Newlyweds Are Busy (But One Is "Fussy") in 1929

Pictured: John and Ruth Kellogg honeymoon in Detroit and Ann Arbor (June,1929) after their wedding in Chicago.  Ruth is wearing her flapper-style cloche, coat and dress.

Saturday, Aug. 10, 1929 - "I hated to get up this morning.  Too tired.  I was busy finishing up work in the office this morning.

This afternoon I baked a pineapple upside down cake and ironed some clothes.  After the dishes were all washed, John and I got ready & went to Rose Roberts' home where we met her husband for the first time.  We had supper right away & then all of us did dishes & then played bridge.  Had good time.  They are so nice.  Home 12:00."

In one of Ruth's diaries - perhaps in the 1930s - she mentions that Rose Roberts "is getting a divorce."  Ruth and John were both working on Saturday morning for Montgomery Ward, so a 5 1/2 day work week.

Sunday, Aug. 12, 1929 - "Read paper before I did anything else after getting up.  I was on the run and had John busy too until about an hour before Fullers came at 4:00.  Papa called up this morning and told me to stop fussing so much.

Fullers, especially Mabel, were very appreciative and we all enjoyed ourselves.  The meal was good too.  There wasn't a thing that Mabel hadn't seen, but she was good company while I was preparing meal.  They had all gone by 8:30."    The "fussing" may be something Mama (Lottie) mentioned to Papa and had him pass on to Ruth.  She and Ruth were very close - only 19 years apart in age.  I'd think the fussing was part of adjusting to marriage while working, taking care of the apartment, entertaining friends.  These diary entries were not in Pieces of a Life.

Ruth is Busy with Friends, Family, Clubs in 1964

Ruth is shown feeding Philip Alan Kellogg here in late 1960.  She was helping with his younger brother, baby Roger Winslow Kellogg, at the time of the diary entries in 1964.

Ruth (57) and John (64) had just returned from 7 weeks in Florida when the diary entries were written.  They were still living in Oak Park where Ruth was involved with many First Baptist Church activities and other friends as well.  She was also the guiding hand for her mother and brother, who lived 2 miles away in Chicago - and helped Ken and his family in Westchester.  Diane and Dan Pellettiere were living in NYC.

Monday, Feb. 24, 1964 - "Letter from Diane with Beth Israel Hospital return address.  We phoned her tonight.  She's to be there a week and home a week.  Sounded good.  Went to Mom's for a few hours and forgot to bring my plants home!"    I think I had a bladder or kidney infection when I was at Beth Israel.  Lottie Meredith was 77 by then.

Friday, March 13, 1964 - "Letter from Diane asking if her room is available when they come in for first 2 weeks of July.  Of course we are writing right back that it is and always has been.  She is leaving 'sleeve' question to me - so I'll try to satisfy her with a small sleeve in dress.

Advised Mom to take tranquilizers to calm down.  Flat still not rented as of A.M."  Ruth also mentioned helping with the church circle meeting in the Colonial Dining Room that day.  I had asked Mom to make me a dress a week or two earlier - which is what the sleeve query is about.  Lottie Meredith had a small 2-bedroom flat above their 3-flat on Iowa St.  That caused a lot of stress on Lottie and son Jimmie, but provided some income.  I am surprised about the tranquilizers.  Both Jimmie and Beth were probably taking them.  Lottie's husband, Jim, had died about 20 years earlier.

Friday, May 16, 1964  - "Beth phoned - was depressed - so I drove out and brought Roger back for the nite.  (Philip was napping.)  Roger coming down with a cold.  He settled down by 9:30 for the night."   In skimming through the 1964 diary, I saw many entries about taking one or both of Ken's little boys for a day or two.  Beth was having a rocky time in those years.  Her own mother, Vera Tharp, a dietician, was most likely still working and was not from the Chicago area, so Beth called on Ruth for help.

