Tag Archives: Lucile Johnson

Mystery Pal (Gladys)

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1943-12-17 (GRY)Letter transcription:

MRS. R.S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
12-17-43

Dear Daddy – This has been a busy day. It was nice enough to take David out so left the work and took a walk to air the younger generation. He was wrapped up to his neck so he wouldn’t get chilled. He really enjoyed the trip. We went over to see Jimmy Ed then down town and mailed David’s pictures air mail (48₵) so you should get them soon. Lucile gave me some snaps we took two weeks ago so I will enclose them in tomorrow’s air mail. John stayed home again today but didn’t feel very bed. Had a slight temp 4/5 of a degree this a.m. and 2/5 this p.m. However, I told Miss Kitsmiller I kept him home so he wouldn’t get sick. I think he had a slight cold which would have gotten worse if he had gone to school. I went to the S.S. Class party tonight and we had our annual mystery pal revelation. I got Dorothy Kindig’s name for next year – as John would say – that is just “lady stuff.” Mark had been skating since the pond has been frozen. Seems to enjoy the sport very much. I rec’d a greeting from “Pop” Porterfield today. Said to give you his regards in my next letter to you. He is still in Va. Saw Clarice Hufty tonight. She said she is expecting to go to the hospital any time now. So is Arlene. It may be a tie.

Love – Mother

YEG1943-11

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/08/12/mystery-pal-gladys/

Christmas Cards (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Dec. 16 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

We really caught up with the mail or rather it caught up with us today. The three money orders came along with three letters for me. You inquired about finances in one letter. I have given you some reports lately but our bank bal. at present is $25⁰⁰ and with Jan. 1 check I will have to pay Ins. (John Hancock $50.26 & $11.60). I couldn’t believe I had used so much money during the past year but I have all the cancelled checks and they tell the story. I’ll send you a detailed statement a little later. Of course the hospital expenses made a little of the total but it was just one of those things and I was glad I could keep it paid. Our house payments are down to $44.47 now. John didn’t go to school today and is getting quite bored at home. He said he didn’t feel just right this morning, so I took his temp to be sure and he had 2/5 of a degree. I told him not to go to school if he felt he should stay home. He has had no rise

[page 2] in temp. all day but I think he is just as well off to miss a day of school. He said he felt like you was taking a cold but it isn’t developing very fast if he has any. So many keep going to school with colds – one boy in his class has a very bad cold and keeps going every day. John was very much disgusted with him for not staying home. John has had the radio on all day to help pass the time. I think he will be glad to get back to school

Mark wanted to take his money order to school and get it cashed on the way home but I told him he could go back to town after school so he decided he could wait. David of course just said oooh! Or something equally intelligent when I showed him his money order. His pictures came so will send them out today. I think you will agree they are very good of him. I assure you he looks exactly like them.

Virginia Zell is improving. Dr. M. is going to X-ray her head tomorrow afternoon. I was over to see her this morning and she was awake and seemed normal. Dr. said she would have to remain in bed three weeks. I am anxious to get the X-ray report as to whether there is a fracture or not.

[page 3] It is warmer today – was above zero this a.m. instead of below. Those few degreed seem to make so much difference to me. There is a light snow on which will stay unless we have a sudden warm spell.

Ruth wants us to come over there for Christmas, but I am not going to plan on it because of the weather. If it warms up and the roads are not slick we may go. Your Mother wanted to know if we were planning to come down, but I hadn’t been. It would be too far to go in this kind of weather I think.

We have rec’d a few greetings. Got one from Jewell. She wrote a note – said Dot’s husband had been rejected. Dot’s baby is just a few weeks younger than David. Margaret’s husband is in the Army and Uncle G. is living with Marg. Hazel’s son Paul left Mon. for the Navy. He is married and they have a new baby.

