Tag Archives: Roscoe S. Yegerlehner

Wednesday’s Child – Ralph C. Yegerlehner (1918-1918)

Photograph of gravestone by Tonya & Keith Tetidrick from Find A Grave

Ralph C. Yegerlehner was the first child of Samuel Albert Yegerlehner and his wife Esther Mary Zurcher. He lived and died in one day. Samuel was my grandfather’s oldest brother so Ralph would have been his first nephew. My grandfather would have been about 13 years old when Ralph died. Ralph was also the first grandchild for John Henry and Lovina (Schiele) Yegerlehner. There must have been so much joy and anticipation surrounding this birth and it ended so tragically.

Ralph is buried at St. Peters Cemetery on the Clay County & Owen County line.

______________________________________

: June 29, 1942 Envelope

: June 29, 1942, p. 1

: June 29, 1942, p. 2-3

: June 29, 1942, p. 4

Letter transcription:

Mon Eve

Dear Mother,

To begin with-no I didn’t tell Dorothy anything about not moving. I did say under the circumstances it probably would be better if you stayed there-because I might be shipped out 2 weeks before the appointed time and that would be too late for you to travel etc. but I didn’t say the moving deal was definitely out.

Mr. Strole is to get 2⁰⁰ out of the check and that is all. Ira wanted me to let him know when it came in so he could make a collection but that can be forgotten.

I got 3 letters from you today two this A.M. and one this P.M. none Sat. You see the mail is delivered in

(page 2) the P.M. and there is no Sat. delivery so that makes the difference.

Don’t let what people say about us moving or not moving get you down of course it gets the best of one but skip it. Ignore the whole situation. If things look like we can we will.

Dr. Ganey a Dentist recently had a[n] appendectomy-after leaving the hospital he got a 10 day leave and during that time they moved then after he was back 2 days he got order to leave so there you are. Maybe after July 1 the end of the fiscal year we will know

(page 3) something. I haven’t done anything about the flight business because it may not be what its cracked up to be but I still haven’t decided definitely either way.

Haven’t talked to or showed Mrs. E the pictures yet. She got her letter today I saw it in the mail but haven’t got any responses yet.

We didn’t do anything yesterday but sit on the front porch-then read + listened to the radio. Jim went home about 3:00 oclock.

I’ve got to get some laundry this eve. I’m all out of socks.

Maybe I told you this job. There are 12-15 new (jg)s coming in in

(page 4)the next few days. The boys who have just finished their internships-so that might make a difference on what our standing might be.

Well I must get after that laundry and mail this on the way.

Love Daddy

You are the oldest and she needs a man there

Amanuensis Monday – June 27, 1942

5 Replies

Bonds build Ships. Buy More Bonds, 1943
Artist: George Picken
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

The last week of letters has seen the arrival of my grandmother in Norfolk and her departure. We learned a few details from the time my grandmother was there. Some sea mines were released outside Virginia Beach and several boats were hit. The Kingston Ceylonite, a boat on loan from the British Navy, was sunk. My grandparents’ friend Dorothy Krull appears to have come along for the drive. A mouse was found in the closet of Mrs. Evans house, an alarm clock was set very early, one of my grandfather’s white suits was misplaced and Dr. Lentz borrowed my grandfather’s raincoat.

Most likely due to the success of the Battle of Midway in the Pacific, my grandfather was kept busy inoculating sailors and administering routine exams. A new level of anxiety seems to have been creeping into the letters. Several doctors received orders for shipping out, including ones who had arrived after my grandfather. Dr. Lentz received some phone calls and my grandfather was getting jittery whenever the phone rang. He expected to receive his new orders soon too. In one letter, he remarked that another doctor received orders to report to a new battleship in New Jersey. My grandfather thought that was a “pretty good” assignment.

Many of the letters contain details of just plain old, down and dirty, everyday life. My grandfather’s adventures with laundry (which at times seem amusing to me) must have driven him crazy! I can’t imagine having to continuously buy new clothes because of a lack of clean ones. Updates on pay raises, allotments and money orders also grace this week in letters. There was also another mention of purchasing war bonds.

Today’s letter gives Dr. Cole his entrance into the story. Dr. Ira Cole was the attending physician during the birth of my father. I am intrigued by the obsession with my grandmother receiving enough vitamin B. While it is important today for pregnant women to receive sufficient B vitamins, I can’t help but wonder if my grandmother’s vitamin B regimen had something to do with the death of baby Michael in 1940.

We still have about three weeks more of letters before we hear my grandmother speak. I must tell you I am getting very impatient to hear her side of the story! It’s on my list of things to look forward to in 2013.

