Category Archives: Yegerlehner

“Foreign Service” (Roscoe)

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: June 13, 1943 envelope

: June 13, 1943, p. 1

: June 13, 1943, p. 2

: June 13, 1943, p. 3

: June 13, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

June 13, 1943
Lieut. R. S. Yegerlehner
Navy 60 F.P.O. S.F.C.

Dear Mother,

You will note that I cut the address down considerable on the inside – just lazy.

Yesterday your letter of May 25 came. It was the one with the hospital programs etc. The part that was most amusing was Dr. Holliday’s “Foreign service.” He was out of the States possibly 2 mo., maybe less, and then only on a ship which touched lightly at several islands. He of course doesn’t look healthy and never

[page 2] was much of an athlete. Played professional base ball only a few years ago. So much for that. I think that gives a cross section of the feeling the rest of us have about things like that.

A letter from the folks came yesterday also. It was written May 27. The most news it gave was the fact that they might be great-grandparents – which just goes to prove – well whatever you want it to prove – but if you’re not interested just drop the subject. The above was merely diarrhea of words and constipation of thought, which one gets afflicted with at times.

[page 3] I haven’t answered the Rotary letters yet but will get in the mood one of these days.

You have mentioned several times about my clothes being stored. Don’t worry about them because I doubt very much if they will be any good and I’m not going to buy as much as I did before because those whites and that blue top coat were a waste of money and next time I’ll buy only what I need for where I need it.

I’ll have to leave those things there however because I might get sent to a colder climate

[page 4] before going home. I think I’ll be able to go back there and pick them up when I’m thru here.

You told me one time what that loan amounted to but I forgot so if you think of it write it again. As an investment the paying of the loan on your policy would be as good as any since that costs 6% also, but I don’t suppose there is enough money for that. You might consider that if there is any spare –

Well, I’ve jumped from here to there etc.

Love Daddy

Russell Islands
Image by Kelisi at Wikipedia.com (Wikipedia Commons license)

© 2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/08/08/foreign-service-roscoe/

Rainy Sundays (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

MRS. R.S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
6-13-43

Dear Daddy –

Another Sunday and more rain. It rained on Easter Sunday and John as been checking on the rain for seven Sundays. This is the 7^th and it has rained every Sunday since Easter. I still can’t say whether that proves anything. It was so hot and close when I got up this morning – Mother said she didn’t feel like going to church so I went. The boys didn’t know I was there and I sat about two rows back of them – They acted good enough, but as soon as the service was over, darted out the side door and got home without knowing I was there. That is the first time I had been to church since the Easter Services but I would rather have the boys keep their church habits – when D. gets a little older I might try to take him. He is having a time now in his pen. He is playing with a pillow. His third shot seemed to bother him a little, but it was so hot after he had it. The spot is about gone now and he is as happy as every today. We can’t sit out in the yard now – We just had a hard shower and it keeps thundering like more is coming. The wind blew hard for a few minutes like something was going to happen, but soon quit. I saw the Henderson baby – I think the last one you delivered before you left – It doesn’t look well. He is 13 mo. old and weighs not a pound more than D. He looks like he needs vitamins. I took J. & M. to the band concert last night – there was the usual Sat. nite mob in town.

Love Mother

© 2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/08/07/rainy-sundays-gladys/

Vacation in Cleveland? (Roscoe)

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: June 12, 1943 envelope

: June 12, 1943, p. 1

: June 12, 1943, p. 2

: June 12, 1943, p. 3

: June 12, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R. S. Yegerlehner USNR
Navy 60 F.P.O. S.F. Calif.

Dear Mother,

Received your air mail letters of May 26, 27, 28 & 29 so you see things are really picking up. Two days on straight with late mail is really something.

Hope Mark got along OK with the tonsil business. He probably won’t be so keen about medical goings on after taking ether. There was one thing you wrote which I didn’t like and that was both boys riding on the bike at the

[page 2] same time. I think that should be discouraged very firmly.

It doesn’t sound as if you have too much of a bank balance but I believe those figures were just before the monthly deposit. At least I don’t believe I would buy any bonds each month unless you can see your way pretty definite.

You mentioned receiving the 150 and said the others hadn’t come yet but surely those have arrived by now.

Of all things there was a USO show here yesterday. All male

[page 3] actors however. It was a short distance from here and I didn’t feel it necessary to attend but a number of the men did and seemed to enjoy same.

I received a letter from Hicky. Yesterday and fully 2/3 of it was censored so I don’t know much of what he wrote – Mostly was “Hello Doc,” and Hicky at the end. I’m going to send it back to him and tell him to be more careful of the details.

