Many Homes Have One…
…possibly on the shelves at your parent’s or other relative’s house. An album about a new baby, including pictures and notes about the happy family’s new addition. Many if not most are almost completely empty, save the first couple of pages.
Today’s version will often be a series of photos posted to Instagram, Facebook or a personal blog that become fewer and fewer over time except to the most dedicated mommy/daddy bloggers. Here we have both, a complete web page of an incomplete baby album.
My maternal grandmother, Beulah Blashill had her first child, Barbara Jane [also] (my mother), on July 4th 1929. She also got one of these baby albums with a customized, embossed leather cover inscribed with her daughter’s name. The rest of the book completely blank, awaiting photographs and other memories.
The handwriting is atrocious. And over the ninty years since being created, the legibility deteriorated. The paper soaked up pencil and pen alike, spreading the lines of the letters out to the point that the handwriting applied to the page became almost comical in it’s illegibility. Have a look.
I only came to know of this album upon my father’s passing. Mom had died thee years earlier and I was packing up the stuff he had transferred to the retirement home he was living in.
Dad had twenty to thirty old family albums. Many familiar to me. More than a few not at all. Many covering their childhood and teen years.
Like most baby albums this one also ends abruptly. After about three years it just stops. There are about forty pages of handwriting (about ninty two hundred words) and almost one hundred and twenty photographs.
This is the transcription of that baby album.
The whole album was scanned. The pictures cut out and roughly cleaned up. Cropped, and the levels and curves auto-corrected. Otherwise as they were. The web pages are layed out below similar to the original album.
you can download the original in PDF form (also at the end of the last page) should you be curious to so see what a baby album from the 1920s and 30s looks like in all it’s barely legible glory.
I have divided this into four pages corresponding to the years in the album to ease page load times.
Links to the next page are at the bottom of each (web) page.
Notations in square brackets [ ] are descriptions, comments and notice of errata or unknown words.
[?] right after a word or name indicates that I am unsure about the accuracy of the transcription, EG a best guess.
[UNCLEAR] Indicates my complete inability to decipher the handwriting at that particular place in the sentence.
[sic] Is standard notation indicating that is exactly what was written immediately preceding,
grammar, spelling or word usage not withstanding.
Page 1
My 1st Christmas Tree, Dec 1929
Page 2 – July 1929
Here I am folks just 3 days old, my first picture. My daddy seems just a wee bit thrilled!
This is one of my nurses, Miss Jolly. She was awful fine to me and I liked her, so did my Mamma.
Just another pose folks, was getting a wee bit bored by this time – ho-hum.Page 3 – July 1929
[Below] 24 days old and at home at last. I’ve been home ten days and mother is ground [?] you’d think she‘d been taking care of wee ones all her life. I get fed every three hours and am always sleepy. I’m a very good girl, so Mamma says. I sleep right through the night. On the 28th of July I had my first tryout the movies. My uncle Stu was here from Cincinnati raving about his John, but daddy told me I was the real number and he’s seen John.
Here I am with Miss Harding [above], my other young nurse. No wonder daddy spent most of his time at the hospital. I was ten days old and was gaining weight[?] every day – notice [?] the old feed-bag.
Page 4 – August 1929
[The dog in the lower picture is Mingtoy[?] and was a gift to Cecil from a friend of his who brought him back from China.]
Well I’m[?], getting on folks. I was one month old the 4th and weighed 9 pounds and was 22 inches long. Quite a good growth, if I do say it. Mother started to take care of me all by herself and Uncle Jolly[?] who helped my Mamma while I was trying to get used to my new home[?] left. On the 12th I went on my first picnic with my papa & Mamma and the Loobs[?] Daddy and Vernon played golf. I slept as usual.
I got around to my first smile on the 15th and began to notice things.
On the 16th my aunt Mary came to visit me from Cleveland and I had one interesting week. Went to roasts[?] picnics and parties. Also had a nap[?] every afternoon and I was a very good girl.
We drove to Toledo to see Aunt Mary, off to Cleveland on the 25th, maybe I’ll get a little rest now.
I had my first ride in a baby buggy on the 28th. My daddy borrowed it but promised me he’d get one for me soon that would be all my own. I’m sure gaining weight fast I weighed 10# & 9 oz. on the 28th. Noticed my hands on the 29th for the first time. Gee I didn’t know I was so pretty.
I had visitors today the 31st, the BL Johnson family from Chicago. [Believed to be Bernard Leslie (Lyman) and his Wife Ruth.]
Page 5 – September 1929
John Day, My aunt Lois & cousin Jack from Cleveland visited me, he’s quite a boy. Mamma says he’s 3 1/2 years old, also my uncle Ronald came to pay his respects.
On the 5th of September – remember the day. I gave my Mamma a big surprise, slept until 7AM for the first time. On the 6th my Mamma drank some of daddy’s wine & it didn’t set too well on my stomach.
