Tag Archives: genealogy

Finished my laundry (Roscoe)

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: March 29, 1943 envelope

: March 29, 1943, p. 1

: March 29, 1943, p. 2

: March 29, 1943, p. 3

: March 29, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Mon Mar 29, 1943
Lieut RS Yegerlehner USNR
A.P.O. 43
% Postmaster – San Fran.

Dear Mother,

Finished my laundry this A.M. but it being a cloudy damp day there isn’t any drying going on. My towels, underware etc are getting very smuggy looking and even boiling them for about one hour didn’t help – guess I should have some bleach but after all is said and done just so the smell is out of the things. I’ll have to buy lots of things when I get back to civilization. It sure will be funny to have lights at night and have running water and a few of the other things we always seem to take for granted. Other than a match

[page 2] I haven’t seen a light for about 1 ½ months. All that just shows you how sorry I’m feeling for myself.

You said the floor in the den was sloping toward the piano – where did you put it in the living room? And what will keep it from doing the same thing. Have Link take a look – and maybe he could put in some sort of a brace or post to keep the same from happening there – I don’t mean he would put it in but he could make suggestions and you could have someone else to do the work.

I have no complaints to make in the least about your clothes for I feel that

[page 3] you were due some and anyway I sent you enough money for your own use but I guess you bought bonds too much. What the heck just so you have enough money to keep everything going. Since Feb 12, I’ve spent about $12.00 – $5.40 for mess bill while – aboard ship and $3.60 for a case of pineapple juice. And the rest for cigarettes, tobacco and stamps and some stationary. So you see I have really been economizing. Wasn’t anything else to be bought. Just started to rain so must get the buckets out.

1943-02-15 Mess receipt from U.S.S. John Penn

Mess receipt from the U.S.S. John Penn, February 15, 1943

Later – caught about 15 gal of pure rain water so can now take good bath etc.

The executive officer and I are about ready to mix a drink

[page 4] good and strong – lime juice and water – rain water. He is from Texas. He is a full commander. We seem to be pretty much alone so thought we would pass the time away but he has been called to the telephone and I’m writing while he has gone. Maybe it sounds funny that I should say telephone but we do have them.

Well, it’s about time we went ahead with our P.M. drink so – solong until tomorrow.

Love Daddy

P.S. I’d like to see the red outfit.

Russell Islands
Image by Kelisi at Wikipedia.com (Wikipedia Commons license)

© 2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/03/12/finished-my-laundry-roscoe/

Bad teeth and new shoes (Gladys)

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

MRS. R. S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
3-28-43

Dear Daddy – Sun. evening and Mark is doing his week-end homework – He won’t do much. He is too tired and can’t make much progress. It is sunny today with a little sharp wind. Took the baby out for an airing. Mark went over to Buddy’s to play so I walked over when it was time for him to come home. Nick said you might run into Eddie Dieter. He has his A.P.O. but I don’t remember it – it is four figures. Mrs. Washburn said they think Dr. Bill is in North Africa. Tommy Britton told Mark his Daddy has been discharged from the Army and is to do some kind of special work but I haven’t the details. Haven’t talked to Virginia lately. She was afraid for Davie to have measles because he has asthma so badly, so they gave He & Tommy Immune Globulin. Tommy was exposed at school but didn’t have them. Jack Byrnes children have scarlet fever. That is so strange. He said they hadn’t had them anyplace. Mrs. James & Jimmy came home today. She hated to leave Mary. She isn’t very well. I don’t know when her baby is due. Dorothy K. has two impacted wisdom teeth she has to have taken out. She is going to Laf. tomorrow to Dr. Donahue for a treatment. She will have to go to the hospital for the extraction later. I am planning to go along. Need a new pr of shoes – so do J. & M. & D. Our first shoe ticket is good till June 1. The point values on canned goods are being changed, also the ration has been taken off dried fruits – people weren’t buying and much fruit was spoiling. John has decided to practice on the piano and I am going to bed.

Love Mother

© 2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/03/11/bad-teeth-and-new-shoes-gladys/

Hot sultry and rain (Roscoe)

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: March 27, 1943 envelope

: March 27, 1943, p. 1

: March 27, 1943, p. 2

: March 27, 1943, p. 3

Letter transcription:

Mar 27, 1943
Lieut RS Yegerlehner USNR
A.P.O. 43
% P.M. San Francisco Calif.

