South Yarmouth's Civic Minded Ladies

 South Yarmouth Women

The woman of South Yarmouth village were no exception to the robust civic participation common to small town experience.  It’s hard to imagine where these women found the time and energy to participate in so many social, volunteer, and church organizations and events. These local women generously offered their time, talents, and homes to the camaraderie and interconnection of village life on early Cape Cod, while also taking care of their own families and homes.  Reports and advertisement for these events dotted the local newspapers and many of the women referenced participated across multiple groups. It seemed they did not rest!  Commonly noted names among many were Cottrell, Taylor, Crosby, Chase, Crowell, Siebens, Blackwell, Baker and Kelley. All seemed to shine in the local community “family” of Bass River and South Yarmouth.  Events put on by the Ladies Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the South Yarmouth Women’s Club, the Jolli-8 ( a bridge club), the Button Club, Ladies of the Yarmouth Grange, and Mother’s Club were well organized with entertainment, food and prizes.  Community participation appears very high.  

Meetings covered many cross purposes while also accomplishing the civic goals of the organizations.  In December 1936, Thomas C. Thacher (on a seeming “lecture” circuit) served as a guest speaker at the South Yarmouth’s Woman’s Club. He spoke on “Beauty” essentially tying in some upcoming town planning bylaws. There were presentations sharing personal Quaker histories and heirlooms at themed “Quaker Tea” parties. Events included not only official meetings and dinners, but seasonal parties, card games, sewing bees, baby showers, wedding showers, anniversaries, and birthdays.  There were officers’ meetings and yearly dinners, lunch trips to Plymouth, Boston, and surrounding Cape towns.  Meetings were held at the Owl Club, the Taylor Chapel at the Methodist Episcopal Church in South Yarmouth, Yarmouth Camp cottages, and private homes. 

A popular event for the community was the baby and doll carriage parade.  I have included here several pictures of my mother Verna Morgan participating in a South Yarmouth doll parade.

 

The article attached describes such a parade at a 1938 church fair on the South Yarmouth Town lawn.  My mother is mentioned as participating along with her childhood friend Bev (Carlander) Crowell, and others.  While the photographs may not depict this exact event, it certainly represents something similar. The carriage my mother decorated for the parade existed when I was a child playing in my grandmother’s house on Long Pond in the early 60’s.  Hopefully someone has it still!  Her doll existed as well but time in the attic with it’s extreme temperatures ultimately cracked and peeled the face rendering her doll too terrifying to play with.

Finally, I am trying to identify the women in the photograph at the top of this post.  They most certainly were members of several of these groups.  I am fairly certain these women lived in the North Main Street and Station Avenue area.  The woman in the hat is probably Mrs. Violet (Chase) Morgan and possibly several of her sisters are also depicted: Mrs. Addie Taylor, Mrs. Winnie Arey, and Mrs. Lila Holway. Mrs. Frank Crosby (Gertrude) lived on North Main and was a niece, and was very active in all these local groups, as was Susie Baker and Elsie Blackwell. They all lived close by and actively participated together in many clubs, including the “Jolli-8,” playing whist and bridge, and taking turns hosting events in their homes. 

These women had deep ties to the community in many respects. Elsie Blackwell ran Elsie’s Dry Good Store in South Yarmouth, where she had worked for 46 years.  For half of those years she was employed by E.D. Kelley and took over management of the store herself in 1937. Caroline Siemens, the South Yarmouth librarian and founder of the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth also took her turn hosting in her library apartment, as did Mrs. Dayton, who lived on North Main with her husband Edwin; he patented a special machine for his wampum jewelry making business in the village.  If any reader can help identify anyone in this photo, please reach out to me.