Henry's Diary Part 2 - 1936 with photos from the Black Album

While looking over Henry's Diary 1936 post I realized that I had left out the last entries. I offer them here.  The photographs are from the same time period in the little Black Album full of contact photos.
There are a few words I couldn't make out, but the gist of it comes through.  You can find other posts about Henry at Henry's Diary 1936,  Follow up on Henry's Diary,  Just Tell The Men - a short story by Henry Cleage and another short story Positive Proof.

Henry

                               _______________


March 10   Nothing - home
did find accounting problem.  Brewer said three openings to 
Nacerema - invited me - Daddy not enthusiastic - social club, not for student at school - Brewer said that Alpha's taking a batch - advised me to pay some on  my back fees.


March 11  school & home -
Rained - cold. tomorrow
two tests Friday - history & accounting.


March 12  Found out from kid no test in History tomorrow, just in accounting. he had better be right- However I have studied History for a quiz (oral) tomorrow - I will study accounting during two vacants tomorrow - I hope Mama & Daddy have gone to Boulé "Keno" party -now about 1:00 a.m. going to bed.


March 13    Fri - after school (8:30) not enough money to go to the show, so I waited in Union till 7 o'clock class!
Went over to Margaret's tonite - walked home with Elmo, Marion, Micky 


March 14     had tooth treated - hair cut -

Mama and Daddy

March 15   Went to shine meeting with Brewer, argument whether to get Laertes or Gloster for Dexus Desus - Laertes
Everyone all bothered about going into  fraternity. 
took car to Neil Hendersons tonight. took so long they were mad.


March 16    Went to show tonite and saw two good pictures - Old Kentucky Will Rodgers, Bill Robinson -  & Whipsaw - Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy


March 17  Hygiene class went to Resdon's Creamery - again I collected fares.
Nothing of import

Henry in checkered suit

March 18    Late for History Lecture.
Tonite I went to show and saw "Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" (Ronald Coleman) and "Remember Last Nite?" Robert Young. 
Met Winafred DeGrasse at show -


March 19   Hygiene class didn't meet so I didn't got to school till 2:30 -


March 20    Accounting class didn't meet.
I & Clark went up to do our geology lab work, but teacher had neglected to leave questions so came home with Clark.
tonight started to show with Bill Mitches after my 7 - 9 class - changed my mind
Paper due for English next week.


March 21    Sat. Done nothing but work on accounting all day -
am supposed to go to alpha meeting tomorrow to answer some questions.
Again at 3:00 o'clock all ? excited about being made - few will be made

Henry and Oscar

I could if I had the entrance fee, I think.


March 25
My birthday - 20


June 14
Went to Carolyn's house with Bassset in someone's Model A Ford - and Gene (a boy from Carolina)  Oscar went with us the first time But Carolyn wasn't home- she left a note for me (see note) - came back on west side and let Oscar out, he was mad!!!!!
went back to Carolyn's (she was home) - Basset left and said he would come back for me-
Carolyn and I became better acquainted ---
Basset came at about 11:15 and we came home.


June 15
Went to Velma's - and not sure whether or not we have a real date sunday or not ??? - am supposed to have a date too with Nancy and Carolyn too_

Older brothers Toddy and Louis

I meant to have my tooth pulled today but decided to wait until after the St. Matthew's Moonlight July 6.
(I must learn to dance) and get some ? I got and get a job.


June 16
Nothing - had dentist fix a molar - said back Sat at 11 and he would fill it.
Played ball and went to bed.


June 20
Went to Carolyn's - talked from 6 to 9:30 - some kids came over - Matthews, ?, Charlotte, etc -
Toddy and Louis came over so I left -

Went by Velma's - we did have a date - she expected me.


June 21
Took Velma for a short ride - Mabel fixed it - !!


June 27
Went to Carolyn's - me and Toddy took her and Clara ? & Wilberforce for a ride.-


August 29         Meadows
Arrived at meadows at about 7:30 (getting dark) Had seen Velma before I left - I have her ring now -
after had gotten our trunk in - we went down to creek - other's brought some wood up and started a fire - I stayed down watching the creek and the farm - as it was dark they worried and came and got me.


August 30        Meadows
Sunday Richard's club gave a picnic- we played ball off and on all day.  Daddy came out and brought Bobby - wrote two letters - Velma and Carolyn.  Bobby deliver them.

