Tag Archives: David A. Yegerlehner

Aileen Easterly

2 Replies

January 26, 1946 envelope

January 26, 1946, p. 1

Letter transcription:

Los Angeles, California
January 26, 1946
Saturday morning 11:30

Dear Gladys:

Received your letter dated January 1 and enjoyed all the news immensely. So happy for all of you that Jake is home for good now. Wish he could have visited us while he was here on the coast, but S.F. is 500 miles from L.A. and that would have been so far out of his way. Too bad about the fire in his new offices – – do hope the repair job won’t take too long. The way conditions are these days with help and equipment so difficult to get, one never knows what to expect.

The new restaurant sounds interesting and it really is a pleasure to entertain that way occasionally. I manage to cook dinner every night from Monday to Thursday inclusive, but Tom works Friday night, and then on Saturday we have a big pot of some kind of soup. Sunday is our day out – – we usually try a new place, go alone or with friends, and we enjoy it, especially after putting in such a full week of hard work.

I’m sure your Christmas was exciting because of David – – I can just imagine how thrilled he was with everything. John and Mark will always wee that it is interesting for David. Christmas doesn’t mean so much unless there are children around to enjoy it.

We are having such beautiful weather – – I’m sitting in the kitchen next to the window with my back to the sun (window wide open too) and how I love it. I don’t feel at all well today, so perhaps the sun will pep me up a bit.

Well, I might as well tell you about myself now. You probably thought I was going to have a baby, but no such good luck for me. I think I told you about the bad case of diarrhea I had last May, well, I had another such attack in November. Our company doctor gave me a thorough physical examination, thinking perhaps it might be my appendix causing the trouble. The appendix apparently is alright, but he did discover a fibroid tumor the size of a grapefruit around the uterus. He said no doubt it had been growing for years and asked me when I first noticed any discomfort from it. I haven’t felt well for about three years, but thought I was going through the change. Sometimes I would skip a month at my periods and then I seemed to cramp continuously, almost every day. I’m at the point now where I feel so low both mentally and physically that I just make myself do things. And of course my job at the office hasn’t helped me any either. There are three of us in our division now (450 on our pay roll) and I’m sorta in charge, a little more prestige, but a great big headache. There are 4,000 in the company, but the other employees are on another pay roll because they are in the districts. Ours is the General Office. We even had to work New Year’s Eve and all day on New Year’s.

January 26, 1946, p. 2

[page 2] Our Chief Surgeon said I should have the operation soon. I decided to help out at the office during December and January, the two worst months of the year. I have consented to the operation and will perhaps be in the hospital around February 6^th or 7^th. Our Chief Surgeon has been with our company for 25 years and is claimed to be the best in the City, so I have a lot of confidence in him. All hospitalization will be paid also my two months sick leave. After that I plan to take three months leave of absence on my own time without pay. If everything turns out as we have planned Tom and I will make a trip east perhaps during the month of June.

I am curious what Jake thinks of the operation – – does he approve. Maybe I have no alternative! The doctor said the tumor has kept me from getting pregnant. Is that true? I say that I have confidence in our doctor yet I ask Jake his opinion. Silly, isn’t it? That’s just like a woman.

I will be looking forward to hearing from you when you find time to write. I know how busy you must be, with all your family at home now.

Love,
Aileen

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/07/23/aileen-easterly/

Letter from Jim #2

1 Reply

December 9, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

December 9, 1945, p. 1

9 Dec. 1945

Sister & Co. –

I am up a blind alley to know just what to get John. Got a present for Mark and David which will be a joint present for the two but so far have not got John anything. Here are a few things I have in mind – What do you think of any of them or if he has them so state so I will not duplicate – Records-Rhapsody in Blue; Tchaikovsky piano concerto No. 1; Morton Gould Concert; Beethoven Symphony No. 3 in E Flat; Mozart Quartet No. 18 in D Minor: Sheet Music; Rhapsody in blue, etc., etc., etc., etc. – So what do you think of what I have listed –

Love,
Jim

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/07/18/letter-from-jim-2/

Letter from Jim #1

1 Reply

December 7, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

December 7, 1945, p. 1

7 Dec. 1945

Dear Sis & Co. –

Now don’t get all excited there is nothing about which to get excited, I only have reference to the way we are living at present, Thelma does not have time to do any shopping and I am out running around trying to make the connections I want so I do not have much time so what we do buy will be small but good and we will buy the Boys something. I did not mean to cut them out, you know darn well I would buy those Boys something regardless. I left Washington a week ago last Monday, was in Johnstown, Ford City, Pittsburgh and now Erie. Have application in about ten places and am hoping to land a good job here in Erie. Spent two hours with the Sales Manager the other day so I am sure he is interested.

