The blog posts below are taken from my grandmother's diaries. Althea Green Smith Crook was lovingly referred to as Nanny to her immediate family ~ thus her diaries are called Nanny's Diaries.

Nanny wrote in her diaries when she remembered to - mostly in the evening. There will be some years in which she didn't keep diaries and there will also be some days/weeks in her yearly diaries in which she skipped or forgot to write in them. For the most part, these are her words - written as she wrote them. There will be typos, forgotten punctuation, and other grammatical errors - but I am rewriting these as my Nanny originally wrote them.

As with all old handwriting, there are some entries that I can't quite make out - and these entries will be followed with a (?) to signify that this may or may not be correct or I can't figure out what she is trying to write.

Thank you Nanny for leaving us 50 years worth of memories! We miss you!

Monday, January 5, 2015

July 5 - 11, 1947



Saturday, July 5, 1947

Nice day. We picked a lot of berries. I cleaned up the house and mowed grass. Picked berries.



Sunday, July 6, 1947

Rained in a.m. Cleared in PM. Sold crate of berries to Ralph Abbott. Bill worked at Lloyd’s and on his tractor. Billie finished mowing grass.



Monday, July 7, 1947

Pick strawberries. Hot today. Cannell came up here and picked berries.



Tuesday, July 8, 1947

We washed and pick some berries.



Wednesday, July 9, 1947

Dorothea and I picked berries. Alone today.



Thursday, July 10, 1947

We picked berries.



Friday, July 11, 1947

Picked strawberries.


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Sunday, January 4, 2015

June 28 - July 4, 1947



Saturday, June 28, 1947

Very hot. We picked 70 quarts of strawberries. Kennie called in eve. Brud called.



Sunday, June 29, 1947

Sold berries as Schafer’s also cream. and to Sam Gallinari. Blanche called with Ruth’s children. Bob’s birthday.



Monday, June 30, 1947

Blanche here. Did a very big washing. We picked a lot of strawberries.



Tuesday, July 1, 1947

We ironed. Picked berries.



Wednesday, July 2, 1947

Nice day. Picked a lot of berries. (?) Aibia Ela and husband called. Blanche and I sold berries. (?) the Woodbury boy.



Thursday, July 3, 1947

Nice day. Picked a few berries. Mary Cross and children and Effie Cross called and brought strawberry baskets back.



Friday, July 4, 1947

Nice day. Ilan’s and Robert’s family here in evening all had our fireworks together. Bill down to Lloyd’s and helped pull weeds and hay.


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Saturday, January 3, 2015

June 21 - 27, 1947 Francis Woodbury Missing



Saturday, June 21, 1947

Nice day for the first day of summer. Francis Woodbury missing. Cleaned up the house. Picked some more ripe berries.



Sunday, June 22, 1947

Very nice day. Jack and Sylvia married. Bill lame. We mowed and trimmed grass. Pick some more ripe strawberries. Bill Ridlon family called, lost his cow.



Monday, June 23, 1947

Another nice day. Bill didn’t work, still lame. Blanche and I downtown.



Tuesday, June 24, 1947

Social Security man here today. Nice hot day. I cleaned up the house.



Wednesday, June 25, 1947

It rained hard all day. Bill did not work.



Thursday, June 26, 1947

Nice hot day. Dorothea and I cleaned at Seabee’s. Billie and Betty picked 14 quarts strawberries.



Friday, June 27, 1947

Hot again. Dorothea and I finished cleaning at Seabee’s cottage. Betty went to movies with Blanche. Shafers called in eve.


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Friday, January 2, 2015

June 14-20, 1947 Papa Died



Saturday, June 14, 1947 Papa Died

It rained awful hard. We did regular work. Blanche called me about 7 PM and said Papa was very low. Fern and I went down to hospital. He knew us but couldn’t speak. He died at 11:45 PM.

Papa (Ashbel Smith) with 3 of his grandchildren in 1943. Dorothea, Betty and Billie


Sunday, June 15, 1947

Fair. Bill and Billie planted our garden. We telephoned Esther in Ohio, also we talked with Milan from Florida. Brothers and sisters here and we all made arrangements for Papa’s funeral.



Monday, June 16, 1947

We washed and cooked. Carlton graduated from B. A. I got my hair done today. Billie’s Chet cow got hurt. He took his Fogg cow up to Chet’s. Aunt Ava took my children and I down to see Papa at (?) Fernando's.



Tuesday, June 17, 1947

A very nice day. Papa had a very nice funeral. Esther and Milan couldn’t get here. Kennard, Kennie, Lloyd and Bill bearers. Bill had Jack’s car for the day. We went down to Jean’s in eve.



Wednesday, June 18, 1947

Rained. Mama, Aunt Ava and Uncle Lewis out calling. We churned. Blanche and I went down to cemetery.
Papa's grave - says 1949 but should be 1947. I believe that is Blanche in photo.



Thursday, June 19, 1947

Rained hard all forenoon. Cleared in PM. We wrote letter and sent out thank you cards. Smart kids got their tricycles.



Friday, June 20, 1947

Fern and Lloyd up in eve. Bill and Lloyd picked some ripe strawberries. Aunt Ava and Uncle Lewis went home. Ms. Tibbetts called. We washed.


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Thursday, January 1, 2015

June 7 - 13, 1947



Saturday, June 7, 1947

Fair. Cleaned the kitchen. Mama down to Kennard’s house for supper. Carlton’s birthday.



Sunday, June 8, 1947

Blanche took Dorothea and Betty to movies. First time Betty ever went. Rained. Got pigs over to (?) Elf Holden’s.



Monday, June 9, 1947

Rained hard in a.m., cleared in PM. Mabel Grover and I began to clean at Walter’s. Did four bedrooms and hallway. Down to hospital to see Papa, not good. Billie got a new watch.



Tuesday, June 10, 1947

Fair. Cleaned down to Walters. Papa not so good this morning. Bill and I set out strawberry plants tonight. Fern went to Portland.



Wednesday, June 11, 1947

Cloudy and rainy. We finished up at Walters.



Thursday, June 12, 1947

Papa is very bad, he rallied. Seem to be better.



Friday, June 13, 1947

We didn’t go to hospital. Papa quite down, sort of in a coma and breathing worse. No (?)


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