At the Meadows

Last night when the others were in bed Morrow, George, Paul, Hugh and I sat around camp fire and sang - Nice but a little chilly
(Benard's parents came out)


August 31       Meadows
After breakfast some of us went swimming - after that we all worked on a raft till dinner - chopped heavy logs from a fallen tree - tied together with grape vines and barrel wire - after dinner went & christened it "Froggy Bottom" & launched it - it immediately sank - logs were too heavy - were we mortified - the same group sat around the campfire again sang after dark.


September 1     Meadows
"Gee! but I'm blue, and so lonely, I don't know what to do, but dream of you!" (a song I like to sing out here)

Hugh fishing

Boys are playing horse shoes just after dinner - we fished and swam today - George caught a pretty large bass and I, trying to throw him across river to Morroco - threw him in.
I like to get on the hill and look down towards the creek in the evening and watch -  The other nite I was there, Morroco, George, Hugh and Benard were chopping wood.  Louis and Paul were sitting farther down the hill with their arms full of wood - It was almost nite - The faint light from the west gave the scene an surreal quality -
The grass uneven, the rolling land, the giant trees, the creek, all outlined in this light and the boys too reminded me of an illustration in the book "Tom Browns School Days."

Memories of Alice - 5 Family Members in 3 Generations Remember

Alice and Daisy during a family trip to Bob-lo Island - 1961

I restrained myself from adding facts or "correcting memories".  I appreciate my relatives for sharing their memories with me!  You can read other posts about Alice here - Just The Facts - A Time Line for Alice,  Finding Alice  and  More About Alice.  I wonder what people will remember about me when I'm gone.


Doris Graham Cleage
Alice only worked a little while.  She had problems getting along with people.  Grandmother Turner was eventually senile.  Died of a stroke at 83 or so.

Whenever Daisy really considered leaving, Grandmother did the old guilt trick "How can you leave me to take car of Alice all by myself?"  Alice spent years taking care of her while Daisy worked. She and Alice would buy us dainty, expensive little dresses from Siegel's or Himelhoch's.  They all went to church every Sunday.  Plymouth. While they lived with us I remember violent arguments between Alice and I don't know who - either Grandmother or Daisy or Mother. Certainly not Daddy because when he spoke it was like who (?) in the Bible who said, "When I say go, they goeth. When I say come, they cometh."

Maybe here a word about Aunt Daisy.  Look at her picture, sweet, soft, pretty, taught school awhile in Montgomery (with high school diploma)  loved Congregational preacher named Duncan Erby who loved her and waited for her for years.  Had a church in Buffalo, NY.  Whenever she really considered leaving, Grandmother did the old guilt trick "How can you leave me to take car of Alice all by myself?"  and "No man in this world is good enough to touch your little finger.  They are all no good except (maybe) Shell." and Daisy listened and stayed and played numbers, studied dream books and drank a little apricot brandy.  I always found their house light, cheerful, full of magazines (McCall's, Journal, etc.) which I loved to read, full of good things to eat.  All three were super cooks and they had always just had a bunch of friends to dinner and to play cards or just about to have.

Kris (Me)
By 1961 both Alice’s mother and sister Daisy were dead.  Alice moved in with my grandparents, Fannie and Mershell. Soon after Alice was diagnosed with schizophrenia.  We sometimes heard her talking to people who weren't there. She spent several years in the Ypsilanti mental hospital before moving back with my grandparents.  Alice and Aunt Abbie shared a room. Alice wasn't always clean and still seemed distracted.  I don't have many memories of Alice.  She was small. She was quiet and she was there.  I don't remember ever having a conversation with her.  Once I was visiting my mother with my daughter Jilo before we left Detroit and I learned it was Alice’s birthday and nothing special was planned.  I  suggested we go get her a cake and have a little party for her, which we did. It seemed very sad that her birthday was going to pass without anything.

After my grandparents died in 1973 and 1974 Alice was moved into a senior home.  I was no longer living in Detroit. My mother told me Alice wanted to move back home, that she imagined she was 35 and pregnant. Alice never married and never had any children. I never even heard of a boyfriend.

In 1975, on a trip to Detroit I visited her with my two daughters who were 2 and 4 years old. She was happy to see us and enjoyed seeing my daughters. My mother moved to Idlewild soon after and it was the last time I saw Alice, although she lived another 18 years.  She was cremated and her ashes were buried in her mother's grave in Detroit Memorial Cemetery.

