Tag Archives: Kenneth Yegerlehner

The Funeral

Letter transcription:

9-1-64

Dear David & Bonnie –

The past week has been rather full. Mark & Shirley left Kirk with us Monday. He got quite attached to John and John to him. Friday night Aunt Ruth called and told us Uncle Earl had passed away. Floyd came Sat. a.m. and went over to be with Aunt Ruth. Tye & Romaine couldn’t get there until Sat. evening. They drove. Sunday Steve brought Aunt Ruth here and in the afternoon we drove to Wilmington. Friday afternoon Shirley & Mark came back to get Kirk and he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to have anything to do with them. Shirley said she thought he was mad at them for leaving him. Lea & Bob came the same day, so we had a family reunion for a little while. Lea & Bob stayed but M. & S. took Kirk and went to get Becky. They are coming back today. John just left to go to Champaign with his car loaded. He bought about

[page 2] $200.00 worth of household goods, and took most of his things on this trip.

Yesterday we attended the funeral. Dad & John went to Wilmington Mon. a.m. So many of the Clay City relatives were there, Clarence, Clara, Ralph, Kenneth, Mary Lois, Duane & Joan and a number of Mutchler relatives. Since I had been with Aunt Ruth the better part of one week (Aug. 18 to 21) and had gone over Sunday afternoon, John & I came back home shortly after the funeral was over. Some of the relatives didn’t arrive until just before the funeral so they stayed longer. Ruth & Floyd stopped here on their way home at about 7:30 and they said they were the last to leave. Tye & Romaine were gong to stay in Wilmington a day or two.

I have to give a program at Williamsport tonight and as of this minute haven’t decided what I will give and before Mark & his family get here I think I had better get my program ready. M. & S. are going to be here until Thurs. then they are going back home (to mow lawn, etc.). Mark has a new job with All American Ins. & Casualty in Park Ridge – which will be closer home than his present job.

Love Mother

©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/01/09/the-funeral/

Thanksgiving Plans

2 Replies

Letter postmarked the day Kennedy was killed 11-22-63

Letter transcription:

Mrs. R.S. Yegerlehner
146 W. Graham Street
Kentland, Indiana
Nov. 21 – 1963

Dear David –

I banked $200.00 for you this week (so you can keep your accounts straight).

Floyd, Ruth & Steve are coming up, for Thanksgiving and Ruth and Earl will come over if someone can go get them. I thought since you and Bonnie would be coming home on Wed. evening you could go over to Wilmington Thurs. morning and get them. I hope that is agreeable with you.

Dad has gone to the hospital on a baby case and I should be getting to bed but want to do a few things yet.

I am to take Mrs. Myers to the dentist tomorrow afternoon and told her I would take her grocery shopping after she gets through. I think she seemed a little disappointed when I told her we wouldn’t have anyone here for Christmas. Maybe we can plan to bring her here for dinner sometime before Christmas. If possible we will go to Chicago for the day.

Clarence & Clara and two of Kenneth’s girls came last Thurs. so Clarence could hunt pheasant. He hunted but didn’t

[page 2] have any luck. This morning a beautiful cock pheasant strutted around our front yard. Too bad Clarence wasn’t here today.

We will be looking for you Wed. evening.
Love Mother

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/11/19/thanksgiving-plans/

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/

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.

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/07/02/going-ahead-gladys/

Dear Brother (Clarence)

2 Replies

: November 8, 1943 envelope

: November 8, 1943, p. 1

: November 8, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Clay City Ind.
Nov. 8, 1943

Dear Brother,

No excuse for not writing now since weather conditions won’t permit gathering corn. Have cribbed about 360 bu. and most of balance is to[o] moist. The fall season has been pretty good at that. Wheat looks good but some soy beans are still to combine.

Well how are you getting along by this time? O.K. we hope. The reports concerning the war on all fronts are sure sounding good and let’s hope they continue. Kenneth has started flying a few weeks ago and seems to like it fine. He only weighs 190 lbs now. He is located at Springfield Mo. Wilma likes her work in nursing. At present she gets to come home Saturday noon until Sunday 7 P.M. However, I don’t think it will last very long as they are rushed quite a bit.

You can see that you are getting a new writer so it rather deprives me of some news. No need telling it twice. I’ll try and not put off writing so long next time. I was so busy this summer that I just couldn’t find time to write even to Kenneth. The girls had to do that. (over)

Pa & Ma are feeling good. They were at Kentland, Wilmington & Chicago last week while Floyds were here. They visited Uncle Silvester. He had been very low but is pretty good I guess now.

