[Editor’s note: John Ed Ley was the son of John P. and Inez (Kline) Ley. Readers may be familiar with the Kline family. Forrest and Gertrude Kline were residents of Lafayette, Indiana. They are mentioned somewhat frequently in the WII letters. Gertrude was one of the first visitors to the hospital after the birth of baby David in 1942. Forrest and Inez Kline were siblings, and children of Nancy Mae (McCoy) Walker Kline. Nancy and Lovina (Schiele) Yegerlehner, Roscoe’s mother, were half sisters, making Forrest and Inez first half cousins to Roscoe.]
Vicki Diane was the first child of John P. Ley and his wife Helen Gibbens.
Yours of Aug. 25 rec’d today. If you remember you were discussing personalities and of course the last one was the best. Went to Laf. today to see Mother – also had a little shopping to do. I went with Mrs. Zell and didn’t try to go see Dr. Cole – I just called him from the hospital and he said they got an x-ray – in fact two – and says she has a bunch of gall stones besides an obstruction in the colon. Finally got barium to stay down – couldn’t give an enema – she couldn’t retain it long enough to get an x-ray. She was very tired from all the x-rays today – had one Mon. & another today. I intend to go back Fri. Juanita will be here and she can go along. I can’t go alone with David and now that school is in session can’t leave him with the boys. I took the taylor tot along today and didn’t have any trouble shopping. While in Loebs baby dept. saw Helen H. and her two. She said to tell you hello – she hears from Dan but he isn’t very hopeful about getting home soon. I think she is still living with Gertrude & Forrest.
[page 2] I saw Marie Steinbaugh in the hospital. She has to go and stay for x-ray treatments. She went yesterday and is coming home Sun. she looks fine. I wonder if the treatments are getting results. You know if you rec’d all my letters she had to have one breast removed in the spring or early summer and goes back every few days or weeks (not certain about the time) for treatments.
It is 9:30 – Just sent Mark up to bed. John is doing homework. We were listening to a bond drive program. The President talked & we wanted to hear him – after he finished John turned the radio off so he could study. We got home from Laf. just in time to feed David & put him to bed. I got him a new suit today. It is light blue, made in sailor fashion. It is very “cute” and has a cord with a whistle around the neck. That’s my birthday present for him. Also got a little gift for Mary McGee Arnott’s baby girl. I think about her and how much I appreciated things last year when David came. I think I rec’d more than 30 cards from friends & lots of your patients when I was in the hospital, besides all the gifts.
Mother rec’d a card from Ruth M. today with a dollar for flowers or anything needed. I took some flowers from my astors, etc., & Mrs. James sent her a potted plant. Mrs. Zell ordered flowers sent out in the morning – so I just put the dollar in Mother’s purse until some later date.
Sunday afternoon – It is cloudy and a little cool so we are all in the house. John is listening to musical programs. We all listened to the Quintuplets – they were in Superior, Wis., at a ship launching ceremony – they spoke and sang in French & English. There were five Merchant ships launched and the quints christened them.
I wrote you yesterday and if you get my letter will think I am a little mixed up – well I read your letter in a hurry and wrote to you before I re-read it – It was about the box you got & the chicken bones – It sounded like the bones had been taken out of the tin can, until I read it again and it was the candy in wrappers you meant the ants got into – so much for the chicken bones. I had four letters from you to read – hence the hurry –
[page 2] David seemed to have quite a cold yesterday and didn’t sleep so good last night – I’ll have to put that down against him – the first night he was disturbed me in the wee hours of the morning, but I think his gums are bothering him – He feels fine today and very little evidence of a cold. I think he had what John had earlier in the week. John seems to be alright now except for headaches, so I am going to take him to Dr. Ade this week and have his eyes checked. Mark had a slight cold too but didn’t lose any of his pep. There are a lot of colds around, but these didn’t last long so can’t complain. It has been raining or cloudy since Thurs. so David hasn’t had a sunning since last Wed. He was getting so tan – and it was very becoming. I think he will tan like Mark does & you. I don’t know whether Donnie Funk gets in the sun as much but he is very fair and maybe doesn’t tan as readily as David.
