Ruth Meredith at Austin High, Chicago in 1925

I love my mother's graduation picture, taken in the Spring of 1926.  Ruth Viola Meredith's marcelled dark blonde hair was very stylish.  Too bad the photo isn't in color.  Her "cat's eyes", as she called them, were greenish hazel.  My guess is that the blouse was either dark green or navy blue with a red bow.  Ruth was very aware of fashion and made most of her clothes.

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 1925 - "Today we had dandy exercises in Gym.  In Typing I have started on the first exercise in the 13th lesson, which isn't so bad, because Wanda is only on the 11th exercise.  I hope she gets through though.

Mr. Nichols showed us a Wild Western of the life on a ranch in the History class today.  Of course, it was a moving picture, supposed to fit in with the lesson, but it didn't this time."

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 1925 - "Nothing special occurred today, sorry to say.  Oh, but when I think of the many, many things that have to be done, both in and out of school hours, I just have to gasp.  The end of the term is only a few weeks away.  I didn't get any farther in Typing today.  In Industrial History class we were shown a moving picture concerning Westward movement in the early days."

Friday, Jan. 23, 1925 - "Today was better than yesterday although I had to go through three finals.  They were Shorthand, English and Industrial History."

Ruth mentions Wanda Thiele, her best friend, on Jan. 13.  She and Wanda both had to work hard to get through high school.  In Ruth's case, I suspect that being a preemie in 1906 was involved.  She was placed in a coal oven with the door ajar as an incubator for a week or more.  Her mother, Lottie Weekes Meredith, probably got that idea from a midwife or another mother.  Lottie was 19. Her mother, Viola Hawley Weekes, had died when she was 9.  Lottie left school in 7th or 8th grade to keep house for her father and little Lewis.  Ruth's father graduated from high school through Western Electric where he worked for many years.

Moving pictures were new when Ruth was in high school.  "Talkies" were about to come out.  She loved going to the moving picture theatres of the 1920s.

Ruth was disappointed with some of her grades, but happy to get an E in Gym, an 88 and an E minus on two English tests.  Mr. Nichols gave her S on a map and E on another History test.  Those were all better than her grades in Shorthand and European History on the preceding Monday.  The diary entries are not in Pieces of a Life, but the graduation picture is.  Sadly, few pictures of Ruth as a teen and around 20 have survived.

1971 - New House & Girls in Palatine and Palm Sunday in Florida

The picture was taken in 1971 in front of our new house at 1132 Skylark Drive, Palatine.  Our 3 girls, (left) Cindy (age 4), Lynn (age 5) and Kate (17 months), were enjoying a breezy, warm day.  This photo has been on at least one Christmas card.

Meanwhile, in Clearwater, FL grandparents Ruth (65) and John (72) Kellogg were leading a busy life.

Sunday, April 4, 1971 -
"An on-the-go day - Palm Sunday.  First,  to 9:30 service - where Claire & Merle sat with us.  Second,  home for a few hours to read & eat a bite of lunch.  Third,  To Morton Plant hospital to see Ethel Betts (broken hip case) and took her candy.  We stayed about 1/2 hour.  Fourth,  home for 3 1/2 hours and - Fifth,  to Concert (free one) where we arrived same time as Claire!  Sixth  To Fritche's for 7 P.M. snacks - the 4 of us.  Seventh  - home by 8 to see FBI on TV!   Whew!

Took a look at M.P. hosp. gift shop - small too, but has large stock room."

Ruth and John were feeling at home in Florida by 1971.  The Jennings (Claire and Merle) had been friends of theirs at First Baptist Church in Oak Park.  Other old friends also appeared from time to time.  Some moved to FL and others just rented condos for a few months.

However, Ruth and John were going to Palatine in mid-April after Easter to stay with us in our much-bigger house - over twice the size of the split-level we had had in Mt. Prospect.  They helped us with the process of getting things put away after having moved in on April 9-10-11 with the help of friends.  Most of this  information and the picture are not in Pieces of a Life.

Diane Meredith Makes an Appearance

On the back porch of our 2nd floor flat, Diane (me) at age 1 is shown in a wheeled contraption, longingly looking at her birthday cake. The arms holding me in place belonged to Grandma Lottie Meredith, Ruth's mother.  Ruth took the picture in May, 1937.  Going back one year...

...Ruth Kellogg was 29 in May, 1936 when she and John were about to have their second child.  Back then, of course, they did not know the sex, but I've been told that they wanted a girl after having had a boy, Ken, in 1931.  Ruth and John were living in the flat above Ruth's parents and brother Jimmie on Iowa Street in Chicago.  The Great Depression was gradually receding, somewhat like the Ice Age.  Most of this post is not in Pieces of a Life.