We expect to spend Christmas in Terre Haute, so will be in Kentland either the day before Christmas or two or three days after.

Love,
Jim

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/07/17/letter-from-jim-1/

Velma Thrailkill

1 Reply

: November 13, 1945 envelope (front)

: November 13, 1945 envelope (back)

November 13, 1945, p. 1

Letter transcription:

Mrs. George C. Thrailkill
311 West Kansas Street
Liberty, Missouri

Mrs. Yegerlehner,

I did enjoy your letter and also the one to Sherrill for David. I have thought of answering it many times but did not find the time. We are a little town but still go fast and furious. The other day – I called on Mrs. Ivy on the war Chest. She asked if we had heard from you. Said she missed you so much, the other people were too quiet. We still miss you all. I would like to hear David tell me to “button my lip.”

It is almost Thanksgiving again and Christmas will be here before we know it.

Do hope Dr. is back in Kentland. At least a few of the medical men seem to be getting out. Liberty is getting its share of discharges. There is

November 13, 1945, p. 2

[page 2] a list in the paper every week of the ones discharged and it grows fast.

Sherrill is doing well in school. She is taking Latin and Algebra and seems to like both. She still misses your family a lot.

The Russell youngsters are back in school at K.U. According to Mrs. Russell, Richard is doing much better this year than he did last year.

I know you will remember my nephew, Jack Roorback. He came home from Corpus Christi last week on a short leave and married Reba Buckhardt last Sunday evening at Antioch church. I had some bad moments but guess we have to make the best of it. They are both just 19. He left

November 13, 1945, p. 3

[page 3] last Thursday p.m. for Corpus again. She will finish this term at Jewell but imagine she will go down with him after that.

Mr. Reppert is still in Manila. According to Mrs. R. he will not have enough points to get out until next June. She is feeling pretty blue about it, I think.

This past week we have had loyalty calls among the members of the Methodist church. This was family Sunday and believe it or not the church was practically filled. We had a grand crowd. A full chair too.

It is announced that Dr. Schumacher and family are returning

November 13, 1945, p. 4

[page 4] to Liberty the first of December. He will be discharged.

John will probably remember Miss Nickerson at school. Her “young man” returned a few weeks ago and they were recently married. Mrs. Joy’s husband has returned to the States. He is a dentist and was stationed at Australia for some time.

George is at the Veteran’s Hospital at Excelsior Springs 5 days a week as Contact Representative for the Veteran’s Administration. He likes it fine.

Write again when you can. We all enjoy hearing from you and your family.

Sincerely,
Velma Thrailkill

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/07/16/velma-thrailkill/

Life Goes On (Gladys)

1 Reply

[Editor’s note: This is the last letter written by Gladys during the World War II era. Hundreds of letters also survive from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. In the near future, I will begin organizing and transcribing those letters and we will hear from Gladys again! Until then, keep reading as I post Roscoe’s few remaining letters and a series of letters written in late 1945 and early 1946 by friends and family.]

October 20, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

October 20, 1945, p. 1

Sat. Oct. 20 1945

Dear Daddy –

No letter this a.m. and since the P.O. closes at 1 p.m. I probably won’t get any until Mon. I contacted Arnold last night on the phone and he is going to look at the heating plant Mon. evening, so maybe by Tues. I can give you an idea whether he will take on the job. Vincent worked Wed. & Thurs. evenings and is going to work again starting Mon. He says he will soon have it done.

I saw Juanita Schneider yesterday and gave her her gloves and got mine back. She said she wishes you would take to the Dr. who has been taking care of her husband when you get back to G.L. They are planning to come to Kentland when he can leave the hospital and she thought you would like to know something of his case history. She gave me his name, etc.

I went to the beauty parlor this a.m. and got a new perm. Emma is booked ahead so far I couldn’t get an appointment for shampoo & set for 10 days. She won’t try to work in extra appointments.

Mark is practicing his music lesson. He was playing foot ball with Jimmy Sammons and came in and wanted to go to town with John to find someone. He hadn’t practiced any today and is to take a lesson at 4:30 so I told him he had better come in for a while. He got awfully angry and wasn’t being treated right, etc. He hasn’t done a thing around here today so I told him to go ahead and spend the day with his friends but forget about an allowance – that slowed him down a little. I hate to be so mercenary but I don’t think he needs to spend all his time playing. He went over to school this morning and helped decorate

October 20, 1945, p. 2

[page 2] for a dance they are to have Mon. I let him go to the Attica game last night. He went with Tooles. This morning he was telling me how Mrs. T. & Robert used so much swearing in their conversation. He seemed to think it wasn’t very good to listen to. He just asked me if he could go to the next out of town football game then he promised without any soliciting, to practice if I would let him go.

