One Day Less to Live

Annie Florence Morris

Images, transcriptions, and historical notes on the 1927-1931 diaries of my 2nd great-grandmother, Annie Florence (Morris) Macdonald.

I’ve chosen the title “One Day Less to Live” from one of the many uplifting sentiments expressed in this amazing series of diary entries penned by a woman with strict Puritan-style standards and a strong opinion.

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Cast of Characters:

(click names for more information)

• Annie – Annie Florence Macdonald (maiden name Morris) – the author of the diaries, and my 2nd great-grandmother, age 67 in 1927
• John – John Wesley Macdonald, the late husband of Annie, and my 2nd great-grandfather, who passed away in 1909.
• Edith – Mary Edith Olga Macdonald, Annie’s daughter, (and my great grandmother), age 47 in 1927
• Clarence – Clarence Mark Lester, Annie’s son-in-law and Edith’s husband,  as well as my great grandfather, age 47 in 1927
• Audrea – Audrey Egerton Lester, Annie’s granddaughter,  and my grandmother, age 11 in 1927
• The Baldwins – family friends and neighbors who feature prominently
• The Parkers – family friends, with strong friendship between Edith and Lucy
• Ben Newcombe – features mysteriously in the diaries as Annie’s benefactor

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useful links:

• for historical context data about 1927, see Wiki and History Orb
• for more historical context and a bit of fun reading, try One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
• for historical meteorological data to accompany Annie’s daily weather reports, see Wunderground historical data for Boston
• for historical info on Arlington Heights, try Arlington’s Cultural Heights: 1900-1925 by Doreen Stevens, Aimee Taberner, and Sarah Burks

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Diary entries:

To be published on the day 88 years later, starting January 1st, 2015, with a break from May 30th, 2015, to the same day in 2018. Hope to pick back up again soon!

