Eveline’s Senior Year: Knit Your Bit

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Kathy Morales

I shared a photo of my grandmother Eveline Coates’ high school graduating class in Mystic, Iowa a few weeks (now months!) ago. Along with the photo and her diploma, a couple of other mementos were saved. One is the program for the Junior-Senior Banquet in honor of the graduating Seniors. It was interesting to see how World War I seemed to be the overarching theme of the festivities. I decided to take a deeper look at what her life may have been like during the 1917-1918 school year. There was a lot going on, a war and the beginning of an influenza pandemic to name the two biggies. The list of related posts is getting long, so I’ll link them at the bottom.

The prompt photo of a smiling man in a hospital bed seems the perfect time to mention the influence of the Red Cross during the time Eveline was a senior in high school. I keep trying to imagine why this young man has such a big smile. Maybe he was trying to impress a Red Cross nurse.

Sepia Saturday 632 Prompt : Unknown Man In Hospital Bed Third Party Prints

Once again, I have a bunch of newspaper clippings from Appanoose County saved. As I searched the internet for additional information, I came across a digitized book, The Red Cross in Iowa, which helps to put the newspaper articles I found in context. Since I’m not doing a research paper on the Red Cross in Iowa, I just skimmed for what looked relevant. My interest is simply to imagine my grandmother’s community and her life.

According to The Red Cross in Iowa, “No sooner had the United States declared that a state of war existed than persons in all parts of Iowa became inspired with a desire to have a Red Cross chapter established in their particular county, city, town, or village.” In Iowa, twenty-four Red Cross chapters were in operation the first of May. That number increased over two hundred per cent during the next two weeks. Iowa led all the states in the nation in the number of chapters formed during June 1917. At the end of the month, Iowa, with one hundred and twelve active chapters, had more than any other state, with New York second and Pennsylvania third. The national organization preferred that each county have one chapter headquartered in the county seat with jurisdiction over the entire county.

At the time of this big push to join the Red Cross, Eveline had just completed her Junior year of high school. I expected that the newspaper clippings I had saved would reflect this membership drive in June 1917. Instead, I found mostly news items about a national fund raising drive. Appanoose County was tasked with raising $7100 as their portion of the national campaign.

An individual membership was one dollar. Canvassers were identified by an “I Serve” Red Cross pin and gave a pin to each new member.

My best guess is that the undated pins may have been given in 1917.

Mystic’s portion of the $7100 was $626.37.

1917 Jun 21 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

Shortly after the planning meeting in Centerville, Mystic announced that a patriotic Red Cross meeting would be held Sunday, June 25th. The committee also met with mine operators and foremen. When Eveline’s father and brothers went to work the following week, they were likely handed a pledge card and encouraged to donate.

1917 Jun 22 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

The program of the meeting is reported below.

1917 Jun 25 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

Most of the commenters in a Facebook group devoted to memories of Centerville and Appanoose County believe this photo was taken around 1930 inside the Strand Theater in Mystic. Rather than the many children and the tiger above the stage, imagine stars and stripes, red crosses, ministers, old soldiers, and a choir of 50 voices along with the speakers. One of the articles above places the Centerville Band playing outside the theater.

Probably the Strand Theater, Mystic, Iowa about 1930-1931, accessed from Facebook

This photo of the Strand Theater was taken in the early 1970s, well past its prime, probably not long before it was torn down.

Strand Theater, Mystic, Iowa about 1972, accessed from Facebook

Mystic went above and beyond in giving to the Red Cross.

A follow-up article detailed the amounts raised by the coal companies in addition to personal subscriptions.

By early July, Mystic organized its own branch of the Red Cross, the third town in the county to do so. The county chairman is quoted as saying:

“The money for the work has been raised and the need now is that these societies keep up the interest and send to the national organization their contributions of bandages and other necessities.”
Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, July 6, 1917

I have no way of knowing if Eveline’s family attended any of these events, joined the Red Cross, or participated in activities related to the Red Cross. I can say that they were certainly exposed to information and heartily encouraged to join. It would have been difficult to avoid.

