January | 2013 | Genealogy Lady

Photograph of gravestone by Tonya & Keith Tetidrick from Find A Grave

This is my fourth Wednesday’s Child blog. Wednesday’s Child is a genealogy writing prompt in which the gravestones of children are highlighted. So far I have written about the gravestones of my uncle and two of my grandparents’ nephews. Fortunately, there are no other graves of young children in this generation. I have to go back another generation to continue this prompt. Over the next few weeks I will be highlighting the graves of my grandparents’ cousins.

The first such grave is that of my grandfather’s cousin Harvey. Harvey was the son of Charles and Henrietta Paulina (Yegerlehner) Steuernagel. Henrietta was my grandfather Roscoe’s aunt. She died long before my grandfather was born in 1904. Henrietta was only 23 when she died in 1889. Henrietta died the mother of three children, none of which survived long enough to have children of their own. After Henrietta’s death, Charles married Henrietta’s younger sister Matilda Savilla Yegerlehner.

Harvey E. Steuernagel is buried at St. Peters Cemetery at Hickory Corner, Owen county, Indiana. (FindAGrave)

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: July 7, 1942 Envelope

: July 7, 1942, p. 1

: July 7, 1942, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Tue Eve

Dear Mother,

Do you remember the agreement that you typed and I signed to take a correspondence course in naval regulations etc? Well I got the course and that is what I’ve been doing this P.M. We always get an afternoon off and since I had the duty Sat and couldn’t take it Sun. I’m taking it today because the fellow who had it Sun. took Mon. That sentence sounds like Boly S. but its OK. There are 14 lessons in the course and one must get one in each month. If I can keep awake I don’t think it will take that long. The first lesson has 77 questions.

I went to the Captain today about the leave and he told me to come back next Mon. That will be the 13^th so if I don’t get orders before then I’ll probably get to leave here around the 14^th or 15^th at least that is what he thought today. Sometimes it takes 3-4 days to get the papers made out so can’t be sure just what day it will be. By then I may hear from the other. And one fellow I know of got some little vacation between the time he left here and the time he had to report in Fla. That would help a lot we’ll just have to wait + see.

We had a pretty good shower yesterday Eve and last night but not enough to soak up this dry ground around here

(page 2) There was one new (Jg) came in today and there are others due Captain Mills told me today between now and the 12^th so that is why he is holding me until then.

Mrs. E had her cleaning done today and was taking a bath. Told me if any of the boys came home to keep them out of the bathroom. Just as if they would break the door down. And just as if I’d fight them off.

Lentz went to bed last night at about 7:00 PM. He had been up most of Sat. + Sun. Couldn’t hardly get him up this AM at 7:30.

I rather enjoy the course. Think it will give me something to do during the Eve. The questions are given and the answers have to be copied of out of a book. Not hard but tedious.

Don’t know where I’ll eat yet this Eve. Have to wait to see where Lentz goes.

This room is still vacant. Wish you were here so we could live there, if I had know[n] that that Dr. was going to be transferred. We could have sent Dorothy home and you could still stay, but those things we don’t know.

Well Solong

Love Daddy

As I sit at my computer transcribing today’s letter, I am also thinking of the New Year and how life is constantly cycling around and around. The changing of the years is one such cycle. For me, the New Year is the beginning and the end of another year of my marriage. My husband and I were married on New Year’s Eve. We always start the New Year with the beginning of another year of our marriage. It also makes it really easy for my husband to remember our anniversary.

I have never been one for making New Years’ resolutions. Why bother with resolving to do something that only lasts a few weeks and is quickly forgotten? And then later, when it is remembered it becomes something to regret. I don’t like regrets. I don’t like to dwell on them either. That’s too much energy wasted. I like to make decisions and move on from there. This year however, I really want to set a goal for myself. I’ve had my grandparents’ letters sitting in a box for over 10 years. I want to share them and really truly read them all. So I’m setting myself a goal, to transcribe and publish one letter per day through the entire year of 2013.

I have a lot of things to look forward to this year. Some of them are predictable, as in, they happen every year; for example, the annual ritual of selling Girl Scout cookies. I know I get frustrated with the bureaucracy of the whole process and it pretty much does fill up the months of January through March. But I do ultimately like doing it. This year, my family has a couple of landmarks to experience. My oldest will be leaving elementary school and moving on to the big bad middle school later this year. Much like the shock of achieving 18 years of marriage yesterday, I wonder: where did the time go? My baby girl is now a pre-teen, staring down at the hormonal cliff of puberty. I’m also planning a trip back east to visit family and friends, many of whom I have not seen since high school. Definitely an event to look forward to!

My grandparents’ letters remind me that even though my grandfather was away from home, life still went on. Bills had to be paid. The rain still fell (or in my grandfather’s case it didn’t). There were things that they were looking forward too, like the birth of their youngest child and a time when my grandfather could be home for good. So I hope you stay with me as I share the next 365 days (and more) of their lives, 70 years ago.

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: July 6, 1942 Envelope

: July 6, 1942, p. 1

: July 6, 1942, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Mon.

Dear Mother,

Just read your July 2^nd +3^rd letters. Didn’t get any mail Sat. The mail comes here in the P.M. and since there are no deliveries in the P.M. I don’t get the letter until Mon.

I can’t figure what the Insurance to the P. reality Co. is for. That seems too much unless they are figuring the car but that isn’t due until Aug. So don’t pay it until then Aug 11 to be specific. The house Ins. Surely isn’t that high unless its the 3 yr. coverage you talked about.

We had a very busy P.M. must have had close to 400 and only three of us. Hope some of those new (Jgs) get here before long. Maybe I shouldn’t have applied for the Flight business. That would htup stop any transfer to peru (penn?) etc-Maybe we can get a transfer there after the course is finished.

Do the boys know or do they just suspect your condition etc? You spoke of them being so considerate.

We haven’t had any rain here since the night you left. Just a few little spurts you can imagine how dry it is.

(page 2)I didn’t say anything to the folks about the Flight school. Because I don’t know if it will go thru etc.

I thanked Boonie for the candy, wrote Ruth + the folks yesterday.

That bank account sounded pretty good hope we can continue it there for a while. When + if I get the uniform money I think we should apply it on the note to D. Ream + stop that interest. Maybe if I get a leave we can attend to those things.

Well, I write more next time,

Love Daddy