Tag Archives: John Henry Yegerlehner

Anxious (Roscoe)

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R. S. Yegerlehner USNR
Navy 60 F.P.O. San Fran. Calif.

Aug. 8, 1943

Dear Mother,

As you will  note this is Aug. 8 and that really is some date for a few of us to remember. I wrote you a letter about 8 days ago of more or less retrospect of the year’s happenings to date – That letter could just as well have been written today but it seemed to be more appropriate at that time. In a big general way it has been a good year as far as the war is concerned. The enemy has been pushed back on all fronts in the Pacific and of course the European phase is also going good as far as news reports go. If things can just keep going during the next year

[page 2] maybe this thing won’t last too long.

Your letter of July 23 came yesterday. It was good that you could get a leave for Jim. I’m sure it will help your mother as well as anything. Jim must be pretty tired just staying in one place for over a year. Of course, he switched to Camp Peary but it has been more or less the same, I guess it hasn’t been too bad for him however, because Thelma has been near by and he was is also able to enjoy some of the benefits of modern civilization and these things are of value but maybe we don’t appreciate them until after being deprived of them for a period of time. He no doubt is anxious to get out of the country and after being out

[page 3] for a time will be just as anxious to get back. You see I can talk from experience. I was anxious to get going and I’m just as anxious to get back and swab jobs with someone else who would like to see what he can see.

Let me again remind you not to work too hard nor worry to[o] much about things because that is hard on your health and that is the biggest worry I have out here – The health of you and the boys – I’m of course concerned with your mother’s health the same as I would be of my Mother & Dad, but it’s very much different when it comes to you and the boys. Well I’ve said my say.

Love Daddy

Perhaps this is one of the photographs from Dr. Lentz's roll of film

Roscoe, summer of 1942

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/11/27/anxious-roscoe/

Sulfa (Gladys)

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
Aug. 8 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

Another Sunday afternoon about gone. Seems I am about as busy as any other day. Last Sun. I didn’t get time to sit down & write. Mark has David out in the buggy now so thought I would take the opportunity to write. It is hot today but there is a cooling breeze most of the time. Mother ate a pretty good dinner but says she doesn’t want any supper. She looks so thin and pale today – Seems to me she looks worse today than usual. I will see Dr. Cole tomorrow and give him a report. If she would go I would take her back to the hospital but she says she couldn’t stand the beds & pillows. She is so thin I can understand why she wouldn’t be able to rest there. I told you a long time ago about the lab finding in her stool (strep, Staph & B-coli). She thinks the sulfa turned her against food and she doesn’t want anything to eat. Of course she can’t get better is she doesn’t eat, but she says she eats all she can.

[page 2] I am going to take David to see Dr. Cole tomorrow. He will probably reinforce the cast around the top – It certainly takes a beating – the way David gets around. I am to meet John. Your Mother & Dad are going to take him to Laf. T. H. & he will come to Laf. on the bus.

Mrs. Roberts was here last night. She said she had word from Joe and he had diahrea & last 7 lbs. She still doesn’t have any idea where he is. He sent his trunk back home and she has it now. She said it had a very musty odor. She said she couldn’t get beef in Watseka and their children wouldn’t eat pork. I had a sirloin steak – (Mark & I decided to be extravagant while John is away) and enough round steak for Mark & I today – so I gave her the sirloin. We don’t have steak very often because it’s hard to get and expensive. I have chicken to fry yet that your Mother brought up so thought I could get by without one steak.

I found last winter that I am allergic to sulfa – when I had the sinus infection – The other day I skinned my thumb on the furnace door – and by the way had been indulging in new tomatoes so had some breaking out on my fingers – and the

[page 3] place I skinned was broken out – I put sulfa powder on it and got a minor complication – the sore healed but that sulfa powder made my exczema so bed I can’t bend my thumb yet. It is better but I know now not to put sulfa powder on an irritated place again.

