June 8, 1918 - Naysh Brennan

A few days ago Mary indicated she received an invitation to Naysh Brennan's "graduation".  She did not indicate what kind of graduation, but she attended his graduation at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia today.  It turns out the graduation was from the Philadelphia Dental College and the yearbook for his class of 1918 (The Record) is available online.
 

Mary was clearly very fond of Naysh, mentioning him as much as any of her other friends in the diary.  After the graduation Mary "came home feeling blue and lay in bed thinking of [Naysh] for some time, wondering if he were thinking of me."

June 7, 1918 - "My Four Years in Germany"

Today Mary goes with "Miss Radis" to the Forrest Theatre to see "My Four Years in Germany", based on the book by Ambassador to Germany James W. Gerard, who served from 1913-1917.  The film is available on YouTube.  Mary enjoyed this propaganda film directed by William Nigh.

June 6, 1918 - Eleven months since Frank sailed to France

Mary begins her diary entry today noting that it has been eleven months to the day since her beloved Frank sailed for France.  According to  American troop ships arrived in France on June 26, 1917.  According to Crowell and Wilson's 1921 publication, The Road to France only 11,750 troops were transported to Europe from the U.S. in June, only 3,500 in July.  Early in the U.S. involvement, many ships registered to Germany were seized by the U.S. and used as troop transport ships.  I am still unable to find Frank in any source.

June 4, 1918 - Ethel Whittle

Mary writes today that she received a letter from Ethel Whittle that Ethel's father had died.  George T. Whittle, Ethel's father died at age 50 on May 21, 1918.  He was married to Emma Brewin.  Ethel was born in June 1899, the same year as Mary.  In 1900 she was living with her parents, two sisters and a brother in Philadelphia.  By 1920 she was living with her married sister and her sister's family along with her mother, a brother and sister.

Ethel married William Winston Smith Whitesides in 1922 and by 1930 they were living in Philadelphia with two sons.  The family was still living in Philadelphia in 1940.  Her husband died November 17, 1955 at age 55.  Ethel's fate could not be determined, but she was alive at the time of her husband's death.

June 3, 1918 - McGinty-Huft wedding

Today Mary attends to previously postponed wedding of her friend Nell (Nellie, Ellen) McGinty to Lieutenant Harry Bryan Joseph Huft of Willow Grove, PA.  Mary went to the church on June 1 when the ceremony was originally scheduled, only to find that the wedding "had been postponed on account of Lieut. Huft not being able to leave camp."   According to the Pennsylvania WWI Veterans Service and Compensation Files, Huft was inducted on September 8, 1917 and discharged "to accept commission" on May 31, 1918, not having served overseas.

Nell McGinty was born August 1898 and in 1900 was living with her parents and four siblings in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.  Two additional siblings had been added by 1910.  In 1920 Nell and her new husband were living at 4514 12th Street, Philadelphia, just a few blocks from where Mary and her family were living at the time.

By 1940 Nell and her husband were living in Birmingham, Michigan and by that time had three sons, Harry Jr. age 18, John age 17 and Frank age 15.  And by 1944 they were living in Atlanta where Nell died on April 4, 1971 and husband Harry died on November 21, 1974.

June 2, 1918 - Ukulele

Today after attending early mass and a full but slow day at work, Mary spent the evening sitting on her porch playing the ukulele.  This is her second of three references of playing the "uke".  She also played the piano.

The ukulele, or "jumping flea" in Hawaiian, is a small four string instrument introduced to Hawaii in the 1800's by Portuguese immigrants.  The instrument was strongly endorsed by the Hawaiian king and soon became popular in the islands.

While it was first introduced to the mainland United States in the 1893 Columbia Exhibition in Chicago, its popularity in the U.S. soared when it was reintroduced during the San Francisco Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915.

Being a new and exotic instrument, it was the target of good-natured ridicule in U.S. newspapers in 1918:
"It's too bad that the new prohibition law for Hawaii doesn't include the ukuleles." [Evening Public Ledger]
"Now that there is to be a further tax on musical instruments we may soon be able to obtain official confirmation as to just what a ukulele is." [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

A more detailed history of the ukulele can be found at the Smithsonian web site.