Dear Mother,

This is one of those afternoons when one struggles to keep from doing anything – Hot sultry and rain seems in the making. Seems as if I write about that same thing every day.

Yesterday I wrote Statons a letter in answer to theirs I received last Sunday. I told them to let you know when it arrived just checking to see how mail might go thru.

I haven’t been hearing the usual broadcast the past new nights so don’t

[page 2] [know] what stars were on. Nor have I heard any news for a few days. Just the local grapevine stuff – Here it doesn’t seem very important but at home if the papers and radio could put it out it would make pretty good reading.

Had a fresh orange today and those are much better than those at home but the outside instead of being nice orange color is very green. They lack the artificial coloring used in the States.

I hope this new address gets thru to you and back again for I believe it will help our mail, but it will never be good because almost all mail

[page 3] has to go thru the last station I was and I know how slow the whole affair was there.

It doesn’t seem that Apr. 1 is just around the corner but it won’t be long and with it your weather will be better I hope – Ours should get cooler by but in our location I can’t see that winter or summer makes much difference.

Well hope tomorrow will repeat in the way of mail that last Sun. did any we hope,
Love Daddy

Russell Islands
Image by Kelisi at Wikipedia.com (Wikipedia Commons license)

© 2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/03/13/hot-sultry-and-rain-roscoe/

In the Jungles Part II (Roscoe)

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: March 26, 1943 envelope

: March 26, 1943, p. 1

: March 26, 1943, p. 2

: March 26, 1943, p. 3

: March 26, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Mar 26, 1943
Lieut RS Yegerlehner USNR
A.P.O. 43
% Postmaster
San Fran Calif.

Dear Mother

We’ve had rain and clear spells today and you know that means a hot humid atmosphere. The humidity is with us all time so we are getting used to that. Each night about 3 A.M. there is a steady drip, drip from the trees on to the tent. That is one clear nights on rain nights it’s a run run.

The moisture in the jungles is most depressing – You have seen pictures of jungles but I’ll give you my impressions. As we entered – First there was a barbed wire fence. That I wasn’t sure whether it was

[page 2] intended to keep the animals out or in. At any rate on the jungle side there was pretty much of a wall of growth. I had a small had [hand] ax one of the others had a regular ax and the other fellow had a large corn knife like knife only it was a good three feet long. This was the best of all for he could swing it in both directions cutting vines and all vegetation as he came to them. Of course spiders, misquitoes toads flies and lizards were very much in evidence and the pay off was the large lizard about 3 feet long. The thing was had four legs which appeared to be a good 8 in. in length and

[page 3] about half of him was tail, the body being almost as big around as my wrist. The head was a miniature alligators. IT ran up a tree ahead of me and I was pretty glad at that.

Those long vines that Tarzan swings on aren’t fiction either. Some of them were as big around as an inch rope and also as plyable. We swung on one just to see if it would hold. It did. We were only in the jungles about one hour and during that time chopped some tall straight trees for tent poles but we were dripping with sweat and all petered out because of the hot and the high humidity. The ground with the leaves was very soft and

[page 4] even hard to walk in. There may have been fruits back in there but we only went in about as far as from our house to Foulkes. To [too] much work to get a road way, and I don’t mean for a car.

Some way some how some one butchered a cow last night and we got about 10 T bone steaks. We just picked them up with our fingers and ate them in a most primitive manner. They were very good. I can’t compare them with ours at home because its been to [too] long ago to make a comparison but they were indeed very good.

Well, I about exhausted the supply of paper and subject matter so solong
Love Daddy

Russell Islands
Image by Kelisi at Wikipedia.com (Wikipedia Commons license)

© 2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/03/09/in-the-jungles-part-ii-roscoe/

In the Jungles (Roscoe)

4 Replies

: March 25, 1943 envelope

: March 25, 1943, p. 1

: March 25, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Mar 25, 1943
Lieut RS Yegerlehner USNR
A.P.O. 43
% P.M. San Fran

Dear Mother,

This again will have to be rapid due to another mess of fish and approaching darkness. This P.M. we were in the jungles getting native lumber (small trees) to build a better house to live in so that is why I didn’t get to this sooner. Sometime I’ll tell you more of the jungles but for the time being I’ll just say that I saw a lizard about 2 feet long – Looked just like an alligator but run along in the jungles and

[page 2] finally crawled a big tree. After the dirt and sweat of the jungle we had a swim in the Pacific – water nice and warm but the beach was rough.