Eddie Ray Wilson sat down on a piece of broken glass and cut himself – It was so bad they had to give him ether to sow it up. He has had a time this summer. Margaret Kruman was here today & said Susan Clark caught her heel in the bike sprocket & injured her heel to the extent that she may not be able to walk on it. – Now I shouldn’t have written that because I didn’t have first hand information and when Ruth Parttens was injured the story was she wouldn’t walk again & Dr. M. said there was nothing to that. I didn’t mean to cast any reflection on Margaret but I don’t know where she got her information.

Dorothy keeps promising to bring their movie camera out to take some pictures of D. but so far she hasn’t shown up with it. Floyd & Ruth have taken pictures of him twice – at three & six months. They wanted to get him at 9 months but couldn’t make connections –

[page 4] I think you can almost see him grow in the pictures I have sent. I can’t weigh him until we get the cast off his leg – and that will be two weeks yet. He weighed 20 ½ at 10 months – I don’t know whether he will gain or lose by his 11th month – I thought he might gain – but he is about as active as he was before – I think he works just as hard – Maybe harder. He is a busy little fellow most of the time.

I told you once before – Arlene is having another baby in Dec. She has Donnie off the bottle and he isn’t a yr. old yet. She says he eats more than Bobby does. Mark has been building planes for Bobby. Bobby was up here this afternoon – He is as cute and witty as ever. Arlene thinks Donnie will soon outgrow Bobby – and at the rate Donnie is going he may.

David’s two upper front teeth are so near thru I think one edge on both will make it thru today or tomorrow.

The cricket are singing all the time now – I think the old saying is “6 weeks till frost when they begin to sing” – but you can’t always depend on old sayings – as hot as it is today I can hardly think of frost.

Love Mother –

YEG1943-07-26 - David with broken leg

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/11/26/sulfa-gladys/

Smelled Rags Burning (Gladys)

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
July 31 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

The last day of July – The folks went home this morning and John went with them to stay a week. Mark and I have to take care of things. After lunch I was all set to take a nap but David insisted on staying awake and is still singing to himself, so thought I might as well write. Dad said he never had seen a better baby than D. He has been very good to have a cast on one leg. I am to take him to see Dr. Cole Mon. I put some fresh tape around on the cast this morning.

Had a letter from Ruthie. Floyd had a nail accident and had to have a tetnus shot and got a reaction from it. It got red and itched terribly. Ruth had a letter from Herschel Steiner.

No letters today but the 28th got your of the 20th Also have the big. ck deposited and bought 7 – 18⁷⁵ bonds to make one a month for this year.

[page 2] It is cloudy today and not so hot. It got so hot yesterday, Mother felt it so much. It is quiet around here today so I think she will rest better. There was a lot of confusion yesterday with everyone around & the piano coming. Ruth & Romaine left in the afternoon and Dad, Wilma, John & Mark went along so it was quiet all afternoon yesterday. This morning when Wilma got ready to leave she couldn’t find her coin purse – we haven’t found it yet. Thurs. after the folks arrived they put some things in the garage – among them a package of sheets Mom brought along so I wouldn’t have so many extra sheets with all the company – I told Mark to take a sack of garbage to the furnace I had put in the box by the door – well we couldn’t find the sheets at bed time – you guessed it Mark took the package of sheets and put them in the furnace. We all laughed about it – the best thing to do – besides buying new sheets which I will try to do as soon as possible. Dad was sitting in the yard and said he smelled rags burning.
D. has gone to sleep so think I’ll go try and get some shut eye.