It is 9:00 o’clock now so I guess I’ll have to go to bed. May try a little duck or goose hunting in the morning since the snow blizzard has set in. I killed 8 ducks a couple days ago, & sure would like a chance on a goose. Well here’s hoping that the strife will be over very shortly and all can return to civilian life. Write when you can.

Your Bro
Clarence

This letter was delayed until we got your new address until Nov. 10. Ground froze a little but I think it will warm up a little now. The sun is trying to get thru.
C.Y.

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/06/22/dear-brother-clarence/

T-Bone Steaks (Gladys)

1 Reply

: August 11, 1943 envelope

: August 11, 1943, p. 1

: August 11, 1943, p. 2

: August 11, 1943, p. 3

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
Aug 11 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

No letters today but had up to July 31 this week. It is hot today – but there is a good breeze. We picked green beans yesterday and canned 8 qts. today – we aren’t thru, but I had to stop & do some other things – one being to feed David – Mark now has him out in the buggy. Sammy & Buddy came to play with Mark. I told Mark he has to take care of David – all three boys are walking up & down the street (sidewalk) – Mark pushing the buggy. At present John is practicing – He just finished sorting music. The new piano bench wouldn’t hold all he had – so he decided to sort out all he doesn’t use & put it away. I have been so busy with the canning & David’s routine I haven’t had time to go upstairs today – I changed the bed before I came down this a.m. so could get the washer going early – John and Mark do the running up & down for me.

[page 2] Buddy was here for dinner. He said they were going with Funk’s on a trip. I suppose they will go some place in Wis. Bill has been so busy with the detassling this year. When it was over Arlene said he was worn out. They kept the boys at the Fairgrounds and this was the most they had had so far. There was a write-up about the camp in Prairie Farmer. They had a broadcast one day from the camp on the dinner bell hour. Bill’s job (one of them) was to see that there was enough food. There was a start of diahrea and he was worried about that, was afraid it would go thru the camp, but got it checked. Mr. Nelson is here now helping on a new elevator for the corn. It is almost due south of us, where the other buildings were built last year.

I sent John to town to get some meat this a.m. – he came back and said the only place he could find meat was Ford’s and they had two T-bone steaks – I sent him back to get them – the two cost .76¢ and took 16 points – We have a few can of salmon on hand so had salmon for dinner – I have some bacon & hens in the locker but won’t use them now – the meat situation may not improve so will save in case it doesn’t. We have beef promised from Parttens when they butcher this fall but might need some

[page 3] before then. Don’t worry about us and out meat problem, because we will get along. I still have chicken your Mother brought up. She may come again and if she does will have her bring more.

Kenneth is home on furlough and he drove the car to take John to T.H. – John said when he got off the bus in Laf. there were two girls who were meeting an uncle and they said “Hello Uncle Roscoe – “ Somehow he laughed about in incident. No offense whatever – I just mentioned it thought you might laugh too.

Mark & his company are in the front yard having some tall arguments. The children like to tell moron jokes. They are always coming in with something new about the little moron. Mark sometimes gets his riddles mixed up & tells us the answer first.

It’s 4 PM and more beans to work on and other things to do so must get busy.
Love Mother

Wordless Wednesday – Cousins (a few years later)

1 Reply

The same group of Yegerlehner cousins (plus one), a few years later, probably around 1940, at the Yegerlehner farm in Clay City, Indiana. The youngest cousin in the picture was born in 1937.

Back row: Earl, Kenneth, Paul
Middle row: Wilma, Romaine, Dolores
Front row: John, Duane, Glendon, Mark
In front: Carolyn

Photograph from the private collection of Deborah Sweeney.

Wordless Wednesday – Cousins

2 Replies

I recently started “crowd-sourcing” my family photographs on Facebook. As my blog has grown, and I have found more extended family members, Facebook has become a great tool. This photograph had all the individuals identified in less that five minutes. I wish all photographs were that easy!

You may recognize some of the names from the World War II letters. This photograph was taken during the mid to late 1930s, likely in Clay County, Indiana.

Back row: Paul, Kenneth, Earl
Middle row: Dolores, Wilma, Romaine
Front row: John, Duane, Glendon, Mark

The Jackpot (Gladys)

4 Replies

: May 8, 1943 envelope

: May 8, 1943, p. 1

: May 8, 1943, p. 2

: May 8, 1943, p. 3

: May 8, 1943, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
5-8-43

Dear Daddy –

As Mark would say – I hit the jackpot this a.m. – 4 letters Apr 16 – 19 & 2 dated the 20^th – The box with the chicken bones – I sent those in the original tin box so they would be intact when you received them. You should get another box soon because I sent one a few days after sending the chicken bones. There is a 5 lb limit so had to divide the original box I packed.