The Mystic branch had a social affair in early August and the ladies of the society offered thanks and appreciation in the newspaper.

1917 Aug 16 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

About twenty women gathered to make bandages in August. My understanding is that bandages were made by cutting large bolts of gauze into strips and lengths and rolling them.

1917 Aug 23 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

Perhaps a work session looked a little like this one in Connecticut.

Dudley, William G. , “Red Cross workers rolling bandages,” *Digital History 511: Theory & Practice*, accessed August 6, 2022, https://library.ccsu.edu/dighistFall16/items/show/179.

Around the time school started in the fall, the newspaper printed instructions for Red Cross knitting that included two kinds of wristlets, a muffler, and a sleeveless sweater. Below is a scan from one of the Red Cross booklets, showing completed items.

https://hdl.handle.net/2027/iau.31858046092270
The Delineator. V.91 1917

In addition to the instructions in the newspaper, one might have seen posters around town promoting knitting for the Red Cross.

I didn’t find anything about a Junior Red Cross for school children in Mystic, but a group of unidentified high school girls prepared Christmas comfort kits for solders. The kits were displayed in a local store. I don’t know if Eveline participated, but she knew her brother would likely be called up soon and might have wanted to do her part to support the soldiers.

1917 Oct 22 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

The next big membership drive was planned for the week before Christmas. President Woodrow Wilson, who was also President of the Red Cross, put out a proclamation announcing the Christmas membership drive.

1917 Dec 13 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

The national committee of the Red Cross made extensive plans to bring the campaign to the general public. Posters, pamphlets, cards, and other forms of publicity were forwarded to the chapters. Many magazines with a national circulation agreed to give free advertising space to the Red Cross for the Christmas Campaign.

A publicity campaign was also outlined for the chapter publicity committees. Arrangements were to be made with local merchants for window displays showing articles produced by the Red Cross. Proofs of several advertisements were prepared by the national committee and were sent to the chapters, which were urged to have local advertisers donate their space on certain days. The mayor was to be asked to issue a proclamation on the opening day of the drive and to raise the Red Cross flag over the municipal building. Local speakers’ bureaus were asked to secure a record of all public meetings, benefits, and theatrical performances, and make arrangements to have them addressed by Red Cross speakers. The bureaus were also to arrange for a Red Cross sermon in every church on December 23rd.

The Centerville papers ran business advertisements during the designated week that promoted the Red Cross, as well as articles as mentioned above.

1917 Dec 17 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

The national committee suggested a schedule of events, covering the days from December 17th until Christmas:

Monday, December 17 – Publication of Governor’s Proclamation arranged by Division Offices. Public statement by the Chapter Chairman and by the Commanding Officer of any arm or navy post within the district.

In addition to the articles and advertisements provided by the Red Cross, the papers also ran some more dramatic pieces like the one below to encourage/appeal to/shame? readers to join the Red Cross.

1917 Dec 18 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

Tuesday, December 18 – Civil Employees’ Day. Proclamation by the mayor. Raising of Red Cross Flag on the principal municipal building – to be displayed throughout the campaign.

Wednesday, December 19 – Women’s Day, on which special tribute should be paid to the work which women are doing in the Red Cross. Meetings of local women’s organizations. Special exercise in workroom, etc. Peak of the House to House Canvass.

Thursday, December 20 – School Day, on which every teacher will speak on the significance of the Red Cross and upon the significance of the Christmas ceremony.

I imagine, then, that Eveline and her classmates heard their teachers speak about the Red Cross and the upcoming Christmas ceremony. It was not enough that each family had a member of the Red Cross, it was hoped that everyone in a household would join and participate in the activities of the Red Cross.