Love – Mother

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/11/11/smelled-rags-burning-gladys/

Grand Piano (Gladys)

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
July 30 – 1943

Dear Daddy,

Fri. and no letters – but had several earlier this week and won’ be disappointed about none today & yesterday. Ruth & Romaine went home – Wilma, Dad, John & Mark went along – Wilma driving our car – otherwise Ruth & Romaine would have had to go to Chi. On the bus then down to Wilmington from there on the train – I talked to Ruth M. about getting the piano – she thought it was the thing to do so I had it brought up today – and they took the old piano back so you won’t need to worry about the old piano being in the garage when you come home. It is sitting in front of the French doors and looks very “grand.” I paid 100⁰⁰ down – got $15 for the old piano and had to pay half the hauling which cost me 6⁰⁰ – so I still have 185⁰⁰ to pay – I am going to pay the Ins. loan off when I get a reply to my letter and if I have enough

[page 2] left will finish paying the piano now. Your Mother stayed with David & I while the others went to Ruth’s. I fed David and thought he would go to sleep but he is still awake. We all agree he is very good to be in a cast. He just about manages to sit up and I imagine he will manage to stand before the cast is off. With all the rubber protectors taped on around the edges he is “smelling.” There was a little skunk in the movie “Bambi” called Flower – That was what Ruth said we would be called David before he got the cast off. Dad sat out in the yard with him this morning and would blow smoke to entertain him. David would laugh every time. Dad says he is the best baby he ever saw. He gave him his bottle last night. Mom, Dad, Wilma & John are going home in the morning. I don’t know yet how John will come home but they can take him to T.H. and he can go to either Laf. or Watseka.

Helen Washburn is home for a few days. She lives in Omaha, Neb. Now. I promised to take the baby down to see her tomorrow afternoon She wanted to know if you had seen Hickey.

[page 3] Funks have a camp at the Fair Grounds for the detasslers. Nick is managing the meals. The cooks are from the Frat houses in Laf. (By the way I think most if not all the Frat houses at Purdue have been taken over for Military.) There was a broadcast from the Fairgrounds today – Al Cast, Bill & Carl Funk & Mr. Zell all had talks to give – I don’t know what else I was too busy to know anything of the kind was going on and after it was over John said he knew about it. It was on the Dinner Bell hour. Nick just keeps their restaurant open certain hours now – so he can run the cooking out there. Bill wanted Krulls to go on a vacation with them. Dorothy said if they did they would just close up while they were gone, but so far they haven’t taken said trip.

I hear David still singing – He can reach up and get the bottom of the venetian blind and swing it. I wish he would go to sleep so I could catch a nap but he seems to be wide awake.

After the first of Aug. will give you a financial report.

Love – Mother

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/11/09/grand-piano-gladys/

Company Arrives (Gladys)

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
July 29 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

Thurs P.M. – no mail this a.m. but have had up to July 20 this week so can expect a few days without mail. Again rec’d ck. and deposited – Bought 7 – $25 bonds and wrote the Ins. Co. for the amt. of loan due on my policy. Will pay that as soon as I get an answer. I think it’s just as well for you to leave the allotment as it is at present & send when you get an extra amt. on hand. I agree you should keep enough to travel on – I certainly would hate to think you had a chance to come home & no money to travel with.

Mark has D. out in the buggy getting some sun. Theresa Ann Lubberty had Donnie in his buggy and she and Mark are talking while the babies exchange toys.

[page 2] Dorothy came out to see D. yesterday – She asked me in a tone full of question if I had written you about D. I said of course, with all details. In case you have missed previous letters she popped off to me about the accident – casting the reflection I had been careless with him. I squelched her right in the start so she doesn’t say any more but from the way she acts would like to. I believe she can be the most unfair about things of than anyone I know. Well enough of that – You will wish I wouldn’t write if I don’t change the subject, but I hardly think she has a right to criticize anyone on child care.

I am looking for your Mother & Dad, Ruth & Romaine to come some time this afternoon. John is making a cake. He has made ice cream & squeezed oranges & lemons for the drink. Mark picked beans & dug potatoes. He brought the potatoes in dirty and I sent him out to the faucet at the east side of the house to wash them – he had the

[page 3] beans in the same pan and I just looked out & saw a pile of green beans on the grass –

Well the co. has arrived. Mom, Dad, Ruth, Romaine & Wilma. Wilma is going to take R. & R. to Wilmington tomorrow in our car. John wants to go home with Grandma so I think I’ll let him go – since Mark is planning a 4-H outing in Aug. My co. are all keeping me with green beans to can so must get the cans ready.

