Katharine Spofford Tone book
Katharine A. Torrence (1860-1922) wrote a sort of baby book for her niece Katharine Spofford Tone (1904-1983). It's a composition notebook with details of Katharine's early life, illustrated mostly with clippings from newspapers and other sources. It's undated but would be about 1910. A few scans are below, followed by a full transcript and notes.
Selected scans
Transcript
Many pages include labeled clippings, as seen in the scans above. On these pages the transcript includes the names. The book doesn't include any actual photos of people.
Katharine Spofford Tone
Her Book
Edited by Aunt Katie
Vol I. No I.
Katharine Spofford Tone was born on Nov. 22 1904
And made a dear Mother and Father and little sister very happy
Miss Fulton took the best care in the world of her.
- I don't know who Miss Fulton was, possibly a nurse
Aunt Helen, Uncle Fred
Uncle Bert, Aunt Florence
Uncle Frank, Aunt Gertrude
- These would be:
Aunt Katie
Father loved to talk about her and wrote many letters to the Aunties and Uncles about her.
- This would be Katharine A. Torrence (1860-1922)
From the first she was a jewel and dearly beloved by her mother and little sister.
Her father would not take all the money in the world for her.
She was called Katherine Spafford in honor of her Grandma.
- Grandma was Catherine D. Spafford (1836-1916)
She often visited at her mother's old home in Rochester. The old home where Aunt Katie, Jim, Uncle Fred, and Aunt Helen lived.
Aunt Katie
Jim
Aunt Helen
Uncle Fred
- Jim is probably James F. Torrence (1901-1972)
- Aunt Helen is Helen B. Torrance (1875-1958)
- Uncle Fred is James F. Torrance (1871-1935)
Katharine
Jim loved to talk to his father about dear little cousin Katharine
- Again, Jim is probably James F. Torrence (1901-1972)
Aunt Katie
Katharine
Mother
When quite a little tot, in company with mother and Aunt Katie and E., she went to Bergen, N.Y. to visit her grandma.
Julia went along to help care for her.
Julia
Katharine
E
- Julia is unknown, possibly another nurse or servant.
Mother found the first tooth.
E.
Katharine soon learned to walk in her tender and soon took a step alone. To the delight of her father.
She was Mother's little pet and allowed no one else to dress her.
Her grandma came frequently to see her.
One of her delights was to help father wind the clock.
E. and Katharine had such good romps at bed-time each night.
K.
E.
Elizabeth's little friends always liked to play with Katharine
Elizabeth
Katharine
Jean
[illegible name]
Clover crest, the beloved country home of Katharine
Some of the things that Katharine loved at Clover crest
Trollo
- Trollo is illustrated as a dog. The spelling here might be off.
Gobbles, Quack Quack, Cluck Cluck
Cluck, cluck
Daisy & Ruth
Peep peep
- Illustrations include turkey, ducks, chickens, another chicken, cows (Daisy larger than Ruth), and a chick.
Teddy
Ruth
- Illustrations are a horse and a cow
Katharine and E. enjoyed chasing the hens.
Katharine
Elizabeth
A happy family
She delighted to feed the hens and watch the pigs and cows at Clover crest
- The "happy family" is illustrated with a picture of pigs.
Katharine loved to stand and look through the bars at "Daisy"
- Illustration of cows
Christmas Morning
Katharine and Santa Claus were the best of friends
A few of the things that Santa left for Katharine
Frances McNair
Quack Quack
Susie
Gladys Blanche
She liked to admire herself
Teddy
- Illustrations are:
- Frances McNair: a doll. Frances Macdonald McNair was an art nouveau artist, which might be relevant.
- Quack Quack: toy duck
- Susie: doll
- Gladys Blanche: doll
- "admire herself": mirror
- Teddy: bear
Katharine was very fond of her dollie
She was always delighted to be kodaked by her big sister Elizabeth.
She was very fond of eating all the good things that Julia made.
Katharine
Katharine and Esther had such good times playing house and making sand cakes.
Esther
- I don't know who Esther was. Probably not another name for Elizabeth, who is just called "E" in this book.
George is Katharine little brother, whom she greatly admires.
The road she loved to travel in company with E. and Father and Mother, behind "Prince" or "Teddy" to Canonsburg.
- Canonsburg is a town southwest of Pittsburgh.
Aunt Katie
Pinney St. School, Rochester
The school where Aunt Katie teaches and where Katharine and Elizabeth liked to go when they came to Rochester.
Katharine
Elizabeth
- The picture here may be an actual picture of the school, which is the Pinney St. apartments, 420 Pinney St., as of 2021.
In company with her father she goes to Bergen to visit Grandma. They went in the "sleeping train" and had dinner in the "dining train".
Cousin Robert
Cousin Katharine
Aunt Florence
Came to Clover crest for a visit and they had such a happy time with Katharine, E and all the folks.
- Cousin Robert is Robert S. Terwilliger (1903-1934)
- I'm not sure who cousin Katharine was. This is Katharine's book, written by her aunt Katharine, but I don't know of a cousin named Katharine.
- Aunt Florence is Florence May Tone (1871-1943)
Katharine
Cousin Robert
Teddy
- Teddy here is illustrated as a horse
Elizabeth
Cousin Katharine
Katharine
George
Oh! what fun they all had playing, riding, and going fishing and wading down at the creek.
Katharine
Aunt Katie
Elizabeth
Jim
When Katharine was six years old, she had a few of her little friends to dinner at Clover crest. They had such a good time and she was a happy little girl.
George
E.
Cousin Jim
Katharine
Katharine, Elizabeth, George, and Cousin Jim had such a merry time at Hallowe'en with their Jack o'lanterns and false faces. Oh! such good taffy too.
From Rome
Paris
From Brussels
Switzerland
Germany
Corals from Florence
Ring with a "pink set"
Aunt Katie
Katharine
Katharine was delighted to see Aunt Katie when she came home from Europe and was much pleased with her pink beads and the "Ring wif the pink set" she bought her.
Third Church
She starts to Sunday school at the Third Church, 5th and Negley Aves. Pittsburgh.
- Third Presybterian Church, 5701 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh
Liberty School
Some of her class mates
Katharine on her way to school
She was a very happy little girl, when she started off to the kindergarten at Liberty School.
- Possibly the current Liberty K-5 at 601 Filbert St in Pittsburgh
The Grand March
Parisian
Rome
Katharine was so happy the day of her first cotillion, which her dancing class held. She had white roses and wore her Roman sash and white gloves.
- "Parisian" has a picture of gloves. "Rome" has a picture of a sash.
Katharine and her big sister Elizabeth, looking at foreign postals and pictures. Katharine admires her sister very much.
She liked to sew, and made "jabots" for her Aunties.
She liked to play the piano too and is very fond of music.
Katharine and George enjoying a ride
- Illustration of two children on a horse
Katharine
George
Katharine exercised a sisterly care over her brother George. They were great chums.
She was always happy to have mother read to her, and was never so happy as when father, mother, Elizabeth, and George were with her.