APRIL FOOL!

Tomorrow is April Fool's Day. It's also Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. So, I have chosen to share this April Fool's postcard from my dad's collection today, March 31. 

This postcard was given to Vance by his cousin, Ruth Dobson, probably between 1910 and 1915. On the back of the card Ruth penciled: "Hope that you will be a wise guy the rest of the year." Hmmm. . .

PROVING THE OLDEST DATES

The Idaho State Historical Society has confirmed our date of Saturday, July 14, for the celebration of the Julian and Ina Dobson Homestead. Save the date. Everyone is invited. We’re calling it “An Afternoon at the Old Dobson Place.” At least, that’s what we’re calling it today.

Meanwhile, I have been working to establish proof that Julian and Ina settled on the home place prior to 1904 when the patent was issued. It’s clear that they had to have been there earlier than 1904 in order to meet the criteria for the patent application, but in order to establish an earlier date, I have to provide documentation or else the date on the “century farm” sign will be 1904. I hated to accept that date unless I had to. After all, my dad was born on the homestead in 1904, not to mention that Aunt Ethel was born there in 1897. So, I wrote the National Archives, paid the required $40, and received a packet that included Julian’s land patent application.

The homestead application establishing Julian’s claim to the land is dated September 7, 1898,  and stipulates the following: “It is required of the homestead settler that he shall reside upon and cultivate the land embraced in his homestead entry for a period of five years from the time of filing the affidavit, being also the date of entry. An abandonment of the land for more than six months works in forfeiture of the claim. Further, within two years from the expiration of the said five years, he must file proof of his actual settlement and cultivation, failing to do which, his entry will be canceled.”

Then, in bigger print that can’t be missed, the applicant is advised that “Final proof must be made within seven years from date of this receipt, and payment made . . .” I had to laugh. Human nature in 1898 was the same as human nature today. They might have added, “so don’t tell us you didn’t know. . .”

 

That homestead application was the initial step and specified the conditions Julian had to meet. Then, five years later, on November 18, 1903, he took the next step in the process. “I, Julian Dobson,” reads the document, “do hereby give notice of my intention to make final proof to establish my claim to the land above described and that I expect to prove my residence and cultivation before the clerk of district court at Orofino, Idaho, on January 14, 1904. . .”

The above notice was then published in the Peck Press printed at Peck, Idaho, such publication being a necessary part of the process. A copy of this notice is included in the packet.

On the “Homestead Proof – Testimony of Claimant,” Julian specifies the improvements:

·        Built log house Nov. 14, 1896, and established residence at once.

·        Frame and log house 18x24

·        Chicken house 10x12

·        About 120 acres fenced and cross fenced

·        Two acres orchard

·        60 acres broken

·        Well and cistern

·        Improvements are worth $800

He has a wife and four children, he says (and doesn’t add that another is on the way) and residence has been continuous.

He states he has raised seven crops and provides a history as follows:

·        20 acres in 1897

·        35 acres in 1898

·        40 acres in 1899

·        45acres 1900

·        50 acres 1901

·        60 acres 1902 and 1903

With regard to the character of the land, Julian states: “Forty acres timbered agricultural land and rest of it is prairie. Most value for farming and grazing.”

Included with this “testimony of claimant,” are the testimonies of two witnesses, John Chandler and William Cunningham. Mr. Chandler, 72 years of age, says he doesn’t know when Julian made settlement because he was living on the land when he [Chandler] came into the vicinity in April 1897. He states that Julian has a house, barn, chicken house, granary, and hog house, the size of which he doesn’t know, but they are as good as the ordinary buildings in the locality. Mr. Cunningham’s comments are much the same, though he provides that Julian established residence in the early part of 1896.

So there it is – documentation – and it is just as Ina has said. KW

[Photo 1: Bean harvest on the Julian Dobson homestead, 1897. No machinery was used at this time -- the beans were pulled by hand and later threshed on the barn floor with flails. Left to right: Ross Pratt, June Dobson, Julian Dobson, Frank Dickson, Perry Chandler, Charley Boehm (boy), John Boehm, Clarence Chandler, Marshall Brooks.

Photo 2: The residence of Mrs. Ina Dobson. Ina is in the foreground with her four children: Myrtle, Ethel, Pearl, and Irl. Sitting on the lumber is Ida Chandler Dickson, Ina's sister-in-law. Julian Dobson is standing to the right. The cabin was built in November 1896. The kitchen, which is unfinished in both of these pictures, was added in 1901.

Photo 3: As the kitchen is still unfinished, the year must still be 1901. Ina stands in the yard with her children.]

AN INSTRUCTIONAL LETTER FROM EARLE

Amongst the correspondence my dad saved, I found the following letter from his brother Earle. You may find it dull reading, but when I read it, I kinda think I hear my dad chortling away.

The “dark woodwork” my dad painted over was beautiful and evidently rare “Pacific fir,” with which the farmhouse living and dining rooms were trimmed. The doors and pocket doors were also made of this wood, and Daddy painted over all of it. Mike recalls that my dad preferred a painted finish to wood. When we remodeled the farmhouse, we stripped the paint off the wood and had a cabinetmaker recondition and varnish it.