Your garden seed never did

[page 4] arrive but maybe it’s just as well since gardening doesn’t seem so profitable. However, I’m going to keep on trying with what I have.

I showed the commanding officer your pictures the other day and he drew out his wife’s picture and said “Doc I believe they would pass for as sisters” and I think he is correct. Poor woman. We plan a vacation for us in Cleveland when we get home. Not Kentland because we are afraid of being bothered by patients – So it’s Cleveland. Spend some time on Lake Erie etc. Then to Reno. No not divorce but a visit there,

Love Daddy

Russell Islands
Image by Kelisi at Wikipedia.com (Wikipedia Commons license)

© 2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/08/06/vacation-in-cleveland-roscoe/

Wordless Wednesday – Family Portrait

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Gladys with John and Mark, circa 1933

Photograph from the private collection of Deborah Sweeney.

Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/08/06/wordless-wednesday-family-portrait/

Photographs (Gladys)

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: June 12, 1943 envelope

: June 12, 1943, p. 1

: June 12, 1943, p. 2

: June 12, 1943, p. 3

: June 12, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
June 12 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

No mail today but had four letters this week. The travel check came but as yet the $100⁰⁰ hasn’t. It is cloudy, windy, sunny, sultry today. It looks like rain then the sun shines again. I got the roll of pictures developed and am enclosing a few. I was in only one and John moved the camera when he took it but I am enclosing it anyway. I will take another roll when D. is 9 mo. old. These were taken at 8 & 8 ½ months. The one taken on the terrace shows the grass as needing a hair cut – John has gone out now to take care of the job. He took the lawn mower to get it oiled & sharpened before he finished his moving last time. This continued rain keeps him busy with the lawn and since

[page 2] Mark’s tonsillectomy John has done most of the garden work – plowed the potatoes with a garden plow this morning. We had spinach, lettuce, onions & radishes today. Wish you could enjoy some of the green onions.

Mrs. Roberts was here this morning. She had taken Earl’s girl to Sheldon. Earl is still in the States, but I think he is out on Maneuvers now. His wife is with him or was but their children are with the family here. Mrs. R. brought a weaning cup for David she had used for her children. She had some recent mail from Joe & his add. is Navy 609. I haven’t rec’d all your letters so don’t know what your latest word from Joe is.

David had his third shot yesterday – and it made him restless all night – He has been slightly cross today – but I think he is trying to get the third tooth – and as hot

[page 3] and sultry as it is today is enough to irritate him. He is asleep in his buggy. Mother is sitting out in the yard with him. This heat is almost too much for Mother. She hasn’t been feeling very well since she came back, and it’s about all she can do to keep going. I try to keep her from doing anything because I know she doesn’t feel well enough to exert herself much. She is so thin and doesn’t have much of an appetite.

I had a letter from your Mother. She said they didn’t have all the corn planted yet. Some have here and others haven’t. I think they will get “our” cornfield done today. John and I were so hoping they would put something else there this year.

Speaking of the pictures – I took the pictures with the spirea in the background when it was in full bloom so you could get a fair idea how much it

[page 4] has grown and how pretty it was in bloom. I told you before “I,” meaning me, separated some of the fuller bushes and transplanted to the thin spots – so now it is pretty well evened up. I filled up the N.E. corner with large bushes so it looks like it should.

Dean Davis is having a picnic for the factory workers today. Statons have all gone for the afternoon. It is quiet in the neighborhood now with Jimmy gone, Bobby & Zell girls taking naps. Bobby was watching me hoe a flower bed and remarked “my mother isn’t a planter.” I told him his daddy took care of their planting. Bobby is always saying something to give us a laugh. We think he has a very high I.Q. for his age – and his vocabulary is amazing at times.

Not much news around town that I know of just now.

Love Mother

© 2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/08/05/photographs-gladys/

Rotary Club (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: June 11, 1943 envelope

: June 11, 1943, p. 1

: June 11, 1943, p. 2

: June 11, 1943, p. 3

: June 11, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Lt. R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
Navy 60 F.P.O. S.F. Calif.

Dear Mother,

Yesterday was a big letter day – 5 from you – V-mail of 5-14 & 19, air mail of 5-7, 5-19 & 5-20. And then 15 V-mail from members of Rotary. I began reading the V-mail and noted one or two from fellows and then someone explained what they were doing so I saw the pint. It sure was a surprise and I might say a pleasant one.

