Tag Archives: Mark A. Yegerlehner

Protected: Several letters received

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Protected: Mark is fishing again

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Protected: Welcome to Kentland (circa 1942)

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Protected: The Big Day arrives & laundry stinks

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Protected: Moffett Field

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Change of duty

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Roscoe with his wife Gladys and their sons, John & Mark (circa July 1942 in Kentland, Indiana)

So the question is…what happened next? Did Roscoe return to Norfolk to receive his detachment orders or did he stay in Kentland until he was expected to report to Moffett Field in California on July 31^st. If it were me, I would have picked up the phone and inquired whether or not I actually had to return to Norfolk, just to turn around and leave again.

The telegram did clearly state “leave canceled, return to Norfolk immediately.” So after taking care of some business in Kentland, Roscoe most likely began his journey back to Norfolk. The next question is…did Gladys go with him. On June 10, 1946, my grandparents received a payment of $36 for the “reimbursement for the transportation of dependent (wife), for travel performed from Norfolk, Virginia to Kentland, Indiana, incident to change of station orders dated July 17, 1942”. This would indicate to me that my grandmother did accompany my grandfather back to Norfolk. Did they take the train? Did they drive the car to Norfolk and back? Why would they be reimbursed for the travel almost 4 years later? Did my grandmother leave by herself on the train and travel back to Kentland alone? When…What… Why???? And to make things even more confusing there is a statement of travel from my grandfather that states he left Norfolk at 1900 hours on July 23, 1942 and arrived at Moffett Field, Calif. at 1145 on July 31, 1942. This would imply that he left Kentland as soon as he had his power of attorney notarized on the 22^nd and high tailed it back to Norfolk by the quickest method of travel possible. If he did go back to Norfolk, he was probably able to pick up any personal items he might have left at Mrs. Evans’ boarding house and perhaps he was even able to retrieve some of his truant laundry.

After leaving Norfolk, my grandfather most likely returned to Kentland until he was required to leave for Moffett Field. At some point during the second half of July in Kentland, the family took some pictures.

Transcription of initial change of duty:

July 17, 1942

Navy Department

Bureau of Navel Personnel

Washington, D.C.

From: The Chief of Naval Personnel.

To: Lieutenant (jg) Roscoe S. Yegerlehner, MC-V (S), U.S.N.R., Naval Training Station Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Va.

Via: Commandant, Fifth Naval District

Subject: Change of Duty

When directed by the Commandant, Fifth Naval District, in July, 1942, you will regard yourself detached from Va., and from such other duty as may have been assigned you; will proceed to Moffett Field, Calif., and report to the Commanding Officer, Cub 13, at the Naval Air Station, for the duty in connection with the establishment of Cub 13, for duty with the Base Section, Cub 13, for duty with that unit when established, and for duty outside the continental limits of the United States.
Report also by letter to the Commandant, Twelfth Naval District, for this duty.
You are hereby authorized to delay until July 31, 1942, in reporting in obedience to these orders.
Keep the Bureau of Naval Personnel and your new station advised of your address.
This delay will count as leave. Upon the commencement of the leave you will immediately inform this bureau of the exact date and upon the expiration thereof, you will return the attached form, giving the dates of commencement and expiration.
The cost of this travel is chargeable to “Pay, Subsistence and Transportation”.

RANDALL JACOBS [his signature]

And may I introduce you to….Gladys

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: July 18, 1942 Envelope front

: July 18, 1942 Envelope back

: July 18, 1942, p.1

: July 18, 1942, p. 2

Letter Transcription:

Kentland, Ind.

7-18-42

Dear Daddy,

I rec’d your Wed. letter this morning and from it I thought you would be on your way home but since I have not rec’d letters of later date or word otherwise I am still in a “wonder”. Well, I will send this air mail special hoping you will get it Sun. evening.

We are still in the midst of a heat wave, but it looks like we may get some rain this evening. We haven’t done much this hot weather but loaf around. Ruth¹ is still here. Hasn’t heard from Floyd² and doesn’t know when he will be back from his work in Michigan. I rather look for him sometime over this week-end but she doesn’t think so.

I haven’t tried to write this week and keep up the news because I thought you would be home. Parr resigned as county agent and took a job with Allison-They are going to sell + move to Danville-he will work in Indpls. I think the new county agent will take Parr’s house.

Mark is running around in bathing trunks this afternoon. He is going

(page 2) to turn the spray on after while –then he + Jimmy + Bobby will have a good time.

John is composing today. It is too hot for him to get out. There is a breeze stirring and we have everything open that we can so we are keeping as cool as possible with the breeze coming in now + then. The boys have been watching the thermometer all day and keep us informed as to the heat. The last report was 101°.

Will send Mark to the P.O. with this, so it will go out on the 4:30-

Love Mother

______________________

I just have to wonder, what happened to my grandfather? The last letter he wrote was postmarked July 15^th. In 1942, July 15^th was a Wednesday. His letter was written and shipped out at 8:30 PM the same day. My grandmother received it Saturday morning which prompted her to write the above letter. Now presumably, my grandfather went to work Thursday morning (July 16^th), found his commanding officer, and firmly demanded that he be granted leave. So then what happened? When did he finally leave Norfolk? He likely took the train home since he did not have the family car in Norfolk. The trip from Norfolk to Kentland is slightly less than 1,000 miles. In an earlier letter, my grandfather was reimbursed for his travel expenses and he commented on the mileage the Navy calculated for his trip from Kentland to Norfolk. I don’t know how long the train trip was, but since they discussed my grandmother taking a pullman (or sleeping car) when she came to Norfolk to visit, I would surmise that the trip takes a couple days or is a long overnighter. In his letter on Wednesday, my grandfather said he would either write before he left or call on the way home. By Saturday, it was three days later. Did he arrive later that day? Why didn’t he send word? Or did he? Since these events fall into one of those voids where letters were not necessary, I will probably never know the answer to these questions.

