As I sit down to write about my great aunt Ruth, I’m not sure what to write. Her obituary is so brief and it tells so little about her life as well as the fact that I don’t really remember her at all. One thing I do remember about her is her name – Ruth. You see, my family has an affinity for the name Ruth. It’s not like it has been purposely passed down from one generation to another. It is more as if, one Ruth is somehow attracted to another. My middle name is Ruth, so is my mother’s. That was a deliberate naming. My paternal grandmother also has Ruth as her middle name. My grandmother had two sister-in-laws named Ruth, one was her husband’s sister and the other the wife her husband’s brother. One thing that I do have to be careful about when transcribing the World War II letters is to make sure I reference the correct Ruth.  My grandfather’s sister was usually notated as Ruth M. because her married name was Mutchler. The two Ruths are mentioned rather frequently in my grandmother’s letters.  Case in point, I just emailed my dad to see if he could remember anything about his aunt Ruth. He replied “Which One?” When I was in high school looking over the Yegerlehner family tree, I remember counting how many Ruths there were in the family. It seemed like there were a lot. Ruth also named her daughter Ruth, but her daughter always went by her middle name.

I have read a couple short autobiographies written by my grandfather regarding his family. He always mentions his sister Ruth, usually in the context of being the sole female in a household of boys. There were 6 boys to 1 girl. He sympathizes with the plight of his mother and Ruth being responsible for cleaning up after all the men and boys in the house. For some reason, my grandparent’s generation seems to be devoid of females. My maternal grandfather didn’t have any sisters, and his father didn’t have any sisters either.

Ruth graduated from Clay City High School in 1918. She married John Earl Mutchler around 1923. The Mutchler family must have been very friendly with the Yegerlehner family. When my grandparents got married in 1929, Victor D. Mutchler was my grandfather’s witness or best man. Victor was John Earl’s younger brother. Victor and Earl’s older half sister was Lucinda (Mutchler) Steiner. Lucinda Steiner was best friends with my great grandmother Lovina Yegerlehner. The Steiner family and the Yegerlehner family lived near one another in Harrison township, Clay county. Both families also belonged to St. Peter’s Church, a small German Reformed Church in Clay City on the Owen county line. So I guess it is no surprise that Ruth Yegerlehner knew Earl Mutchler. Coincidentally, Lucinda Steiner also named one of her daughters Ruth.

When Ruth and Earl got married, Earl was already a widower. His first wife Edna Grace Ream (FindAGrave) had died in 1919 after childbirth along with their infant son (FindAGrave). Ruth and Earl eventually moved to Wilmington, Illinois. Earl worked as a mechanical engineer and a locomotive engineer for the Northern Illinois Coal Corporation’s strip mine in Wilmington¹. They lived there for many years. My father always remembered her at family reunions, he wrote “I always found Ruth to be kind, warm and with a sense of humor. I remember her laugh and her grin.” I figure she would have to have a sense of humor to survive growing up in a household of 6 boys!

Ruth and Earl had one daughter, Ruth Romaine. Earl died in 1964 (FindAGrave), leaving Ruth to survive him for almost another twenty years. Ruth is buried next to Earl at the Oakwood Cemetery in Wilmington, Illinois (FindAGrave).

Note:

1. Short article on coal mining in northern Illinois (here)

Letter transcription:

Sun P.M.¹

Dear Mother,

Got your first letter off this A.M. but since Dr. Lentz is playing golf and I’m sitting in his car at the club house I’ll write more of the days happenings. He has been crazy to go swimming in the ocean so I took him up. We were in for almost 1 ½ hours. It wasn’t very rough but the waves were sometimes above our heads and the salt water got in our eyes, nose hair + ears. I rather enjoyed it but didn’t want to stay too long because of too much sun burn. I wanted to read but got sleepy and when one is around the house there is no rest. Mrs. E. keeps up a running conversation. It wouldn’t be

(page 2) so bad but it’s the same thing over and over again. Each time she tells the same things. Just like Uncle Geo.²

I don’t believe it would hurt you if you came in the car and took your time. We just won’t be able to look for anything unless we have the car and I can’t ask Dr. L. for his because he don’t want his tires etc. worn out by us. I’ll get some dope on the gas thing tomorrow and send the card back. I’m sure if you keeping asking ahead you will be able to find out where the gas rationing starts and be able to fill up. Then you  are allowed 3 gal. per wk without a card so the last 60 miles could be on that 3 gal. There shouldn’t be too much traffic most of the way unless you hit some of the larger towns. In case something does happen go to a hospital and call

(page 3) or wire me. You might bring the small radio, th my safety razor and a laundry bag. One of those we used to collect towels in at the office. You of course will have Dorothyᶟ or this other woman or some one drive you. I’d feel better if Floyd could drive you down. Will you have to take the kids over to someone or will they come to get them.

Harold Foulks told me Nate was in the dispensary. Well so am I. They don’t seem to make much fun about who you are or what. There are several Lt. come in the same place I am.

The P.M. rains we used to have are no more it hasn’t rained for same time. The grass is all brown and it is illegal to wash a car or water the lawns. The added construction and the increase in population has cut the water

(page 4) supply very low, in fact it has a muddy taste. It looks a little cloudy this P.M. but not too much like rain.

As quick as you decide definitely after you get the card back, what + when you are coming let me know and I’ll try to make some arrangements for you while you are here.

Well I’m about run down. Maybe a little later I can finish-

9:20 P.M. I’ve tried twice to call Jim and no success. In fact I’ve tried every eve this week and wrote him a letter and still no answer. He is still there but they can’t locate him.

I’m beginning to get pink from my sunburn and feel sorta hot all over. I’ll write more tomorrow eve Maybe I can send the registration card back

Love Daddy

Notes:

1. This letter was written on the evening of Sunday, June 7, 1942 and was mailed the following morning. The Battle of Midway was being waged from June 4^th through June 7^th. The Battle of Midway “is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II”. To read more about the Battle of Midway, click here. This battle influenced my grandfather’s impending future over the next few weeks.
2. Uncle Geo. was George Yagerline, brother of Roscoe’s father John Henry. George lived in Indianapolis, Indiana. His branch of the family changed the spelling of Yegerlehner to Yagerline.
3. Dorothy was Dorothy Krull, one of my grandparents’ friends and neighbors in Kentland