The dandelions are in full bloom now. Our lawn looks very yellow as well as all the lawn around here.
[page 3]Tonight is the Baccalaurate service at the high school. If I had someone to go with and someone to stay with the boys I would go – so I think I’ll save the trouble and stay home.
I see in the paper that Ira Dixon is home from the hospital. He has been sick for about two months. Gretchen lives here now since her husband is in the Army. Her baby is about 3 mo. old now. He was a little fellow – smaller than D. when he was born, but is coming along nicely.
Bethel Wilson is in Florida – you know she is in the W.A.A.C. – Ethel went to see her and had to stay longer than she had planned – couldn’t get reservations on the train to come home when she planned. Travel has been curtailed a lot – Mrs. P. said they had to stand part of the way back from Fla. They came back and both got sick from the change in weather. Mrs. Dixon & Nettie said they had noticed the chilly weather a lot this time. They went down last fall & spent the winter. People shouldn’t come back so soon – when we have this kind of a spring. Every time it gets warm for a day or two we think cold weather is over, then we have a cold snap – so much for weather.
[page 4] Of course you remember Roscoe Kenoyer – they have a baby girl – they live near Otterbein now. Tommy Thompson’s have stored their furniture and rented their house – He is going to work on his Dad’s farm this summer. At present Mary is living with her mother. Fuells have moved out of town & Chas. Dienhart bought the Fuell house. Ellsworth bought Dienhart’s house for a rental. I haven’t heard anything about Eddie Ray in the past few days so he evidently is getting better.
I stopped to see Jimmy Ed Fri eve and it is almost too soon to tell whether the S.M.A. is going to help his skin condition. Dr. M. is using light treatments on him too. Besides the white flakes, there is a little seepage. – like my hands get when I eat something I shoudn’t.
David has had a nap and is making a noise so better go see what he needs – without looking I know – The same story – dry pants.
I have Mark reading a book – he brought 3 home from the library and I told him he had to read them.
Love, Mother
P.S. Your last letter was of Apr 21 – so that is pretty good time – I got it May 8 –
P.S. no. 2.
Had two “sets” of callers this afternoon – You remember the Luce man, who had the smashed arm – he stopped in – thought you might be home on week-end leave – but I told him you were on foreign duty – well he wanted to show you his arm – he has fairly good use of it now and is going to marry one of the nurses he met while in the hospital so long. The arm is not straight – and is bumpy in places but from the shape it was in when you got to him – I would say it’s a pretty good arm. He still gives you credit for saving it –
The other callers were Forrest & Gertrude, Chas (the sailor at Pern) and his wife, which I think must be recently acquired, Helen & her two children. Helen said Dan is still in Noumea but she thinks he wno’t be long. Mrs. R. called me this evening. She had a letter from Joe & he said he thought he might possibly see you before long.
Charles Kline & his wife Rita (Photograph courtesy of Karen Kline Brand
Helen (Kline) and her husband Dan Heindel (Photograph courtesy of Judith Bowen)
Forrest “Bud” Kline, Jr, Helen and Charles Kline (Photograph courtesy of Judith Bowen)
Forrest S. Kline, Sr. with his wife Gertrude and their children Helen (Kline) Heindel and Charles Kline, c. 1948 (Photograph courtesy of Karen Kline Brand)
Sunday evening and just like spring today. Had an invitation from Arvilla to attend her capping ceremony this afternoon so we drove down. Mother & John stayed in the car with D. and Mark and I went to the service. It was very nice. There were 23 nurses received their caps. After the program was over we congratulated Arvella then Dora Diedam went with us to the hospital to show D. off. We went up to Sister J. in X-ray. I showed her the picture of you you sent me and she said, ‘he looks tough.” I told her I was going to write and tell you what she said and she said for me to. We visited two nurses who were on O.B. when I was there, but they are on 3rd north now. Of course they made quite a fuss over D. After that we stopped to see Forest & Gertrude. Helen had taken her children for a walk and didn’t get back before we left. I wanted to get home in time to give D. his 6 P.M. bottle & cereal, and with driving reduced to 35 mi per it takes quite a while longer to make the trip. I was sorry to miss Helen but felt like I had to start home.