• January 1, 1927: “we spent the day alone”
• January 2, 1927: “going to ride”
• January 3, 1927: “for what it was worth”
• January 4, 1927: “loaded to the gunwales”
• January 5, 1927: “we know what that means”
• January 6, 1927: “dull as usual”
• January 7, 1927: “a stupid evening”
• January 8, 1927: “contrary to my expectations”
• January 9, 1927: “the usual Sunday atmosphere”
• January 10, 1927: “like snow before the sun”
• January 11, 1927: “imperils her health + perhaps her life”
• January 12, 1927: “saucy”
• January 13, 1927: “as dull inside as it is out”
• January 14, 1927: “rained, but Lucy came”
• January 15, 1927: “poor people ought not have children”
• January 16-17, 1927: “children are an unprofitable investment”
• January 18, 1927: “its what you don’t do that counts”
• January 19, 1927: “I dislike the sight of them”
• January 21, 1927: “cross + growly”
• January 22, 1927: “can scarcely drag around”
• January 23, 1927: “spent the day reading”
• January 24, 1927: “an awful shock to us all”
• January 25, 1927: “the services are at two thirty”
• January 26, 1927: “this old shack”
• January 27, 1927: “if only I could get out”
• January 27, 1927: “saddened us all”
• January 28, 1927: “a more secluded life”
• January 29, 1927: “great improvement”
• January 30, 1927: “snatched away”
• January 31, 1927: “swollen past recognition”
• February 1, 1927: “back doors + garages”
• February 2, 1927: “blow one off their feet”
• February 3, 1927: “dont want to know”
• February 4, 1927: “with me all the time”
• February 5, 1927: “accomplished nothing”
• February 6, 1927: “those who are most needed”
• February 7, 1927: “poor silly child”
• February 8, 1927: “no one came in”
• February 9, 1927: “if I live the day out”
• February 10, 1927: “a burden to himself”
• February 11, 1927: “introduced himself as Mr. Cross”
• February 12, 1927: “not very prosperous”
• February 13, 1927: “will grow like a dream”
• February 14, 1927: “not bad for an amature”
• February 15, 1927: “went to bed but did not sleep”
• February 16, 1927: “thankful to be alive”
• February 17, 1927: “had no presents for her”
• February 18, 1927: “last day of school”
• February 19, 1927: “eleven candles”
• February 20, 1927: “so that’s over”
• February 21, 1927: “been feeling fine for me”
• February 22, 1927: “got thro’ the day somehow”
• February 23, 1927: “did not recover for some time”
• February 24, 1927: “Dr Myron Cutler was killed”
• February 25, 1927: “I’m not going to live long”
• February 26, 1927: “a boy is such a noisy creature”
• February 27, 1927: “life is hard”
• February 28, 1927: “keep her at home”
• March 1, 1927: “my head must be made of wood”
• March 2, 1927: “a delightful personality”
• March 3, 1927: “sidetracked”
• March 4, 1927: “gone in with her cards”
• March 5, 1927: “never expected would happen again”
• March 6, 1927: “a quiet evening”
• March 7, 1927: “pure malicious wickedness”
• March 8, 1927: “I should fly to pieces”
• March 9, 1927: “full of lost souls”
• March 10, 1927: “no pay for a month”
• March 11, 1927: “a bottomless pit”
• March 12, 1927: “cut her hair + banged it”
• March 13, 1927: “suffering comfort”
• March 14, 1927: “thus endeth the first day”
• March 15, 1927: “what utter fools girls are”
• March 16, 1927: “Edith wrote to Edith”
• March 17, 1927: “keenness + ready wit”
• March 18, 1927: “fourty eighth anniversary”
• March 19, 1927: “I don’t want to wait”
• March 20, 1927: “very much depressed”
• March 21, 1927: “too dangerous”
• March 22, 1927: “note from Fred”
• March 23, 1927: “lots of news”
• March 24, 1927: “heart-breaking”
• March 25, 1927: “will get more cold”
• March 26, 1927: “shut up in the house”
• March 27, 1927: “bad spell with my heart”
• March 28, 1927: “utterly miserable”
• March 29, 1927: “curtains”
• March 30, 1927: “lovely in the morning”
• March 31, 1927: “things we wish to give away”
• April 1, 1927: “an unusually stirring one”
• April 2, 1927: “I enjoyed it greatly”
• April 3, 1927: “can scarcely move”
• April 4, 1927: “poverty is a dreadful thing”
• April 5, 2917: “chill in the air”
• April 6, 1927: “Alabastine for the bedroom walls”
• April 7, 1927: “God bless Ben”
• April 8, 1927: “another suitcase full”
• April 9, 1927: “a regular fool”
• April 10, 1927: “a badly spent sabbath”
• April 11, 1927: “all up in arms”
• April 12, 1927: “one envies the calms”
• April 13, 1927: “supposed to be unlucky”
• April 14, 1927: “I get so discouraged”
• April 16, 1927: “a beautiful Easter lilly”
• April 17, 1927: “absorbed in herself”
• April 18, 1927: “I am a wreck”
• April 19, 1927: “Patriot’s Day”
• April 22, 1927: “housework and mending without end”
• April 23, 1927: “Mrs Bennet intercepted them”
• April 24, 1927: “why not be at peace”
• April 25, 1927: “No one can help her but herself”
• April 28, 1927: “the poor dear”
• April 30, 1927: “Vera never came out”
• May 1, 1927: “did not go ride”
• May 2, 1927: ” the Steadmans came today”
• May 3, 1927: “all dragged out”
• May 4, 1927: “Amos went up to Amozelle’s”
• May 5, 1927: “went to the ‘movies’”
• May 6, 1927: “Mr Baldwin brought his chello”
• May 7, 1927: “all tired out”
• May 8, 1927: “the rest went out rideing”
• May 9, 1927: “The Steadmans went to Maine”
• May 15, 1927: “sudden death of a friend of the family”
• May 16, 1927: “Don’t ever see Amo nowadays”
• May 18, 1927: “letter from May Steadman”
• May 19, 1927: “such utter fools”
• May 20, 1927: “Nature seems to be mourning”
• May 21, 1927: “perhaps it did me good”
• May 22, 1927: “we should be thankful”
• May 23, 1927: “We are afraid to move”
• May 24, 1927: “the Philbrooks called”
• May 25, 1927: “nothing prevented”
• May 26, 1927: “the moury will go on the next check”
• May 27, 1927: “The Baldwins are going to move”
• May 28, 1927: “like a distracted being”
• May 29, 1927: “fell down a hill”
• May 30, 1927: “brought home some starfish”
• June 6, 1927: “getting Audrea ready”
• June 7, 1927: “I’m left to clean up”
• June 8, 2017: “Audrea came back crying”
• June 9, 1927: “very hot every one cross”
• June 10, 1927: “almost impossible to do anything”
• June 11, 1927: “too nervous to do anything well”
• June 12, 1927: “every thing went wrong”
• June 13, 1927: “Mrs Blasdale came in the p.m.”
• June 14, 1927: “we shall miss them”
• June 15, 1927: “Audrea did not get wet”
• June 16, 1927: “in to Boston with her cards”
• June 20, 1927: “tried to be cheerful”
• June 24, 1927: “a card filled with As”
• June 25, 1927: “she will make a violinist”
• June 26, 1927: “I suppose he will get cold”
• June 27, 1927: “my birth day”
• June 28, 1927: “I guess we stay at home”
• June 29, 1927: “I mean an artificial light”
• June 30, 1927: “three dollars worth of purchases”