Sentimental Sunday - Did Great-Grandmother Wear This in Trenton, NJ?

What did the fashionable Trenton, New Jersey woman wear in 1908? According to the 3 May 1908 Trenton Evening Times edition this shirtwaist gown was one of the most popular of the new designs of that time.  It was elegant, simple and appealed to women of refined tastes.  A pattern could be purchased for ten cents from the Trenton Times to make this dress - imagine, only a dime!  For a medium sized woman it took 8 1/2 yards of fabric to make this dress.  

Box pleats ornamented either side of the front and back creating a trim waist.  The sleeves were a combination of a puffed upper and fitted, wrinkled lower.  Suggested fabrics were the new soft woolens or taffeta.

The model drawn here is quite lovely with her large, stylish hat.  As we have no pictures, I can only wonder if this is what our female Rogers ancestors were wearing at the time.

Sentimental Sunday - Dr. Elmer H. Rogers - Good to the Poor

As I talked about in an earlier post, http://rogersfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2010/09/dr-elmer-h-rogers-obituary.html, my husband's great-grandfather, a well-known physician in Trenton, NJ died on 11 Apr 1907.  He was loved and respected by many.  I thought I had found all articles written on him so it was to my great surprise that when I was perusing the archives of the Trenton Times this week, that I came across this wonderful tidbit in the Letters to Editor Section that greatly touched my heart:

It was evidently written by a close friend - I only wish I knew who - alluding to the fact that Dr. Rogers had become ill due to his dedication to his practice, often making up to 100 sick calls in one day, keeping busy until late into the night.  A large portion of his clientèle were the poor who could not afford to pay, but that did deter him from his belief that people, especially the poor were deserving of his skills.  What a wonderful legacy he left us!

Source:  Trenton Sunday Times Advertiser 14 Apr 1907