Maybe I’ll be able to write more and better tomorrow after the fish dinner. So Solong
Love Daddy

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/03/08/in-the-jungles-roscoe/

Canned Goods Will Suffer (Roscoe)

6 Replies

: March 24, 1943 envelope

: March 24, 1943, p. 1

: March 24, 1943, p. 2

: March 24, 1943, p. 3

: March 24, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Mar 24, 1943
Lieut R. S. Yegerlehner USNR
A.P.O. 43
% Postmaster
San Francisco, Calif.

Dear Mother,

Plenty of sunshine today after the wet rainy spell of yesterday. Just the way it should be plenty of water yesterday and a good day for laundry today. I put my clothes to soak and soap yesterday A.M. and later in the day put them in freshly caught rinse water and this morn put them out in the bright sunlight and believe it or not they came out nice and white. Three of my tent mates had the same idea this A.M. but they didn’t soak their clothes as I did and

[page 2] hush! They had tattle tail gray. I think you’d get a kick out of laundry day on the ——- ——-. The blanks are for the missing location. Some day I’ll let you know where the blanks refer to but at present it can’t be done for obvious reasons.

Instead of having tea this P.M. we had lime juice and pineapple juice. The only thing lacking was the tinkle of the ice cubes and don’t let me miss lead you. The pineapple juice was canned. However there are a few around here in the natural state.

The moon at present is about as bright as one will ever see – I mean at night – really

[page 3] I think I could write at night. Last night we had fish again and they weren’t brought in in time to prepare before dark so we ate them in moon light and they were sure swell. Fried in deep butter. That is one of the most pleasant experiences after eating spam, corned beef and canned hash. Really I believe the spam companies will go out of business after the war and I’m not so sure but what all canned goods will suffer. Maybe I’m in one of weak moments just now.

Our mail of course is slow as usual but when some does come we are spoiled and keep looking every day for a few days

[page 4] ant then when all hope is abou abandoned here comes a big bunch. I surely hope mine is getting to you with some regularity.

There is a huge cocoanut just outside our tent door which fell with a resounding thump. It’s about one foot in diameter. That is with the outer covering over the nut. That outer covering is the nuts to get off. It resists cutting prying and sawing but after tedious hours of stabbing one gets a foothold and then the whole outer shell peals off rather easily. However I haven’t seen anyone eat any of the meat for days. It very easy to get filled and stay filled with the stuff.

Well, I feel like I’ve been very extravagant with paper today and said very little so solong
Love Daddy

Had to call the fire engine (Gladys)

4 Replies

Letter transcription:

MRS. R. S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
3-24-43

Dear Daddy – 12 letters Mon & 2 Tues. so didn’t expect any today. This was the first day we could hang out clothes since Nov. 29-’42. It is a little cool but nice. The ground is beginning to dry so won’t be long till we can get the yard cleaned up. We are still having measles – Bill Taylor has them – was feeling bad so he went to Lucy and got a treatment. Thought after that he was taking pneumonia – has been pretty sick with them. The seventh grade is getting them now so I suppose John will take them but I don’t dread them so now that Mark has had them and got thru O.K. I went to a church meeting this afternoon – had to give the lesson at W.S.C.S. When I got to town to mail this I think I’ll spend the rest of our ration coupons (26). I used most of them the first of the month. I think I mentioned a freeze put on butter, fats, etc. Monday. That came as a surprise like shoe rationing. The butter etc. will be one sale again next week. So far rationing hasn’t bothered us but I hear it is hard to get meat, butter, eggs and quite a lot of things in the cities. There was a little excitement yesterday at Zells – Foulks cleaning woman burned some papers and there was quite a wind – the fired caught the dry grass and burned over almost to Zells’ chicken house & garage – Had to call the fire engine. We have an air Raid Warden – Bob Shurtter for this block – and are to have black-outs – They said they didn’t think it would be necessary but we have to keep in step with the times so we would know what to do ‘in case.’ I am sending a letter registered with some more pictures. Some taken at 5 & some 6 mo. of David. He is a little rascal today – but cute enough to get away with it. Taking a nap now. Everyone fine.

