Last week I posted the obituary of my grandfather’s brother Clarence. I am still waiting to receive an obituary I ordered from the Vigo County Library before New Year’s. I had been hoping to post the obituary for my grandfather’s last brother today. So change of plans….this week I will write about Clarence’s first wife, Clara.
Terre Haute Tribune; Monday, January 24, 1966, p. 2
Clara Etta Steiner was the daughter of George and Rosina (Willen) Steiner. Clara was the fourth of five children. After her mother died, George remarried. His second wife Grace had four children. George and Grace’s youngest son, Earl, was good friends with my grandfather’s youngest brother Floyd. George Steiner and his family lived in Owen County, Indiana. The Steiners were another family of immigrants from Berne, Switzerland. They, too, followed the same immigration trail through Holmes County, Ohio and thence to Owen County, Indiana. The Steiners were members of St. Peter’s Church as well as the Yegerlehners. The church is located on the Owen and Clay county line. In fact, I believe the church is technically in Clay County while the graveyard is in Owen County. The Steiners and the Yegerlehners were two families that knew each other well and have trees that have intertwined over the years.
Clara and Clarence had certainly known each other since they were very small children. They were married May 22, 1920 in Coal City, Indiana, by the Rev. William Krieble, Clarence’s great uncle. If you would like to read more about Clarence and Clara, see the images posted with Clarence’s obituary.
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- July 11, 1942 Envelope
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- July 11, 1942, p. 1
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- July 11, 1942, p. 2
Letter translation:
Sat. Eve
Dear Mother,
Again Sat. and no delivery and no letter. Got a card from Boone. I’ve had the P.M. off and just now feel like the cat that licked the cream because I’ve spent the whole afternoon reading a ten cent detective story. I picked it up this AM and started it and there was nothing doing this PM. So we go off and I brought it home to finish all one story about 250 long.
Lentz went out to play golf and I’m waiting to get a message for him if it comes. He may take another week end off if he gets the right message. I think his girl friend is in Wilmington Delaware. That’s just a surmise and since I’ve been reading detective stories I try to figure those things out.
I go on duty tomorrow at 9:00 AM and get off at 4:30 Mon PM quite some stretch, but I guess I can stand it. Maybe I can find some time to write during the day.
Jim called me the other night he had come in to legde lodge but I was working on my correspondence course so I didn’t go downtown. He told me he was thinking of taking some sort
(page 2) of school work himself.
I’m running very low on clothes again. Haven’t gotten any laundry back since June 30 and socks are getting to be a problem again. And also underware. I’ve got some but not enough to last for one month. Its been 10 days since I took the laundry in and it took several days to get that much dirty clothes so that takes the most of the months supply.
Very very warm here today, only a faint sprinkle of rain last night again. It did help things to cool off however
Well, I’ll write again tomorrow
Love Daddy
Genealogy Lady 
I never knew my dad to read detective novels, so that was a surprise. In fact, while I was growing up, I don’t recall that he was much of a reader of anything but the newspaper.
Now, re the laundry: when I was growing up, of course my parents had the washing machine and dryer. The Zells, who lived next door, were very much old school, and had the clothes line in the back yard (or the clothes drying “thing” whatever it was called–that folded up and down like an umbrella). But once my mother had the option of the indoor dryer, she didn’t have much patience for drying clothes outdoors.
Now here’s an interesting twist on the laundry situation in the late 40s or early 50s: my bother Mark, when he was in college, MAILED his dirty laundry home (in a metal–probably aluminum–box, with canvas straps). Mother washed the clothes and mailed them back to him. By the time I went to college, there were laundromats just off campus.
Thanks for the additional memories. I need to do some screen shots of your comments and save them somehow.
I can’t imagine mailing laundry home!
Ahem… Ten days since he took his laundry in!!!
Laundry seems to be an ongoing dilemma. I believe I read a letter in 1945 after my grandfather was released and on his way home and his laundry had to be sent to him in Indiana.
I guess its still better than “Old Man Jack”. He rarely washed on those “stinkin’ islands” and when he did, it was in ocean water. Luckily towards the end, he said, they managed to have some regular water to shower and launder in.
Ugh, I can’t imagine not having a real bath for such a long time period. I used to work at a summer camp in my youth. My cabin only had a five gallon hot water heater. I know we all looked forward to having “real” showers when we went home at the end of the season.