I continue to sort through the documents in my grandfather’s Navy file this week. I do know that he left Norfolk before the 20^th and he was definitely home in Kentland on the 22^nd. I am currently working on reconstructing a timeline for the next two weeks of my grandfather’s life in 1942. I’ll keep you posted!

Notes:

Ruth (Salter) Yegerlehner was Floyd’s wife
Floyd Yegerlehner was my grandfather’s youngest brother.

You are the oldest and she needs a man there

Saturday’s Surname – Foster

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The Foster Family, by The American Genealogical Research Institite, 1973.

Many years ago I was given a copy of the book The Foster Family from the American Genealogical Research Institute. The book is copyrighted 1973 and it does not specify whether there were multiple printings or additions. I know the book was given to me by a well meaning relative but I don’t remember who at this point. The book has several chapters ranging from “the family name and arms”, “census of 1790” and “constructing the foster family tree”. And before you comment upon my lack of capitalization, I am copying straight from the book. Books like this are great for the novice genealogist, I guess. But even when I received the book, I already knew how useless it was for my own research. Books like this are mere grandiose summaries. They talk big, but they have no meat as they are comprised mostly of lists. And since the book was written in 1973, much of the information is likely inaccurate and obsolete.

One fascinating aspect of the book is the first section “the family name and arms”. It gives a brief history of Europe, which starts laughingly with the collapse of the Roman Empire and the waves of Barbarians sweeping across Europe in the 4^th and 5^th centuries. Wow! Really, how does this help me trace my Foster family? The narrative continues with the Norman Invasion in 1066 and then engages in a mini lecture on the evolutionary nature of names. According to the book, Foster was originally Forrester. The title of Forrester was given by the Saxons to men appointed to guard the forests and to protect the Lord’s hunting rights. Over time the name Forrester evolved to Forster and then Foster. That may be, but how does that help me trace the lineage of one Gladys Foster, born 1905 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Frankly, it does not. There are multiple origins of the name Foster. What about those individuals who “fostered” children? Or, I like this French version “Shearer or scissors maker” from the Old French “forceter”. Regardless of the actual history of my Foster family, I am sure it has little to do with this pompous tourist brochure that now takes up precious space on my bookshelf. I guess it is good for a laugh or two.

Chart of the children of James B. Foster and Lydia C. (Dicks) Foster, in my grandmother’s handwritting

I was lucky enough to inherit a lineage chart that was written in my grandmother’s handwriting that traced her father’s family. The chart names all of my great grandfather’s siblings and his parents. Considering my grandmother never spoke about her father or his family, it is rather fortunate that the chart even existed. My great grandfather was James Edward “Ned” Foster whose father was James Benjamin Foster whose father was Benjamin Coates Foster. And that, ladies and gentleman, is the end of the line, the brick wall of my Foster family. I have traced the line back as far as my 3^rd great grandfather, six generations. That’s decent by some standards, but not good enough by mine. I’ve hit that proverbial brick wall because of those early waves of western migration that brought young Americans from the coastal states to the new territories of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois and the lack of proper recordkeeping.

Benjamin Coates Foster was born April 13, 1797 in Pennsylvania. Yeah, Pennsylvania! No county, just Pennsylvania. On the 1800 census, there were 602,365 people enumerated in Pennsylvania. There were at least 68 heads of household with the surname Foster. (I got this figure from Ancestry so we also have to allow for entries misspelled in the index). The first time I can legitimately find Benjamin C. Foster on a document is his marriage on March 28, 1828 in Lawrence County, Illinois to Belinda Barker. He appears on the 1830 census in nearby Clark County, Illinois where he remained the rest of his life. In 1838 and 1839, there were several land purchases in Clark County. Benjamin can be found on the United States censuses for 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 in Clark County. I have also found him on the Illinois State censuses of 1855 and 1865. One of my favorite things that I learned about Benjamin from the 1850 and 1860 censuses is that Benjamin’s occupation was a tailor! For those of you that don’t know me, I am also a seamstress and pattern maker so it is nice to know that such things are in my genes. This is also why I like the French translation of Foster since it has to do with scissors.

Benjamin and Belinda were blessed with at least 9 children, of which only 6 survived to adulthood, and of those only 4 had children to pass on the genes, 2 were male, leaving my 2nd great grandfather James B. Foster the only child of Benjamin and Belinda to have any male children to pass on the surname of Foster.

: June 8, 1942 Envelope

: June 8, 1942, p. 1

: James L. Foster in his sailor uniform. Photograph courtesy of Gerry McCarroll.

I believe this is one of the last letters I have from Uncle Jim for awhile. It is good to know that eventually the brothers-in-law will meet up.

Letter transcription:

U.S.N.C. T.C. Camp Bradford, Ships Co. c/o Camp Allen, N.O.B. Norfolk, VA

Sunday 7 June 1942

Dear Sis-

Just today received a letter from Jake, he wanted me to meet him last night at the Y.M.C.A., mail is not so fast here as you can readily see, anyway I wrote him and I think we will be able to get together soon.

Please let me know when you plan coming for sure I will try to get two or three nights away if you want me to, if that won’t interfere with your plans, maybe we can have a grand party, or something. Anyway I will get to see you at least once, I am writing to find out if Thelma is going to get a vacation, if she does I will have her down here for a week or two. It won’t be in June I am most sure of that, but sometime later.

Hello John and Mark, you should see your uncle Jim in a sailor uniform.

Love Jim