You were wondering about E. Wilson going to the Army – The law about pre-Pearl Harbor fathers doesn’t seem to make much difference when the local draft board runs out of single men, and that seems to be the case here, or at least that is what I understand. Ed Johnson’s Co. got him a deferment, but Lucile thinks he may go when this deferment is up. She

[page 4] says he won’t ask for a deferment himself. I was in the 10₵ store and some woman asked Bill Zimmerman something about him being in the service and he said Uncle Sam had all the good men already – I suppose he didn’t pass the physical in Indpls. I knew he was to take his exam in Oct. and I didn’t ask him any questions, because I didn’t want to be nosey. I have an idea Floyd might pass the next time, if the demands gets hard enough.

Louise Krull Glenn has a new baby girl – 9 lbs. I was in the restaurant yesterday and the call came for Nick while I was there. Mrs. Krull closed her house and has been staying with Louise. Johnnie is such a big child – looks more like a 4 yr. old than 27 months.

Your acc’t of frying chicken was good. Wish I could have a picture of that – You should be able to pinch hit – you had good training at home.

I must get this finished so it will go out on the evening mail.

Here’s hoping you have a Merry Christmas – I know you won’t receive it until after the 25th but maybe by Jan. 1.

Love Mother
P.S. the enclosed came today – thought you would rather have the original than a reproduction.

YEG1943-11

David, 14 months, November 1943

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/08/10/christmas-cards-gladys/

Lafayette and Back (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Dec. 10 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

Just back from Laf. Took Lucile down to shop and purchased a few things too. John wanted records for Christmas so got him “The Nutcracker Suite.” In case you don’t know what it is, it’s from an operetta. I was going to take David and Lucile was to take Jimmy and we would leave both babies with her sister, but David still had some cold and I didn’t want to have him around Jimmy – so I got Clara to come stay with D. and also she got all the venetian blinds washed and windows while here, so I got some housework down even tho I wasn’t here. I didn’t want to take David away from home while he has any cold. He slept last night without coughing and didn’t run any temp. today but coughed quite a bit all day. He is asleep now and

[page 2] seems to be resting very good. I called Dr. M. wed. about giving him sulfadiazine and he said give him ¼ tablet every 4 hrs. I did that 36 hours then stopped. After I got back from Laf. this evening I went down and talked to him about d. He said if he continues to cough to give him sulfa again in two days. This cough seems to get so many people. I don’t know how contagious it is but know of no one being close to D. that had a cough. Ed Johnson has had it for several weeks but he hasn’t been close to David only out of doors – last Sun. he took some pictures but it was in the yard, I didn’t take D. into their house. At any rate it hasn’t made him feel bad and so far he isn’t running any temp. He is not as bad as he was yesterday, so I suppose I will just have to keep him in and keep him warm. When I came home this evening he was walking around the house having a grand time. I fed him and put him to bed, then I went

[page 3] to see the Dr. Mark said he would go along. After seeing the Dr. decided to get my supper downtown – I was hungry and didn’t like the idea of coming home and frying eggs – (meat frozen isn’t easy to work with) so Mark & I ate at Krulls – the first time I have eaten out for weeks – but eating in Laf. is quite out of the questions with us – We try to eat before we go or after we come back. Sometimes we have stopped at the Triple X on the hill and get a sandwich and drink. The Krull children were going to the ball game at Remington and asked J. & M. to go along. I come home as soon as I finished eating so John could go. I am here with David now, trying to catch up with my correspondence while it’s nice and quiet (except for the stoker).

I saw Phyllis M. downtown and Art is soon to be traveling. He is to go to some eastern port for 8 weeks, then, who knows where. The Emmet Millers have a baby boy. Born just shortly after Emmet was sent out.

[page 4]  They were somewhere in the South – he was sent to N.Y. and she came home one day and had her baby the next. She made the trip part way by plane, so you can understand why. James William came 3 wks. early. She was in the hospital in Laf. but I didn’t try to see her today – I figured she would be home by now.