You might check with Al C. to see about my dues. I believe I’m paid up until July 1^stMaybe they won’t charge anything but

[page 2] if they do, pay it and get the receipt and send it to me.

In one of your letters there were pictures. D by himself, with John, and then the one with you and the boys. I looked at the pictures before reading the letter and it surely looked as if John had grown lots, but you explained how you were standing so that indicated he hadn’t grown so much.

There is another Dr. living in the tent with me now and I showed him the pictures. I asked him about his children and he said “I hang my head” – He has

[page 3] three girls. I tried to console him as best I could. Don’t you think I was correct in doing that little thing?

Since I’ve been writing four cocoanuts have fallen just outside and last night one smacked the tent top. In the middle of the night a direct hit on the tent gives one a thrill for a few seconds as you might imagine.

From the looks of D. I’ll have to hurry home or he will be sent out to release me because he is getting to be some boy. Tell Mark the uniform in OK. Because

[page 4] there has been a change and his is probably the later Navy design – one that I haven’t seen as yet.

Never did get to that rat trap for Chappie. He informed me this morning at Chow that one was on his table and knocked off a bunch of things – so I’ll have to make an added effort today.

I’ll write the Rotarians a letter one of these days. Can’t answer each letter individually but will for the group.

Well, wish I would get letters like that every day. Especially the ones from you –

Love Daddy

A new runway, Russell Islands, 1943

© 2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/08/04/rotary-club-roscoe/

Piano Recital (Gladys)

1 Reply

: June 11, 1943 envelope

: June 10th Piano Recital Program

: June 11, 1943, p. 1

: June 11, 1943, p. 2

: June 11, 1943, p. 3

: June 11, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
June 11 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

Rec’d yours of May 26 – the $32.⁶⁰ ck. came yesterday, but as yet the $100⁰⁰ is still en route. I am enclosing a program of the Piano Recital given last night. You will note John’s three numbers. If you want to show it to anyone you might casually mention that John is playing the same grade music the three high-school girls play – (Helen Hoover, Barbara McCartney & Mary E. Arnold). John has decided to discontinue in the swing band. I am glad he decided that for himself because I was afraid I would have to. They want to practice too late at night – and they will probably go some places to play I wouldn’t approve of. Buddy just arrived – he has been here every day except Sunday for a week. John and Mark are

[page 2] washing dishes and Mark is giving a demonstration of what the different kinds of machine guns, etc., sound like. Mark went to baking class today. He said they are having a farewell party for Mrs. Rupp – she is getting married – so that means another teacher for next year – there will be several changes.

The mosquitoes have been bad already and we are warned in the paper this week they are to be worse – There has been so much rain and it keeps raining. According to today’s Newton Co. E. the farmers around here haven’t all their corn planted. This field directly north of us has had so much water standing on it they haven’t got it ready yet for planting. They had two tractors going on it yesterday but the rain started before noon so they had to stop, but were at work again this morning. John and I are of the opinion they are ruining

[page 3] the ground by repeating corn crops there (as if it’s any our business) and were hoping they would either change crops or put nothing in. We have to turn in the front license plates for scrap. We now have last year’s rear with the small plate issued this year fastened on. Mother had a letter from Jim – He is in Primary Training now, which will end July 1 – then advanced training, then a 10 day leave – when he intends coming home – Then I suppose Thelma will go back to T. H. to live because he thinks he will be shipped out. He has all new uniforms now – C.P.O.

I am trying to concentrate on writing and all the family are here in the living room plus Buddy – so it’s a little hard to think and keep my mind off what is going on.

David is in his buggy. Took a nap out in buggy but we had to bring him in when we had lunch. He woke up just a few minutes ago. Mark is playing with him now and D. is pulling his hair –

[page 4] He thinks it’s funny now but I tell him it won’t be when David gets older. It is getting near D.’s 2 P.M. feeding – which will be of potatoes, peas, carrots & apple sauce & milk. He doesn’t care for potatoes alone so I mix them with anything else I have. I still give him Vit. C. Tablets – the last time I gave him orange juice it bounced right back up. As old as he is (8 ½ mo.), I should think he could keep orange juice down. I give him apple sauce or peaches or apricot & apple sauce combined and he keeps any of them down. He likes either peas or carrots or asparagus but gags at beets. I can’t feed him spinach or prunes. His bowels are inclined to be loose so have to be careful what I feed him. Cream of Wheat also has a tendency to make his bowels too loose, so he gets Gerbers wheat cereal, Pablum or Pabena (Mead’s oatmeal cereal).