Ruth Meredith Kellogg Turns 24 in 1930

The photo shows Ruth in 1930 wearing a black fox stole John had given her for her birthday.  They had been married one year in June.  
Saturday, July 5, 1930 - "I'm 24 years old today.  Folks gave me hose -- also rec'd 3 birthday cards.  Made a big bowl of potato salad.  More varnishing & polishing.  Went to show with folks & had ice cream at Walgreen's."

On June 25 Ruth and John had moved from 4705 Byron in Chicago to 5841 W. Superior St.  The "varnishing and polishing" is in their new apartment.  Ruth's parents, Lottie and Jim Meredith, helped too.  They did not live far from Ruth and John.  The unpacking and getting settled went on for several days.

The Great Depression was in full swing, but John and Ruth still had jobs in July.  Ruth bounced from one job to another at Montgomery
Ward as the sales dropped and people were fired.  She must have been well thought of because it would have been easy to fire her when a job she was in was eliminated.

Tuesday, July 8, 1930 - "Very tiring day.  John brought a mirror and end table home without consulting me!  He was late too!  Started to eat without him.  Took hot bath."

John is the kind of guy who wants to get things done right away - very industrious.  To him, it doesn't make a lot of difference which mirror or end table is picked, just that the task is done while Ruth would be concerned with the color, style, etc.  Neither the picture nor the diary entries are in Pieces of a Life, 

June (and May) Wedding Bells

Left:
1965 - Daniel and Josephine Pellettiere

Right: 1929 -John and Ruth Kellogg






"Something borrowed, something blue..."   June used to be the traditional month of weddings.  Perhaps it was because so many married right out of high school or college.  Or maybe it was just because June is a beautiful warm month with trees and flowers bursting into bloom.

I didn't wed in June, but my parents did.  Ruth Meredith and John Kellogg tied the knot at her parents' home on Iowa Street in Chicago on June 1, 1929.  Another June 1 wedding, but in 1947, was that of Vi (Veronica) Pellettiere and Charles Saletta, who had been in World War II.  They were married in Chicago at Our Lady Help Of Christians Church.  Vi and Chuck were married 36 years and Ruth and John 58 years.

Vi was the daughter of Daniel and Josephine Miraglia Pellettiere, shown above on the left at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1965. They are also the parents of my husband, Daniel Jr. and two deceased sons, John and Joseph. To add some perspective, Dan and Josie were married right before World War I on May 30, 1915, which would have made this their 102nd anniversary.  Their wedding was in Chicago too.  Josephine was born here, but Daniel sailed to America from Italy with his mother and 2 brothers in 1899.  What a journey he had in his lifetime!

Just for fun, I counted the number of friends and relatives who have June anniversaries.  Including the Salettas and Kelloggs, there are 17 of them, though several are no longer among us.  Only 3 of them are divorced or separated, so their divorce statistics are much better than average.  Why?  Maybe because most are 60 or older?  There are a few younger ones, such as our daughter and son-in-law, Lynn and Jim Waldman, whose anniversary was a few days ago.

If you have a June anniversary, happy day to you!

Two Dates: Wedding pic from Feb. 1963 and Diary from Jim's Birthday June 1962

This wedding picture was taken on Feb. 1, 1963 in the Kellogg house in Oak Park.  From left to right:  Dan Pellettiere Sr., Josephine Pellettiere,
Dan Pellettiere Jr., Diane Kellogg, Ruth Kellogg, John Kellogg.

The diary entry was 8 months earlier.
Sunday, June 17, 1962 - "I picked Mom up at 8:15 a.m.  We got to Elgin by 9:05.  Nice time to drive - good weather but got warmer and warmer as day progressed.  

Jim surprised to see us so early on his 51st birthday.  He is now getting dissatisfied where he is - says nothing to do but sit and hear others troubles.  We told him to wait for the doctors to say he is ready to leave.

Brought Mom back to Oak Park and 4 of us (Diane) had salad dinner for Father's Day before Dan P. came for her to play tennis at O.P. High courts.  Mom & I attempted to dye a light green dress of Diane's a royal blue.  It is spotted!  Now what to do!

Diane has borrowed Packard until tomorrow night to go to Nancy & Bernie's & to Evanston to have 5:30 dinner at Fanny's. She took Mom home on way."

