Ancestor Artifacts - Sept 1912 Letters

Ancestor Artifacts - Sept 1912 Letters

 Today we have an exciting envelope, with stamp, three full sheets both sides from Paul, and a bonus, a letter from Dorothy to the family. [I’ll have to write more about Dorothy Sorensen later, but it is obvious from these letters that Paul and Dorothy were much more involved, in Coon Rapids, from an earlier date than I had imagined. She had been living in Stuart  - about half way between Coon Rapids and Des Moines.]

The envelope is an amazing artifact in itself, of course. Notice the two one-cent stamps. Notice that the address is simply to his mother, the postal route, and the community in which she  lived. It appears that he was working at the Carriage Co of the return address. Note also, no further address on the Carriage Co. Apparently everyone simply knew who they were, and where they were located. Des Moines postmark on the front, Coon Rapids postmark on the back. Fascinating.

On with the letter:

Des Moines, Iowa
Sept. 15, 1912
Dearest Mother & All:
Rec’d your fine letter(nit).
How are you all? We are all fine down here. D. & Ida & I went to church this morning. D. & I went to the M.E. church & Ida went to the Christian. This P.M. Dell & Fred & Ida went out to Valley Junction to see Edith. D. & I staid & took care of the kids. We had lots of fun. Charlie got his finger cut and we had to put a rag on it. Had some real family cares. They came back about 5:30 when we had some tea. Then lots of music. Then Olive got after me with some water but she couldn’t get it on me & she got sore. She is sore yet. We have some times here. Dorothy likes her work fine now. She makes as much as she did at Horton’s and she has every evening and Sunday. Goes to work at 7:30 & quits at 5:30. She & Ida each their lunches in the Ladies rest room in the court house. Have a fine place.
[My first assumption was the Ida was Dorothy’s sister-in-law, and that Dell is her sister. Reserving judgment, as the other names don’t match with family.]
[We learn later that the Horton’s were a family in Coon Rapids where Dorothy had been working before coming to Des Moines. Therefore, she had spent time in Coon Rapids and knew Paul’s family well, especially ten-year-old Gertrude, it seemed.]
How is the work going up there? Have you got everything ready for the “fatal wedding.” Just think, this is Lucile’s last Sunday single. It doesn’t seem possible does it?
[Sister Lucile would marry Wilson Herron on 18 Sep 1912]
I don’t believe I will ever get married. It doesn’t seem like such a joke when you come right down to it. I hope & pray that they may be happy & get along nicely. I hope this is the last time that either of them will have to get married. Did they have a nice shower? Did they get many things?
(Has Robert’s suit come yet? He had ought to have come down here & got a $15.00 tailor-made suit. I was going to get a new suit but D. likes this old brown one so well that she wouldn’t let me.
[Dorothy seems to already play a pretty big role in his life. Most interesting. I assume that Ida is Dorthy’s sister-in-law. I had not realized Dorothy was living and working in Des Moines at the same time that Paul was. More to come on this, I’m sure.]
Met Aura Morse on the street Fri. night. Had a long talk with him. He was going home for a day or two now.
My work is going fine but for so many advertising letters. I get awfully tired of them. I wrote 25 letters in shorthand one afternoon. I like the selling & shorthand part of my work. Had another big fire here. Just 2 blocks from the factory. It was Mennig-Slater’s pickle factory. I saw nearly all of it. Was early in the morning & I was just going to work. D. saw it too from her factory. When is Papa going to send our buggy down? The boys have made me a special pair of shafts. They (just the sticks) were bent quite a bit during the State Fair but no one could break them.
[Interesting to reference that both he and Dorothy work in factories!]
I got a card from Fest this week & he has been married for three months. What do you think of that? He is also sending me a crate of peaches. I expect they will be nice. He said Lucile was wise & I wasn’t. I am not so sure of that though.
How does Leo like his work in the bank? I wish I could be lucky and get a good job near home. Got a dandy letter from Rex too. How is Aunt Josephine? I suppose she is as busy as you are.
[I believe Leo is Leo Williams, a first cousin about same age, year older, as Paul.]
We will be home Wednesday sometime but I don’t know when yet. I don’t know yet how I can arrange about paying yet. I got the napkins. Could only get plain white ones. Got 100 for 20 cents. We will get the flowers the day we start.
How is Lillian’s school? How is Gertrude? She is getting to be quite a letter writer only she doesn’t want to write so much slang in it. Where did she get onto saying “Crout?”
Well mum I must go to bed. It is now 10:30. Will see you soon. Love to all.
Your un-exposed son, Paul.
(The old woman is writing too.)
[It is nearly two years until Paul and Dorothy marry, but they seem like a very close couple already!!]

Here is her letter, front and back of one sheet:

Sun eve
Dear Friends.
Just got through writing Louise a letter & thought I would write you a line. Don’t suppose you’ll have time to read it. Wish we were down there helping you. Hope everything goes nice & don’t work to awful hard. I suppose you have lot of help. May & Ollie & John & sister. And your little helping girl is going to school. How do you ever get along without her. That Gertrude have to get in the collar as Chris used to say. Thursday you & I’ll will have a good old visit won’t we Gertrude. Have you been up to Horton’s lately. I guess Aura didn’t stay after all. Paul saw him down here yesterday. Well Gertrude I don’t know any more news will tell you the rest when I see you. Yours, Dorothy.

[Louise is younger sister of Dorothy and Chris is an older brother.]

Not unexpectedly, these letters raise more questions as they provide insights into the early days of my maternal grandparents’ relationship. What fun! More research to do.

Added 27 May 2020, from Enterprise:
100 Years Ago
May 14, 1920


Only two more weeks until
school closes. The graduates are a
happy bunch. There are seven—E.
Cletus Grimm, Martha E. Yager,
Reva E. Hilgenberg, Minna M.
Muller, Lyle D. Anderon, John Parker,
Mary Gertrude Kinnick—five
girls and two boys.


Family is Forever! ;-)