Tag Archives: Chet Harlan

Going Too Smoothly (Gladys)

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October 19, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

October 19, 1945, p. 1

10-19-45

Dear Daddy –

It is cloudy with some rain. I ordered a load of stoker coal from Harlan. Just hope Monroe can get a new auger soon. Since the weather isn’t favorable for drying clothes I didn’t wash.

I went down to the office and worked a while last night. I didn’t try to save much from the drug room. I possibly threw away something of value but I doubt it. I had Mark go over to Kenny’s and get a large box and we just dumped things into that. Now when Vincent gets the carpentry done I can go and clean that room since I cleaned out most of the junk last nite. Vincent said he wouldn’t work anymore this week, but is going to get it finished next week. Monroe said he would move the heating plant when Vincent finishes so I think things will get along very well. Nick took a case while we were there and said he would soon have it all out of the way. I asked him about Mildred and he said he had a card from her and she will be gone 2 more weeks. She should have had someone fixing her side while she is away. I went out in the back to find a broom and it isn’t so bad back there. There is plenty of junk to be moved out but it not as bad as it has been at times. Mrs. Krull said she was going to have Lontz clean it out and even mentioned having it white washed. I found a good toilet seat in the drug room. I have no idea where it is from, but it may be used on the toilet in back. I also found a box of glasses & drinking tubes which I think Geo. Tilton left. He had things stored in there last year and the box had Kentland Frurn on it.

I called Emma about a perm but she said she was booked two weeks ahead, then she had a cancellation for tomorrow so it took it. I was going

October 19, 1945, p. 2

[page 2] back to Mildred but she won’t be back for two more weeks and my hair gets more uncurly every day. I read the boys part of your letter with the “pun” about the frames and you can guess their reaction. It wasn’t exactly complimentary to your humor, but you know our boys.

Ellsworth is back. I haven’t seen him yet but he has been back several days. I saw Doris and she said I had gotten Juanita’s gloves the day we were together (the day I met you at the Lakes). Juanita is working this week so Emma Plummer can take a vacation.

John worked on his school paper last night. They have to mimeograph their paper this year for a while. John says the Supt. Isn’t interested in the paper so he doesn’t try to help them. I do wish there was more co-operation between the Supt. & student body, but I doubt that there will be. Mr. S. seems to be disliked by every one over there.

I think we are going to have some fair weather – the sun is shining now, so I think I’ll go put in a washer of clothes. – – It’s now 1:30 – I have put all the washing on the line, had lunch & dishes washed. It’s very nice out but a little chilly.

Geo. Monroe came about one o’clock and said he wouldn’t be able to do the work at the office, so now I am going to try Arnold. If Jim would come up he could do it if he had tools to work with. I’ll see if I can get Arnold. Vincent won’t be thru before the middle or last of next week so I should be able to get it done after that. – I thought everything was going too smoothly. (pessimist)

Arlene brought Bobby home. Dr. Ade took out both tonsils & adenoids. He said the adenoids were so large he didn’t see how Bobby could breathe thru his nose. The letter you wrote the 16^th – mailed the 17^th came yesterday the 18^th.

Love,
Mother

: Medical Society Program (exterior)

: Medical Society Program (interior)

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/07/11/going-too-smoothly-gladys/

Coal and Oil Burners (Gladys)

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October 18, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

October 18, 1945, p. 1

10-18-45

Dear Daddy –

Yours of the 13 & 15 came today. That one of the 13^th got slowed up a little. I got the 14^th yesterday. Vincent started on the office last night. I went down for a while but didn’t stay because I can’t do much until he gets through. After he gets thru I’ll get Monroe to change the heating arrangement. Even if we can’t get an oil burner for a few weeks I think we had better continue with our own heating system – because Loughridge should show what he says about Nick’s system not being adequate as is. I just told Dorothy yesterday I was going to leave that job for you – getting the heat piped over. However, by the time you get home maybe we can get an oil burner for it and just skip the idea of getting the heat from across the alley.

I went to Cecil Dixon’s to the A.B.C. class party last night. Everyone (almost) was asking about when you would be home. I said you would be discharged Nov. 1. Someone asked me if I had your office ready, and I said the carpenter had just started.

Since Loughridge was so evasive about when the oil burner will be in I think I’ll have Monroe get this stoker fixed and get some stoker coal. I called Chet Harlan and he said he had some treated Eastern Kentucky stoker coal and I can get that. The Lumber Co. has only Indiana Stoker.

