Margaret always loved desserts, so when she was convalescing her mother made her a batch of cream puffs. She was down to the last one when the doctor came in to see her, and mother suggested that she gave it to the doctor. "And to this day I can…
Margaret realized she had upset Adelle, her mother, with her lack of interest in mission. She later wrote to tell her that she now felt better about going into mission.
Margaret began traveling alone to Chicago at age seven. She would take to train and board the bus in the city to go see her eye doctor. She was always safe--there were dangerous areas but she never went there.
Margaret recalls being addicted to reading, going frequently to the library to hunt for books. At home she would go into the living room where there was a library table and perch on the chair arm to read. An hour later she would still be perched…
Margaret has always been popular, a "top dog." She always had friends, always was team leader, class president, etc. It was natural to her and everybody took it for granted. In seventh grade she had her reverses: her parents wouldn't let her go to…
Margaret reads from her journal about learning that she had been elected as freshman class patron. She tells about her first duty--to chaperon freshman outings.
In the Spring of 1924 Margaret was in a tennis tournament in which she won several games but lost one. She and her friend Ruth also lost the doubles to a pair of girls of whom one was preparing for the Olympics.
Lois invited Margaret to spend the night over at her family's home. She got there just in time for dinner, after which they went out with the intention to see a professor but instead were joined by a group of boys with whom they spent the evening…
Every Saturday afternoon, A.D., Margaret's father, would bring home a bag of candies after work. The girls were expected to be polite and nice to each other in their using of the candies.
Margaret was very good at English. In her junior year her English teacher, Miss Effie Wambaugh, told her that she had the gift of words and that she should do something with it. This compliment stayed with Margaret for the rest of her life.
By the time she was fourteen Margaret was endlessly busy. She was in the church choir, practiced two musical instruments, went to school, played sports, participated in a club, spent time with special friends, and participated in various family…
When Kenneth and Margaret started dating she once commented about a girl that she thought was pretty, to which Kenneth remarked that the girl's neck was dirty. The next time he saw Margaret her neck was red: she had washed it to the point of…
Margaret recalls attending an eight week summer camp for girls. She tells about life at the camp and the things they were doing there. It was one of the best memorable experience she ever had growing up
Margaret recalls going to Gull Lake in the summer upon the invitation of Kenneth and his family who spent their vacations at the lake. There was a Bible conference there at a hotel. It was a big, nice lake, not very popuplar at the time.
Mrs. Stevenson, the wife of the president of Princeton seminary, was taking interest in the Landons. She invited Margaret over for tea and asked that she stayed the whole afternoon. Margaret found herself among women more formally dressed than she…
Kenneth and Margaret entertained the clique, a group of young people that Kenneth had organized. Kenneth and Margaret tell about the sermon contest at Princeton that all students had to participate in before the faculty. Kenneth didn't know he was in…
In February 1926 Margaret was very sick and Kenneth had to care for her. He would cook, iron their clothes, and provide her with various kinds of care. It turn out that the sickness was in fact the symptoms of her pregnancy.
Margaret tells about her eighth grade graduation and her receiving of a medal from dad and mom. She describes other stuff she received from other people. She tells about her time after the graduation ceremony.
Margaret's mother kept a lot of memorabilia. On a small program for children's day at church, which her mother kept Margaret found written the date of her baptism: June 12, 1904, a short time before her first birthday.
Margaret recalls her beginnings at Wheaton, the first people she met, her first impressions of the campus, registration and classes she took, and the network of friends that began to shape.
Margaret was born in the house at 8412 Highway, Somers, WI, on Sept. 7, 1903. It was in a tiny room , perhaps ten feet by ten. She stayed there with her parents, Adelle and A.D. through the winter.
Margaret's birth certificate was registered in Kenosha County. When she went to Siam with Kenneth in 1927 she had to send for her birth certificate. It was then that she discovered that it read "Female Mortenson." Adelle had to go to the Wheaton…
Margaret's birth certificate came and was wrong about her date of birth and her name. Adelle had to provide an affidavit about the right information. The passport office kept the original documents.