Jim Meredith, Ruth's brother, is back in a mental hospital, Elgin, at this point.  He has been in and out several times and is under psychiatric care when he is at home as well.  His schizophrenia started in high school.  "Mom" is Lottie Meredith.

The couple we went out with are Nancy and Bernie November.  Nancy was a very close friend, starting at AOII in my University of Illinois days.  I didn't have a car and was living at 1448 Astor St., Chicago.  The graystone that housed my apartment was torn down years ago.

My bridal dress is pale blue satin with a matching lace jacket.  The diary entry is not in Pieces of a Life, but the picture is.

Ruth and John's Adventure in Brazil, 1980

The picture was taken in FL a year before Ruth (73) and John (80) flew to Rio De Janeiro from Miami.  They arrived on May 24.  After some touring in the area to Sugar Loaf Mountain, the Copacabana area and the Botanical Gardens, the picture changed dramatically.

Mon., May 26, 1980 - "CATASTROPHE!!!  We walked to the beach walk to see hang gliders & take pictures.  As I got tired, I sat on bench and John went the last block.  Suddenly my shoulder bag was snatched from my arm from behind!  I jumped up and screamed as I saw a barefoot fellow dashing to a VW with my bag!  A native woman came up and told me she saw it.  Then John came about 5 minutes later.  He was very upset as was I.

Saw a police car by hotel and took a policeman inside to learn from English-speaking Porter of our troubles.  Porter wrote on paper and gave to police.  All our money, passports, eye glasses, my driver's license and many other items were gone.  So John phoned tour man to cancel rest of trip and change our plane reservations to Wed. night.  Luckily, he had our tickets!!We gave them to him to confirm flight home on Sunday next!  

The tour man came over in his wife's car and took us way downtown to American Embassy to get new passports - also to a photographer and later to Brazilian Consulate for visas.  Just made it to last one a minute before closing!  Then we taxied to a bus station where tour man told us to take the St. Conrad bus to our hotel as he had to go to airport next.  

We got a scare on the bus.  The girl ticket giver (thru interpreter in seat near us) said we were on the wrong bus!  But before we could decide to get off or not, she found out we were O.K.  She had given out wrong tickets!  So - we got back after dark, but O.K. as the bus ride ends by our hotel area.  What a day!  Glad it's all over and we are all set to leave for home - partly packed.  Played
cards again to relax."

The thief also took Ruth's diary for 1980, so she reconstructed what happened on the brief trip.  They
never forgot that adventure!

Ruth and John Kellogg Visit the Pellettieres in Palatine - 1973

1973 - Katie (3), Lynn (7) and Cindy (6) Pellettiere sitting in the family room at the house in Palatine.  Grandma and Grandpa Kellogg flew in from Clearwater FL on May 19.

Friday, May 25, 1973  - "Today was not quite so hectic but still - it had its moments.  I went with Diane to her beauty shop to have haircuts for all 3 girls this afternoon.  It took an hour longer than it should have due to the operator having a long, unscheduled customer.

It was fortunate that I was there to help.  Lynn & I went out for candy and gum, which also helped.  Katie got the "prize" haircut - cute as a button - short & shaped to the natural curl she has.  

The two older girls were an hour late to a naborhood birthday party.  This bothered Diane enormously, knowing how much such things are planned by mothers.  Also we were late in getting the spareribs into oven for supper, but we ate a little later, which was O.K.  I shortened a new long daytime skirt for Diane.  Dan phoned his flight time for early A.M. arrival tomorrow - John to go for him at 5:30 A.M. from here."

Ruth and John were 67 and 74 at that time and still functioning well, though the pace in Palatine was much faster than in FL.. With Dan in to Las Vegas twice, it was helpful to have them visit.  Dan and I both went to Las Vegas on May 28th for the pro-am golf tournament he was in charge of,

As much as everyone else liked the haircut, Kate did not.  Looking back, she probably wanted her hair to be longer like Lynn's and Cindy's.  This diary entry is not in Pieces of a Life.