Will write more tomorrow.
Love Mother

Yegerlehner, John with unknown girls - c1934-1935

John with his cousins, Romaine and Wilma, mid 1930s

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/11/07/company-arrives-gladys/

Check Received (Gladys)

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
July 28 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

Yours of July 17-18 & 20 (Thanks for all the compliments I need a few) so you can relax now about the ck. I’ll deposit it this a.m. and figure how to spend it to our best advantage. I think I’ll buy an $18.75 bond for each month so far and pay off the loan on my ins., then put keep enough on dep. to keep our bal. up to 100⁰⁰ and may yet try to buy the piano – I mentioned several times before. However I would like to start paying Ruth & Earl off it I can manage it. Rest assured I’ll try to be sensible about it and not spend any foolishly – I have thought about this piano business for a month and can’t decide what to do – if I could only get a word one way or the other from you. I wrote you about it some time ago so maybe an ans. will be coming thru one of these days.

[page 2] I got your first reply on Mother’s condition. She has decided she will go back to the hospital if it’s necessary – however I am hoping it won’t be necessary. She had a good night last night and it’s cooler today. We had a hard rain and hail that cooled things off yesterday. We were needing rain. The sun was so hot yesterday before the rain the flowers in the yard wilted. I hung sheets out to dry & they were ready to bring in in a short time – It was like an oven out in the yard.

I called your folks last nite & they are coming up Thurs & bring Ruth & Romaine this far. I also called Mrs. R. She doesn’t know yet where Joe is. I shudder to think what my telephone bill will be next time. I must have 8 or 10 calls on it and you know what they mean.

I have hit the jack-pot in letters from you this week – what makes me feel good is to hear you have our letters. I am anxious for you to get the last pictures I sent. Glad you finally got the box I sent in Jan. or Feb.

I must study-up something Mother can eat for lunch – that’s a problem now. Also it’s about time to take care of David

[page 3] Just in case my letters haven’t reached you I’ll repeat again about David’s leg. The femur at the angle was broken – not all the way across and he is in a cast up to his hips. Dr. Cole said he wouldn’t be able to sit but we found him sitting once yesterday. We were eating supper & he was in his bed – we kept running in to look at him and once John went in and he was sitting up in a corner. I don’t think it will hurt the bone but I imagine it wasn’t too comfortable. Hope you have my letters explaining all the details about the fall. David is doing fine and doesn’t mind the cast – he crawls around his bed or pen and plays as before.

John wants to go home with the folks for a week – Mark is booked to go to 4-H in Aug. & John thinks he should have another week too – He said Mark could do a little work around here if he went – I think I’ll get a lot more out of Mark if John is gone – Mark is a lot to “let John do it.” John’s voice is changing – Jim & Thelma noticed it while they were here. There has been so much going on around here I haven’t had time to keep up on outside news.

Love – Mother

YEG1943-07-26 - Gladys and boys

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/11/05/check-received-gladys/

Third Day in Cast (Gladys)

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
July 27 – 1943

Dear Daddy,

Yours of July 7-13-14-15-16 and 19 came today. I suppose the 17th & 18th will come along in a day or so. Of course the 17th would be delayed. Jim & Thelma left this morning about 10:30. They are going to T.H. and leave their car & go back by train from there. I think it helped Mother for Jim to be here. I do hope she gets better. When she came up here she notified the Dept. so her pension could be transferred. They came out and wanted a budget so they could make a smaller amt. so I just told them to drop it. I talked it over with Jim & he agreed with me. He & Thelma both said they would help out any time we needed any money. I told them at present it isn’t necessary but should there be future hospital bills I would call on them if necessary. Jim is getting more now that he is a C.P.O. and should I need help from them I won’t hesitate to ask for it.