[page 2] Chas Kline is still in Peru and gets home rather often but Bud is stationed in Calif. He had been home recently on a furlough, but his trips home are very few because he has always been stationed so far away.
I wouldn’t have gone this afternoon but I haven’t driven the car much recently and thought the battery needed charging – especially after the severe cold of this winter. I didn’t use all the ration tickets for the first period. I still had tickets for 8 gal I didn’t use and the second period is almost gone and I used two tickets Sat. to fill up the tank and that is all I have used so far, so you can figure I am not doing much driving. I will put a few miles on if we go to C.C. in April – which I hope we will. Floyd & Ruth took the movies of us down home last week-end and showed the folks.
I got out John’s baby book and snap shots taken from 6 weeks to 1 yr. I think the baby resembles him a lot in those earlier pictures. Of course J. is a few pounds heavier at this age than John was but John was fat enough to take a good picture.
I saw the Sullivan baby Sat. She is so fat looking but isn’t any heavier than D. but she is short and he is
[page 3] long – hence she looks lots fatter.
Sat afternoon I walked to town with D. in his buggy. It was sunny and the baby buggies were very prominent on the streets. The nice weather always draws them out. Several people saw him early in Dec – or it was before that in Nov – because it turned so cold after Thanksgiving I didn’t go out with him for weeks – but everyone could see how much he has grown since last fall.
John & Mark discovered the tulips coming up. This warm weather the last of the week did the trick. I haven’t paid much attention to them but they should be doubled this year. I wish I could tell that Omargo [?] man a few things. He wouldn’t replace that tree at the west corner and tho it is going to survive I don’t believe it will grow and the one it is supposed to match is about twice as tall. I think I’ll write the Co. and tell them I want another tree. I don’t believe they will come over here anymore since gas rationing.
The family is all in bed and I suppose asleep and I am writing this in bed so think I’ll turn off the light and get some shut eye too. D. squirmed around a little after I turned on the light but has settled down now.
[page 4] 2-22-43
Mon. – Since this is Washington’s Birthday there wasn’t any mail delivery and the P.O. closed. I started this the 21st finished the 22nd and will mail it at the hotel and it will probably be postmarked 23rd. Took D. for his airing this afternoon and stopped at the dress shop and you should see what I got – a red dress a red hat & red purse and when I say red I mean just that – nothing pale about it – would you like it? I am sure you would. I thought about how you always liked for me to wear red when buying the things. The way it all started – last week I was in at Sharps and saw a red jacket and thought it would be nice to wear this spring so got it – didn’t have a skirt to wear with it so stopped in the dress shop to get a skirt – it is plaid – has blue, red etc. I took it home to try on and when I paid for it today got into this red outfit and since everything was my size & color bought same. That is the first I have bought for myself since last spring. I haven’t bought the dress to go with the buckle & necklace’s but can wear the necklace with the red dress mentioned above. I feel like I shouldn’t spend money on clothes but once in a while it becomes necessary. I won’t spend much on shoes at the rate of 3 pr per year.
[page 5] I got a ration book for D. and asked about turning yours in – which I am supposed to do – so will send it to the ration bd office or take it. I have to go one day this week and get our new ration books. They are for point rationing. The things most scarce will have a higher point value – that is it will take more points out of one’s ration book to buy some things than others. I don’t know yet what foods will have high point values but sure that that will include canned goods. Geo Wolf was here today – and said the stores in Laf. stayed open until 12 o’clock Sat nite. So many things were frozen for this week while the new books were being issued that I suppose the stores were giving people a chance to stock up. I understood that was what we weren’t supposed to do so I didn’t stock up on things – except get a supply of milk for D. and vegetables (canned). I ran out of onion skin paper and wanted to finish my letter – so excuse this last sheet.
