Tag Archives: Carl Donahue

Dunes State Park (Gladys)

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: July 15, 1943 envelope

: July 15, 1943, p. 1

: July 15, 1943, p. 2

: July 15, 1943, p. 3

: July 15, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
July 15 1943

Dear Daddy –

No letters today but had up to July 3^rd this week. It is a typical hot & dry July day. We are needing rain now. After all the rain we had and just a week ago it doesn’t seem we would be needing more so soon. John just finished mowing the lawn again and if we don’t have rain soon again the grass won’t grow very fast. The Onargo man was here this morning and trimmed the trees & sprayed. It was Cailey – he was just working for them today. He has a job in a defense plant and had a day off. Now the two end trees look almost the same. They are to replace the one tree. It has come out of it but we are to get a new one.

[page 2] The ones Foulkes & Funks have in the middle of their front yards look like they are gone but they had them sprayed today.

Mark is out in the yard with David & John is washing dishes. John made cup cakes this morning. Mark wants to go to 4-H camp at Dunes State Park in Aug. I told him he could go if he practiced on his piano lessons & worked on other things when told to do so. He weeded some this morning and now John is sitting at the piano with him to get him to learn his notes. I didn’t buy the new horn for him because he didn’t practice on it any better than on the old one. John and I think he would do better on a reed instrument than a brass because it would be easier to blow. So if we come across a clarinet or sax will see what we can do. However I am about to buy the grand piano I wrote you about. Mother has $100⁰⁰ saved she was going visiting on and since

[page 3] she won’t be able to go any place for a long while she wants me to use it on the piano. That would leave $200⁰⁰ that I can pay later. I have been figuring what I can do in the next few months. I know it would be best to have the cash but pianos are so hard to find I thought I had better take one when I can. I have all bills paid up and nothing coming up except Ins. ever quarterly. The car ins. is due in Aug. Your next Hancock is in Oct. This won’t get the loan on my ins. pd. off quite as soon. But maybe can take care of it a little later.

The Rotary Club is entertaining ladies Mon. evening and I am invited. Will see about your dues. Have been so busy with Mother haven’t seen about them yet.

David’s eyes are about cleared up. Just a few red streaks, but definitely improved since starting on the drops Dr. Ade gave. He doesn’t

[page 4] rub them so much. I don’t remember what Dr. Ade said was the trouble, except infection that was going around. So don’t worry about it because it is almost gone, whatever it was.

Irene said her sister has a baby girl, born this morning. I suppose they wanted a boy. Most everybody does. Donahues wanted a boy, but I told Carl they probably felt like we do – wouldn’t trade David for all the girls. John says a girl couldn’t possibly have David’s personality, etc. David is very friendly – smiles at everybody and hasn’t yet shown sign of being afraid of people.

I think Mother is improving tho slowly. She eats little, but does eat something every meal, so that is better than nothing. Had a night letter from Jim. He & Thelma are recuperating from a sunburn they got at the beach. He has a 9 day leave but can’t come home. Says before he is sent out will get another leave & come home.

Love Mother

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/10/10/dunes-state-park-gladys/

One Thousand is a Really Big Number (Gladys)

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In case you are wondering, the title of today’s blog has nothing to do with Gladys, or anything she said. Today, this blog hits a big landmark – 1,000 blog posts. I am still about two months shy of my second anniversary. To date, I have transcribed and published over 650 letters which were written by Roscoe, Gladys, their sons (John & Mark), and the occasional other, in the years 1942 and 1943. I would like to thank all of my faithful readers who have continued to read Roscoe and Gladys’ story day after day. There are still about 8 months worth of daily letters to transcribe and post so I hope everyone sticks around for the rest of the adventure.

: July 9, 1943 envelope

: July 9, 1943, p. 1

: July 9, 1943, p. 2-3

: July 9, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:
Kentland Ind
7-9-43

Dear Daddy –

Went to Laf. today to see Mother & talk to Dr. Cole. He said she had strep, staf [staph], & B-Coli infection in her bowels, a little puss in her urine, but the last to be expected in a person her age. He has her on sulfaquoxadine and wants her to stay in the hospital another week yet. She isn’t minding it so much. She doesn’t feel well enough to care much where she is. He has been giving her sleeping

[page 2] tablets and I suppose this is the first time in her life she ever took a sedative and she slept all night and most of the next day after taking one tablet.

Yours of June 13 came today so that about catches up the back mail. I have been on the go so all day I can hardly get my thoughts collected – Maybe David will let me sleep in the a.m. and maybe he will want an early bottle. He has been waiting till 7 a.m. for his bottle. Zell’s came home yesterday and they are always anxious to keep the baby so Mark and David

[page 3] remained here and at Zell’s – After Mrs. Zell fed him at 3 p.m. he took a nap then they took his play pen over there and kept him there. When John & I left he was having a buggy ride. They have three girls & Mr. Zell wants a boy so much. He was practically in tears when the last two were girls.

