In the Kitchen - Women's Work - Week 5 of #52Ancestors

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 When I saw the theme for week 5 of #52Ancestors - In the Kitchen - I thought about how much work my great grandmother Elizabeth Ann (Coe) Call (1862-1956) did on the family farm in Stafford, Genesee County, New York. Elizabeth kept a diary for much of her life, and summarized important events for the years 1935-1943 in a memoir she titled "The Calls, 1935-1943". 

Elizabeth Ann Coe and her husband Charles Joslin Call

In the entry for September 22, 1936, she shared her schedule for the day. At the time this was originally written, Elizabeth was 74 years old. 

Miss Warren, daughter of Dr. Warren, and another young lady have been here several times inquiring of how I spend my time daily. I think Miss W. was to have her thesis on this. So I made this schedule on Tues Sept 22. 

Rose 5:15
Dressed 5:30
Breakfast prepared 6:00
ate breakfast 6:15
Cleared table, washed dishes 6:30
At washing 6 - 7:50
Tending plants 8:10
My breakfast 8:25
Making cottage cheese 8:20 - 9
Clothes hanging 9:10
Making bed 5 min
Rest, and reading morning paper  9:25 to 10:20
Wrote to Charles and Evelyn till 11:20
Took down and folded clothes till 11:55
Lunch 12:15
Took down, sorted and folded and dampened more clothes to 12:55
Rested and read 2:15
Dressed 8 minutes
Darning 40 minutes
Pared potatoes 10 min
Ironed 1 hour
Rested and read 30 min
Preparing supper 55
Embd 7:15 to 8 P.M.
Ironed 8-9 P.M.


Ironed 2 hours
Tended clothes, hanging, taking down, sorting, dampening 3 h 5 m
Cooking 1 h 50 min
Writing 1 h 10 m
Embroidering 45 min
Darning 35 min

Hopefully things got a little easier in the kitchen after February 27, 1938, when she mentioned

Feb 27. Our new refrigerator, Coldspot came from Sears & Roebuck

Ancestry.com. U.S., Historic Catalogs of Sears, Roebuck and Co., 1896-1993 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data:Sears Roebuck Catalogs 1896–1993. Vol.102–228 K. Chicago, Illinois: Sears, Roebuck and Co.  Catalog 176H, page 543


If you'd like to read more about my great grandmother's life, you can read "The Calls, 1935-1943" here on my blog. The sections I have transcribed and annotated are linked at https://pattyhankins.blogspot.com/p/the-calls-1935-43.html




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