Pearl
All I remember is when we used to go over to Daisy and Alice's house when Grandmother Turner was alive and then, I think, a couple of times after she died. I remember the food being amazing.  One time, they had cooked okra and tomatoes and I thought I didn't like okra and Alice or Daisy said to me: you'll like our okra. And it was great! Not slimy or anything. I admired that. I also remember they used to play cards with their friends from Anis Furs and Daisy was the life of the party, according to Alice, who always seemed to be right next to Daisy, in the kitchen, in the house. She seemed to be very comfortable and happy. Quiet, though. then, of course, i remember when Daisy died and Alice didn't tell anybody for a couple of days.

I remember they always gave us "Evening in Paris" cologne in those dark blue bottles. I remember they always had nice handkerchiefs up their sleeve with flowers on them. Dainty little women's hankies. And sensible shoes with chunky heels. After daisy died, Alice just seemed to fold into herself. I'm sure she missed their own life since there was no card playing and drinking of sherry at Nanny & Poppy's house. She's the mystery woman in the family. Makes me kind of sad that we didn't know her better, but we were kids. They seemed ancient to us and now when I realize how old they were and old we are.... well, don't get me started down that road!

Dee Dee
GOD bless Alice!  She was a sweet lady, but Alice had mental challenges.  She was diagnosed schizophrenic in a time when it was a blemish on your family if you had someone who was mentally ill.

Nanny and Poppy didn't want her to be institutionalized so they kept her with them and made sure she took her meds.  She lived with her sister, Aunt Daisy until Daisy died.  That's when she came to live with Nanny and Poppy. When Alice didn't take her meds, she could get pretty crazy.  For example,  I remember one day when she was sitting at the dining room table and we were all having Sunday dinner.  She started talking to those people we couldn't see.  Poppy made her leave the table and go to her room.  I was a little girl but I remember how sternly he spoke to her and told her she had to go to her room if she kept acting up.  Alice went up the Theodore stairs begrudgingly and I remember wondering who she was talking to like that, cuz it was obvious she wasn't talking to us.  But mostly I remembered the tone of Poppy's voice and when he spoke sternly like that, you knew to do exactly what he said,...... or else!

Alice was a kind person, but I used to hear her talking to herself on occasions when I was young.  I also remember visiting Aunt Alice and Aunt Daisy at Daisy's house.  Aunt Daisy worked at that famous bakery in Detroit that went out of business.  I wish I could remember the name of it.  But they made this butter cream and chocolate cake that was the best cake I have ever tasted in my entire life and Aunt Daisy always had that cake at her house.  She and Alice also made the best homemade Eggnog (with alcohol in it for the adults) and plain for us kids.  And she always had a box of Sees Candy on the living room table available for guests.

Alice was always a little frumpy looking, in my eyes, and had a little bit of a mean spirit sometimes.  When she was on her meds she was quiet and kind, but when she had a bad day she could be sarcastic and angry.  She and Poppy seemed to have a love/hate relationship.  I think Poppy took her in because he loved Nanny so much and Nanny wasn't going to let her sister be put into an asylum.  But Alice used to mumble about Poppy under her breath and I used to hear her fussing to herself when he gave her orders.  She did what she was told, but she didn't like it.  Nanny kept her clothes and had her helping her in the kitchen most of the time when I was over there.    Nanny used to say that Alice was born when her mother was going through the change in life and that was why she was the way she was. That's how she explained it to me.   But she wasn't slow or retarded. Nanny never said it, but I learned later in life that she was schizophrenic.

Mama said when I was a baby Alice used to complain that I was too dark and my nose was too wide.  Once Mary V said she caught her bending over my crib and putting a clothespin on my nose.  Mama asked her what she was doing and she told mama she should keep the clothespin on my nose to make it more slender. I think that was another issue, not having to do with mental disease but more with racist disease.

Alice died in an old age home.  Mom was supposed to take care of her and see about her, but she rarely visited Alice.  Once, when I was in Detroit, I went to see her and she kept calling me Mary V.  After a while I stopped correcting her.  She was obviously getting very senile and I'm sure she couldn't relate to the fact that little Dee Dee had grown into a woman.

Funny the things we remember about people.   I think she told me that people kept stealing her radio and going through her things at the retirement home.  It was hard to know if that was true or if it was part of her illness.  I did report it to mom.  I never have trusted those homes and I still have not recovered from the fact that my mom died after being placed in one of those facilities.  I think it takes your will to live away.

So that's what I remember about Aunt Alice.

