A.D. took a job in Chicago for additional income to support his family. He later found a house in Evanston and the family was able to move to the city. In 1969 Margaret and Kenneth visited the house and photographed it.
By February 1905 the Mortensons had moved to 1642 Washington Ave., Racine. Margaret and Kenneth visited the area and discovered that Washington Avenue was largely commercial. but 1642 was still there. That house is where Evangeline was born.
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
Margaret reads a letter to her mother in which she describes her work in the library and what she earned. She tells of her expenses and asks her mother to pray for her so that she would earn more.
Margaret's earliest memory is of no significance but quite vivid. She recalls that at eighteen months old she was standing at a door looking in, with a window to her left, and before the window was a table with a red-check cloth on it. She was…
Margaret's favorite doll was Daisy, the name it had when she got it. It was made by the company where her father worked. The company published three different advertising journals, and Margaret owned the journal in which Daisy was first advertised.…
Margaret reads from her diary about her decision to take a bath every day, hot summer days when she played softball, her practice of violin, and her mom's return from the hospital.
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.
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 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 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'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 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.
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.
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…
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…
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.
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
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…
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…
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.
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.
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…
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.