 

1804 So. Blvd.

Idaho Falls, Ida.

Jan. 7, 1945

Dear Vance,

Your letter arrived Friday and I am writing so soon to let you know about the painting. Three coats will be necessary to cover that dark woodwork. You can use two coats of enamel undercoat first and finish with a coat of enamel. This would be the best. If you care to you can use first a coat of flat white, then a coat of enamel undercoat, and last a coat of enamel. This procedure would not be as good as the first one I have outlined as the flat white is not as good paint for wood work as enamel undercoat.

First use some very sharp, coarse sandpaper on the old finish, knocking off the gloss so the first coat will have something to unite with. Then sand lightly between coats with No. 0 or No. 00 sandpaper. Of course, the last coat is not sanded. If you can get Dutch Boy paint it will be splendid. If I were going to do that job, I’d put on an off white, and I’d use Dutch Boy Satin Eggshell No. 700 enamel for the last coat. It is the most beautiful soft finish I have ever seen. It is better taste for dining rooms and living rooms. In the kitchen I’d use the Gloss White No. 300 mentioned above.

You will find it difficult to get paint in anything but white, therefore let me give you some instructions on tinting the white: If you choose an off white, as I suggested above, get a pound can of Burnt Umber – or a small tube will do – and use about ½ teaspoon to one gallon of paint. If you wish it to be a little more off, add more burnt umber a very little at a time and stir well, pouring the gallon back and forth by using two containers. This mixes it better than any other process. In tinting paint always add the color a little at a time. Of course you see why. Use the “Colors in Oil” tints. Any brand will be o.k.

In case you do not want the off-white color and prefer the ivory, get some Raw Sienna color and add it a little at a time until you reach the right shade. I prefer light ivories. I’d mix at least one gallon of the enamel for both rooms. It is always smart, when you have to tint paint, to tint enough for the job, as it isn’t so easy to mix to a tint afterwards. It can be done, though, by saving a sample of the original tint.

The great advantage of doing your own tinting is that you can get the exact tint you want. If you buy ready-mixed tints you get only standard colors and all in-between shades are left out. I never buy any other colors except white, and do my own tinting. It is a lot of fun and if one is careful he can get exactly what he wants. Perhaps you know this, but in case you don’t, here are a few other instructions: edges of doors which swing into a room are painted the same as the room woodwork, e.g., the edge of the stairway door would be painted, and the recess it occupies when closed would also be painted including that part where the hinges are. Also clean all paint from window glass immediately. Use a small brush for painting around the glass. If you need any other information, let me know.

. . . . Am not painting or hanging paper this winter, as there is extra work at shop occasionally. I need to have some practice running the wood lathe, which I have never operated. Have some good literature on it, however, and it is only a matter of a little experience with it. One doesn’t have to know much to be ahead of kids of the junior high age. Looks like we are going to be handicapped for lumber. . . . .

Love, Earle 

It’s amazing what one remembers when prompted. I had forgotten that as a second job, Uncle Earle painted and hung wallpaper, mostly in the summers. He had excellent tools – always the best quality.  I thought he taught high school, but apparently it was junior high.

[This is the early photo of Ina's dining room. I don't have good pictures of the wood trim, but this picture, taken from the living room, gives a hint of the pocket doors. The picture of Earle and Bernice Dobson was taken in their home in Idaho Falls, 1943.] KW

EARLE IN THE NAVY -- WWI

When I started posting about my uncle Earle, my dad's older brother, I really meant to talk about photography and be done with it. I had been planning to run through my dad's family member by member at some future time -- and I planned to do it well. But Hallie, our daughter, said she was enjoying getting to know Earle, and one thing led to another, so I continued with his story and not in an orderly fashion. Perhaps it doesn't really matter.




Hallie was right when she said that what's written on the back of a photo can expand our knowledge of the family. If only they had written more! However, I'm grateful for everything I find. Written on the back of the family photo above is the following: "Jan. or Feb. 1918 (?). Pearl [Julian and Ina's eldest child] was at home from Canada and took the picture. E.J. [Earle] was on convalescent leave from the Navy following pneumonia in December at San Francisco." I just think it's too bad that Pearl isn't in the picture, too. And I wish I could see the pictures and knick-knacks on the mantle.

I thought I didn't have many pictures of Earle but discovered I was mistaken. I found at least enough to round out his story -- and perhaps all there ever were.

Earle's service dates aren't clear from the photos, but I think he and Charley McCoy, pictured to the right, went into the Navy in 1917. Earle would have been 21. I believe he was assigned to communications. I never heard that he was stationed on any ship or that he went overseas. I suspect the war was over about the time he recovered from pneumonia.









I don't know the name for the white uniforms. Dress whites? Not sure. At any rate Uncle Earle evidently dressed up for the camera.












Earle played a violin, and that's interesting, too, but I don't know who taught him. I do know that Ina encouraged education and the development of talent in her children. Perhaps a neighbor was willing to teach him. I just don't know that story.