Binky
Children always see things so differently...I remember the close relationship that Nanny and Aunt Alice had.  They appeared to be the best of friends.  Aunt Alice always had a smile on her face and didn't let things get to her.  She took directions from Nanny with ease and quickly followed them, for example assisting with prepping vegetables for the meal, cleaning up around the home.  I recall thinking that she was always working and deserved a day off (smile).  She was very gentle with my brother and I and would give us the biggest hugs.  She was soft spoken and a women a few words.  I never knew exactly what she was thinking, because she appeared to keep a lot to herself.  I didn't know that she and Nanny were sisters until I was an adult and she was gone.  When we would visit at the home, I recalled thinking how cool it was that the two of them got to stay in the same nursing facility - they had each other.  I didn't like the home at all...Nanny seemed so sad being there, missing Poppy....but Aunt Alice would make me smile, she appeared optimistic and still had her calm demeanor.  I loved Aunt Alice, she exuded a constant display of calm, helpfulness that made you feel welcome and cared for.

Henry Cleage playing the cello - 1970

As soon as I saw this weeks prompt for Sepia Saturday, I thought of this photograph.  I decided to revisit an old post from Henry's journal, written during several months of 1936, where he mentions playing the bass at a club.

January 11

Awoke to find that I had lost 2 dollars very depressed. Wrote on theme. Played tonight at Quinn’s Lone Pine with Duke Conte, played bass, terrible night. Fingers sore. Noticed how good-looking Lene is... Ought to throw a line - Police stopped us at about 1:00AM. No permit to play until two. I was glad. Very animal acting bunch in River Rouge. Most of them seem friendly though.

January 12

Played matinee dance at Elks rest with Heckes, Toddy and Bill - Dracee's band came in and sat in awhile (no trouble) Kenneth was there. Too tired and sleepy to study history. Get up early tomorrow (no English) Toddy is going downtown to get some books is supposed to get me ‘American Tragedy” and ‘Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations”

January 13

Haliver Greene died this morning -spinal meningitis. Didn’t get up early to study History, however there was no class - lecture tomorrow so I won’t slide, tonight. Toddy bought back two books about lives of Educators (putrid!!) only 25 cents a piece though - awfully windy out today-not so cold thought - like March. I would like to have been in the country, wrapped up good, walking into the wind at the Meadows, down the road towards the sand pile or over the hill to the creek - zest, spice, life, health, clear eye, firm step and all that sort of thing.

January 14

Cold out this morning although it became somewhat spring like after school. Went to show after school. Another big fight this morning, I think they think I skip classes because I am sleepy, nonsense. Bought ‘Bartlett’s Quotations” $1.53. Seems worthwhile. Read one of dictator books - Good - tonight as I was going to the store the weather brought memories of spring. Roller-skating in street, if not roller skating then walking. Everybody walking and friendly. The crowd at Krueger’s and the tent. Perhaps riding through Belle isle – water, boats.


To read more of Henry's journal go to Henry Cleage's Journal - 1936.  For a followup with more information about the band go to Follow up on Henry's Diary. For more musical (or not) Sepia Saturday offerings click HERE.

More about Alice (Wright) Turner

Alice - 1935 Detroit, Michigan

Alice was my grandmother, Fannie's yougest sister.   I knew that Alice was my grandmother's half sister and had a different father but all I'd ever heard was what my mother wrote me about him, 

"Grandmother stayed single until she was about 37 or 38 when she married someone Mother hated - looked Italian, hardly ever worked.  Liked a good time. Fathered Alice and left when she was very small.  Somehow when mother spoke of him I had the feeling he would have like to have taken advantage of her.  She was about 20 and had given up two college scholarships to stay and help Grandmother."

And then his name on the chart my mother wrote out for me that has "Wright" squeezed in after my great grandmother Jennie's name.  At one time I was hopeful of finding him with the family in the 1910 census since Alice was born in 1908 in Montgomery. But, no, he was already gone.  I looked for Wright's nearby and there was a Sallie Wright on the same page but I couldn't find any connection to her and a Mr. Wright.  I sent for Alice's death certificate and her social security application hoping for more information about Mr. Wright.  

I received the Death Certificate first.  My Aunt Mary V. was the informant. I saw that Alice's father's name was given as "Howard Wright". I doubted it. Jennie Allen Turner Wright's first husband was Howard Turner. Possibly Mary V. didn't remember his actual name and so put in Howard.  I looked for Howard Wright and found none born in North Carolina and in Alabama during the time.  

