Sunday, December 31, 1922

Fair & Mild. Rain at NITE. Arose 10:30 A.M. Breakfast etc. To Sunday School. Dinner. Listened to radio concert. Took nap. To E.L. H.H. led. Good. To Watch Night Service 9 to 12 P.M. Very good. Dean Beebe spoke. Took R.E.P. to Scotia. To bed 1:30 P.M. [A.M.]

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Well, 1922 has come to a close and so we must leave this blog. Stanford had a good year, I think, and he should be pleased with how things went for him and his family in 1922. He settled on a career, got started on his master's degree, learned some things from his father about the egg business, saw his sister Ruth get married, and met his future wife. No doubt he feels blessed. His father and mother will now be alone in their house and they will probably feel somewhat sad about that.

Stanford has a big year ahead, especially with his budding friendship with Mary Leah. Another major event this year will be the cross-country trip he'll take in the summer with his family to visit Ruth and her husband in Southern California.

All this will be chronicled in Stanford's diary and transcribed in the next blog, Datebook 1923. See you there!

Saturday, December 30, 1922

Beautiful, bright, clear & cool. Arose 8 A.M. Breakfast. Out with Father. Dinner. Odd jobs. Down street. Shower at Y. Home. Dressed. To White's Studio for pictures. To Church. Wedding at 8 P.M. Very pretty. Reception at house following. To bed 2:15 A.M.

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So at last they are wed! The first of the siblings to marry is on her way to a great and prosperous life with her husband, Mark Sawyer. Below are the wedding photo that Stanford posed for and the write-up in the Schenectady newspaper. The colors of the bridesmaids' dresses, as reported in the newspaper announcement, make me think that the wedding was indeed "very pretty."

The people in this photo are the following:
Back row, left to right: Hanford Closson, Stanford Closson, Mark Sawyer, Edmund Groat, Jesse Cramer and C. Riford.
Middle row, left to right: Marion Benedict, Clara Lavery, Wendell Nelson Jr., Julia Ruth Closson. The other two are Eldyth Proper and Marion Lavery, although I don't know which is which. Mrs. Howard Maguire may be missing or she may be one of the two, but in that case, one of the other two is missing.
Front row is the flower girl, Lois Nelson.

Friday, December 29, 1922

Cold, windy & clear. Arose 7 A.M. Shovelled [sic] snow, breakfast etc. Tightened bands on Ford. Helped mother. Odd jobs. Dinner. Down street. Rehearsal of wedding party at 6:30. Theatre party at State. Lunch at 110. To bed 1 A.M.

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The excitement is building! It looks like the wedding group went to the State Theater together and then for a snack afterward. Sounds like a fun evening! Below is the newspaper ad for what the State Theater was showing that evening and some info about the star of the feature film.

Taken from Wikipedia

Thursday, December 28, 1922

Cold, windy with snow. Arose 9 A.M. Breakfast. About house. Took Xmas tree down, put chain[s] on Kissel etc. Dinner. Down street. To Church at 5:15 for rehearsal of wedding procession. Home in evening. Read, talked etc. To bed 11 P.M. Thankful for health etc.

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Ah, the wedding day approaches!

I was curious about tire chains in 1922, so did some research and saw the below 1922 ad (in two parts) that is being sold on the website eCrater, a marketplace site. As you can see, they are very similar to chains still being used today.

Wednesday, December 27, 1922

Overcast, mild, wet. Cooler at night. Arose 7 A.M. Breakfast. Father & I to Amsterdam on business 8 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Good trip. 20 1/2 cases of eggs. Down street. Got dress suit. Shower at Y. Supper. To dance at G.E. Woman's Club with Eldyth Proper, given by Clara Lavery for Ruth. Excellent! To bed 1 A.M.

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The General Electric Woman's Club was one of the many social organizations sponsored by G.E. during its heyday in Schenectady. Of course, the dance is given for Ruth as a kind of bachelorette party. Left is a photo and below is a description of the club. Information was taken from page 520+ in the General Electric Review, Vol. 21, published in July 1918.

Tuesday, December 26, 1922

Beautiful, bright, mild and wet. Arose 8 A.M. Breakfast. Down town. Out on business with father. Dinner. Odd jobs. Greased Kissel. Down street. Bowled one game with H.H. --104. Supper. Listened to radio concert, talked etc. To bed 12:45 A.M. Thankful for health & association with family.

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Looks like Stanford's bowling game is deteriorating!

Monday, December 25, 1922

"CHRIST"MAS DAY
Overcast, mild and nasty. Arose 8:30 A.M. Breakfast etc. Xmas tree & gifts. Wrote in diary. Dinner. Around house. Mark arrived in P.M. All happy. Supper. Talked. Russell & I to see "When Knighthood Was in Flower." Talked. To bed 11:30 P.M. Thankful for privilege of education.