________________________________________

: June 27, 1942 Envelope

: June 27, 1942, p. 1

: June 27, 1942, p. 2 & 3

Letter transcription:

Sat. P.M. (postmark June 27, 1942 8:30 PM)

Dear Mother,

Didn’t write early this A.M. because I wanted to see what your letters might contain but Lentz picked them up took them to the base and I missed him somehow so he still has my letters, he didn’t think that I was off this P.M. since I had the duty last night.

Had to get up once during the night a policeman dislocated his thum. Other than that the night was uneventful.

I was going to suggest that you take the money order you got the other day and apply it on a bond to keep the months record clean maybe you still can if you haven’t

(page 2) already this month. I would send some money home but I wait until after next Wed. – pay day, then send it all at once- I’m at the P.O. now. Came down town to pay the remainder on my clothing bill. I’m going on down town for a shopping tour to see if I can get some underware I’m supposed to get laundry today but I think I’ll just wait until Monday to be more sure.

Got a letter from Dr. Roberts yesterday he is still waiting, hasn’t heard for sure yet. He tells me that most of the fellows are gone or going around Watseka [Illinois].

(page 3) If you haven’t been to Dr. Cole yet you had better do so and I believe I’d stop getting shots from Dr. Math. He might feel rather hurt if you run up to to late and anyway Dr. Cole said he would come up if necessary. Get some unicaps from Art and take 2-3 each day. You should get enough Vit B. from those.

I realize this is rambling but there is lots of traffic thru here where I’m writing.

I’ll write in the A.M. again.

Love Daddy

Sunday’s Obituary – Samuel Albert Yegerlehner (1891-1944)

2 Replies

Obituary for Samuel Yegerlehner: Terre Haute Tribune, Wednesday May 3, 1944. p. 2

Samuel Albert Yegerlehner was my grandfather’s oldest brother. Samuel was the son of John Henry and his first wife Emma Harden. I don’t really know much about Emma Harden or why she died. She was the daughter of Henry and Melinda (Boleck) Harden. Emma and John Henry were married in Clay County on April 6, 1890. Samuel was born almost exactly one year later. Two years passed and then in 1893, at age 21, Emma died. I can only imagine the heartache experienced by my 26 year old great grandfather John Henry. Since John took over his father’s farm and his mother continued to live on the farm until she died, I can imagine that John had the support of his family to help take care of young Samuel. Three years following in 1896, John Henry remarried. John’s new wife, Lovina Schiele, by all accounts treated Samuel as one of her own. John and Lovina had six additional children, including my grandfather.

Samuel received an 8^th grade education in one of the small rural county schools. He was married on January 31, 1915 to Esther Zurcher. The Zurchers were another Swiss German family that lived in Harrison Township who were also members of St. Peters German Reformed Church. In 1917, Samuel signed up for the World War I draft. I don’t think he actually served during the war. According to the 1930 census, Samuel was not a veteran so he most likely did not. Samuel and Esther had three sons, the oldest of which died in infancy.

Biography of Samuel & his wife Esther, from the Centennial booklet of St. Peter’s Church, 1854-1954

Samuel was a farmer, like his father. He had his own farm nearby his father’s land. I do not know if this was land he purchased himself, or a parcel his father had given him, or even perhaps something he might have inherited from his maternal grandfather Henry Harden. Samuel’s family did not inherit the Yegerlehner farm which went to his brother Clarence and his descendants.

Samuel was also active in his church, serving as a Trustee, Deacon and an Elder. According to his biography in the Centennial booklet of St. Peter’s Church, Samuel also helped take care of the church property, due in part to its proximity to Samuel’s farm.

Samuel died suddenly in 1944 while my grandfather was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Base. I have not read ahead in the letters of my grandparents during this time so it is possible that there is mention of Samuel’s death. In fact, as I look through the letters there seems to be a gap for this period. There is a letter postmarked May 2, 1944 (the date of Samuel’s death) and then nothing for almost a month. I feel like I am jumping ahead in the story, and I don’t want to disturb the narrative. To quote one of the sayings of a favorite science fiction character, she would at this point say “Spoilers!”

Samuel, his wife Esther, and two of their sons are buried at St. Peter’s Reformed Church Cemetery on the Owen county line.

_______________________________

: June 25, 1942 Envelope

: June 25, 1942, p. 1

: June 25, 1942, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Thur P.M. 1715 (postmarked June 25, 1942 8:30 PM)

Dear Mother,

Just got home and have had a chat with Mrs. E. Dr. Lentz didn’t bring me home-he called and informed me he had other arrangements. Don’t know what’s cookin. He got a telephone call Tue Eve. Don’t know which one it was from.

