on 1 tube and it still leaks air..."

1947 Sep 17, Wed: "We piled some of our stuff in the Buick and started for Colo, slept in the car near Quanoh, Tex."

1947 Sep 18, Thu: "Almost got to Springfield Colo. Slept in the car again, had lots of tire trouble, got a new tire in Dumas Tex."

1947 Sep 19, Fri, "Got two inland tires in Lamar Colo... We stayed in Fountain over night, paid $3 for the use of a bed in the Link house. Got fuel pump in Rocky Ford."

1950, Oct 18, Wed: We started for Colo about 10:30. Slept in the car near Quanah. Got a new knobby tire at Montgomery Ward in Ft. Worth, had starter worked over at Buick in Ft. Worth."

1955 May 6, Fri: "... We went to Corsicana after 4, had no brakes, got new master cylinder put in cost $5, groceries $9.02."

Income is from multiple sources, in small amounts. Sometimes they just barter for goods.

1946 Mar 16, Saturday: "We went to town, ate dinner with Mr. & Mrs. Walt Roberts at James Roberts cafe. Sold 20 doz. eggs @29, $5.80. Got 100lb mash $3.75, 75lb ice .30"

1946 Nov 19. "Nolan came gave is 1/2 gal honey and $7.50 for the years rent. Childress (chief) & Webster came after the 7 pigs. Coffeys came at night to borrow wood saw belt."

1947 Feb 11, Tue: "... Hobbs & Harvey Coffey came got 50 bales of hay @35 cts per bale."

Farm machinery is shared between farms, and breaks down often, slowing work and progress. In early 1947 they sell off their two mules, plow and harness, so they have just transitioned to using tractors.

1947 Feb 4, Tue: "Coffey and Leon & Harvey came got our mule Betty & Bess and plow and harness..."

1955 Mar 4, Fri: "Nice and warm. Matt got Lieser to come plow the garden. He was here about 2 hr, had coffee twice, wouldn't take any pay... I planted peas."

They had little money, and with no Medicare, medical expenses could easily push you into poverty; a 1955 entry notes they tried to get assistance at the welfare office, but were turned down because they owned land. 

1946 Sep 10: "We went to town to have my tooth pulled, learned I was cutting a wisdom tooth." 

1947 Jan 7, Tue: "...Matt went to Ennis. Had Dr. Gray to fit his eyes with glasses, used the rims & nose piece of mammas glasses, cost $16." 

1947 Mar 14, Fri: "Matt went to Ennis... Dr Kent pulled his 17 teeth from 2 to 3 o'clock at 4 o'clock he was home." 

1955 Jan 7, Fri: "Mrs Pryor welfare lady came, said we were not eligible for pension as long as Colo land is in our name..." 

1955 May 27, Fri: "Matt took a sudden notion late afternoon to go see Dr. Logston about his neck. Dr told him to go to hospital next morning and have x-ray of his neck..." 

1955 May 28, Sat: "Went to town, Frances Anderson took Xray pictures of Matts neck $15. Dr Rosen said it is arthritis. We went back to see Dr. Logston, but he was out."

Living at this time, especially in a rural area, especially being poor, things took a lot longer than they do today. There was a lot of waiting, and a lot of work we no longer have to do for living. "Fast-paced" would not be the appropriate adjective for their life; "Slow" would be a better fit.

Sources

Litwinovich, Paul. 2015. “The Farm Radio.” WSHU. June 30, 2015. https://www.wshu.org/vintage-radio/2015-06-30/the-farm-radio. Short history of the radio coming to America's farms.

Continued in next post...