October 18, 1945, p. 2

[page 2] An announcement about the 10^th District Med. Soc. Fall meeting came but since you won’t be here Oct. 24 I won’t send in for reservations (ladies invited too).

I suppose by the time I get the stoker fixed (if I can) and coal in then an oil burner will come. If I only knew, but last week we had a taste of a little cool weather and trying to hand fire and get the house warmed up every morning is no joke.

The announcement of the Nu-Joy in the Kent Estate was in the paper. They are to be ready for business by Nov. 20 – so it is taking a little longer than I had thought.

It’s getting near 11:30 and that means time to get lunch started. I’ll have to sign the report cards too so they can be returned. Mark’s grades are Social Studies – B, English – C, Arithmetic – C, Physical Ed – B, Health & Science – B, Band – D (and he was mad – even John said that wasn’t fair), Art – C, Ag – B, Citizenship – A. John got B in Band and gave himself B in Citizenship because they grade themselves and he was too modest to give himself A – but says after this he will because everybody else does. He wasn’t very pleased about the B in Band but he got A in everything else – History, Latin, Speech & Geometry. The whole band was mad at Cole yesterday for the grades he dished out. From all I can gather no one in the band likes him.

Mark promises to do better next time.
Love Mother

P.S. I talked to Monroe & he said he would order a new auger & also do the office work as soon as Vincent gets through.

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/07/09/coal-and-oil-burners-gladys/

More Coal (Gladys)

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: February 14, 1944, envelope front

: February 14, 1944, envelope back

: February 14, 1944, p. 1

: February 14, 1944, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Monday – Feb. 14 – 1944

Dear Daddy – Yours of Feb. 3 & 4^th came today – also Mark’s birthday letter. You letters made a good valentine – however your presence would be better but maybe it won’t be long. Mark was much pleased with the money order, but said it would be better for you to come.

Since the roads are still snowbound in places there wasn’t any school today. There was more snow today so there probably won’t be school for a day or so. I was able to attend music club at Foulkes, since the boys were home to keep David. Mark stayed home – John went with me to hear the Opera La Bohème. We had never heard Foulkes’ phonograph and decided it didn’t sound much, if any, beter than ours. Of course they have a much more elaborate cabinet. Theirs vibrates when it starts to play so it sounded a little natural, because ours gets a hum or buzz once in a while.

We got some coal today ($22.43) from the Lbr. Co., $9.50 a ton, but it’s the best and incidentally the only kind our furnace wants to burn. I called Chet Harlan and he was completely out of any kind of stoker coal but has a load of “Milco” on the way and promised to send us some as soon as it comes which he says should be Thurs. or Fri. I’ll take it too because we will use it, in time. John went to the basement to take a look around and he says the new coal made a lot of dirt – If the boys are home a day or two I think we will try to clean up a little down there.

[page 2] The Music Club chorus came here to practice on a new cantata they want to give in March. Their pianist didn’t come so John played for them. John weighed this morning on the office scales, now in the upstairs bathroom, and he weighed just 100 even – 5 lbs. more than I weigh. He got out this morning and shoveled snow, then it snowed more and by the time the chorus arrived the walk was covered again. Bob Schurtter hauled the coal this afternoon and mildly “bawled me out” because we didn’t have the drive shoveled off. I just ignored him. He helps Chet out when he (Chet) gets short of help and needs truck drivers. He often works on Sat. or holidays. He will be in the Navy as an ensign sometime – probably before school is out – then he won’t have to haul coal, etc. I would predict before the war is over he will be glad to haul coal again. Maybe I am wrong. – What am I ranting about? Maybe I didn’t like it because he said what he did about having the drive cleaned off. Anyway we have coal again and that is the main thing.

Sorry your Christmas box was so mutilated. The chewing gum wasn’t very good but all I could get at that time. I did wrap those boxed with heavy paper & card besides using cigar boxes. I used the same boxes so I could wrap them better.