David just came in with his hair tangled with burrs. I asked him how they got there and he said Jimmy S. put them in his hair. Fortunately I had cut his hair this week and it was so short I could slip the burrs out without doing any cutting. Mark got into a “froth” and was going right over and do things to Jimmy, but I quieted him down and sent him back to practice his music. After I got the burrs out without any difficulty I told him no harm was done.

John is over at school this afternoon working on the school paper. He took a piano lesson this morning. He is to take an organ lesson tomorrow. He will want to go practice a while this afternoon – if he gets thru with his “editorial work” in time.

I haven’t been to see Bobby yet but thought I would go this afternoon when they get their naps over. The whole house (except the maid) takes afternoon naps. Arlene was having a little difficulty explaining to Bobby why his throat was sore. He thought they weren’t going to take his tonsils out.

David has gone to the basement – Mark is down there now working on an airplane – so I must go get David or he will be black.

Love Mother

Dr. Pippenger sent you your Indiana State Medical Association card, so in case you want to attend the Indiana State Medical Association you will have your card. I’ll keep it unless you want me to send it on to you.

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/07/13/life-goes-on-gladys/

Arvilla (Gladys)

1 Reply

October 17, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

October 17, 1945, p. 1

10-17-45

Dear Daddy –

Yours of Sun. came today. It has been a grand day and I am glad we could let the fire go this afternoon. I talked to Chet Van S. and they have no coal – only Indiana stoker. Anyway the stoker coal isn’t so good to use for hand firing. I will try Harlan and see what he has. If he has any stoker coal I may have Monroe take this auger out and see if he can get it welded. He said they did that to the school furnace but it didn’t work. Loughridge is so indefinite about the oil burners now. When I talked to them in August they were sure they could have the furnace changed over by Nov. 1 and now they can’t give any date. Chet said they were to get a load of coke soon and I have a notion to try that, if we can’t get any coal.

Vincent is going to start on the office tonight. Nick still has his “stuff” stored there but I think Vincent can work around it for a while. I thought if we get something started Nick would get the place cleared.

I worked a little while in the attic getting the office things together. I want to gather up the sheets and towels and get them laundered.

Had a letter from your mother and she said Kenneth is home. He has a 45 day furlough, then goes back to N.C. and he thinks then he will be discharged. Dolores & Steve are home. Steve is out of the Army & Dolores has quit her job. I thought she would stay for a while but now that she is married I suppose they want to get

October 17, 1945, p. 2

[page 2] settled near the relatives. Mom said she didn’t know what they intend to do.

Irene was talking to me and said Link is losing weight. She says he is worried about his job. She is still talking about starting a Baby Shop out here in their home. I take it from the trend of her conversation their finances aren’t so good. She said she told Link if he wanted to sell their place she would be willing. However, I doubt if they will do that.

David just came in with a mask on. Virginia had given it to him and he was so tickled about it. I acted like he frightened me and that made him laugh.

I saw Dr. Mathews in the drug store and told him you were to be discharged Nov. 1 – He said for you to hurry home.

I also [saw] Arvilla Wright yesterday. She has been working in a hospital in Illinois but had to come home. She had an impacted wisdom tooth and was to go today to have it taken out. Alma told me Arvilla would rather work in a doctor’s office here than in a hospital. She figures she could take less and stay home. I have an idea you can get her if you want her.

Dorothy took Bobby over to Hungess for another cold shot this afternoon – the third one.

John is late this evening – he is quite busy getting the school paper ready to edit. The grade cards came – he got A on everything but Band & Cole gave him a B – he was very disgusted about that. He also got a B on citizenship – but they grade themselves on that and he was too modest to himself an A. Mark’s grades were B-C-& D – I told him to get busy & get an A or two next time.

Love Mother

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

Saving Coal (Gladys)

1 Reply

October 16, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

October 16, 1945, p. 1

Oct. 16 – 1945

Dear Daddy –

We are enjoying another glorious day and to be practical about it – saves coal – etc., etc. – since we are still not permanently fixed about our heating arrangement.

