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Elizabeth Tossed Sand Into the Flour Bin
One day Margaret saw Elisabeth hold sand in a cup. Mother was baking in the kitchen and as she turned to the sink Elizabeth dashed in an threw the sand into the flour bin
Elizabeth Was a Rascal
Betty was a rascal very early in her childhood. Mother, at least in part because of the operation, began to have some health problems, and she wasn't allowed to go upstairs very much. Elizabeth would get into mischief and run upstairs, in defiance of…
Elizabeth's Birth
Betty was born in 1912 by C-section, a very serious operation in those days. It was a miracle that Adelle survived. Grandmother came down from Racine to help. A.D. took wrote notes hour by hour throughout the ordeal
Evan Welsh's Engagement and Evangeline
Margaret reads a letter from her mother telling of the engagement of Evan Welsh and Betty Sherk. Evan's mother managed to break the engagement by using Evangeline, Margaret's sister, as a "replacement." But when she realized that Evan and Evangeline…
Evangeline and Evan and Their Issues With Money
Margaret comments about Evan and Evangeline's troubles with money. Evan had a history of misuse of money and this affected his marriage with Evangeline. She recalls things that the Landons did not know about in the history of the Welsh family…
Evangeline Made Mudpies
Margaret remembers playing behind the house with Evangeline who was making mudpies, a common practice in those days. Evangeline would eat those mudpies, a habit Adelle had a hard time to cure her of.
Evangeline's Artistic Side
Evangeline had a gift for style and art. Her parents sent her to an art institute and she began taking lessons when she was young. She began sewing when she was four, and at age eleven she sewed herself a dress so nice that a woman stopped her in the…
Family Celebrations and the Flattened Champagne
Kenneth tells about family celebrations and recalls a Thanksgiving celebration at which Uncle Billy gave magnum champagne to his mother and how she did not know what to do with it and so poured into in a pitcher.
Fashion in the Mortenson Home
Adelle had a sense of style when she was young, but the dresses she sewed for her daughters didn't seem very nice to Margaret. Adelle also did the girls' hair, and their father, A.D., wanted them to keep their hair long--it was a biblical thing.
First Date that Margaret Mentioned Kenneth
Margaret recalls the first date that she mentioned Kenneth. It was about a visit they made together (with other friends) to Moody Church in Chicago.
First Impressions Between Margaret and Kenneth
Margaret remembers Kenneth and his father very well dressed the first time she met him in the registrar's office. She talked to Kenneth that night at a reception at the McShane, and he made a favorable impression on her. But that was it; they didn't…
French Creek
French Creek would freeze during winter and people could ice skate on it six to twelve miles. In the spring the ice would break and back up against the bridges and back up the water in turn, causing flooding in the town. People enjoyed it.
Further Preparations for Siam
Kenneth and Margaret left their apartment and stayed for free at the seminary. They began to pack, applied for passports, and bought things they would need in Siam.
Further Reflections on Their Wedding
Both Kenneth and Margaret were very happy with the wedding. Margaret tells about how her sisters and mother were dressed for the wedding. She reads a letter from Kenneth's mother to Margaret's mother, a very nice letter.
Girls Gave Young Kenneth Some Candy
Kenneth tells about how fair his hair was, how girls thought he was cute and gave him some candy, and how one time he ate a bag of candy and got sick.
Grace Van Hough Lived With the Mortensons
Margaret tells of Grace Van Hough who came to live with them and persuaded Adelle to let her buy a grand piano. Adelle's piano went out but when Grace was leaving she took her piano with her and didn't bother to replace Adelle's piano.
Henry Clayton Landon
Henry Landon, Kenneth's uncle, was a very bland person, a politician type, and very likable. He always knew what was going on and how to adjust to it. He was a very able civil engineer. (The clip contains some side information about the Landon…
How Kenneth Came to 'Love' Fig Newtons
Kenneth and his family traveled to Niagara Falls and the boys had to eat fig newtons, which Kenneth came to love very much. He would eat fig newtons in the morning, at noon, and in the evening.
How Kenneth's Father Treated the Family Pt. 1
Kenneth's father was mean to his family but nice to other people. He treated his wife and kids harshly. Mae had no pocket money and the kids had no allowance unless they worked for it. At age fifteen Kenneth confronted his father and challenge him to…
How Kenneth's Father Treated the Family Pt. 2
Kenneth tells about his parents' relationship with each other, their fights in the middle of the night over issues of marital intimacy, probably because his father treated his mother harshly. He tells about one night when his father was weeping and…
J. O. Buswell Becomes President and the College Church Split
Margaret recalls the coming of J. O. Buswell to the presidency at Wheaton College, replacing interim President Welsh who wanted to keep the position. She tells how Buswell's involvement in College Church split the congregation. Buswell himself was…
Jimmy, Kenneth's Dog
Kenneth tells about his dog, Jimmy, who was a very special dog from a prestigious kennel in England. The dog was originally a gift to Kenneth's father, but Kenneth always considered Jimmy to be his dog. Kenneth's father was the only member of the…
John Aiken Cut Out the Work With the Chinese in Siam
John Aiken decided that the mission would not work among the Chinese in Siam, only with the Siamese. This was a mistake because the Chinese in Siam were perfectly Siamese and were open to missionaries. They were the most powerful people in the…
Kenneth Addressed a Problem in The Methodist Church
During the two week evangelistic meetings there happened an incident at the Methodist church which divided the congregation into two groups. Kenneth got involved and one night he had all the people at his evangelistic meeting go to the Methodist…
Kenneth and His Brother Fight
The Landon brothers got in a furious fight in which Kenneth's brother ran after him until he vanished away for the rest of the day. The boys were alone that day so Mae, their mother, who usually protects Kenneth could not help. Kenneth was gone for…