YEG1943-07-26 - David with broken leg[page 2] This is David’s third day in his cast. He is doing fine. I took the top off his buggy so he can be taken out in the sunshine for his daily sunning. He is unusually good about it and so far eats as much as ever. I heard the 6 a.m. church bell & he heard it but I dozed off again & he played until almost seven – then I got up & gave him his bottle – glad now I didn’t have him entirely off the bottle – it’s much easier to feed him liquids from his bottle. I think he has gone to sleep now. I thought he would go to sleep much soon but he kept playing in his pen. In spite of the cast he can get around his pen when he wants to. He acted like he was going to pull up on his feet but Dr. Cole said not to let him do that. I had started to break him of sucking his thumb but I won’t try to do it for a while. He has a new tooth – not one of the upper front but the upper left next to the front – The front one next to it is about through – In fact both upper front ones are. I sent a bunch of pictures in yesterday’s letter and hope you get them because I think they are good – however as usual John jarred the camera when he took mine and it’s not so good. Dorothy has a bunch she took with her Kodak and I

[page 3] can’t get the pictures or the negatives so can’t send them. Maybe some day she will get around to getting them for me, but I am not going to ask her any more because I asked her for the negatives and she said she would have Jack Byrnes (the druggist) take them and that’s the last I have heard of them. Dorothy probably is a little peeved at me but I don’t need to do any explaining about her to you. I feel like I have done all I can to keep things straight but I don’t feel I should be reprimanded by her. I told you all about it is yesterday’s letter & hope you have it or get it. I stay home and try to be a good mother to our children (sometimes I wonder how good I do) and I don’t leave them to run around & play cards or do anything else and because of an accident that happens while I am right here, I hardly feel she has any right to tell me I am careless with David. I guess that’s enough of that – I am going to forget it – I have decided as Arlene said the other day you can pay any attention to what people say.

Had a letter from Ruth M. She is in C.C. and Mom suggested she & Dad bring Ruth

[page 4] and Romaine this far and they could go on the bus to Chi – then down to Wilmington. She wanted to know if it would be alright, or if I though company would be too much on Mother – I am going to tell them to come on. When she wrote she hadn’t had time to receive the news about D. I wrote to your mother, Ruth & Ruthie Sunday when I wrote you.

I told you in yesterday’s letter the boys had letters from you but it was from Comdr. Fredericks – two 4th menu’s and a note written on each noet menu – one for J & one for M. Do you know what he wrote to them? He certainly thinks you are “O.K.” Now beat your chest some more – If you pound it every time I tell you to you may have some knots raise up –

It is hot & humid today. We washed all the white things – Have to keep sheets washed. Tried to buy sheeting in Laf. last Wed. and Loebs didn’t have anything but unbleached. I did buy two ready made ones. Don’t have much washing for D. now but diapers. With the cast on one leg and around his hips I don’t put clothes on him – It seems a shame to have all that cast one for such a tiny break. Jim took some pictures and if he ever sends them I’ll send them on to you.

Love,
Mother

©2014 copyrighted owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/11/03/third-day-in-cast-gladys/

Rats (Roscoe)

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R. S. Yegerlehner USNR
Navy 60
F.P.O. San Fran. Calif.

July 26, 1943

Dear Mother,

Just finished the morning chores and will see how good my letter writing ability will be. To begin with we haven’t had any late mail for some time and I don’t like it, but I guess there isn’t much to be done about the whole thing only wait.

Yesterday while sitting writing a letter a nice juicy rat ran over a brace in the tent and settled comfortably above my head in a misquito netting that had been folded. There was a cleaning rod for a rifle nearby and with a mighty heave with it the rat was stunned enough to so that I was able to get in the finishing strokes. It must have made the

[page 2] entire family very mad because they came in force to heckle us last night. They don’t bother me much but one of our roommates hammers & bangs on the side of the tent and deck keeping himself and everyone awake and really I think the rats are enjoying it for they seem to come back in greater numbers each succeeding night. They probably never heard or seen anything like that in a south Sea Isle before.