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Mark is there for the wedding, of course, which is to take place on the 30th. Stanford doesn't mention what he got for Christmas . . .

Marion Davies

When Knighthood Was in Flower is a photoplay (what they called a film made from a play) starring Marion Davies. Here is a description and plot summary from Wikipedia:

When Knighthood Was in Flower is a 1922 silent historical film based on the novel When Knighthood Was in Flower by Charles Major and play by Paul Kester. The film was produced by William Randolph Hearst (or his Cosmopolitan Productions) for his 'live-in companion' Marion Davies and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The director was veteran Robert G. Vignola who helmed several of Davies costume romances. This was William Powell's second film. The story was re-filmed in the sound era in 1953 as The Sword and the Rose by Ken Annakin.[1][2]

Mary Tudor (Marion Davies), the younger sister of King Henry VIII (Lyn Harding), falls in love with commoner Charles Brandon (Forrest Stanley). There are other plans for Mary, however; she is supposed to make a politically strategic marriage to the elderly King Louis XII of France (William Norris). Brandon is framed for murder, but Mary, disguised as a boy, helps him to escape. Henry tracks down his sister and her lover at a Bristol Inn, and Mary agrees to wed the French king if Brandon's life is spared. After Brandon is exiled, Mary goes ahead with the wedding, but King Louis, in his attempt to prove he is lively enough for such a pretty young bride, drops dead. His nephew and heir to the throne, Francis (William Powell), wants to wed Mary, but Brandon comes to the rescue. When Henry discovers that his sister and Brandon have married, he remarks, "I should have consented in the first place, and saved us all this trouble."

The movie was showing at the Strand. Here is the ad that appeared in the Schenectady Gazette for Christmas Day. It's so hyperbolic it makes you suspect that Hearst had a hand in writing it.

Marion Davies was a comedic actress, according to this excerpt of a Wikipedia article about her:

Davies was already building a solid reputation as a film comedian when newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, with whom she had begun a romantic relationship, took over management of her career. Hearst financed Davies' pictures, promoted her heavily through his newspapers and Hearst Newsreels, and pressured studios to cast her in historical dramas for which she was ill-suited. For this reason, Davies is better remembered today as Hearst's mistress and the hostess of many lavish events for the Hollywood elite. In particular, her name is linked with the 1924 scandal aboard Hearst's yacht when one of his guests, film producer Thomas Ince, died.

In the film Citizen Kane (1941), the title character's second wife—an untalented singer whom he tries to promote—was widely assumed to be based on Davies. But many commentators, including Citizen Kane writer/director Orson Welles himself, have defended Davies' record as a gifted actress, to whom Hearst's patronage did more harm than good. She retired from the screen in 1937, choosing to devote herself to Hearst and charitable work.

Sunday, December 24, 1922

Overcast, cool and damp. Arose 9 A.M. Washed. Breakfast. To Church & S.S. Good class. Dinner. Took nap. To Epworth League. M.M.B. led. Good service. To Church with Gertrude Anthony, R.E.N. & ?? To 11 Spruce Street. To bed 12:45 P.M. Thankful for food, clothing, & education.

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11 Spruce Street is Gertrude Anthony's address. She lived there in 1920 with her parents, Charles and Cora, two brothers and a sister, all older than her and all single. In 1922 she is 20 years old. In 1930 she is still living with her parents, working as a store clerk. She isn't married by 1940, when she is living with a family as their housekeeper. I lose track of her after that.

Saturday, December 23, 1922

Bright, mild and wet. Arose 8 A.M. Breakfast. H.H. to Albany with Kissel. Out with Father on business. Tried on suit. Dinner. Put up and trimmed Xmas tree etc. Down street with H.H. Talked. Got trunk etc. Shower at Y. Unpacked. To bed 12 P.M.

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Stanford's suit is for the wedding coming up after Christmas: Mark & Ruth's.

Below is a picture from a Christmas card of 1922 showing a tree. Notice they still had candles to light the tree with.

from Pinterest

Friday, December 22, 1922

Overcast, mild. Arose 6 A.M. Studied. Breakfast. Packed up etc. Classes 9:30 to 11:30 A.M. To station, dinner etc. 1 P.M. train for Albany. Conley, Benedict, Eberley, Grubo & J. Howarth Young also. Father met us. Talked. Lunch etc. To bed 11:45 A.M. [P.M.] Thankful for health, friends, parents and home!

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I guess the college semester lasted a bit longer in those days!

According to the 1922-23 Harvard University Catalogue of Names, J. Howarth Young was a student at Harvard Architectural College, having graduated from Union College in 1922. His home town was Schenectady. I'm guessing Stanford met him at Union before seeing him in Boston. Below is his picture and write-up in the 1922 Union College Yearbook.