Wed., May 6, 1936
"Stuck to ironing until finished.  Wrote letter to Ida Beal who, Charlie told John over the phone, is expecting second arrival in August.  Mama visited at Decker's.  Went to Doctor tonight.  Gave me pills for a trace of albumin."
Ida and Charlie Beal were close friends of John and Ruth.  The Deckers were good friends of Lottie Meredith.  I don't know anything about the pills for albumin that Dr. Tucker gave to Ruth.

Fri., May 15, 1936
"Went downtown to Doctor tonight.  He hinted there might not be another trip down there.  On way home got ice cream cones."
Ruth was due on May 24, so would have had another appointment around May 22 - though it turned out that it was not needed.

Sun., May 17, 1936
"At 4 A.M. we arrived at hospital.  At 6:12 A.M. baby girl was born -- 6# 5 oz.  Left Kenny home asleep.   It happened just one week early."
On this page of Ruth's diary I added a note in cursive writing and some decoration when I was 8 years old.  It said "Birthday of Diane now 8" across the top and there was a circle around the date.  That was done in 1944, during World War II.

Tues., May 19, 1936
"Baby is getting cuter every day.  Named her Diane Meredith.  Letter from Alice tonight.  Jim  & John came tonight.  John brought fresh roses."
Women were in the hospital a week or 10 days back then.  Kenny was 3 1/2 and would have been in the care of Lottie mostly with John in charge when he came home from work.  Lottie probably made dinner for
Kenny and John too.

A Boy in Lancaster NY

John Webb Kellogg was born in Buffalo, NY in 1899 and grew up in the nearby village of Lancaster.  His parents were 18-yr-old Esther Clara Webb and 44-yr-old Charles Henry Kellogg Jr.

 John had a lifelong interest in history, but sadly, not in genealogy.  John was a high-detail, focused person as you will soon see in excerpts of his story, "75 Years -- Where Did They Go?"  His entire story, written in 1974, is part of Pieces of a Life.

There are those who would say he wore blinders like a horse, so preoccupied with whatever drew him at the time.  He could then race straight ahead to his goal.  Like so many things, being very focused is both a plus and a minus, but a strong Kellogg trait.

John describes the house pictured in detail, but not colors or decor or even how the rooms were laid out.
(The picture is from 1940 when the house would have been 60 or more years old and was no longer on
3 1/2 acres.)  "Our house had been built many years before we bought and had about 20 rooms.  It had two floors, plus a cement floor, full basement.  In the basement there was a furnace in which we burned hard coal and which gave hot air through ducts to the two living rooms and dining room on the first floor, also to both second floor front bedrooms.  The first floor also had a large kitchen and pantry, which were heated by a large range primarily used for cooking or baking. Water came from the kitchen sink pump or a large pump outside, sheltered from rain or snow."

As you can see, I wasn't kidding about John's delight in detail!  "In the back of our land was a high hill that no one seemed to own.  Lancaster, being at the east end of Lake Erie, gets a lot of snow. After each snowfall dozens of small boys and girls would take their Flexible Flyers to the hill for a long coast down.  

Sometimes we would make tracks; simply do not steer or guide the path it took.  Thereafter, it would follow those tracks each time it went down.  At times in the day the sun would melt the top layers of snow and at night it would turn cold so the crust would get hard.  Lads would then take out their sled on a moonlit night and push it along the top of the crusty snow with a stick that had a spike pounded in one end.  The head of the nail had been sharpened. This spike made fast travel under these special conditions.  

This idyllic childhood continued until I was about 13 when Father died, leaving a family in an expensive setup and no money to pay the bills.  But that comes later."



 

Retirement Life in Florida Not Always Serene - 1973

The picture shows Ruth Kellogg (72) and her mother, Lottie Meredith (91), in Clearwater FL in 1978.

Ruth and John had just returned from a "rugged" 6-day trip to the Yucatan in Mexico.  Ruth was usually calm, didn't seem to let much bother her, except for my father. So imagine my surprise when I read this diary...

Friday, March 1, 1973   -   "Glad to be home and not anxious to leave soon again but that will come all too soon in late May -- to Diane's.  My mother gives me a hard time - trying to make me feel guilty and pliable to her needs.  If I were a stronger personality, it might have helped but now?  Between the various family members and my own desires & pleasures there are so many conflicts.  Now Ken & Nellie and boys seem well-adjusted and not dependent on me.  But how to work out Mom's needs without conflict here is tough!"