Mark and Buddy have taken D. out for a ride – until time for him to eat. Raymond Bower is home but I haven’t seen him – Dorothy was telling me he has been around a lot – his ship was in a battle.

Love – Mother

Yegerlehner home, E. Dunlop Street, Kentland, Indiana, June 1943

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/08/03/piano-recital-gladys/

The Book: Progess Report – August 2, 2014

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This week was my first full week back to work at my day job. Wow! My vacation is truly over. Late summer and early fall are my busy season. I will be madly working on state mandated testing until the end of October. Despite my schedule change, I still managed to work on the book and transcribe this week’s letters.

Last week after I decided to start using the Palamino font, I went back through the manuscript and changed both the font type and the size. The book has now increased in length and measures over 300 hundred pages. I am almost done assembling chapter 8 (November 1942). Chapter 9 will include all the letters from December 1942. I intend to write a chapter of biographies of the people who are mentioned in the 1942 letters only. The last steps will be assembling a bibliography of sources (these sources will mainly be the ones I use to write the biographies) and an index. I haven’t played too much with word’s indexing function and I am not sure how well it will work, especially since people’s names are not always complete. So I may be building an index of names from scratch.

The next thing I worked on this week was finding an appropriate symbol to separate each letter. Up until this point, I used 5 centered asterisks after each letter. Very boring! And it looked amateurish. I was thinking of finding a symbol that looked like an anchor since my grandfather was in the Navy; I wasn’t really happy with any of the choices I found. In typography, this device is known as a hedera. In old latin texts, it was used to separate paragraphs in long documents (between the chapter breaks). The device was typically shaped like a leaf from the hedera plant. I found that by playing with symbols in word, using the Wing dings font, there are some pretty great graphics that work very nicely.

My hedera symbol

Another idea I played around with was making a simple family tree graphic. Since the letters mention family members often, I thought it would be an easy way for readers to quickly find and see the relationships. I have completed one chart for the Yegerlehner family and intend to make two more: one for the Fosters and another for the Schiele family.

Yegerlehner family tree

My last brainstorm for the week involved the use of poetry. Often chapters in books have quotes at the beginning. Roscoe and Gladys didn’t particularly have any favorite poets BUT they did enjoy opera. Operas are mentioned often in the letters so I thought this was a good way to incorporate that love into the book. So now I am gleaning one of the family’s favorite operas to find meaningful quotes. And when I say the family, I mean my generation as well. My dad took me to my first opera when I was six and it was this opera. Until this week, I had not realized that it was my grandmother’s favorite opera as well. I won’t name the opera as I want to leave some of the book a secret.

So my question for the week to my readers is…should I leave in the crossed-out errors in the letters? It looks neater if the strike-outs are removed but I think it takes away some of the personality and authenticity of the letters. What do you think?

© Deborah Sweeney, 2014.
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/08/02/the-book-progress-report-august-2-2014/

Navy 609 (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: June 10, 1943 envelope

: June 10, 1943, p. 1

: June 10, 1943, p. 2

: June 10, 1943, p. 3

: June 10, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

June 10, 1943
Lieut R. F. Yegerlehner USNR
Navy 60 F.P.O. San F. Calif.

Dear Mother,

Your letter of May 24 and John’s of May 15, came yesterday. Also got one from Joe R. The one from Joe wasn’t sent thru the mail. It came by a Dr. who was passing along. My mail to you should be much better now than some time ago and I hope yours will be better in this direction. So much for mail.

You said you had received one check of the uniform money so that won’t have to be written

[page 2] about any more – wish now I would have put them both in that envelope. Hope you didn’t have any trouble with the check since I didn’t sign it.

Joe said he hadn’t gotten much news from home but I don’t know if he meant his letters were slow or that news were slow. I guess his wife knows his address has been changed now to Navy 609*. However his location is still the same.

I was very fortunate yesterday in getting a pillow. Of course I have no slip but instead I use a mattress

[page 3] cover. It’s a little large but does very well. It’s a little hard to find the pillow in that large a slip.

When you send me things like sardines etc. does that deduct from your ration points? If so don’t do it. If not you might send some sardines, canned chicken or any items like that but no Spain, Vienna sausage or such – Don’t do it if it cuts down on your own ration points. Olives or shrimp if available and shippable would be fine. The last bunch of sardines never did arrive so don’t include too many in

[page 4] one box.

The garden seed you sent never did arrive but as I told you yesterday or day before it’s too shady and it’s useless unless I can find a more sunny spot.