Vincent is to begin work tomorrow evening on the office. I hope I am doing what you want in having the partition moved up 3’. I just wish I could talk to you over the phone but maybe I’ll get things done right (I hope). In talking to the Loughridges about an oil burner for the office, Chet said the present set-up Nick has wouldn’t carry the office unless he changed something. He says the system Nick has at present is heating all it can. I still think it will be better just to use the heating plant even with coal until you can get an oil burner put in. It won’t take up enough space in the back room to bother you and it will furnish heat for that room.

Yesterday I went with Arlene to see Dr. Ade about Bobby. Dr. A. says his hearing is just about 50% in both ears. He says it is because of enlarged adenoids and advised Arlene to have them out at once. I think they are going to take him down this week. Dr. Ade has (of course) a machine to test hearing (ears) and said both ears were about the same.

I bought a new pair brown shoes yesterday and stretched my shoe budget to $10.95 and when I got home with them discovered they had been slightly used so I writing Loebs. I wouldn’t complain

October 16, 1945, p. 2

[page 2] on a pair costing $5 or $6 but $10.95 is too much to pay for even slightly used shoes. I suppose you will say “lady stuff.” I took back that sweater and tried to get one a little more my style but couldn’t find the right color so came back without a sweater.

So far no letters from you, but I am going to inquire at the P.O. when I mail this. Maybe one will have come in during the day.

My throat condition seems to be a little better. I think it’s sleeping in a cold room that is keeping it a little irritated.

Irene told me they were thinking about opening a baby shop out here in their home. I think a baby shop would have been a paying thing in the past few years, but wouldn’t predict either way on it in the future. However, according to the latest information a lot of babies are on the way.

David is out in the yard, so I must look out and see what he is doing.
Love Mother

P.S. We tried two of our T-bones Suri [?] and they are so large two was more than three (I mean four) of us wanted. Two covers the broiler pan.

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/07/05/saving-coal-gladys/

Going Ahead (Gladys)

1 Reply

October 14, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

October 14, 1945, p. 1

Oct. 14-1945

Dear Daddy –

I didn’t write yesterday – I was waiting for your wire and it didn’t come until after mailing time. At any rate I am going ahead with the office as we planned. Vincent called me and said his estimate for labor and material would be $113.00. That he said would include everything he would do. Of course Mr. Monroe would (will) have another bill. Mr. Monroe came out to the house Sat. and asked me what we wanted – I told him and he said he would look it over and see what would have to be done. I am going ahead with our heating plant – because I am afraid it would cost more to pipe the heat across the alley than to use our own heating plant. Mr. Monroe asked me how we were getting along with the furnace. I said we were hand firing and since you were coming home we may just have the auger fixed. Mr. M. said he couldn’t get any burners yet. They didn’t have anything yet last week.

We are enjoying a lively fire in the fireplace. We bought some coal up and it lasts so much longer than logs. David is in bed – he was so tired this evening he was cross and cried at everything. John is up in the attic looking for Reader’s Digests – he wants

October 14, 1945, p. 2

[page 2] an old number for something. He took his first organ lesson yesterday ($1.50 hr.) and I went to the church with him for one hour practice this afternoon. He can only use the church when it’s warm and now that is only Sat. & Sun. He also took a piano lesson yesterday afternoon. Miss Smith is discouraged with Mark and told John he was wasting his money & her time – however I think when you get back and can help him he will improve. We got all the storm windows on yesterday – all but the doors, but they won’t be much of a job.

Jim called me from Great Lakes yesterday. He is getting his discharge in a day or two, then he is going to N.Y. to get his car – Washington to get Thelma – back to Terra Haute then up here to see us. Maybe you will get back about the same time.

I am wondering if you will be sent back to G.L. for discharge – but maybe your first letter will answer some of my inquiries. I wish now we had arranged for you to call – then I could have given you the estimate on the office, but I am assuming you want me to get it done.

Emmett Miller is home. I called Lila and she doesn’t know about Joe – but now that he has enough points he will surely be home soon.

It is cooler today. Rained a little and stays chilly. I looked out a few minutes ago and saw a bright moon, so it must be clear. Just hope is doesn’t get too chilly before we get this furnace fixed one way or another.

Love Mother

P.S. Kenneth is on his way home.

October 14, 1945, p. 3

[page 3] Mon. morn – Arlene called me last night and asked me to see if I could get her an appointment with Dr. Ade (first she asked if you were home). It seems Bobby is losing his hearing. He has been having some ear trouble and Arlene is quite alarmed over his condition. I called Dr. Ade this morning & he said to bring him down this afternoon. I called Loughridge this morning but Bun didn’t know much. I am afraid we will have to get this furnace fixed or I will get a bad cold. I am bordering on a throat condition now and it’s so much cooler

October 14, 1945, p. 4

[page 4] and takes the house so long to heat up in the morning. I went down and burned a lot of trash to build the temp up and I finally have it up to 66. (10:45) I have to go to the store to get a few things. Maybe it will be up by the time I get back.