I got my first bottle on the 7th, and on the 8th I drove all the way to Cleveland in our Dodge Senior. Gee it was great. We stayed with Clayton and Irene White [?] for a few days and then went over to visit the Wills. Saw my grandmother Houliston on the 10th and met my Aunt Ped [?] & all my Mamma’s friends. Gee I’m tired of all this gadding and meetin’ folks.
Started to home on the 20th. I’ve been a very good girl all the time. On the 21st the day after we got home I saw myself in the looking glass and enjoyed a hearty laugh. On the 24th my daddy had his tonsils out and I made my second trip to the hospital to review old acquaintances.
My daddy was very unhappy for two weeks, but got over it [UNCLEAR]. This has been a heavy month for me and I was glad of a little respite [?] while Mamma looked after my daddy.
Page 6 – October 1929
I’ve been throwing up a lot lately. Squealing and crowing. I had my first made pictures taken on the 4th [UNCLEAR] in the night you see me with my grandma Blashill. Below I am with aunt Marky [Margaret Blashill also “Markie”] aunt Allie and Gracie. Notice my hat, I’m out for no good. I held a rattle for the first time today. My Mamma was so thrilled she thought me a “tinker-try.”
On the 5th. I was put on a four hour feed schedule and Daddy and Mamma took me out for a walk on the 6th. It was a big day, so I’m told.
They tried to feed me orange juice on the 9th and I put in a kick and wouldn’t take it. I [UNCLEAR]12# on the 10th. On the 11th my Mamma went to a bridge for the first time since I arrived and my grandma took care of me. I sure got an eyeful on the 12th, I noticed my feet for the first time. On the 13th my aunt Polly & Patty Ann, her daughter, came to visit me from Cleveland and stayed a week.
Patty Ann and I had a lot of fun. I got moved into larger quarters on the 20th, daddy having bought me a new bed, And[?] I have been growing a bit. On the 21st I noticed my powder can for the first time and grabbed at it a lot. My Daddy is getting is getting [sic] all hot up about my [UNCLEAR] my [UNCLEAR] I don’t know how to [UNCLEAR] I’ll get away with [UNCLEAR]. Well this is the 26th and I’m back at a three hour schedule, more eats, less thumb. Aunt Ped and aunt Olive came to see me on the 26th also and aunt Mary came to make her home with us.
Page 7 – November 1929
My aunt Mary took care of me while Mamma and daddy had dinner at the union with Dalibergs [?] and Cooks. Floyd was with Mary, so I didn’t see much of her. Mother and I took a walk to grandmothers on the 5th. I’m Sure growing. Quack [?] for things and laugh most of the time.
Grandmother took care of me again today while Mamma and daddy had dinner at Barton Hills with the Littles and the Smiths. Daddy was home all week packing apples for his clients. So we are beginning to get acquainted. I am having a fine time in my bath now, I grab the wash cloth and splash around and make plenty of work for Mamma.
November 13th was left again today. Nurse [UNCLEAR] took care of me. Daddy and Mamma went to Detroit to [UNCLEAR] theatre. I was a very good girl. I took a long walk with Mamma on the 15th and make a lot of calls.
Getting along, was 13 pounds and better, gave the folks a thrill, left house during the night for the first time.
On 
the 19th got my fat for the first time and had more from flying on the 22nd. It got real cold and my hand got swollen and gave Mamma a good scare, but they didn’t burst[?], I didn’t even cry. On the 24th I was so good, I slept until 8AM. Can’t keep it up. Mustn’t spoil them. Thanksgiving day, my first one, was a very good girl.
Page 8 – December 1929
I had a bit of bad luck this month. Established a record I don’t want to live up to. Dec. 3rd I slept until 7:15AM. I’m getting awfully husky and get a big kick out of my bath, I got my first solid food (cereal) on Dec. 11th, yum! On the 13th I sat up in my new high chair that D.W.[?] and Inez gave me. Mamma and Daddy left me all day on the 14th with Nurse [UNCLEAR]. So you see I’m being trusted by my [UNCLEAR].Daddy got snow bound up north on the 19thand had to leave his car and come home on the train. I spent Christmas Eve at aunt Allie’s while daddy and Mamma sat up for Santa Claus. I was a very good girl. On Christmas day…
Page 9
… I slept until after 8.00 AM. Was over to grandma’s for Christmas morning and dinner. I got my turkey second handed but it sure tasted good. We had Christmas at home in the afternoon and I got lots of things. Daddy has been home for quite a while now and we is getting acquainted. He’s crazy about taking pictures of me. Mamma and daddy had a cutter ride [this seems to be a smallish horse drawn sleigh, big enough for two, maybe three] on the 29th and they both got home safe. I was a bit worried cause I loved Mamma’s cooking.