A few days ago Alice's Social Security Application arrived.  It looks like my grandmother Fannie helped or corrected Alice's form. By the time she filled this out, Alice's mother and other sister, Daisy, were dead. She was living with my grandparents, Fannie and Mershell Graham, on Theodore. Her schizophenia had been recognized or surfaced and perhaps she applied in order to receive social security payments since she had not worked under social security.  At any rate, there is a whole name on the form - John W. Wright.  I looked for him and found a few John W. Wrights born in NC in Montgomery and the right age range, but no marriage record and never with my great grandmother.  The search continues.

Checking in at "Winter Wonderland"

While looking through newspaper archives awhile ago, I unexpectedly found an article with a photograph of my mother. In the photograph below she is seated at the table checking people into the dance.  I looked for a photograph of the hotel where the dance was held and the old postcard. Next I looked for something about The Girl Friends Society. I had no luck at first. Items about the Girls Friendly Society kept turning up and it wasn't the same group.  After I dropped "Society" in my search, I found several  things, including the history of the group below with a link to their website. The Springfield, Mass. Chapter was founded in 1935 and they celebrated their 75th Anniversary in 2010.  

I never knew my mother to be part of any posh groups so this was all news to me. In February of 1951, my father was pastor of St. John's Congregational Church in Springfield.  I was 4 and my sister had just turned 2 in December. We moved to Detroit in the Fall of that year.

"Checking in at the "Winter Wonderland - Wonderland-shown above, at the 15th annual charity cabaret dance, held last night at the Hotel Kimball by the Springfield Chapter of the Girl Friends Society of America, are, left to right, Mrs. Doris Cleage, chairman of the ticket committee, Miss Helen DuBose and Harold Edmonds.Nearly 150 patrons of the Society's charities attended the dance, which the Springfield Girl Friends termed the "Winter Wonderland."  Dancing was to the music of Lenwood Cook's Seven Sharps.  

The Springfield chapter has a membership of 12, including Mrs. J. Clifford Clarkson, president: Mrs Nello Greene, vice-president; Mrs. Marian Kennedy secretary; Mrs Irttle Funn, treasurer:  Mrs. Hazel Fitch corresponding secretary; and Mrs. Doris Cleage, parliamentarian.  Other members are Mrs. Maude Boone, Mrs. Cordella Clarke, Mrs Evelyn Delworth, Mrs. Charlotte McGoddwin, Mrs. Melle TAylor and Mrs. Theda Wilson.

"Hotel Kimball Springfield, Massachusetts. Ranks with the finest in the country.  A magnificant hotel, modern and metropolitan in every appointment."

The History of The Girl Friends®, Inc.

* Founded during the Harlem Renaissance in 1927 by eleven young women based on friendship and community involvement

* One of the oldest social/civic organizations of African-American women in the United States

* Incorporated in 1938 under the legal guidance of Baltimore attorney Thurgood Marshall (spouse of Girl Friend Vivian Marshall)

* Founders of the organization were Eunice Shreeves, Lillie Mae Riddick, Henri Younge, Elnorist Younge, Thelma Whittaker, Dorothy Roarke, Helen Hayes, Connye Cotterell, Rae O. Dudley, Anna S. Murphy and Ruth Byrd

* Bessye Bearden, newspaper columnist, civic leader and mother of celebrated artist, Romare Bearden, served as the  groups chaperone and advisor.

* Currently there are 45 chapters across the country, and over 1400 women of prominence in membership

*The first chapter expansion was in 1928 with the formation of the Philadelphia chapter, with Baltimore (1930),  Boston (1931) and New Jersey (1932) and New Haven (1932) soon added

*The first Conclave (national meeting of chapters) was hosted by New York in 1933

*Organization colors are apple and emerald green, its flower is the Marshall Neal rose (now called the yellow tea rose)

*Since those formative years, the chain of friendship has grown to embrace a continent. Girl Friends have founded schools, headed colleges, earned all manners of academic and professional degrees, written books, headed their own businesses, saved lives, been elected to Congress and named to the cabinet of the US President. They have also been devoted wives, mothers, sisters and friends, and involved members of their communities.

*Currently there are 45 chapters across the country, and over 1400 women in membership.

Copyright 2007, The Girl Friends,® Inc. The Girl Friends® is a registered service mark of The Girl Friends, Inc.

Louise and Ronnie

Louise and Ronnie - Chicago