Friday, December 21 – Employees’ Day, on which special tribute should be paid to the support which the laboring man is giving to the Red Cross. Concentrate on certain large factories on this day with speeches, solicitations, etc.

Saturday, December 22 – Boy Scouts’ Day, on which Boy Scouts will be organized for canvass for membership.

Sunday, December 23 – Church Day, on which Christmas sermons on the Red Cross will be preached in every church.

Monday, December 24 – Red Cross Christmas Ceremony Day.

The Red Cross Christmas ceremony was planned to close out the Christmas Membership Campaign. During the campaign each member was to be given a Red Cross service flag to be placed in the window. On Christmas Eve at 7:30 a candle was to be placed behind each of these service flags so that expression might be given to “the universal aspect of the Red Cross.” In addition it was suggested that local committees arrange with the churches to chime their bells at 7:30 and at half-hour intervals until 9:00 o’clock, the time set for the end of the ceremony. It was also planned that in each community Red Cross workers should be organized into groups to walk each neighborhood singing Christmas carols.

Pennsylvania State University. Special Collections Library

Due to the fire hazard involved in placing candles behind the Red Cross service flags, directions were later sent out from headquarters for chapters to discourage the use of candles. Oops!

1917 Dec 22 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

Besides the candle decision, there were some other hiccups along the way in the form of rumors that discouraged people from joining. Could it have been “enemy propaganda”?

1917 Dec 24 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

I couldn’t verify that Mystic followed the calendar and other plans to the letter, but the amount of enthusiasm shown in the newspaper leads me to believe that Mystic and the entire county, followed the plan in spirit, if not in every detail.

Along with the articles promoting one’s patriotic and moral duty to join the Red Cross, I found some articles that might have spurred someone to join in order to protect their place in the community. During the week of the Christmas drive, a “Vigilance Corps” was formed in Centerville. One might hope to prove their loyalty by joining the Red Cross, contribute to the Y.M.C.A, or buy liberty bonds.

1917 Dec 21 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

The mayor of Marshalltown (not in Appanoose County) lost his job because he wasn’t deemed patriotic enough.

1917 Dec 27 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

One town in Iowa chided residents for the low percentage of membership and praised a nearby German community for having 100% participation. Well … it seems pretty obvious that immigrants from particular countries, especially Germany, were eyed with suspicion, so of course they might have decided to band together and demonstrate their loyalty to the U. S. by joining the Red Cross. A couple of German immigrants in the state made the papers in January – one was found guilty of giving unpatriotic advice.

1917 Jan 05 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

And another escaped lynching – twice.

1918 Jan 05 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

I don’t know where Eveline and her family stood in all of this, but I’m guessing that they joined the Red Cross. Whether out of a sense of supporting the charitable work or a feeling of duress, who knows? Maybe both. Surely anyone who did not join the Red Cross was subject to glaring side eyes at the very least.

Please visit other Sepia Saturday participants here: Sepia Saturday. You may have noticed that I used last week’s prompt photo. That’s because I didn’t finish last week’s post until today!

Eveline’s Senior Year: Gatherings and Gossip

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Kathy Morales

The prompt photo from Sepia Saturday made me think of social gatherings – and gossip. Be forewarned – I’ll be galloping all over the place in this post. I’ve gleaned so many little tidbits from old newspapers and it’s a shame not to use them after all those hours of reading. But I’d also like to finish this series before my hair turns completely gray, so the chase is on!

Like most local newspapers at the time, the papers that served Appanoose County had columns devoted to the comings and goings of the townspeople. Who had callers, who went shopping in another town, who is sick, weddings, funerals … There are mentions of parties and picnics and ice cream socials, and if a researcher is lucky, names are named. Unfortunately, Eveline’s family rarely made mention in the newspaper. I suppose the names that show up frequently belong to the families of professionals, business owners and mine owners – not so much the families of the mine workers.