This warm weather certainly is welcome and makes me want spring to come – but I suppose we will have lots of cold raw weather before warm weather is here to stay. I am about to run out of space so will get this ready for Mark to mail for me. He has been working on his model and is getting a little tired so the fresh air will freshen him up.
Sunday evening and W.W. is on (8 P.M.) I want to go to bed early so am trying to write while he talks. I gave David Pablum in addition to his bottle and hope he will sleep all night. Last night I went to bed before time for his 10 P.M. bottle and he slept right thru. About 3:30 he was making a little noise – I got up and warmed a bottle but think he would have slept if I hadn’t taken him up. It was warmer today – the sun was very bright and melted much of the snow of yesterday. Fri. it was so warm and sunny – we went to Laf. – then Sat. there was a blizzard lasting all day – It was cold and snow drifting everywhere – then today warm again. I took the baby out for a while. Haven’t found a buggy yet so carried him – didn’t go far – called on Mrs. Washburn then back home – but David’s cheeks were so rosy when we came back. He really enjoyed the adventure.
[page 2] Today an announcement was made over the radio – shoes are to be rationed – one pr every 4 months – the ticket to be used – #17 – so far sugar, coffee – now shoes on book #1. I suppose meat will be next. Butter is so high I still buy Good Luck. The last I had on creamery it was 60¢ per, oranges are up too – but we use the vit c tablets for D. – so don’t have to buy oranges all the time – usually keep them but don’t use them every day. Canned goods are to be rationed too, but I can only buy 6 cans at a time now and only 2 of a kind. Baby food is to be rationed too we have a ration book for D. so will be able to get his canned food. I am glad we feed him Dextri-M. Sometimes Karo can’t be bought – That reminds me – The Meade Co. is sending us a supply of Pablum, Dextri-M & Vit C tablets. In case you miss the letters I mentioned Christmas gifts – I got the manicure set – comb & brush & flowers. I have enjoyed them very much. Thanks again [in margin]. The flowers were pink carnations. I sent you a registered letter with our pictures last week. Suppose you have it by now – let’s hope so. Alma W. came out this afternoon to get some sulfathiozol nose drops
[page 3] that came as samples – I can’t use “sulfa” – I have found I am allergic to it and Dr. Rumkorf gave her a prescription for this. She goes to Goodland all the time for treatments but says he is awfully rough. She wishes you were here to give her sinus treatments.
I was looking in the Indiana Medical Journal for news – sometimes there is an item about a Dr. we know – well I saw your name & address in this issue. Also saw that Dr. Carl Porter who was in England, now is in the Pacific.
Jack Yost & Bud Egan joined the Marines – also Paul Turnpaugh. They keep going from here. Art Voglund is in Calif – Vivian has gone there too. I saw Helen Heindel in Laf. Fri – She didn’t go to Calif as she had planned to do. The last time I saw her in Laf. she was planning to go to Calif because Dan was stationed there – but didn’t go. He is out somewhere in the South West Pacific. I didn’t have much time to talk to her, but I suppose she is staying with Gertrude & Forrest.
I didn’t get the piano I wrote you about but am going to try
[page 4] and get something better than what we have. John says the tone of this one is good but pitch is off and the tuners all say it can’t be brought up because the strings are rusty. Our living room looks a little full but we really needed the den for a nursery – with the rug up – floor finished – piano out is makes an ideal room for D, is so sunny all afternoon. He weighed 15 lbs this morning (4 ½ mo). Jimmy Ed Jr. weighed 8-11 at birth and 11-1 at one month – He is really a husky. Donnie Funk is 5 mo old and weights 19 lbs. David has done fine and has gained as fast as is necessary. You can figure for yourself from 6-11 to 15 in 4 ½ mo. and you can tell by his pictures he is thriving.