Mark is waiting to take this to town so must get it finished.
Love Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/12/07/more-coal-gladys/ ‎

Grandma Ramp (Gladys)

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: February 13, 1944, p. 1

: February 13, 1944, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
2-13-44

Dear Daddy –

Sun. evening and just back from a walk. Mark and I walked to town then over to Johnsons. Lucile said she would keep David tomorrow if I wanted to go to Music Club at Cokes but there isn’t any school tomorrow due to the snow on the roads, so I told Lucile the boys would be home to take care of D. – That is Mark will – John will probably go with me because Coke is going to play the opera La Boheme on their phonograph for the Music Club and he wants to hear it. This afternoon I took David and Mark and walked down the street – We called on Mrs. Krull then on the way back stopped at Funks. Mrs. Krull told me about her mother. Grandma Ramp was here with Mrs. Krull when she died. She wasn’t feeling very well and Mrs. K. asked her if she wanted a Dr. Grandma R. said “if you can call the Dr. you had when John was born,” who was Dr. Van Kirk – so Mrs. Krull called him. He gave her some medicine but told Mrs. K. there wasn’t much to do for her – she had pneumonia. She had been restless all day Wed. and the Dr. came in the evening and gave her a hypo and she went to sleep – and slept. Mrs. K. said she didn’t awaken after that. She was almost 88 year old. When Father Krull died about a month ago, Grandma Ramp wanted to go along to Ohio with Mrs. Krull and the family wouldn’t let her go. Mrs. K. said that made her mad and she

[page 2] didn’t get over it. She told them she was able to go on the trip – but they wouldn’t allow her to go.

While at Funks I said something about coal and Bill said if I couldn’t get any he would send us a load from the seed corn house. We have enough to last just a few days. I called Chet Harlan some time ago and he promised to send us some as soon as a car load comes in which should be now.

Funk’s had to change bedrooms with the children. Their nursery needed more room so the children now have the front bedroom. There is room for Donnie’s play pen (where he plays most of the time) – we folded David’s up long ago. When Joy gets too large for the basket there will be room enough for another baby bed in the nursery. They put the twin beds downstairs and with a bed table between and a chest of drawers the back bedroom looks roomier than the front bedroom used to look with the large bed. The only thing, Arlene loves to move furniture around and she can’t do that now in that bedroom.

The Music Club chorus is coming here to practice before Club tomorrow – so I’ll have to get some dusting done – with this coal dusting is necessary every day to keep the furniture from looking white. I’ll have help tomorrow since there isn’t any school.

Since taking the walk I have had some good sinus drainage – It feels all cleaned out now – It is getting around my bedtime – I am sleepy after that invigorating walk.

Love Mother

Furnace Dirt (Gladys)

1 Reply

: February 1, 1944 envelope

: February 1, 1944, p. 1

: February 1, 1944, p. 2-3

: February 1, 1944, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
2-1-44

Dear Daddy –

The first day of Feb. – Yours of Jan. 21 came today. It was unusually warm for Feb. 1 –

Took David for a walk. We went to Jimmy’s and then we all walked again. The boys enjoying playing or riding together. David won’t leave his mitten on, then J. gets a similar idea so we are busy putting mittens on. we came from our walk, Mark, D. & I went to Sheldon to get a supply of meat and our fresh lard. Harold Portteus (just out of the hospital, just recovering from hernia operation) called today to say we could have

[page 2] half the beef they have ready to butcher, so we will have a new supply T-bone steaks, etc. I brought some strawberries and lima beans from the locker. We had some berries for supper. They weren’t thawed enough – as far as I am concerned I would just about as soon eat chunks of ice. The boys enjoyed them, so that is all that is necessary. The berries I bought last year weren’t so good for freezing – they did very well in the preserves.

Mr. Z. went to Indpls. for his physical today. Several were going from here. I think Jr. Morton was in the bunch. Mr. Z. is registered at Brookville but asked to go with the men from here.

[page 3] Davie Diedam is here this evening playing with Mark and the electric train. Our David likes the train too.

Mary McGee Arnott is visiting in Kent for a few days. She had a bunch of pictures of her baby and a picture from her husband, somewhere in England. He was standing by a jeep on which was pained their baby’s name, Marylin Sue. He had to leave before their baby was born. She didn’t know where he was when she was in the hospital, but she did send a cable to his A.P.O. number.

We are getting low on coal again. I called Chet Harlan and he promised us some when the next load comes in a week or 10 days.

[page 4] I washed the chair cover last night and got them ironed and back on this afternoon. They show up the furnace dirt more than anything else because their light background – Everybody who burns coal “gripes” about how dirty it is this year, but I suppose we should be thankful to have coal at all.

I was appointed by the woman’s club on a committee for Post War Planning. The first meeting is Thurs. evening at the High School. I don’t have the slightest idea what they intend to do but will give you the “dope” after the meeting.

John is working on his essay. You remember he won second prize last year writing in competition with high school students.

I am about out of paper.
Love Mother

P.S. another picture of D. enclosed.