Rosemary Funk is home from the hospital and Arlene wanted me to go with her to see R. so after I got back from Laf. & got David to bed I went with Arlene. I thought she had had an appendectomy but Arlene said also more had been done – her uterice [uterus] had dropped and that had to be raised – I don’t know whether I am saying all

[page 4] the above correctly but I think you know what I mean. Dr. C. told her she would have to be very careful for a while – that her insurance for the next 30 yrs. would be in her care of herself the next 3 wks. Her mother still has the baby – she first has a very young girl working for her and isn’t able to take care of the baby herself yet. Her mother spoils him so – Rosemary said she carries him around even while preparing meals.

Carl Donahue’s have a new girl. Carl wanted a boy too and so did Cecelia – that makes 3 girls for them. Ruthie Parttens came home from the hospital and I am going to try to get out to see her. I’ll let you know all about her when I get back. I must get this finished – it’s getting late –

Love Mother

More Local News (Gladys)

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Although Gladys makes no mention of it in her letters, Roosevelt’s Teen Age Draft Bill is now officially the law of the land. The new law affected a large number of young men. An estimated 2,500,000 boys were eligible to be drafted into the armed services as well as thousands more who were close to their eighteenth birthdays. One exception to the new draft was for those who were regularly engaged in essential agricultural positions. Producing and harvesting food was considered to be an integral part of the war effort.

Meanwhile in Roscoe’s part of the world, the Navy was engaged in fighting another major series of battles around Guadalcanal Island. For a more in depth breakdown of the battles that occurred during this week in 1942, check out Wikipedia’s page. Or you can watch this military video about the Victory At Sea – Guadalcanal (although it tells more of the story of the first offensive in August 1942). The documentary also includes some great military propaganda, showing everyone working together at home and abroad in the war effort.

: November 14, 1942 Envelope

: November 14, 1942, p. 1

: November 14, 1942, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
Nov 14 – 1942

Dear Daddy-

Another sunny fall day. However a little crisp. The boys are home today but haven’t worked very much because I did most everything yesterday. Now that Mother has gone back to T.H. [Terre Haute] they have to wash dishes but can’t work together so good – so they take turns. I didn’t receive a letter this a.m. but will probably get two or three Mon. (I hope). This week they have been coming every day. Last week they came in bunches. I have decided to give you the bank balance in every letter & be sure to mention whether or not I received any letters from you. Now the bank bal is around 720 – that includes the birthday gift. I get my allotment checks every month – (now if that everything I should mention?) We have a new mail carrier – Carl Donahue. The Hall boy had to go into service. You said something in one letter about Nick being closed on Sun. He closes Thurs & Sun and Johnny closes Wed. After gas rationing I wonder if there will be as much restaurant business. The traffic certainly has slowed down on 41 – If the baby weren’t so small and gas rationing coming in I would plan to go places this fall but with both I think I’ll stay home (except for the four gal per). I may go to Ruth M’s later on.

[page 2] The telephone had to ring this morning just when I was talking a little cat nap before getting up, ant [and] it caused David to give a little cry like he was frightened. So far noises haven’t bothered him. Then the party had the wrong number. Grrr! This being Sat. we weren’t in a hurry to get up. Our neighbor Zell is going into the chicken business – Had a chicken house moved to the north side of his lot this morning. He I think is more “your idea” of what a county agent should be. Louise Glenn came to see me this a.m. She brought Johnny along. He certainly is a live wire. She had to move everything from the coffee table. I had some washing soaking in the lavaratory & Johnny upset the box of Duz over the floor. I showed Louise the shells & coral. She agreed that the coral would be very attractive mounted & set on the coffee table or somewhere. I wouldn’t care if you could send more. The second box hasn’t arrived yet. Will let you know.

Link got a load of wood this afternoon. He tried burning hard coal in his fireplace but couldn’t get it to burn. I told him we had soft coal for ours last winter. He took Jimmies boat bed and set it back of the garage to put coal in. They got a new bedroom suite for Jimmie’s room. I am enclosing the last two months from my desk calendar and hope you get them before Nov is past. Will find a small new one for next year and send to you.

David weighed 8 lbs 10 oz this morning and is 7 ½ weeks old. He took 5 oz milk at 2 p.m. which is an increase of ½ to 1 oz over what he has been taking. John & Mark are both “OK.”

Love Mother

Post originally found at: https://genealogylady.net/2013/06/25/more-local-news-gladys/‎