I did find that one mention of Eveline having a party at the bridge during the summer before her senior year. What might Eveline and her friends have talked about? If the party was just her girl friends, I’d guess cute boys, “mean” teachers, movies and movie stars, who has smallpox, and whose older brother might be called up for duty next. But the newspaper says she entertained her class for the party, so maybe there were some cute boys there to talk to rather than talk about – looking a bit like the smiling young woman in the prompt photo? Eveline had just become an aunt, so she may have bragged about her niece.

A story the young people may have enjoyed involved the day marshal losing his pants.

03 July 1917 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

Would a group of teenagers have talked about the scoundrel who fleeced an elderly woman by pretending to be an eye doctor? The news hit the local paper just days before Eveline’s party.

14 Jul 1917 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

Did any of them plan to attend the special feature at the Strand Theater about the war in France?

25 Jul 1917 Centerville Daily Iowegian and Citizen, Centerville, Iowa

I wonder what food Eveline served at her party. Sandwiches? Homemade root beer? Apple slices? Cookies? Cake?

There were several recipes in the newspaper that summer and I decided to try one. Two that sounded good (because I have a sweet tooth) and easy are a recipe for gingersnaps and spice cake. I decided to bake the cake because it is just too hot to keep opening the oven for cookies. (Day 42 of triple digit temperatures this summer. Ugh!) I even made it without using an electric mixer. I think this cake would have made a fine addition to Eveline’s party, or any social gathering.

The recipe said it is good warm, and it is!

A big event in September was Mystic’s Fall Institute.

1917 Sep 10 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

Although referred to as the fourth annual farmers’ institute, this event was not just of interest to farmers. Thursday was miners’ day, and with notable speakers. It appears that John P. White, although scheduled to attend, was not there. But “Mother” Jones was. That was a surprise to me.

Here is how the day was described in the local newspaper. (I’ve divided the article into sections.)

Mother Jones looks matronly and perhaps motherly in the photo below, taken after a visit to the White House in 1924. She certainly aged well.

Mother Jones and Theo. Roosevelt, Jr. United States, 1924. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/94508005/.

The video below is a reenactment of a speech Mother Jones gave in West Virginia in 1920. Although it is not her speaking, you can get a sense of her fiery style. Mother Jones was 86 in 1917 and gave the speech below in 1920. I didn’t know much about Mother Jones before I started working on this post. She was quite a woman.

Mother Jones’ maiden and given name was Mary Harris – the same name as Eveline’s mother. I wonder if that added even more incentive for the Coates family to hear her speak. The paper reported that the crowd packed the Strand Theater.

Continuing the article about miners’ day:

14 Sep 1917 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

Keota Ladies Band from Keokuk County, Iowa 1916

Even if Eveline wasn’t interested in the speeches, she may have wandered the displays, listened to the band, and watched the parade. I’ll bet people talked about the Fourth Annual Farmers’ Institute for weeks.

In October, local high school girls prepared Christmas bags for soldiers in France. Eveline’s brother John had registered for the draft and was awaiting his call to service. I can imagine that Eveline would be interested in helping with this effort. The assembly of the bags would have necessitated a few gatherings of the girls and they planned to make an additional fifty. I had to look up what kind of fabric cretonne is: a strong cotton or linen cloth used especially for curtains and upholstery.

22 Oct 1917 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

The temperance movement was active in Appanoose County. A plan for a county campaign was made in September. An important part of that plan was to involve all of the churches in the county.

20 Sep 1917 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

Below is a report on one of those church temperance meetings in the nearby community of Cincinnati.

11 Oct 1917 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa (Cincinnati news section)

There was no alcohol in adult Eveline’s home. An aunt told me that my grandfather brought home beer one time and Grandma poured it down the sink. I guess the prohibition movement had a lasting impact on her. As a teenager, what were her thoughts on a woman’s right to vote? We never talked about it, nor do I know if and how regularly she voted. Her parents never became naturalized citizens, so they never voted, but her brothers would be able to vote. The autobiography she wrote when she was sixteen showed me that she had some spunk, a competitive streak, and that she sometimes got a little riled up over perceived injustice. But I can’t know her opinion. I also wonder if and how these issues were talked about in school.

