MARY EDITH RAFF DIARY FOOTNOTES
The following footnotes for the Mary Edith Raff Diary were written by Elaine Rathmann, of Davenport, Iowa.
| [1] Dandy was Grandma's new carriage horse. |
| [2] I believe O.M.W. was a would-be suitor with whom Grandma preferred to be just "friends." As this diary shows, Grandma had "friendship" talks with at least two other men. |
| [3] I believe Carl was another man whom Grandma thought very highly of, if not loved. According to a later entry in the diary, his father's surname was Parchert, so Carl's surname was probably Parchert too. Following is a letter found in Edith's effects from Carl. |
| [4] B.Y.P.U. is an acronym for Baptist Young People's Union. |
| [5] The Geneva Club was a country club on Mulberry St. It is possible Grandma's references to Geneva refer to this club. Her mother also refers to events at "the club" in postcards and letters to Edith. |
| [6] The A-Muse-U was a movie house or theater in Muscatine at that time. |
| [7] Anna P. was Anna Prosser, a close friend of Grandma's who's married name was Young. |
| [8] I believe the "Farther Lights" was a club or group of people within her Baptist church which possibly met to raise funds. |
| [9] I don't know what D.A. stood for. |
| [10] Harrison Fisher (1875-1934) was known as "The Father of A Thousand Girls." He showed an early artistic talent and from the age of six was instructed by his father, Hugh Antoine Fisher, a landscape painter. When his family moved from New York to San Francisco, Harrison studied at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art. At the age of sixteen, Fisher had begun to make drawings for the San Francisco Call and later for the Examiner. Soon after returning to New York, Fisher became a staff artist for Puck Magazine. He became known for his ability to draw beautiful women, and his Fisher Girls became rivals to those of Gibson and Christy. The American Girl was a favorite theme for the magazine then, and Fisher did cover illustrations for most of them. Eventually he painted only portraits, including many actresses and theatrical personalities. |
| [11] Mabel M. Lewis was one of Grandma's dearest friends who had grown up with Grandma her and then moved with her mother and sister to Portland, Oregon. |
| [12] The "Quartette" refers to 4 of Grandma's friends. I'm not sure who they were. |
| [13] Dix was Grandma's beloved cat. |
| [14] Gleaned from a letter from Frank Schmidt, the Baraca class was possibly a bible study group in the Baptist church. |
| [15] These were hardy people. 24 below zero and they walked, or hitched up the horses and rode in the open air to church! |
| [16] I believe the Black Scarf Club was a group of teachers who gathered socially. |
| [17] The following letter, written on the German Savings Bank's letterhead, was found in Edith's effects. |
| [18] The Firefly was possibly an evening train. |
| [19] Church committee teams (Reds and Blues) probably in charge of fund raising. |
| [20] Speaking of herself as captain of the "Reds." |
| [21] Apparently the initials for her newest beau. |
| [22] Grandma must have been a singer, as far as I know she never played a musical instrument. |
| [23] I believe that after the death of Carl, this was Grandma's next serious beau. His name was Frank Schmidt. His letter follows. |
| [24] Aunt Julia was Edith's mother's sister. |
| [25] The following is the description of a postcard written to Edith on this date by her mother. |
| [26] Could this be the elusive "A. K."? And where is Butterville? |
| [27] Mama was Ella Sanders Raff. |
| [28] Tom Thumb weddings-young children dressed up as bride and groom with bridesmaids, attendants, groomsmen, etc and put on a mock wedding. Folks apparently enjoyed these spectacles during lulls in the "social season." |
| [29] I believe that my Great Grandmother must have said something negative regarding their relationship. I don't think she liked him, or any of Grandma's beaus very well. |
| [30] Probably refers to Grandma's brother, Fred. |
| [31] Grandma's cousin, Josephine Sanders Hoge. |
| [32] Referring to photos taken with flash. |
| [33] Probably a reference to Rev. Samuel Porter Jones, a popular post Civil War evangelist from Georgia. |
| [34] The White Way was a hotel on the corner of Hershey Ave. and Green St. I don't know if this entry refers to the hotel. |