WINTER SPORTS - Jan 11th 1895
I had a very nice time during our holidays. We had no school for a week and a half. But I was glad when it began again. During every day since December 26th, 1894 except Sunday, my friends and I have been skating. At home we had a Christmas tree with which we had great fun and we had many presents. One Friday before Christmas we had public day at school. Each scholar got a present and a bag of candy. And nearly every scholar gave our teacher a present. We also had a Christmas entertainer at Sunday School. Every class took part in it but one. They also had a tree on which was a present for every scholar. New Years day we had company and we went skating. I spent my holidays in a very joyful manner and I trust that everyone did.

We young folks always enjoy the winter sports, at least I do. There are a great many kinds of winter sports which all boys and girls love to share in. There are two different kinds of winter sports - the indoor and outdoor sports. The outdoor sports are sliding, skating and snow balling.

The indoor sports are of a great variety. Some of the games which boys, girls and grown up people play are checkers, lotto and dominoes. The next I think of is Christmas which everyone shares some sports. This I think is the happiest time in all of the year. Now comes New Years. It is the beginning of the new year and a good-bye to the old.

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Harry BAWDEN writes in his Family History about Minnie ELDRIDGE SCHLEGEL [Minnie is the dtr of Jacob Mullen and Mary HIGH WILLIAMS ELDRIDGE, sister to Jennie, this writer's great-grandmother]

Minnie - a dynamic gal. She had a charming voice. Sang in the Presbyterian choir and also at her sister's wedding. AFter her sister's husband died, Minnie kept a helping hand over the Jennie BAWDEN family.

[Minnie's husband] Carl SCHLEGEL was an accomplished pianist. He could get more sound out of a piano than any one I ever knew. [Carl's father brought a piano to Davenport and gave lessons to children in his spare time]

The Jennie BAWDEN and Minnie SCHLEGEL families for years celebrated Christmas and the Fourth of July at each other's home. Often the BAWDEN boys (3 Albert, George, Harry) would throw bisquits at the SCHLEGEL girls (3 Claire, Lura, Paula). At Christmas each family had large Christmas trees lighted with candles and we all sang 'O Tanabam' [sic Tannenbaum].

Often between courses, Claire [SCHLEGEL] would lead us kids out doors and run around the house to make more room for the food to follow.

Lura {SCHLEGEL - not Laura] also was a musician played the organ in several western churches [west Davenport]. As a young gal at Christmas, I remember her singing a popular song 'I Want What I Want When I Want It.'