Our weather has changed rather drastically. Wed. it was hot and windy, Thurs it began to cloud up then started to rain – rained most of Fri and today is still wet and raining and pretty cool, so it is just as well we haven’t taken the storm windows down yet. All three boys have colds, but I think it is due to weather conditions. John didn’t take measles after all, tho I had to keep him home from school Wed – Thurs & Fri. He didn’t go to take his music lesson today either.

[page 2] Some time later – heard a special radio weather broadcast – frost is predicted – as cool as it is now it wouldn’t surprise me. It seems to be clearing off now and if it does by night time I am sure it will be cold enough to freeze. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day – I got your letter mentioning it – came right when it should. I told J. & M. not to spend anything for me for Easter & Mother’s Day and I would just add that much to a set of dishes. Not expensive ones – but you know how dishes go around here and it’s about time for a new set. I sent your Mother a pr of hose & a hanky & card. I got myself a pr of shoes and after walking around in them decided they weren’t comfortable for walking (what I bought them for) so Mother tried them on and said she could wear them – I gave them to her so I told her that was her Mother’s Day gift.

In re-reading the letters that came today. The v-mail hasn’t come yet and I have been sending v-mail & air mail both – The past week I have alternated – The reason I stopped sending air mail

[page 3] when I did – I was told they wouldn’t go by air at all – but will try again and you can let me know which does the best. I’ll keep sending v-m every other day & air mail on the alternate day.

Mark is taking 4-H this summer – Gardening & baking – imagine our Mark wanting to bake – I helped him stir up a syrup cake this morning. He really enjoys it. What I think he likes most is licking the bowls and then eating the cake when it’s baked.

When I sent your Christmas box I didn’t have room to pack the box of chicken bones – and that was the reason I took them out the tin and wrapped them in a wax paper bag – I told Nick & Dorothy what happened to them – Nick was rather sarcastic about “leave it to a woman to do something like that” – So when I got your letter this morning in which you mentioned the bones I presumed they weren’t in the tin box I sent them in – so I called D. and told her to tell Nick his sarcasm was unnecessary.

Nick took one exam for a commission in the Navy but he didn’t go back for

[page 4] a final – and I doubt if he does. John got a letter from Dwane written on their way to see Kenneth at Camp Robinson in Ark. I suppose Mom wrote you that K. is in Medical Div.

I was to go to T.H. today to get Mother but thought maybe I had better call her to be ready – well when I called she said she thought she would stay another week then Mayroses would bring her up – so that saves me the trip down and I don’t care. I wasn’t anticipating the trip. I want to go to Laf. Wed. to the Hospital Day Ceremony honoring the Doctors in Service.

As I have told you in previous letters, I haven’t bought any bonds this year but have been waiting for the uniform money to come thru. By the time I got all the first of the year bills paid and bought the 6- 50 bonds I haven’t much of a balance – at present it will be under $100 when I get everything pd – Just wrote a ck for $44 for coal, etc. In spite of all the ceiling – the price of food is much higher and it costs just to keep the grocery bills paid. David is singing – about time for him to eat – and – he has a coming appetite today, in spite of a slight cold.

Love Mother

Yegerlehner home, E. Dunlop Street, Kentland, circa 1943

April Fool’s Day (Gladys)

7 Replies

Letter transcription:

MRS. R.S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
4-1-43

Dear Daddy – The first day of Apr and Mark has been busy all morning before going to school trying to get everyone fooled – However he didn’t really fool us much. I told him to run out and kill a snake by the garage and he fell for it. It rained last week but the sun is shining bright this morning. After school yesterday we raked the front yard and I sowed some grass seed. Couldn’t get any vigaro to put on – there just isn’t any this year. There is a Victory Garden fertilizer but it is not to be used on lawns – so that is that. I got the seed on just in time for the rain. I am going to Wilmington to get Ruth M. this afternoon or would work in the yard this P.M. – but the boys can do the raking after school. – Mail just came but no letters from you today – Maybe one tomorrow – Had a letter from your Mother and she had yours of Mar 14. Kenneth is in camp in Ark. – is in the band. He will get along where ever he goes. I hear David – just took a nap before his bath time. He sat in the buggy and watched up work in the yeard. He likes to be out of doors – So do I since such a long winter. I hope it stays warm for our trip. I am tiried of wearing heavy clothes. Mother is going to stay in T. H. a short while and then she is coming back here to live. She wants to do some visiting before she comes to stay. Jim wrote that Thelma has the mumps. He is getting more time off now and sees her quite often – but has to cross the bay every time he goes to see her. He is trying to find work for her in Richmond. He is in Camp Perry near Williamsburg now. Ed Barce is still stationed in Kokomo. I left the car at Sondergrath’s for a going over before making our trip.

Love – Mother