WHICH WOMAN IS IN CHARGE
How did we tell which woman was in charge at a family gathering? Rank could depend on age, importance of the husband, the number of descendants, and so forth. But at my family gatherings the senior woman could be identified by her apron.
Family gatherings were mostly held on a Sunday. And everyone would get up and dress to go to morning church services, all but the woman in charge; who would have the privilege staying behind to prepare the Sunday after-church meal. I seldom saw my grandmother in church. She would stay home to prepare the after-church meal, while everyone else would go to church services. And she would wear an apron over her Sunday dress, as if she had been to church.
Wearing an apron was an everyday thing. On weekdays the apron would be worn over an every-day dress. On Sundays the apron would be worn over a Sunday dress.
The men would wear Sunday clothes to go to church; then they would change into Sunday afternoon clothes which would be new set of work clothes, not threadbare or faded. So on a Sunday afternoon we would see the men dressed in new looking work clothes and women dressed in church clothes, the woman in charge would have an apron over her clothes.
Notice the woman with the apron, at the upper left.