Mr. Z. had been in Laf. attending something at Purdue since Tues. Mrs. Z. was going down today to get him, but Virginia took a cold and Mrs. couldn’t go, so Lucile and I brought him back with us. I was going to take Alma today but she had another one of those terrible attacks last night and wasn’t able to go. She has been doctoring with Rumkorf since you are away. Jack told her to either go see him today or have him over but I haven’t talked to her this evening so don’t know whether she did either.

Yours of Dec. 3 came today – not bad, eh. Just hope you get mine as fast as you have been. If 18 months mean anything – oh well, you know the answer. Thanks again for the check. As I said before it will help a lot, as we are a little low.

Had a letter from Juanita and Ralph was going to be drafted so he joined the Navy, so you see the pre-Pearl Harbor fathers are being taken –

Love Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/28/lafayette-and-back-gladys/

Mail Came Today (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Dec. 9 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

Yours of Dec. 1 & 2 came today. Thanks for the check. Our bank acc’t is low ($49.00) so that will boost it somewhat. When I can find the time will send you a complete financial statement for 1943. I have the checks listed under their respective distributions (to Dec. 1) but haven’t added the long columns yet. I put a few figures in a letter last week, about Ins., Bonds, etc., but those didn’t take much adding. It doesn’t seem possible I wrote checks to cover all the money I put in the bank in ’43 but I have the checks and they all were essential – with the exceptions of a piano, fur coat, etc. However a goodly amt. went into Ins., the house & bonds.

David is still coughing a little, but hasn’t any temp. I am still giving him sulfadiazine. I haven’t had him anyplace where he could get such a cold but he has one. 37 were out of school today (high). Irene, Mrs. J. & Jimmy are all down with flu. I called Link and talked to him. I told him David was under the weather.

[page 2] and I can’t leave him now but could come over after school if I could do anything to help. He said he had gotten them all fed and they were pretty well taken care of then. They had Dr. M. yesterday and today. I didn’t call the Dr. to come I just asked him about giving sulfa & he told me what dosage to give and how often. David is asleep now. Hope he takes a nice long nap. I try to keep him in his bed but he gets tired of being kept up, so have to turn him loose when he gets to dissatisfied. He takes his stuffed toys and loves then, then throws them down. He pulls the lovey stuff on me too when he wants something very much. He certainly understands things we say to him. I told him he couldn’t crawl around the floor. He got down and began to crawl. I said “do you want me to put you back in your bed,” and he quit crawling. I put him on the toidey seat just as soon as he finishes his breakfast and he usually has his first B.M. I am not always lucky enough to get the next, but if I put him on the toidey after his nap he usually saves a diaper. He tries to feed himself, but to keep from wasting Pablum I give him a spoon to work with and at the same time feed him with another spoon.

[page 3] He won’t allow me to help him guide the spoon he holds and doesn’t seem to notice I am feeding him at the same time he is trying to feed himself. He can hold his cup to drink from but is a little awkward so I usually hold the cup.

John was relating some school happenings yesterday. He sounded so much like you in his tone and mannerism I told him you couldn’t have sounded more like yourself. They had to give reports on certain animals and the Dean Davis boy in John’s class gave a report on monkeys. You recall Davises used to have a pet monkey. John doesn’t care for the D. boy and ended the discussion with this observation, I wonder if the Davises were trying to find a twin for Dwane when they got that monkey. He was so droll about it – Just like his Dad.

I see in the paper that Ira Dixon is going to engage in the practice of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1913, according to the paper. As has been the custom the Dem. comes on Thurs. and the Newton Co. usually tags in on Fri.

I told J. & M. their Christmas money would come in a day or two – I also told them they could buy themselves a fresh supply of cod liver oil out of their own money. I don’t know how they could get more benefit from spending on themselves, do you?