Well, the ten month period of our leaving the states is now passed and we are going into the eleventh – Steps closer to coming home I hope. At least something to live for and to look forward to.

Must get going so
Solong
Love Daddy

Russell Islands
Image by Kelisi at Wikipedia.com (Wikipedia Commons license)

*Navy 609 is the classification of Mobile Hospital #8

‎

We Scored Again (Gladys)

1 Reply

: June 10, 1943 envelope

: June 10, 1943, p. 1

: June 10, 1943, p. 2

: June 10-, 1943, p. 3

: June 10, 1943, p. 4

: June 10, 1943, p. 5

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
June 10 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

We scored again on mail today – Yours of May 20 & 21 came with the travel check. I am sending John to the bank to dep. it and mail this when I finish. Your letters were very refreshing – you had had some from me and answered some questions and commented. First I’ll talk about the furnace & coal situation. Up to now the furnace has been doing “OK.” We keep it well cleaned and Mr. Monroe keeps a record on the oiling and comes every 60 days to go over the oiling job. I have kept coal put in and have a standing order for coal. When I paid the cast coal bill yesterday Chet said he had me down for a fill up the next car that comes in. I was going to have Harlans

[page 2] bring a load but since coal is getting to be so hard to get thought I had better let the order stand at the Lumber co. I can get some later from Harlans. I think you would be proud of our job taking care of the furnace. When we came home from Ruth’s (May 24), I cleaned the furnace out before I started a new fire. It will have to be cleaned again soon because day before yesterday when John & I cleaned the basement we burned a lot of papers & bones.

About Johnson’s baby – he seemed some better last week when Lucile went to Laf. with me to get Mark. However they had to keep his arms & legs covered with long stockings to keep him from digging. I haven’t seen or talked with Lucile since then but will in a day or two. They are giving him S.M.A. and did give him lamp treatments. Ellsworth Wilson’s baby had eczema so bad but it finally left and Lucile is hoping Jimmy Ed will outgrow it too – I saw Ellsworth yesterday – He

[page 3] had Eddie Ray with him. I think they keep him home all the time, or take him with them when they go – He looks pretty good, but after a fracture like he had, I suppose they have to keep a close watch on him (my own observation).

David is in his bed following his his bath & cereal. He can pull up to his feet now. He is so much to climb I can hardly hold him on my lap – he wants to climb right up. Tries to climb out of anything that offers the opportunity – like his buggy or play chair. It is raining today so he can’t go out of doors. His two lower teeth show up very good now. He is due for his last shot but I am going to wait until tomorrow evening – the last one he had in the morning and he was cross all day. I used to leave him in bed with me after he had his 6 a.m. bottle and he would take a nap but he won’t be still now – Just as soon as he gets thru – he turns over and tries to climb up on the head of the bed – Mother gets up about the time he finishes

[page 4] his bottle so she brings him downstairs. Sometimes we wake him up when we go to bed but he just smiles, turns over, takes his thumb and goes back to sleep.

I went down to Funks last night. Arlene had been to Laf. and had a wisdom tooth pulled. She has learned to drive so she drove their car down. Don’t worry, about a gift for Carl’s baby – I gave “Tommy” a present. I haven’t seen him yet but Arlene & I are to go one afternoon soon and see him.

John is practicing a lot this morning – The recital is tonight – – Buddy came out before Mark was up this morning – I didn’t let him disturb Mark – he just waited until he did get up. They are around the house some place now playing. I think Buddy has been out here every day except Sun. since Mark came home from the hospital. I think Mark’s throat is about normal again. He doesn’t chew quite so much aspergum. He has a good appetite and says he has gained back all he lost while in the hospital. Last night when we were ready for bed he weighed 61.

Had a letter from Ruth M. today

[page 5] She was going to Tat Coan’s wedding. Tat went into the Catholic Church and had quite a large wedding. When we were over there they were having several showers for her. Ruth had been invited to one. Tat and Helen came to see us while at Ruth’s – of course they wanted to see D.

I just looked at the clock and see it’s 11:30 so must get busy and stir something for lunch. I bought potatoes again yesterday. We don’t buy by pecks anymore. It’s by the 10 lb. – (73¢ for 10 lbs). I got 2 lbs hamburger and it was 31¢ lb. I ran out of meat – still have chickens, bacon (and the strawberries I put in Tues). Brands said they had a quarter I could have but it didn’t materialize. Parttens have promised me a quarter but they won’t butcher till fall, so I got caught with my locker almost empty. However Zells’ frys are ready and I am going to put a dozen in the locker. I must stop and write your Mother a line.

Love Mother