We’ve been finding all kinds of fun items at the historic home. Items from decades ago in some cases. It’s like a treasure hunt every time we come across something from the past. This week we found a little journal that a grandchild gave to their grandma to fill out.

It starts out with a family tree, all the names of the family and birth dates. Grandma was born in 1916.

Each page asks a question and reading through this book you get a good idea of the household and what it was like back then.

Here are some photos of some of the pages. It’s really interesting to read what times used to be like.

Grandma’s favorite toy were her dolls. She went sledding a lot as a child and loved baseball so much that she rather do that than eat.

She doesn’t remember her mom or dad playing any games or sports with her. She didn’t get to stay up late, they went to bed early, no TV or records. And she doesn’t remember arguing about early bedtimes.

Her favorite birthday was when she was 14, and her favorite gift was a pair of garters from Garnet. I have no idea what Garnets is.

Looks like dad was the one to spank, and was more strict. The naughtiest thing she did was let the water out of the washing machine and it got all over the floor. Reading that part made me wonder how did that go about, was it an accident? I’m sure dad still punished her for it.

Grandma never went to the hospital or broke any bones. She was afraid of shots at the doctors. The families transportation was a horse and buggy until grandma was about 6 and then they got a car.

As a child grandma had to do dishes, cook, clean, wash, iron, and take care of her younger siblings. When she got money she would buy candy. One quarter would buy 25 pieces of candy back then. She had a puppy named Blackie.

Grandma’s best friend and her never fought, and they kept many secrets. There was a bully in school that picked on her, pulling her hair and kicking her under the seat at school.

Grandma doesn’t ever remember running away from home. This answer is odd to me because something like that you would definitely remember, unless too young of course. When asked where her favorite place to go when she was angry she also answers she doesn’t remember…which is also kind of sad. Grandma didn’t answer that she never got angry or what she would get angry about, she was always honest in filling out this little book her grand child gave her. And that is sweet.

When asked about what her room looked like, grandma answered a small square room and that she had to keep everything in place. It does sound a bit strict in Grandma’s home growing up.

I loved this answer. When asked about how they kept their house warm or cool, grandma answered a wood stove, and opened windows for the summer. Such a simple life. There were ten people that lived in her home.

A radio was her favorite thing in the whole house.

Grandma’s childhood home was a 2 bedroom home with a small front and back yard. She remembers it as being the color gray.

Now, this answer also got me thinking…ten people in a two bedroom house. One bedroom would be for the parents, which means that 8 children had to share one room…think about that. As for the color gray, it is a depressing color. Colors can effect moods.

One time my husband was at the home goods store getting some paint. He had a home he was working on and asked the store clerk for some ideas on what to paint the house as it was going to be an investment rental, a flip. The clerk said gray, all the landlords paint their rentals gray because it’s a color that keeps them in, makes them feel hopeless in a way, to stay put. Like prison institutions always have gray everywhere in their design, as well as some public government run schools…think about that one.

I believe the most shocking thing about that little exchange with my husband at the store, was that a store clerk was open to suggesting to continue that ugliness of selling that color to landlords. Keep the renters in there paying year after year…that to me is terrible. I will never, ever…use gray in anything…it is my least favorite color, actually I can’t stand that color. But I do like it on animals. Elephants and Rhinos, such beautiful creatures.

Okay, here grandma answers this question ” How many rooms did it have? Did it have an attic or a creepy room that scared you? And grandma answers 5. Maybe one of those rooms was made into another bedroom for all those siblings. I hope so.

When I was a little girl, by best friend’s home was only a two bedroom and there were 6 of them. The mother turned the large family room that was in the back of the house into a huge bedroom and my friend and her siblings all slept there on mattresses. There was no door, just one huge room with four twin sized mattresses on the floor. Maybe this grandma’s home was like that.

Grandma’s home appliances were a wood stove to cook on, and a rock a bye washer (I’ll have to look that up, I have no idea what that is) and kerosene lamps.

Grandma got gifts from Santa when little, she never saw him though. Santa left those gifts in the children’s shoes.

For Thanksgiving celebrations Grandma went to her grandparent’s home and her favorite treat from her mother was Sugar cream pie. I’ll have to look that up too, I have never heard of it. Remember this grandma was born in 1916, imagine how old her grandparents were. Lets say they were in their 50’s when she was born , they were back in the 1800’s. I wonder what their book of questions would have been like. I loved reading this little family book, what fun it would have been to have had the great grandparents around to answer these questions as well.

Grandma celebrated Halloween. She dressed in old clothes and as children they played tricks on people, and she was not afraid of ghosts or witches.

Grandma doesn’t remember making Christmas cookies and she doesn’t remember making a special gift for anyone.

Grandma decorated her tree with popcorn and icicles. They got their tree from their neighbors when their neighbors threw their tree away in the alley. And just like celebrating Thanksgiving at her grandparents house, they also celebrated Christmas there as well.

I think I will end it here. There are more pages and answers going through grandma’s life with her siblings. She goes on to answer questions about her fist date, meeting her husband, having children and so much more. It was such a fun find when I came across this in the historic home.

I hope you all enjoyed reading a little about Grandma’s adventures growing up. I will share part two another time, where she gets married and she writes about her husband.

Copyright Our Little Red House 2025