[page 4] Mark has been playing football all fall. He came in at noon with a bad thumb. Thought he couldn’t cut his meat and when I pointed out it was hamburger, got along with his fork. He takes the prize about so many things. I tell him he gold bricks. Sometimes he will say, “Now Mother don’t think I am trying to ‘gold brick.’” He was done all his Christmas shopping and has his gifts wrapped and under the tree. He is so full of anticipation for Christmas. It’s good to have someone in the house like that. John is rather matter-of-fact about things. I told both boys our bank acc’t is low right now, so John said, to cut down on Christmas spending (now who is that like?). Not that I was throwing money around on elaborate gifts. I have a few things I think Mark will enjoy, some toys for D. and want to get a record or two for John. He will probably get himself some records with the money you send.

Dot Salter Huffman sent me a roll of film and Lucile sold me one so now I have two rolls and can get some more snaps of D. and the rest of us. Dot works for Easley and knew I wanted film, hence the roll from her. Katie Fletcher works at the NuJoy and gets film for Lucile – You really have to be on the inside track to get film not.

Love Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/26/mail-came-today-gladys/ ‎

A Cold Today (Gladys)

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1943-12-08 (GRY)Letter transcription:

MRS. R.S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
12-8-43

Dear Daddy – Another wintry day and no mail. It has been 10 days since I last received a letter. David has a cold today. I called Dr. M. and he said to give him ¼ tablet sulfadiazine every 4 hrs. He certainly is peppy enough but coughs and has a runny nose. He did have a temp. this A.M. but none this P.M. John & Mark are both home from school. Mark is out playing with Dean M. – John is practicing on the piano. There is a lot of flue around. John said 30 were absent from school today. David seems to have what is going around. He hasn’t been around anyone with a cold but got one anyway. Mrs. Z. and Martha stayed away from us while they had theirs last week. I was going to take Lucile to Laf. today but didn’t because of David. If he gets over his cold may go Fri. or tomorrow. I haven’t much shopping to do, but usually find something to buy – want to get a record for John. Dr. Van & Dr. Limp have redecorated their office and the Sr. Dr. is ready to do business again. I heard he didn’t want to come back but of course could do nothing about an honorable discharge – guess it was a retirement. Not much news today – haven’t been away from home.

Love – Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/24/a-cold-today-gladys/ ‎

Walking (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Dec. 5 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

No letters for a week, but this is Sun. evening, so maybe I’ll get a few tomorrow. The weather was so warm today I took David out for a long walk. Lucile came out with Jimmy and we walked back to their place – Ed took some pictures of the two babies. This is Jimmy’s 11th month. He and David walk around in the house and have a good time together, just walking, walking. Makes me tired sometimes just to see them do so much walking, and I can’t imagine what it would do for you, unless you have changed your mind about the above mentioned exercise. This paper seems to have a few grease spots on it that keeps the ink from showing. Hope you can make it out. Took David to S.S. again. He jabbers but on the whole does pretty good to be as active as he is. He just isn’t the sitting type. He is just as restless around here. About the only time he wants to sit still is when his is being wheeled around or in t he car. Sometimes he gets a little hard to hold in the car. He says “gog” when he sees a dog and I repeat dog plainly to him but it still has a g sound when he says it. He was so hungry this evening I had to hurry up his supper – Must have been the long ride in the fresh air and sunshine – John stayed home listening to the radio and Mark played out in the yard with his football. Mark’s cheeks were so pink this evening. He needs good exercise in the out of doors. He had been looking pale. We have the Christmas tree up but no decorations on it yet. David likes to touch it but isn’t too anxious to get too close – it sticks him. Mark wanted to decorate the tree as soon as we brought it home but I put him off for a

[page 2] few days. We heard there would be a scarcity of trees so bought this one early. The Grab-it just got them in. So far the other stores haven’t had any.