Love – Mother

Dropping the j.g. (Gladys)

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

MRS. R. S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
3-22-43

Dear Daddy – this was a 12 letter day – yours from Feb. 27 to Mar 11 came today. Glad you had some letters, even tho they were old – Hope you get the pictures I sent in Feb of all of us. Will write your Mother & Ruth M. today. Ruth called last night about going to C.C. with us. If the measles don’t overtake John & D. we plan to go Apr 2 and take Ruth & Romaine with us. I have been giving Mark unicaps & taking them myself. Since Mark had measles I thought unicaps would be as good as anything – if a little expensive – Don’t worry about taxes I have everything under control. I read in the paper that gross would be refunded on pay received in the Service in 1942 – so should get a check some time for yours. So glad you could drop the (j.g.) I know you were glad too. I took some pictures of D. and J. & M. yesterday for his 6^th month – which will be Wed. I will send another registered better with several pictures as soon as I get those developed. Those people around town did all their guessing on their own before. Dorothy thought I might talk while under ether or coming out when D. was born but I didn’t. Of course there is a lot of speculation now. I am glad you shaved. You might have to use something heavier than a razor if you let it go too long. I didn’t know you had any grey in your beard – tho a few whit ones were showing in your hair. I have a noticeable “few” now myself, but somehow I don’t even care. Link & Irene are back from Mayo Clinic. They haven’t said anything but both have gone back to work and from all appearances aren’t ill. D. is raising a fuss and his grandma is trying to get him quieted. He gets into some awful shapes sometimes and needs a little help. He gets cross ways on his bed and pushes and he is too long to do that and not hurt his head. Weighs 17 lbs.

Love Mother

Another damp cloudy warm day (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: March 20, 1943 envelope

: March 20, 1943, p. 1

: March 20, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Mar 20, 1943
Lieut R. S. Yegerlehner MC USNR
A.P.O. 43
% P.M. S. F. Calif.

Dear Mother,

Just another damp cloudy warm day – very little rain but just damp. We just won’t know what it’s like to put dry clothes on in the morning. During the night our clothes seem to collect moisture and water almost drips. I got out an extra pair of shoes today from my sea bag and they were moldy and the whole sea bag smells like an old basement.

With all the above, however, we were commenting the other night that we were a pretty lucky bunch being out here

[page 2] where the air is fresh with opportunities to go swimming, fish to catch, nice tropical moonlight nights – Then when we think of those poor fellows back there who are all shut up in hot, smelly, smoke filled rooms who have to drink beer etc for entertainment or maybe have to sit thru 2-3 hours of a no good show. That really makes us feel very lucky, horse feathers. [an expression meaning disagreement, disbelief, or frustration]

Yesterday I sent each of the boys a little present. Just mentioning it again today.

Well I think I’ve beaten my gums enough for one time – so solong
Love Daddy

Tooth Fairy (Gladys)

4 Replies

Letter transcription:

MRS. R. S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
IND
3-20-43

Dear Daddy – Rec’d your letter of Feb 25 today but already had yours of the 26 – Glad to get it. Will write your Mother and let her know I heard again. Had a letter from Dolores and she will be home Mar 27 to Apr 8 so we will probably try to go to C.C. Apr 2. D. said she had a nice letter from you in Jan. Mom said Faye had been operated on for hemorrhoids and is in Union hospital in T. H. – I went to a class meeting last night. The wind was blowing and the ground freezing. I thought it would be below zero the way the wind blew but it was about 20 above. It is warmer today – sun shining and not much wind. Tomorrow is the last day to use coupon 4 in the gas book and I have only used five which leaves 3 tickets or 12 gal I didn’t use. I will have 32 gal I can buy any time after today. Mark lost a baby tooth today – wants to know if it will be worth a dime under his pillow. John is listening to the opera and keeps hushing everyone. He has an opera book and follows along with the book. David will be six months old Wed. and weighs 17 lbs and is 27 inches in height. I have two pictures on a roll I am saving to take Wed. When I get this roll developed will send you another group of him. I have started giving him fruits and trying orange juice again. So far he has been keeping it down. It is past 4 P.M. so must get this to the P.O. Not much news today I can think of. We are all well – hope we are over colds. Maybe next month will be warmer again – Taxes for ’42 figured 157.33.

Love Mother