Yesterday after writing you I wrote – both Ruths, the folks and uncle Wess. It was a big day and a lot of bunk was thrown out. I still have some I should write today – like the Walkups, Brewers, etc. but I don’t feel in the mood even for a poor letter. I misrepresented things to them, told them it was hard to write to anyone else but you because I could always fill in between in your letters with love making stuff but you know I’m not good at that but I do hope you can read between the lines and sometimes see where I tried to

[page 3] express what I feel – anyway I hope as you said the other day a lot is intimated in
“Lots of Love From Daddy”

YEG1940s - Roscoe #1

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/11/02/rats-roscoe/

Good Intentions (Roscoe)

[Note: Gladys’ letter from July 25th is, unfortunately, missing.]

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R. S. Yegerlehner USNR
Navy 60 F.P.O. San Fran C.
July 25, 1943

Dear Mother,

The plan that was supposed to work so that I would see Joe R. didn’t materialize so I thought I’d better retract the statement I wrote yesterday.

I have very good intentions today of writing several people – Letters that I feel I should return, Both the Ruths, Uncle W., The Walkups – since they sent the pictures and a few others I can’t think of just now and of course the regular letter to the folks. It’s going to be a hard task but one I feel like a duty – It’s strange I don’t have slightest feeling of burden

[page 2] while writing to you but that is as I explained it a few days ago. “That’s different.”

There is a slight breeze today which makes for a little cooler weather and for more coconuts dropping – before breakfast this A.M. two came bounding down all in a bunch to hit the tent and make plenty of noise. I’m a little worried less one came thru but even if it did the sting would be taken out because it would slow things down.

I think I have repeated often enough about the check I sent home but will just once more. It was sent on July 17, and if it goes like some it should be there just about now. I’ll wait now until I get several letters from you before repeating again.

[page 3] Some time ago I wrote you and said this world we live in here could be like that song of Ruben Ruben etc. how much that really means now. Imagine a town county or any area in the USA where for more than 5 mo. a woman didn’t appear. It’s different but I can’t seem to explain how. Probably just like the life in the States is different but is hard for you to explain how and why.

Well by the time you get this letter you will be starting on your last hot month of summer and can expect cooler days to come but ours will be just as hot and stuffy and prospects of getting more so. This is one heck of a letter –
Love Daddy

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

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/2014/10/31/good-intentions-roscoe/

Sucks His Thumb (Roscoe)

Letter transcription:

Lieut R. S. Yegerlehner USNR
Navy 60 F.P.O. San Fran C.
July 23, 1943

Dear Mother,

Yours of June 30, July 2 and July 3 came yesterday – also one from the Folks and one from The Walkups with pictures of the girls. Yours gave a definite pictures of finances and off hand I’d say they weren’t so good but well enough to get along on, and the extra I sent will keep us out of the red. Of course while they are low that doesn’t show the loan and interest you paid off so in relative way they aren’t low but I’d say doing rather well.

Now another you wrote – you said most everyone when seeing D.

[page 2] for the first time remarked how much he looked like his Daddy and in the same sentence without punctuation marks etc. you said he sucked his thumb. I really wasn’t aware of the fact that I had that habit, or did you mean to infer that. Maybe you just meant his looks and not his habits. Another thing you wrote or rather not what you wrote but how – when you said I hope to convey everything with “Love Mother” with the quotations marks etc. I really liked that because I think I got the full meaning of what you meant. Thanks Lots.

It’s refreshing to get letters as I said in yesterday’s letter and I know you are doing the very best to get them to me, but there are many obstacles between here and there which are a little hard to overcome

[page 3] but somehow we get the letters thru in pretty good time and here is hoping those letters continue until a better medium of contact is mage – Namely personal –

Love Daddy

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

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/2014/10/28/sucks-his-thumb-roscoe/