In these pictures, dated February 1918, Vance, my dad, is accompanying Earle. Daddy is 13 and Earle 21. KW

FINISHED APRON

I don't know what gets me stopped. Once I finished the embroidery on this apron, the next step was to apply the bias tape, and that was a "buffalo." So, the apron lay unfinished on the back of the love seat for six weeks. To my credit, I refused to move on to some other things until I had addressed the issues and finished this apron. Today I can call it a finish, check it off the list, and reward myself by moving to the next project. KW

TUPPERWARE

 

The other night Hallie sent a message to say she was watching the PBS American Experience program on Tupperware. “Very good,” she said. Yes, I had seen it, I told her. The focus of this program is Brownie Wise and the marketing strategy she developed for Tupperware which basically brought the company out of obscurity. That history is all online for our enlightenment, but it occurred to me that Hallie has never been to a Tupperware party. Maybe she’d like to hear about Tupperware from me – from us!

It was 1960 and I was 11 when I accompanied my mother to our first Tupperware Party. If memory serves, the party was at the home of Ruth Ross, a friend and neighbor. The way the party worked was that a hostess, in this case Ruth, invited her friends and provided a dessert. The presenter arrived beforehand and set up the products she would demonstrate. Once the guests had arrived, the presenter was in control, demonstrating her wares. She also had leaflets and catalogs, including price lists. I remember the guests talking about how this phenomenon had finally reached our area. Everyone had heard about these plastic storage containers with lids that sealed, sold only at parties, never in stores.

I really don’t remember much about the presentation, but I can tell you what was included. The dealer most certainly demonstrated how to “burp” the lid in order to seal the container. And she spoke of the benefits of that seal in preserving the food – sealing the food in and odors out. The display table was full of Tupperware, and she had suggestions for how it could be used. Toward the end, she showed us the lovely gifts that would be awarded the hostess – certain items for just having the party and another prize if resulting orders totaled a certain sum. And I believe if guests signed up to host a party, the hostess received more prizes. (If you didn’t have sales resistance at this point, you could get in deeper than you wanted to be – but then, that’s life, isn’t it?)

And I remember that I won the door prize. It was a sample table decoration that might be assembled for a bridal shower using a pint container and six plastic tea spoons with curved handles. White plastic flowers were tucked into the container. It looked like a fancy little flower cart. I displayed that in my room for years until I realized it really was kinda tacky, so I took it apart and put the container and spoons in my hope chest. The useless iced tea spoons kicked around for years until I tossed them.

My mother bought a lot of pint containers at that party. Until then we stored refrigerated leftovers in bowls that we covered with elasticized plastic caps. What a nuisance those caps were! They were no fun to wash and they didn’t dry readily. The Tupper containers with lids were so much better for food storage – and stackable, too.

Over the years Mother collected more serviceable Tupper pieces, and I had quite a lot, too, but I don’t remember going to many parties. I know I received some as wedding gifts – in the ‘70s when harvest gold and avocado green were everywhere. And I have to say – for plastic, Tupperware was great quality. The round cake carrier was really large enough for your angel food cake or frosted layer cake. Or you could fit trays in it and carry 18 cupcakes. In the same trays you could carry two pies. The ones I find in the stores now are skimpy by comparison and too small to be useful. Today, of course, other companies make those plastic storage containers with lids that seal. But for years, Tupper had a corner on that market because of the patent.

I’m now gradually replacing my Tupperware with Rubbermaid. Why? Because plastic doesn’t age well. It feels tacky, or it’s brittle, and it smells funny. Frankly,  I’m afraid to seal my food in it. But then – how many years ago was that? 30? 40? 50? Egads! Time to let it go.

Still – folks are looking for Tupperware.  I guess it’s collectible now. The pieces that show up at the rummage sale are gone in  a flash when the doors open, together with the vintage Corning “cornflower” casseroles and the sequined blouses. No, I’m not going to collect Tupperware. Someone else can have it. I love "vintage" but make mine books and patterns and dolls and fabric and . . .   

[The photo above shows the few remaining Tupper pieces I found in my kitchen. The last piece I bought – in the ‘90s, I think -- is the big yellow bowl, and I bought it from a Tupperware dealer, not at a party. It’s my “really large mixing bowl” for Chex Mix and such as that.] KW

THE GILBERT CUBS

I'll bet you didn't know there was a baseball team at Gilbert. The Gilbert Cubs, they called themselves, and they had uniforms and everything. They played other small community teams in the region, I guess. Aunt Ethel, who was three years younger than Uncle Earle, told me that she learned to pitch to help the boys practice. She was a lifelong baseball fan.



      
These photos, taken a century ago in 1912, are of Earle Dobson and a friend, Charley McCoy, who lived with his mother, Aunt Maud, in Little Canyon. The photo top left is identified as Earle. The next photo, top right, is especially interesting. Charley catches the ball while Earle is on the ground, but note the two shadows in the foreground.





Bottom left, Charley jumps while Earle is on the ground.




I think these pictures were taken in the front yard at the farm looking eastward. I didn't think so at first -- thought the terrain looked too flat. But I changed my mind. The gate looks like the gate to June's property, and I think the camera angle make the ground seem flatter than it really is. KW