November brought a short-lived walk-out at nine of the mines in Mystic. I didn’t fully research the ins and outs of the wage dispute, but the local union leaders were in talks by mid October. Perhaps Mother Jones set a fire under them. Walk outs and strikes affect everyone in a mining community, so it must have been on many a mind and tongue.

06 Nov 1917 Marshalltown Evening Times, Marshalltown, Iowa

Another political issue that had tongues wagging and letters to the editor being written was enforcement of the “blue laws” that had evidently not been strictly enforced previously.

During the winter months, there was a blizzard that shut things down for a few days – including trains and pay checks. In an effort to save fuel, the Methodist Church offered to host other congregations in their building.

28 Jan 1918 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

The local law enforcement made several raids and arrests for gambling and drunkenness during the spring. All fodder for gossip.

18 Mar 1918 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

I’ll end on a positive note.

11. Feb 1918 Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa

Shortly after graduation, Eveline took a course to be eligible to teach. I’m sure that this commendation gave her a sense of pride in her school and teachers.

Thank you for sticking with me on the hunt for news and gossip. I have more! But not for today.

Eveline’s Senior Year: The Weight of Mining

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Kathy Morales

When I wrote my last post, I completely forgot about Eveline’s brother Joe! When Joe registered for the draft in 1917, he reported that he worked for Thomas Lee – not the same employer as his brothers.

Thomas Lee was one of three brothers who owned the Lee Brothers Coal Company. Thomas managed the Twin Mines, where he employed 300 men in 1916. Twin Mines had two 40-feet shafts, one on either side of the railroad tracks that led to long tunnels to two mines. I updated the map I shared last time to indicate the two mines where Eveline’s brothers, and probably her father, worked. The Coates family lived southeast of the #12 mine, less that 0.3 of a mile away.

Red = Diamond Block/Lodwick Mine #12
Purple = Twin Mines
Arrow is an approximate of location of the Coates’ home

During the days while the mines were operating in full swing, the lives of the miners’ families were practically ruled by the mine whistle. At 6 a.m. the whistle signaled the miners should be up and getting ready for the days’ work. The 7 a.m. whistle meant it was time for the day’s work to begin. The noon whistle signaled lunchtime for both the miners and the school children. The 3 p.m. whistle signaled that the miner would soon be home and that it was time for his wife to start the evening meal. One long blast at 4 p.m. meant that there would be work tomorrow, and three blasts meant no work.
HEUSINKVELD, W. M. 2007, THE HISTORY OF COAL MINING IN APPANOOSE COUNTY, IOWA, P. 20.

One can imagine the Coates home – and most of the community – rousing with the 6:00 whistle. Although I suspect many of the wives and mothers were up earlier, preparing a hearty breakfast and hot coffee for their miners and packing lunches for them too. For Eveline’s mother, that meant breakfast, coffee, and lunches for the four miners in the family plus feeding Eveline and her five younger siblings and getting them off to school. With no electricity, no running water, and a coal stove. As the oldest daughter, Eveline may have had some morning duties before leaving for school, perhaps helping the younger children. Joe had a longer walk to work, so he likely left home earlier than the others. As a side note – when Eveline married, her husband (my grandfather) also worked in the coal mines. Even long after retirement in another city, she seemed to keep that early schedule. Up very early (I never ate breakfast with them when I lived in their home), the evening meal around 4:30, and off to bed at 8:00.

Eveline’s father, Joseph Coates, is sometimes listed in the census and other records as a miner and sometimes as a carpenter. I was always told that he was a carpenter in the mines, although I now know that there were years that he was shoveling or picking coal. After some time working at both mining and carpentry, maybe he was hired to do carpentry work in the mine. His own father was a joiner (carpenter) in a coal mine in Durham, England. In the 1910 federal census, Eveline’s brother Carl is listed as a mule driver in a mine. In other years, he is listed as a miner.