In 1920, Mr. Young lived at 35 Glenwood Blvd, Schenectady, with his parents, John & Louise, and his brother William, born in 1915. The houses have since been renumbered, so I can't tell which is his, but the neighborhood is rather upscale, even now. His father worked for GE as a clerk at the time. Howard's paternal grandparents were from England. He does look rather English, I think. Unfortunately, he didn't live very long. He died in 1930, reportedly, but did marry and father a child, William Howarth Young, who lived to be 66.

Thursday, December 21, 1922

Overcast, dark and mild. Shortest day in year. Arose 7:30 A.M. Breakfast. Studied. Haircut. Dr. Beary of Japan spoke in Chapel at 9:30. Class in effective speaking. Dinner. Worked 12 to 2. Classes & chapel 2:15 to 4:45 P.M. Down town. Supper. Packed up. Studied. To bed 1:15 A.M.

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Wednesday, December 20, 1922

Cool, breezy, and damp. Arose 7:30 A.M. Shaved etc. Breakfast. Swept room. Classes 9:30 to 11:30 A.M. Dinner. Worked 12 M to 2 P.M. Classes and chapel 2:15 to 4:45 P.M. Studied. Cocoa with Count etc. To bed 12 P.M. Thankful.

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Tuesday, December 19, 1922

Cool, bright and breezy. Arose 6 A.M. Studied. Breakfast. Class 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. Ordination service by Bishop Hughs. Dinner. Worked 12 M to 2 P.M. Classes and chapel 2:15 to 4:45 P.M. To supper with M.L.Y. Volley Ball. Prayer Meeting. Studied. Got Xmas Cards ready. To bed 1 A.M.

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So, another date with Mary Leah! 

Monday, December 18, 1922

Beautiful, bright & clear. Arose 8:15 A.M. Shaved etc. Breakfast. Studied. Dinner. Worked 12 M to 2 P.M. Classes and Chapel 2:15 to 4:45 P.M. Down street. Supper. To "72." Played "Preachers 500." Studied. To be 11:30 P.M. Thankful for health, strength, parents.

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Couldn't find out what "Preacher's 500" was.

Sunday, December 17, 1922

Snow in nite. Rain in A.M. Slushy and wet. Arose 9 A.M. Breakfast, washed etc. To Old South Church. Dinner To Y.M.C.A. Letter home. To Symphony Hall to hear Handel's "Messiah," chorus 400 voices, orchestra. Wonderful. To Supper with Ed. Horning. To "72." Talked. To bed 12 P.M.

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Saturday, December 16, 1922

Beautiful, bright, mild & clear. Arose 8:15 A.M> Breakfast etc. Washed & dressed. To library to study. Dinner. Worked 12 M to 2 P.M. Down street for a while. Took nap. Wrote letters to M.M.B. & M.L.S. Supper, P.O. Read, studied. Cocoa with Count, H.H. & Chadwick. To bed 1 A.M. Thank God.

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Friday, December 15, 1922

Fair, cool, breezy & slushy: -- Arose 7:30 A.M. Breakfast. Studied. Classes 9:30 to 11:30 A.M. Dinner. Worked 12 M to 2 P.M. Talked. Took nap. Letter home. Supper. Played volley ball. Shower. To "Capt. Applejack" with Ken Leary & Benedict. To bed 12 P.M.

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Charles Hawtrey, who played Cpt. Applejack
 on the London state

Captain Applejack is a play that first appeared in London in 1921, and then Broadway in  1922. It's considered a farce and was later made into a movie. A story about the play is in Wikipedia at this address.

Thursday, December 14, 1922

Overcast, cool. Couple inches SNOW. Arose 7:30 A.M. Breakfast. Studied. Classes 9:30-10:30 A.M. To Methodist Book Concern. Dinner. Worked 12 M to 2 P.M. Classes & chapel 2:15 to 4:45 P.M. Down street. Supper. Studied. Stag social. Good enjoyable time. To bed 11:30 P.M. Thankful: --

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The Methodist Book Concern is the publishing arm of the Methodist Church. It was founded in 1789.

Wednesday, December 13, 1922

Beautiful, bright and cool. Arose 7:30 A.M. Breakfast, studied. Swept out room. Classes 9:30 to 11:30. Dinner. Worked 12 M to 2 P.M. Classes & chapel 2:15 to 4:45 P.M. Downstreet. Supper. Wrote letter to R.E.P. Studied. To bed 12:15 P.M. Thankful for health and friends.

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So, I guess he's still friends with Ruth Pettit, maybe looking forward to seeing her during the holidays.

Tuesday, December 12, 1922

Bright, cool, breezy and damp. Arose 7:15 A.M. Washed etc. Breakfast. Studied. Classes 9:30-11:30 A.M. Dinner. Worked 2 M to 2 P.M. Classes and chapel 2:15 to 4:45 P.M. Down street with H.H. Supper. To Prayer Meeting. S[t]udied. To bed 12:30 P.M. Thankful.

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