I took some pictures today and Mark took one of me in my new coat & hat. I have 3 more pictures on the roll I want to take of D. a little later on. Films are hard to get too. Will send you a roll or two if I can get them.
Had fried chicken today. Zell’s chickens are ready to eat now so got 2-3 lbs ones. They are probably the cleanest chickens we ever had – their feet never touched the ground and the chicken house was cleaned 3 times every week. I think I’ll get some to put in our locker. Hope this doesn’t make you too hungry. As of now – no uniform money has come.
CLAY CITY, May 31. – Mrs. Nancy Kline died at Lafayette yesterday at a private sanitarium of brain affection, aged 46 years. Her remains were brought here last night and taken to the home of her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Schiele. The funeral services were conducted at the home Wednesday morning, and burial at Greenwell cemetery. She leaves six children, Mrs. Ed Fouts and Roy Walker, of Lafayette, and, and four children by the name of Kline.
Photograph taken by Seth Musselman (2013)
Nancy has been a recent subject of another blog post (Thriller Thursday – Attempted Murder and Suicide). While she survived the murder attempt when she was 18, she did not live a long life. Nancy was married twice. She outlived her first husband, Theodore Walker. Her second marriage to Stephen Kline appears to have been a rocky one. They separated after several years of marriage and four children. Nancy moved with her children to Lafayette in the late 1910s. Stephen appears to have fought the separation and began proceedings to convict his wife of insanity. Nancy died very soon thereafter.
Court summons dated 1 May 1911
Nancy married Theodore Walker on 5 June 1888 in Clay County, Indiana. They had two known children: Charles Roy Walker (1889-1936) and Mae (Walker) Fouts (1891-1972). There may have been a third child.
She married second, Stephen M. Kline on 27 August 1896 in Clay County, Indiana. They had four children: Forrest S. Kline (1897?-1976), Inez (Kline) Ley (1899-1985), Paul H. Kline (1901-1994), and Russell R. Kline (1904-1927).
Nancy with her mother Elizabeth, daughter Mae and grandson Jack, c1910
Special thanks are in order to Karen Brand for providing me with copies of the court summons and Jane Riley for the pictures of Nancy and her daughter Mae and a copy of Nancy’s obituary.
Things, as you say, took an upturn today – 5 letters came, however not the money – but that will no doubt will come in the next mail and that will be in time for Christmas by a month. The children as well as their mother got quite a thrill from the 10 yen. John of course was curious to know the value for sure (since you weren’t) and looked it up in the encyclopedia – and figured it to be $9.80. I know your Mother will enjoy seeing it too. I will get her & your Dad something nice for Christmas but thought to give her something directly from you that I would let her select some shells from the box you sent Sept 30. The other box you mentioned has not arrived yet. Your mother & Kenneth should be here Tues. and I hope they will stay for Thanksgiving. Mark got quite concerned about our Thanksgiving dinner. He wanted me to be sure and have chicken, if not a turkey. He also wanted pumpkin pie. I got a little ahead of schedule and baked a pie for him this morning. Since we are on sugar rationing I used a receipt using honey. I thought about you and your idea about pumpkin pie and tho.[though] the children couldn’t tell the substitution I wondered if you would have been able to. I doubt if even
Baby book entries for November 23rd & 27th
[page 2] you would have been keen enough. As you said about the porthole – that is a question that can’t be settled now. Before long we will be on meat rationing. That has been worrying John quite a lot. I figured it down to two hamburgers a day. Of course he doesn’t think that is enough but I think we will get along well enough. Today David is two months old and weighs 9 ½ lbs – so he is doing well enough since he had to start from 6 lbs – and was only 6 – 3 ¼ when we came home from the hospital at two weeks. I just gave him orange juice & Oleum. He sometimes throws up the juice but I keep giving it to him every day and maybe he gets too much. He is asleep on his tummy now. He was getting his head out of shape so I put him on his tummy a lot. Since he has gotten used to that position seems to like it but at first would cry. I didn’t take him for a walk today. It is foggy, damp, misty, etc. – so will wait for dry weather. John just came to the front door and started a commotion trying to get in. The front door swells in this kind of weather and is difficult at times. Mark hasn’t come yet. John & Mark have both written several letters but you evidently haven’t received them. Mark is still tooting the cornet and does as good on it I believe as he would on any. You know his perseverance isn’t
[page 3] too strong. I brag about his playing and try to get him to practice but he gets tired awfully soon. I got him some model airplanes to build when in Laf. Sat. There are 10 different designs. I can’t keep him in knives. He breaks or looses them. He used a razor blade a while yesterday but I won’t allow him to do that again. It is too dangerous. I was going to call Mrs. Ash when in Laf. but had so much to do didn’t get to a telephone. I will try to give her a ring the next time down. Also I intend to stop at Klines. I know Gertrude will want to see the baby. She was so good to come see me while I was in the hospital.
