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!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

October 18 - 24, 1947 Forest Fires Burn Brownfield



Saturday, October 18, 1947

Dorothea on hike with the Scouts. I worked in sitting room.



Sunday, October 19, 1947

Nice and hot. A small shower in the morning. I finish the sitting room. Ina (or Ira?), Norma, and friends called.



Monday, October 20, 1947

Nice and fair, not quite so hot. Washed today. Bill stayed home and drilled hole through wall for the waterpipe.



Tuesday, October 21, 1947

Fires at Kennebunk, very bad. Cold and windy. Bill piped water into house from new well. Maurice Hamblen died tonight.



Wednesday, October 22, 1947

Forest fires bad. Blanche, Mama, Ed, Betty and I over to Fryeburg. Terrible smoke. Bad fires at Fryeburg.



Thursday, October 23, 1947

Brownfield burned flat today. Awful wind. Bill and Kennard gone to Hiram to help move out furniture. Kennie took us up on the ridge.



Friday, October 24, 1947

Fires still raging. Awful bad wind went down this morning.

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Monday, January 19, 2015

October 11 - 17, 1947



Saturday, October 11, 1947

Had some good baked beans and hot rolls.



Sunday, October 12, 1947

Nice hot day. Forest fires raging.



Monday, October 13, 1947

Ed and I had a taxi, we went to town and Ed got his hair cut. I ironed.



Tuesday, October 14, 1947

I washed, done some cooking, cleaned. Mama and I went down to Dr. Sherburne’s tonight.



Wednesday, October 15, 1947

Cleaned the grain room. Went to town to get the license for car. Hot.



Thursday, October 16, 1947

We cleaned house.



Friday, October 17, 1947

Nice day. Cleaned Mama and Ed’s rooms today. Another hot day.

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Sunday, January 18, 2015

October 4 - 10, 1947



Saturday, October 4, 1947

Nice warm day. Billie worked over to Bob’s cementing. Aunt Ava and Uncle Lewis here for supper.



Sunday, October 5, 1947

Nice hot day. They finished up Bob’s foundation for his house cement Bills cellar. Aunt Ava and Uncle Lewis here. Evie Virgin and Fern called. Bill and I took Ed up on the ridge.



Monday, October 6, 1947

I washed. Blanche here most all day. Mama lame. Kennard called in eve. Ronald got hurt at school.


Tuesday, October 7, 1947

Hot. I did regular work. Fern, Lloyd and Sara called in eve. Lloyd brought me up a 100 pound onions he raised. Billie got his pigs.



Wednesday, October 8, 1947

Hot. No rain. Cleaning house.



Thursday, October 9, 1947

Cleaned house.



Friday, October 10, 1947

Hot. Cleaned house.
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Saturday, January 17, 2015

September 27 - October 3, 1947



Saturday, September 27, 1947

Very cold. Started a furnace fire. Bill down to Les Mill’s today. Bill only worked half-day. Blynn Davis and daughter called.



Sunday, September 28, 1947

Blynn Davis folks called and said goodbye to Ed. Bill dug some potatoes. Billie finished them. Cold. Bill sick.



Monday, September 29, 1947

Bill and I went to town in a.m. He didn’t work only half a day. I washed. Billie’s pictures came. Very good.





Tuesday, September 30, 1947

We made mincemeat. Blanche over here all day and she made some. She helped us all day. Blanche worked up to John Linscotts.



Wednesday, October 1, 1947

We canned up the pickles. I washed floor.



Thursday, October 2, 1947

Billie went to Fryeburg Fair with Chet and in evening with Wayne and Glenn. Mama awfully lame because of a fall she got.



Friday, October 3, 1947

Nice day. Washed. Mama still lame. Billie over Fryeburg Fair with Raymond Allen. A moose went through here today.

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Friday, January 16, 2015

September 20 - 26, 1947



Saturday, September 20, 1947

I washed new dog. Bill, kids and I went to town with Kennard. Uncle Sulmore came home from hospital. Jean got word from Stew Peck. Folks can come December 7.


Sunday, September 21, 1947

We bought our car today off Charlie and Jeans. A good one too. Cloudy and cold. Rainy.



Monday, September 22, 1947

Mama, Betty and I went down to see the Glidden tour of cars. It was swell. Betty’s pictures came, were good. Bill, kids and I went for a ride in car. Rained by showers hard all day.




Tuesday, September 23, 1947

Nice day. Mama went down to doctors with Dot and Aunt Mina. I washed a few things.



Wednesday, September 24, 1947

We canned tomatoes and made tomato juice.



Thursday, September 25, 1947

We made tomato mincemeat. Very cold. Kennie got his car back. It had been stolen.



Friday, September 26, 1947

Cold and clear. Dr. Mabry called. Need to go to Portland to get Ed Davis. Al (?) Lutherhale took me in his taxi. Betty went too.


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