Thursday, October 15, 1936

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EDNA

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Beautiful Day. Real Warm.

This is my birthday. 56 yrs.

Rec'd a pkg. from Maybelle

containing lace for two doilies

hand crocheted also her neck-

lace of pearls and letters

written by her nurse. Maybelle

is in casts and suffers

quite a bit at times.

Helen and I (via of

celebrating my birthday) went

to G.R. this P.M. Did a little

shopping.

Sold to Bergy Brothers to-day

120 bus wheat @ $1.98 per bus

Also had mash ground for

hens + pullets.

Pres F. D. Roosevelt candidate

for re election for Pres. of the U.S.

in G.R. this A.M.

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May bell / Maybelle and Henry are cousins. They were both born in April of 1877 to brothers John Chandler Johnson and James Chandler Johnson. It sounds as if May Bell is not doing well but I found a record of her death in 1957. I will have to ask my dad if knows the story of why she was in casts as Edna writes in her journal.

Today is Edna's birthday and it seems it was celebrated to little fanfare. She and Helen did venture into Grand Rapids in the P.M. Earlier in the day, F.D.R. made a campaign stop in Grand Rapids. I am sure it pained her a bit the the President was there on her birthday as she was not a fan.

Bergy Brothers was located in Alto. A grain elevator and farm and feed supply store, it was operational until the early 2000's. The original elevator was constructed in 1887, destroyed by fire in 1893, and rebuilt in 1895. The Bergy family took ownership in 1931.

The two pictures show how the elevator may have looked in the 1930's (bottom) and what is looked liked when I was a young girl in the 70's.

I grew up just around the corner from the elevator and recall days when farmers (my Uncle Hank included) would line up with their tractors hauling their crops to elevator.