I went thru our checks for 1943 to see where I had spent it all – In addition to over $500⁰⁰ going on house payments – I bought $131⁰⁰ bonds, $300⁰⁰ piano, $417⁶⁰ loan on ins., $130⁰⁰ Hospital (Mother’s hospital expense was about $250 – Jim helped on that and I figured I paid about $110⁰⁰ – then Mark’s & David’s amounted to about $20⁰⁰). I will send you a more detailed statement later if you want it, I am glad I paid everything by check – even tho it cost me $2⁸⁰ service charge over the year, I can sit down and see where it all went. We live very simply as you know, but that doesn’t make us unhappy. I was amused at John one day. A boy in school asked him if he had seen a certain show. John said no, he didn’t go to shows because his Dad was away and we didn’t have money to throw around. I really haven’t restricted them from going to shows – but our John likes records and would rather put his spending money in something more tangible than movies. I told J. & M. our funds are low now and they both agreed to be satisfied without a lavish Christmas. At present our bal. is about $50⁰⁰ and I have to pay Mr. Monroe yet this month – I think his bill will be about $7⁰⁰.

I hear David making a noise and must go see what he is grunting about.
Love Mother

Our Ins. was $439¹⁷ in ‘43

YEG1943-12 Gladys, David, Lucile and Jimmy Ed

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/17/walking-gladys/

Mrs. Plummer (Gladys)

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1943-12-02 (GRY)Letter transcription:

MRS. R.S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
12-2-43

Dear Daddy – No letters the last three days. This being Mrs. Plummer’s wedding anniversary I baked & decorated a cake and took David and spent the afternoon with her. She gave me our Christmas gifts today. I will just keep the boys until Christmas then put them on the tree. I have the dining table decorated with Santa & reindeers and the little table trees. It was so warm today it didn’t seem like Dec. I hung clothes out but the humidity was high and the heavier things didn’t dry. This time last year we couldn’t hang anything out of doors. We are all pretty well over colds now. I still have sinus drainage every morning but that is better than having it stopped. The piano tuner is coming tomorrow. He had tuned the piano before it was moved but it needs it again. John really takes a piano thru a lot of hard practicing. J. & M. get their homework as soon as they get home from school so they can play monopoly on John’s board he got for his Christmas gift. I thought if I allowed them to play on it a lot they would soon tire of it and not be so anxious to play all the time. I wasn’t in town today so didn’t gather any news. Lucile was out with Jimmy Ed early this afternoon before I went to Plummers. David & J.E. have a good time toddling around together. I loaned J.E. a pr. of shoes David outgrew. Baby shoes are hard to find now.

Love – Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/08/mrs-plummer-gladys/

Happy Thanksgiving 1943 (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Nov. 25 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

One more year your birthday comes on Thanksgiving Day. Hope you cards have caught up with you by this date. Mark said “life begins at forty.” I said that may be true for Daddy, only I am hoping yours will begin again for your family soon after 39. That may be put crudely, but I think you will get what I mean.

It’s after 4 P.M. and David and his mother slept from 2 till 4. I kept him out in the warm sunshine until he got cross, then decided he should have his nap. He used to take a nap after his bath, orange juice & oil at 10 a.m. but won’t go to sleep any more at that hour so we wait until afternoon now. It has been sunny the past few days so in order to get him out during the best of the sunshine take him out right after lunch. He will stay in his Taylor Tot a while then wants to get out & walk around. His 8th tooth is almost through.

[page 2] I didn’t want to go into the locker because of my sinus & throat condition – which seem pretty good today – so Link said he would be going over. We wanted a chicken for dinner but Link forgot all about going. He had told me he had to go for them. So we had beef roast instead. I made dressing, baked potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, raw carrots, celery, pumpkin pie and tea. I think we fared well enough. J. & M. kept referring to the meat as turkey. The Zells ate with Shirks. Chafee won a 16 lb. turkey at the raffle and couldn’t find anyone to dress it, so Mr. Z. dressed same then Shirks invited Zells to dinner. The Shirks & Zells used to live in Brookville at the same time. Johnsons also won a turkey and dressed it and put it in our locker for Christmas. So far I haven’t planned much for Christmas. I don’t want to plan on going to C.C. I think that is too far to go with D. in cold weather. We may possibly go to Mutch’s or have them come over here if Earl can get the gas. If not we can just remain home. I suppose R. & F. will go to C.C. If it gets as cold this year as it did last I would much rather stay home than try to go visiting. After all with the four of us we can make merry right at home. Of course we would

[page 3] enjoy being with the family, or having a part of the family come here.

