Margaret recalls many black maternal families coming from the South to Evanston, IL, for work. She describes the many black women she met and talks about one in particular, Florida Mitchell, who worked for her mother Adelle. Florida was raising money for her church, and to her delight Margaret's parents gave a substantial amount
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http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/146
Transportation, Shops and Income in Margaret's Childhood
Margaret recalls transportation in her childhood, how easy it was to travel around in the city and its neighboring towns because streetcars were everywhere. She tells about the shops on Central Street near the railroad station. The annual income of A.D., Margaret's father, was $5,000, which was considered a substantial amount in those days.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/145
Margaret reads a letter from her grandmother Dorthea, Laurids wife. The letters tells about Margaret's birth and how her grandmother came to wash her.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/144
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.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/143
Margaret did third grade at an open-air school. It was a new idea to which Adelle subscribed, so she sent her two daughters there. The kids would wear their winter coats and sit in the cold for school, putting their feet in a box to keep them warm. Margaret went there for that one year. Evanston was famous for its good schools. With the black people coming from the South to work in Evanston, schools were always integrated.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/142
Margaret reads from a 1976 issue of The Washington Post about children's games from the past that were lost with the coming of television. She talks about games they played in childhood. She expounds on her friendship with Mary Peabody.
In second grade the kids' piano lessons were from the aunt of one of Margaret's classmates, Mary Peabody. She and Margaret were companionable in an easy, relaxed friendship.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/140
Margaret remembers her second grade with Miss Stevens, and her favorite song back then, "Marching Through Georgia." They always had music lesson; it was just part of life
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/139
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 dancing, although she was already the best dancer in her class
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/137
When Margaret was seven or eight years old she became very sick. The family doctor could not figure out what the disease was, so there was very little that could be done to help her. Suddently she had a terrible convulsion and the sickness was all over.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/136
Margaret's youngest uncle, Lawrence, was on the football team of Northwestern University. Her dad, A.D., began taking her to Lawrence's football games. That was when Margaret acquired her taste for football.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/135
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
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/134
Adelle Punished the Kids For Actions Around The Street Car
Evangeline was punished by her mom for running after and catching the streetcar. On another Margaret also was punished for running in front of the streetcar. Mom would usually punish the kids verbally.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/133
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.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/132
Margaret acquired two kittens and one day they disappeared. Adelle didn't want to tell her about what had happened to the kittens, but she overheard her mom telling her dad that the tom had killed them both. That was her first experience of the death of anything close to her.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/131
Margaret loved reading from the beginning of her schooling. She would complete and turn in her assignment before it was due in order to get to read one of the books that Miss Morse kept at the back of the classroom. She remembers her mom reading to her and one story involving death from the book Hiawatha that made her want to run away and escape as her mother was reading.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/130
Margaret's First School Project and Teachers
Margaret recalls her first kindergarten project, a turkey cut out of paper and colored, and a sailboat cut out and put on a piece of paper. She also gives the names of her school teachers from kindergarten to eighth grade, and remembers one who was very severe
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/128
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.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/127
Margaret's grandfather died in June 1907, at the age of seventy-one. Adelle and the two girls attended the funeral. The total expense of internment was $ 144.25
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/126
Margaret's Memory of Her Grandfather Estburg
Margaret's grandmother died before she was born, but she has one memory of her grandfather Estberg. He came one day while she was playing with other kids and he stood behind her, a very tall man dressed in black. His image is mixed up with that of Abraham Lincoln in Margaret's memory.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/125
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 remember, I did it, but I didn't want to! I regretted that creampuff," says Margaret.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/124
Margaret tells how when Betty was born she supplanted Evangeline as favorite and remained mother's favorite most of her life. Betty didn't bother with the rules and mother would overlook it, which she didn't do with the other girls.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/123
Margaret Realized Evangeline Was More Loved Than Her
Margaret recalls a scene in which her father clearly showed his preference for Evangeline by giving her the pink apron that Margaret wanted. This childhood perception was confirmed as the kids grew up, but Margaret never felt jealous of her sister or became resentful toward her parents who lovedEvangeline more than Margaret:Evangeline was just so adorable and likable, and the two sisters had a very close relationship.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/122
Margaret's Family Moved Back to North Evanston
Within six months Margaret's family moved to Evanston and she continued Kindergarten there. There she had her first "disgrace" in school: she couldn't say the days of the week, unlike everybody else in her class
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/121
Margaret's Family Moved Took Over a Boarding House
The Mortensons moved and took over a boarding house on Dempster St. That was when Margaret started kindergarten, and she remembers walking across a railroad track to school. Her sister Evangeline was adorable and everyone liked her, including the elderly man who made charming doll cradles and offered one to Evangeline.
http://omeka.wheaton.edu/neatline/show/margaret-landons-childhood#records/120