When the whistle wailed day or night, it was a frightening sound because it was a danger signal. It might be a warning of a fire so that everyone would grab a bucket and rush to the scene. At night the wailing sound might warn of an approaching storm so that people could seek the safety of their storm caves. However the sound that was seldom heard, but could send shivers up one’s spine was the six long, sad wails that told that a miner was dead. All the women came out to find out if their loved one was a victim of one of the many underground dangers.
HEUSINKVELD, W. M. 2007, THE HISTORY OF COAL MINING IN APPANOOSE COUNTY, IOWA, P. 20.

The quote above implies that the whistle signaled a death only when the death occurred in the mine. Many injuries would have been minor and not requiring a stretcher lowered into the shaft to bring up the injured miner, but that was obviously not always the case. Living in a small mining community, everyone surely knew everything that happened in the mines – and not just the mines in Mystic. The miners had a union and the newspaper reported injuries and deaths throughout the county. My limited research found some serious injuries and some deaths in Mystic during Eveline’s senior year of high school. Fortunately none in her family.

In June of 1917, a Mystic man died of injuries sustained at the Horridge Mine. Did the whistle wail six times? Probably not, as he was alive when he was pulled out of the mine and died in the hospital three hours later.

Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa
18 June 1917

Charles Mickey, also of Mystic, was injured at the Porter mine in January of 1918. He died in April.

Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa
04 April 1918

Another death at the Horridge Mine, this time in April 1918.

Semi Weekly Iowegian, Centerville, Iowa
15 April 1918

There were also reports in the news of more minor injuries and a couple of lawsuits brought by miners for injuries sustained at work.

Not only was coal mining a dangerous job – there were other difficulties. Wages were low; there was not always work, especially during the summer; there were layoffs and strikes. The war also impacted the work and wages of the miners. I’m not going to attempt to delve into any of that.

Below is an undated photo of my grandfather, Thomas Hoskins (Eveline’s future husband), and Miles Bankson (her sister Blanche’s future husband), sitting atop some structure along a track at one of the coal mines. They are not dressed for work – looks like their Sunday best.

Thomas Hoskins and Miles Bankson, undated, Mystic, Iowa

Another mining related family photo – Eveline’s sister Blanche, who married Miles Bankson. Were they on a date?

Miles Bankson and Blanche Coates, undated, Mystic, Iowa

The video below offers a glimpse into mining in Appanoose County. The New Gladstone Mine was in operation until March 1971, when it closed for highway reconstruction. The Gladstone Mine was the last pony mine operating in the United States. Shetland ponies were used to haul coal from deep shafts to the surface. Before the mine was completely closed and sealed, Iowa State University in Ames made a 23-minute documentary of the mine. Mine workers re-opened the mine and started the machinery long enough to make the film. One of the miners said that he began working in the mine in 1916. He is the man with an accent that differs from a typical Iowa accent – and is a reminder of the many immigrant families who migrated to Appanoose County to work in the mines. There is electricity in the mine in this film – lightbulbs strung throughout, which was not the case in 1918. There may be a few other improvements that occurred over the years, but it looks like it must have operated very much like it did when it first opened, even into 1971.

Miners were paid by the weight of coal they produced each day. Everyone bore the weight of potential injury or death of themselves or loved ones. Often that injury was caused by the weight of a large piece of coal falling. Coal mining families bore the weight of little, or no, income. Needless to say, coal mining was work that could “weigh” on a person.

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday, where the prompt photo suggests we consider weight.

Abbie and Eveline

Category Archives: Sepia Saturday

Eveline’s Senior Year: Knit Your Bit

Eveline’s Senior Year: Gatherings and Gossip

Eveline’s Senior Year: The Weight of Mining