I’ll mention again in case those other letters do not reach you – I rec’d two bouquets of flowers. Lt. Palmer wrote a nice letter to Bergens and they passed it on to me. He was very complimentary about you. But why shouldn’t he be – you deserve it.

I rec’d a letter from Dolores. She sent me some pictures of her & Steve. I think he is a nice looking young man. She didn’t mention his present location. He must have had several days off when they were married – she said in her letter she went back to work the day after Steve went back to camp.

I have to make another trip to Laf. to get the lenses for my glasses. I had planned to go Tues. but Mark was home and I couldn’t get Clara to come and stay with Mark and David, so was going to have Arlene get the lenses for me, but they have to have my frames to drill the holes in the right places, so we plan to go tomorrow. School being out J. & M. can take care of David in the car. I will try to do a little Christmas shopping but I know I won’t do much. The stores are jammed and the stocks are low.

[page 4] There seems to be three or four persons to any article for sale. The stores are short of clerks. I don’t like to buy anything I don’t have to. You can hardly imagine the change in business conditions. I want to buy gifts for Jimmy, Bobby, Donald, & the Zell girls and frankly I am “stumped.” The prices on toys are high and the toys offered this year are nothing compared to former years. I am not complaining. It’s just a natural condition arising from circumstances – Just wish I could find something to give that would do as good as toys. I suppose I will if I think hard enough. I told J. & M. I am going to give them money. Of course I will get something else – probably some clothing & wrap it to put under the tree. They have been wanting to know what to get me. That is as much a problem as any, but we will solve all these by Christmas and try to have a Merry Christmas.

Last Thanksgiving was a week earlier than this year and it turned cold and stayed cold all winter. I remember we hung clothes out on the line & they froze. We didn’t hang clothes out today but it was nice & warm.

It’s five o’clock and I have rambled on without saying much but hope it will take up a little of your time
“Love – Mother”

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/06/29/happy-thanksgiving-1943-gladys/

Death of a Child (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Nov. 21 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

Sun. evening – listening to the radio – The Chase & Sanborn program on. J. & M. & I just left the kitchen after a scanty supper. Mark had a stomach bug Fri. evening – I had to clean up the bathroom floor downstairs and the hall floor upstairs – It seemed the bug was working both ways and at the same time so had underwear to wash too – Then last night (Sat.) John went thru the same thing and at the same time my throat was tightening – I felt like I was getting it bad (had had a treatment Fri., but Sat. was warm and I went out of doors several times and think I got chilled some). However to go on with my tale – I started taking sulfadiazine to nip my sinus & throat bug and must have in doing so nipped the stomach bug the boys had – No doubt I would have gotten it because I had to clean up after both boys – Just hope David doesn’t have to go thru the same experience. So far he is as peppy as ever. Dorothy & Nick came out this afternoon to take some movies

[page 2] of David but he didn’t perform very well. He won’t walk along out in the yard. I suppose the space looks to wide for him. In the house he walks from one piece of furniture to another. Out in the yard he wants to get down and crawl around on the grass. He is trying to say word nos. He often repeats words after he hears us. So far has tried to say dog, button, pretty, and I have mentioned da-da & bye bye – also mom-mom. I took some pictures yesterday and left them to be developed and should get them tomorrow. Of course will send any that are good on to you.

I was talking to Arlene last night on the phone. She was having pains – and it’s still 3 weeks until time for her to go to the hospital- She had walked to town and back and I suppose that was what brought on the early pains – however she was feeling normal this morning so the pains must have been false. She said she didn’t want to go to the hospital before time. She figures she will be there over Christmas. Says she thinks Christmas would be a nice birthday for her baby. Louise is back with Funks for the time being. She is going to have a baby too, but intends to stay with Arlene a while. At least until she can get other help or get along without.