Lottie and her son, Jimmie, had moved from Chicago to Mt. Prospect after Ruth & John moved to Florida. They were a mile from me and baby Cindy, toddler Lynn. (Kate was born in 1970.)  I kept an eye on them, taking them on errands, visiting their small apartment. I thought it odd that my parents had left Lottie & Jimmie behind, as though they were forgotten luggage. Jimmie was schizophrenic, having had his first public episode at church in high school, followed by time at Elgin (mental hospital) and treatment off and on from then on.

I knew that Lottie was demanding of my mother, but didn't realize how much Ruth wanted to escape that responsibility. She had helped guide Lottie and Jimmie since my grandfather died of heart problems in May, 1944 at 63.  In either 1969 or 1970, Lottie and Jimmie moved to Largo, Florida, a short car ride from Ruth and John's apartment.  Dan and I helped get them packed up.  

In March, 1973 Lynn was 6, Cindy 5 and Kate 2, so visiting me in 1973 would be much more physical for 66-year-old Ruth.  She had babysat with Ken's boys when they were younger, but by 1973 were 12 and 9 with Mario (Nellie's son) slightly older.  There was a lot of drama when Ken's first wife was in the picture, so Ruth was happy to see life settle down once Nellie and Ken were married in 1972.

Hazy Daisy of Skylark

That was our dog's official name - Hazy Daisy of Skylark - though of course she was Daisy to us. In the picture, we're laughing because Daisy (age 9) walked into the living room and plopped down among us when we were taking a picture for the 1990 Christmas card.  Circling from the left:  Cindy (23), Kate (20), Dan, Diane, Lynn (24).  Her birthday is coming up on Jan. 29.

You're probably wondering when we got her - and where.  We have to go back to 1981 to find out....I didn't write in my diary regularly then. Sometimes there were gaps of months.

August 24, 1981 - Monday    "Monday has always been one of my best days for getting things done.  Here I am at 7 AM doing this instead. Must have been something to do with Daisy's being downstairs.  She's our 7-month-old ( Jan. 29) yellow Labrador retriever puppy, already about 60 lbs. & still growing.  She certainly has changed all of our lives.  

I drove up to Wisconsin (near Waukesha) to buy Daisy from Phyllis Putney in April during spring vacation, having called around the area & finding no puppy for sale closer.  I was very surprised at the size of Daisy even then.  The breeder told us she was 9 weeks old - didn't realize that she had her dates wrong.  Daisy was then 11 weeks."  Kate and Cindy, both on spring break, were with me on the drive to pick Daisy up.   Lynn was in high school at Fremd, which had a different vacation schedule back then.

"I think the first month would have been easier if we had had her at 7 or 8 weeks old.  We had some difficulty house-breaking her - and especially at night.  She pooped in her cage - in great volume - every night.

Daisy is a beautiful animal - white with a little tawny golden hair on her back and some tan on her ears.  However, she's hard to handle because of her size and is not all that absorbed with trying to please the humans around her.  She has improved greatly, but is still more work than I'd bargained for.

I hear her rattling her cage even as I write this.  Yesterday our family project was to work on Daisy's doghouse & run.  We built a doghouse, which stands 4 ft. high, and also tried to level the run, which we had built last spring & filled with cement blocks for flooring."

I went on to say that the adjustment to having Daisy was more of a strain than I had thought it would be. The 3 girls were about to go back to school, so I would be the main caretaker again.  Eventually Daisy became so much a part of the family that it was hard to imagine us without her.

I'd had a torn ligament in my knee from a McDonald's golf/tennis outing in July.  While we were warming up, my opponent hit a ball way to the back of my court.  I didn't realize I was backing up into a puddle of water! Had missed 3 weeks of golf and tennis because of the injury & was wearing a brace temporarily.

, Diane's Surgery in New York City, 1965

Diane's picture was taken in our apartment on Kappock St. in Riverdale, just north of the confluence of the Hudson and Harlem Rivers.  Yes, my hair was long, but done up in a stylish hairdo on top of the head.  

My mother's 1965 diary mentions that I had surgery on July 14 to remove "2 pieces of pencil-like scar tissue and a cyst off of an ovary".  She mentions 10 days later that "Diane phoned during the evening & we all got a word into her - but mostly listened to her - with Ken carrying load of conversation on this end.   She had gone home Thurs. from the hospital."

 I went to Beth Israel Hospital in NYC for an exploratory surgery.  I remember the surgeon later saying he had taken a tiny piece out of the ovary because that would encourage fertility if I should want to
get pregnant.  About 10 months after the operation, Lynn Meredith was born at that same hospital just 5 days before my 30th birthday.

At that point, my parents, Ruth and John Kellogg, were selling the house in Oak Park and about to live in an apartment temporarily.  They were going to have a new place in Clearwater FL re-done, adding a 3rd bedroom and extra bath, taken from the unit next door to them.  The other one became a one-bedroom, one-bath condo.