It is nice and sunny today so maybe the temp will get up before the day is over.

Will try to have more info about everything this evening.

Construction Plans (Gladys)

1 Reply

October 12, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

October 12, 1945, p. 1

10-12-45

Dear Daddy –

I haven’t any figures to submit but Vincent looked the office over and said he would do the work next week. I called Geo. Monroe but he was out – however he is to call me. Now I think the thing for us to do is forget about piping the heat over from Nick’s, and go ahead with the heating plant we have. I called Loughridge and Bun said they have a burner he thinks will work in the boiler and if so we could get a set up that would be our own and with automatic oil we would be better off than if we hooked on to the other plant. I measured the space necessary to locate the boiler in the back room and it would take up such a small space it wouldn’t really be in the way. I am afraid it would cost more to get a pipeline put across the alley than to put in an oil burner. At any rate I am going to proceed with the above plans as soon as I can get the men started, unless you wire me to stop when you get this. Vincent said he could move the wall up 3’ so I am having that done too. There is a radiator 3’ from the wall so that is as far up as we can move it unless we would move the radiator and I don’t think it would be worth the work to move that large radiator. I’ll draw a little plan on the back to show you how much space the boiler will take.

October 12, 1945, p. 2

[page 2] It is another grand fall day. I intend to sit out in the yard and knit – I want to get my knitting out of the way as much as possible this week. I am so glad for this weather since we haven’t such a good furnace arrangement. Just hope it’s this warm next week for the carpenter. Vincent said he would work at night on the office. I stopped to see Mrs. Krull yesterday. She said she is going to have Mr. Lontz go down and clean out that backroom and white wash it. She said something about putting in a new stool if necessary. I told her it probably needed to be changed because when they aren’t kept clean they get beyond cleaning. I think she is glad to get the back end cleaned up.

I just went out to see about David. He was clomping around in a pr. of my good shoes. I put them on the back porch so I would remember to take them to the repair shop. I thought it would be warm out of doors but the wind is chilly.

Irene is out washing their front windows. She is using a cleaner like Bon Ami and says it is grand stuff. It comes in liquid form but works just like my favorite cleaner. ——- As you can see you would have a little more space in all three back rooms. How do you like the way I re-spaced the rooms – the ex[am] room can be 5 X 10 since you will have the extra length on the consultation room. As you can see the boiler wouldn’t be in the way. I you don’t want me to proceed with this just wire me or call Mon. eve.

Love Mother

While You Wait (Gladys)

1 Reply

October 11, 1945 envelope

October 11, 1945, p. 1

Letter transcription:

10-11-45

Dear Daddy –

Thurs. morning. Just thought I would write and give you a letter “while you wait.” This should get to you by the time you get back to San. F. I gathered up the clothes and washed this morning. It’s clear but a little cool. A good day to get out of doors.

Last night when you called the boys kept saying tell him about the garage door – I drove a little too close before I stopped last night and I pushed the door in a little. After driving all the way home from Great Lakes without a bit of trouble I would do something like that. I never liked that door anyway and if we do to garage what we plan, it will have to be changed anyway. However, the door isn’t ruined.

I called Vincent Schuster and he is going to the office with me this evening to see what has to be done. I asked him how much work he had ahead and he said he would have to see what you wanted before he would say if he can do it. I’ll write tomorrow and tell you what he will do. I have been thinking about the heat business and I think if we could get an oil burner put in our heating plant it might

October 11, 1945 , p. 2

[page 2] be better to be independent than to be hooked on to Nick’s. However, that can wait until you get back.

I just “drifted” my hair and waiting for it to dry a little so I can roll it. It has warmed up out of doors and is going to be a grand day to be out. One of Indiana’s glorious fall days.

David is playing in the den at the present time but played out a lot this morning. He got an old pair of galoshes and put them on and tramped around a good part of this morning. He is still playing with that old car seat. I’ll be glad when he gets tired of it so I can put it away.

It took a long time to get the house warm last night, but there was a good fire this a.m. We finally lit a fire in the fire place and toasted our toes a while. I was so tired I took a bath and went to bed about 9 p.m. I got up a little past 7 this a.m. to get the fire started but I didn’t have to do much. The temp on the gauge was over 200° so it didn’t take so long to throw a little heat around.

I think I’ll try to get some knitting done and out of the way, so I will have time to see about other things.

Love Mother