After the Christmas season I will find another box and send to you and you might mention a few odds and ends I could send – besides sardines & crackers. There are surely a number of small things you want that I can send. But as you say, now isn’t a very good time with so much mail to be handled.
Mark just blew in from school. He was late and said he had to stay in to finish some arithmetic. He had a horn lesson today and said the music teacher was pleased with his “blowing.” He really beams from a little praise.
This has been a rather choppy letter, try to do better next time –
Forrest S. Kline, Sr. with his wife Gertrude and their children Helen (Kline) Heindel and Charles Kline, c. 1948 (Photograph courtesy of Karen Kline Brand)
I’m going to take a leap back to the twenty first century today. I have several goals that I had hoped to accomplish with my blog. At the top of the list is the preservation of the letters. There have been lots of natural disasters occuring of late and I don’t want to lose the letters. Anything I can do to ensure their survival is a priority. Another mission that I have is to identify the people in the letters, which goes hand in hand with sharing the letters with the people who knew those people. And finally, I’d also like to catch some cousins.
I hit a major jackpot this week with the Kline family. Gertrude was someone who visited my grandmother in the hospital. She and her husband Forrest S. Kline were residents of Lafayette so it was fairly easy for her to pop in and visit Gladys. But the question I had is-who was Gertrude and how did my grandparents know her? Gertrude also gave my grandmother a present for my infant father-a knitted romper. So clearly, Gertrude was someone that was “close” to my family. As I started digging around I found Forrest’s World War II draft card from 1942. Forrest was old enough that he had to register for the “old man’s” draft. These were the men that were most likely old enough to serve in World War I, but were deemed too old to serve in World War II. Nonetheless, the federal government required that these men register for the draft. Who knew how long the war was going to last? Would these men really be needed at some point?
World War II “old man” draft card, 1942 (Image via Ancestry.com)
On Forrest’s draft card, his place of birth was listed as Clay City, Indiana. Well, heck, that’s where my grandfather was from! So now I could go under the assumption that Roscoe’s family and the Klines were at the very least neighbors or acquaintances back in the home county. After a little more digging around and a very brief preliminary search of the 1920 and 1930 census records, I did not find Forrest. I decided to jump all the way back to 1900. Sure enough, I found him in Harrison Township, Clay county, Indiana with his parents Stephen and Nancy Kline. Then I noticed that I had already attached the record to Forrest in my family tree. Huh? This is where I pretty much started dope-slapping myself. Um, yeah, Forrest was the son of Nancy Kline who just happened to be Roscoe’s aunt, an older half sister of his mother Lovina. Roscoe and Forrest were first cousins. I knew that, really I did….
At the same time that I was hitting myself for my own stupidity, I had contacted an Ancestry member with a tree that included Forrest and Gertrude. It turns out that the member was their great granddaughter. Through this simple message, I have made contact with a long-lost branch of the family. I received several photographs this morning, including the one above. It looks like I have accomplished several goals this week. So the Happy dance may now begin!
Genealogy Lady 