[page 3] Later I mentioned in a previous letter about a baby at Kent apt. The mother is a daughter of the manager & her husband is a Seebee. She has been living here for some time with the baby. She called me Thurs. & said her baby was sick – after talking to her I discovered she had had Dr. Mathews. I told her to follow his instructions. He told her to take the baby to the hospital and I told her to do as he advised. She said she couldn’t stay with him, but I told her she could because I had stayed with David when he had his leg accident. The next day I called the apts. to inquire about the baby and her father told me the baby died during the night following an operation at the Jasper Co. hospital. They had talked to Bob Schurtter about the baby and weren’t satisfied with Dr. M. Bob told them to call another Dr. If they weren’t satisfied, but get another Dr. quick. They called Rumkorph and I suppose he was the one to operate – however it was too late to do anything then because the baby had lockbowel & ganggreen (sp.) had set in. I felt terrible about the whole thing because I hadn’t gone up and tried to do something, but she didn’t call me until Thurs. afternoon and he died that night and had been sick several

[page 4] days. Also I was keeping the Zell children and had Martha & David to take care of that afternoon, and had promised Mark I would come to the school and show them how to knit – Lucile took David & I took Martha with me to school. After school we came home and Zells hadn’t returned from Indpls. So had my hands full with their girls & our boys. After learning the baby had been ill several days I knew I couldn’t have done anything when she called me. If I had known about it sooner probably would have insisted on her getting him to a hospital. I have learned too that the whole family are Christian Scientists of long standing, which helps explain the delay in getting a Dr. Schurtters live at the apts. too and Bob & Dot knew the baby was ill. Bob had gotten Matthews for them in the first place but from all I gather they were slow to follow instructions.

Arlene called me and wanted me to go to Hassetts with her this evening. She had the car and I wrapped up good and went – We then stopped at the drug store. I have no drainage from my sinus now so the dash out didn’t effect me any. If I could keep taking sulfa but know that won’t do because after 24 hrs. I usually begin to itch – My throat feels clear & my sinus too so maybe I have taken enough this time to clear me up. At any rate I took the last tablet about 6 o’clock.

Have to call the plumber tomorrow. The radiators upstairs are heating – must have air. I thought the upstairs felt chilly and now I know why. The downstairs keeps warm enough.

Love Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/06/25/death-of-a-child-gladys/

Doctor’s Orders (Gladys)

2 Replies

1943-11-19 (GRY)Letter transcription:

MRS. R.S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
11-19-43

Dear Daddy – Just returned from Laf. Had my eyes re-checked and had a nose & throat treatment. Dr. Ade said my throat looked better. Hope this warm weather helps me to get it cleared up again. John went with us and got a new pair of shoes. I think he has larger feet now than you have. He has trouble getting shoes that feel right. I hope these do better than the last pair ($4.50). I have mentioned a woman living at the Kent apts. – whose husband is in the Navy – She had a baby (9 mo. old). He had been sick and last night they took him to the hospital and operated but he didn’t survive. I don’t know many details but understand the baby had been ill several days. I think Dr. Rumkorf was called yesterday and he evidently took him to the hospital. The mother called me yesterday and wanted to know what to do – I told her to follow the Doctor’s orders – she had had Dr. M. a time or two. I suppose she thought I would tell her something to do but I told her to do as the Dr. told her – take the baby to the hospital. I have been trying to write this in competition with the radio – from one play to another. I called Lucile this a.m. and Ed was home with a stomach ache – There seems to be several cases around. I think Mark got a little bug – He threw up after I got home – but feels better now. Didn’t have a temp. He is asleep now. David tried to say button & pretty today.

Love Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/06/23/doctors-orders-gladys/