Ancestor Artifacts - Oct 1912 Letter

Ancestor Artifacts

Oct 1912 Letter

This envelope has a 2 cent stamp. Neat. Return address is 944 W. 14th Des Moines - which is no longer there because of freeway construction. Looking up Kratzer Carriage on Google, they were on 3rd, so only a few blocks away. They made Horse Buggies and then Truck Carriages on Ford Chassis's … I’ll do a follow-up post on this company, with more details recently obtained.

Four sheets, both sides…

Des Moines, Iowa
Oct. 29, 1912

Dearest Mother:-
Rec’d your letter & card since I wrote. We went out to the woods Sunday & so I didn’t get to write. How are you all? We are all fine down here. Work is going OK with all of us. How is the work up there? How was the corn that Dutch husked? It ought to be nice husking this year as the corn stands nice & straight. I am glad you got Gertrude’s coat OK. How does it fit her? Don’t you think it will wear pretty well? I tho’t it was a (sic) of good quality & color. How is their school going? How does the Little Red Riding Hood like it?
So Granville came back, did he? Did he surprise them by his coming? He will be up there Thanksgiving, won’t he? If I thought he wouldn’t be up there then I would come up Sat. evening & see him. Let me know at once if he won’t be up there & I will come Sat. How is Leo getting along with his work? How are Grandpa xxx. How does Aunt J. arrange it for Granville & Daisy? Does he go up to see Daisy this time? What is his mission up here this time? Is papa all right? I dreamed the other night that he died & sort of come back to life again. It sort of worried me the next morning.
[ Interesting. Lon was obviously having some issues in 1912… ]
How is Wilson’t throat? His married life must not agree with him. How is their new house coming? Lucile will be so proud when she gets in it that she won’t look at us. Sunday we went out to the xxxx of the girl Mitch goes with and on the car we ran across a cousin of Dorothy’s that she hadn’t seen for about 12 or 14 year. My, but she was tickled. She won’t hardly look at me now. He is a nurse at the Methodist hospital here.
[Really curious who this might be. Something to work on… ]
We sure had a fine time Sun. Three couples of us took our supper to the woods. We built a big fire & sat on a log & ate our lunch. It sure was fun. We had a gallon of warm milk right from the cow. Gee, but that tasted good to me. We had sandwiches, pie & cake & pickles. D. & I both had to take dyspepsia tablets that night.
[Pickles and warm milk would upset my stomach too… ]
Fred worked on his chicken house all day Sun. & then in the evening he & Dell & I went to a show. The three couples of us went to a show Sat. night. D.& I and Mitch & his girl (Gertrude Hague) and my room-mate of last winter & his girl comprise the 3 couples.

Where are you folks going on Thanksgiving day? Can’t we be at home alone that day. It seems like we didn’t get to visit any the last time we were home. I didn’t get to get out & see anything at all.
What is papa doing now? When are they going to start husking in earnest? How is the hog cholera around there? Are our pigs all all right yet? Are you going to have any apples this year? Did you get any nuts this fall? How are Hortons? Who is helping her now? Mitch gave us the last Advocate so we saw the Highland items. We didn’t know Horton’s girl.

The buggy is all fixed up now & was primed today. It had to have 6 new half rims & had the tires reset. And had a new brace put in between the reaches. They sure fixed it up fine for me. Don’t know how much it will cost yet but I expect about $20 or $25. I am saving up for it now so I won’t send you very much for a while. I want to have the buggy up home by the 28th if possible. I am having the gear and wheels painted bright red as Dutch said he wanted it that color. It will be as good as new when he gets it again. He doesn’t want to let the chickens roost on it anymore! It was in lots worse shape than I thought it was. He & Lena can go around the loop some when they get it back.
How are they stacking up now? How is Dine? I suppose papa will soon begin to feel like an old man. Saturday will be one year older won’t he? [42!]
The fellows at the factory are going to have a Hallowe’en party Thurs. night. D. & I are going if nothing happens. We are invited to several different parties on that night but I guess we will go to this one. I will get the new Asst Supt acquainted. Mr. Bord & I are working awful hard now. We are pricing & extending the inventory. There sure is a pile of figuring to it. May have to work some at nights before we get through.
Well mum I will close. Give my love to all the kids. Take good care of papa. Love to all. Write soon.
Your Son xxx Paul
Tell Gertrude I think those cards are awful nice that she sent me. Have her send some more. Love to all, Paul

Families are Forever! ;-)