Belinda (Barker) Foster
Yesterday was one of those days in which I just couldn’t think of anything to say or comment about in my grandmother’s letter. I scoured the paper for September 18, 1942 but did not find anything that sparked my interest. I tried, really I did. I think I am mostly just weary at this moment. I am a little more than halfway through my coursework for Boston University. I have one more week of module #3 and then two more modules to go. The program will be done by the end of April. I am also weary because it is that time of year. Girl Scout Cookie season! Things will be winding down this weekend and as luck will have it…ok, it’s not really luck as it happens every year so I guess it is more of a routine at this point…this is the beginning of the birthday season. It starts with my son’s birthday, the next day is my niece’s, then my husband’s, my sister-in-law’s, my step-father’s, my father-in-law’s, and then finally my daughter’s, all in the short span of 3 weeks. Actually, it is exactly 3 weeks since my children were both born on Fridays. Now granted we don’t celebrate all those adult birthdays, but it does make for a busy timeframe. Then you add in the Easter holiday which more often than not lands on my daughter’s birthday weekend…so what I’m trying to say is, I’m tired.
Today’s letter is the second time that my grandfather mentions his diary…sigh. I don’t think it survived. That’s depressing. My grandparents saved so much of their correspondence, but who knows what happened to the diary. Since he did not have to censor his diary, I am sure there was plenty more that we could have learned about his World War II experience. This reminds me of the obituary I have of Gladys’ ancestor, Belinda Foster, who died in 1904. The obituary tells how in the 1870s Belinda sat for a portrait of 5 generations of women, which included her mother Amy (Bishop) Barker, and Belinda’s daughter, granddaughter, and great granddaughter. As if that isn’t heart wrenching enough, the obituary says that Belinda went on to repeat the performance 30 years later in another 5 generation portrait. This time, however, Belinda was the oldest in the portrait. I think it is almost worse to KNOW about a record or document that existed, but whose whereabouts are unknown. I know that these two pictures were taken, but I have no idea if they exist anymore. Sigh. Maybe the genealogy gods will be with me someday when I find Roscoe’s diary and Belinda’s portraits.
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- September 18, 1942 (RSY) Envelope front
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- September 19, 1942 (RSY) Envelope back
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- September 19, 1942 (RSY), p. 1
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- September 19, 1942 (RSY), p. 2
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- September 19, 1942 (RSY), p. 3
Letter transcription:
Dear Mother,
Fri Sept. 18, 1942 and this time writing under electric light, not in our tents but in the common mess hall and recreation hall. It’s still not like writing in one’s own tent and on the edge of one’s own bunk. One of the boys finally broke the ice and received a letter today. It was one of the V-mail letters. I understand you could do that. They are free and you are allotted at least 5 each week. You might look into the situation. I really think that when our mail begins coming the regular air mail will be much faster.
Went into town this P.M. had to take some boys in for some medical attention. It was a change but nothing very interesting or thrilling. After the first few visits the
[page 2] glamor of the town isn’t so much, because when one buys something he feels as if he is getting stung. Probably don’t as often as we think, however. Then too there is very little we need or want.
Since we’ve had stamps I’ve written every day so you should be able to tell if any of the letters are missing. The stamp shortage is again becoming evident. Only three this A.M. and by this P.M. they were out. I have a small supply on hand but they won’t last long so send another supply. You might send a few every now and then so that I’d have them at all times.
I keep forgetting what I’ve written and what I put in my diary. You see & write
[page 2] things in that it that I can’t write home but I also write some of the things I write in letters and then I forget where I wrote them. So if you get any duplications or what seems omissions you know the reason why.
Sat. A.M. Had some rain and wind last night. Our tent waved and swayed in the gale but it held on. It was rather cold this A.M., however, made me go after hot water to do my shaving.
I’m going to try to send out a couple of V-mail letters to the boys just for the fun of it. I’ll try to do that today so they can be looking forward to them.
Love Daddy
The missing photos are frustrating – someone down some branch of the family must have one. But the one you have here is beautiful.
The one I posted is the only picture I have of her. I don’t know how strong the other branches of the tree are in regards to the photographs. Many of the lines died out and then I’ve lost the others as the 20th century progressed. It also doesn’t help that my grandma did not interact with the Foster side of the family since her father was absent for much of her life.
What a busy time Deborah!… I think it’s amazing you’re able to transcribe and post a blog every day and sometimes the letters really need to talk for themselves, reckon
Thanks so much.
Love that photo … shame about the missing ones. Hopefully they’ll turn up. When I was a child the photo of 4 generations of us women (me the younges) seemed kind of cute but now I treasure it so much!!!
I love that Daddy writes every day and am keen to know what the boys think of their V- letters…
A lot of the letters and v mail that were written to the boys are gone. I can just imagine them being over worn by children’s hands or crumpled and destroyed. Hopefully, Gladys will mention their arrival.
I also have a four generation picture of when I was a child. After my daughter was born I was able to get a repeat picture taken a few years before my maternal grandmother died. I definitely treasure them too. I think it would be harder to get a five generation picture nowadays since generations are being stretched out longer. I was in my early 30s when my daughter was born vs. the older woman in the family who were in their mid twenties.
Yep… my Great Great Grannie Susan (the name in title of my blog
) had died some 30 years before my 4 gen photo was taken. I agree that 5 generation photos, and sometimes even 4 generations, would be more difficult nowadays Deborah.
I can imagine the boys pouring over the V-mail from daddy… What a treasure and reckon they would have taken them off for their own, hence them not being amongst the others.
When I get a chance later today, I will try to dig out the older four generation picture. I will post it on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/genealogylady
Since it belongs in maternal line and not the family being discussed here. I might have to start another blog for that side of the family someday.
Yep… that would be WONDERFUL Deborah but certainly NOT before you’ve finished your study and have a little more time on your hands. Altlhough if you don’t have the strict timeline of a blog a day it won’t be so demanding, I’m thinking…
I know I’m going to love it!!!
It won’t take that long. The picture is already scanned on my computer somewhere. I just have to find the folder…
The four generation picture (with me as the youngest member) is now posted on my Facebook page.
Have you at all tried “Member Connect” on ancestry.com? I’ve got more cousins collaborating with me than I know what to do with. You never know which tiny twig-descendant of your ancestor is going to shake loose something you thought was lost.
I don’t have any connections on Ancestry for this family branch. It is an area which is really going to take some detective work. The obituary mentions a great granddaughter (in the picture) who I know moved away to Kansas/Iowa. I haven’t been able to track her very well. I don’t know if the branch died out completely. When I have more time again someday, I will get back to it. My next research task on my list is to track some of the land deeds from Clark County, Illinois where Benjamin C. Foster, Belinda’s husband, bought land grants in the 1820s and 1830s from the US government. She lived there until about five years before she died when she moved in with one of her daughters. I would love to trace how the land changed hands within the family as I do not think Benjamin had a will (or least it was not located the last time I browsed through the indexes).
There is a new mapping feature through the Bureau of Land Management website that lets you see approximately where the patents were located.
Oh, I’m sorry about the missing diary. That feels very frustrating!
It is frustrating! I keep thinking maybe I will unearth it in one of my many boxes of artifacts….I have bibles, passports, letters, autobiographies, why can’t I have the diary too?
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you
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Thanks!
“Had some rain and wind last night. Our tent waved and swayed in the gale but it held on. It was rather cold this A.M., however, made me go after hot water to do my shaving.” I know I wouldn’t do well in that situation.