The mail enclosed will probably be the last maybe some tomorrow-That makes $18⁰⁰ that has gone thru the mail this week.

I got your letter last night (wed) Glad to hear you made it OK and in such good time. I have the duty tomorrow and may not get a chance to write. I could

(page 2) write OK but the mail isn’t taken from the base after 1500 so that makes it the same if I write the next day.

Guess I’ll have to eat at Pearl Harbor this Eve. because its too far to walk any farther and I don’t want to spend .20 to ride the cars to + from eating.

I got three telephone calls this P.M. and on each of the three I expected orders, but nothing happened. One was about the allotment. They had made a mistake and they couldn’t make corrections so had to fill out another card. After one or two of those calls one get the jitters wondering where he’s going to land.

Well, so long until tomorrow

Love Daddy

Surname Saturday – Schiele

6 Replies

My grandfather’s middle name was Schiele. It was a common custom in the past to saddle a child with the maiden name of its mother as a middle name. My grandfather was the “lucky” child in the family who got Schiele as his middle name. Have I mentioned that my grandfather hated his name and preferred to be called “Jake”? My grandparents continued the tradition and gave my grandmother’s maiden name to my uncle John, hence John Foster Yegerlehner. I hope my uncle didn’t dislike his middle name as much as his father detested his.

Regardless, Schiele was the surname of my grandfather’s maternal grandmother. Schiele is German. My family always pronounced the name Shē – lē. Two syllables, both with long e. I have seen it spelled phonetically as Sheely in old census records and on Michael’s naturalization papers. I don’t really know what the name means or where exactly my Schiele family comes from in Germany. I found one definition for Schiele that is quite funny (or tragic) “one who was crippled; one who squinted.”¹ I picture some near-sighted Germans wandering about the forest, running into stuff. If you can’t see very well, I am sure you could very easily cripple yourself, walking into things.

Naturalization paper for Michael Schiele, Clay county, Indiana, 1866

All humor aside, my great, great grandfather Michael Schiele is a bit of an enigma to me. In many ways, he is one of my earliest and most prolonged brick walls. Why? He is from Germany. His branch is one of the most recent branches of my family to land on North American soil and therefore, more difficult for me to trace. Until recently, there have not been many German records available to search, either in a library or online, and they are usually in German. I have always wished that I knew how to read German, especially when one wants to read old German records. Michael also did me the disservice of dying before 1900. So no death record! And so far, I haven’t been able to locate an obituary either. He did leave two biographies in Clay county history books which have provided me with a wealth of clues and some bread crumbs.

In The History of Clay County, Indiana by William Travis (1909), there is a very nice biographical sketch of Michael within the write up of his son, Reuben Jacob Schiele. In addition, the book’s section “Memoirs of leading and familiar home people” includes a separate biography just for Michael. These biographies are written after Michael’s death and they provide a lot of good information which I have mostly verified. Travis gives Michael’s birthplace as Wittenberg, Germany. Wittenberg is a city located in the Saxony area of Germany. The only problem is that other sources give Michael’s nativity as Württemberg which is located in the area now known as Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. These two cities are nowhere near one another and I have been told that there are also multiple locations that have used these names in the past. Some even better and more tantalizing clues are in Charles Blanchard’s Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana (1884). This biography gives information on Michael’s parents. It opens with “MICHAEL SCHIELE, farmer and stock-raiser, was born, November 2, 1831, in Germany, and was the fourth child born to Michael and Mary (Smith) Schiele, both natives of Germany”. Oh woe is me! A SMITH!

I keep hoping someday that a database will come online with German birth and marriage records that will reveal more about my Schiele family (AND that I can read in English). I do know when Michael was born and I know the names of his parents. I know all the names of his children and grandchildren. For now, that is enough.

Notes:

Meaning of the surname Schiele from http://surnames.meaning-of-names.com/Schiele/

: June 24, 1942 Envelope

: June 24, 1942, p. 1

: June 24, 1942, p. 2

Wed (postmark June 24, 1942 8:30 PM)

Dear Mother-

Hope you are home all OK. We just got home and pretty tired, had a big day we had to shoot 22 platoons this A.M. and there are about 84 men to each platoon and besides that there was near 400 to examine.

I got real “writey” last night – wrote to Uncle Wes and Mom. Lentz was catching up on his writing so I thought I’d do the same.

It really got cold here last night – had to get under cover but it warmed considerable today-Didn’t get any mail from home today. Hope you stop that as soon as you get there because I don’t like to

(page 2) have to send it back.

Lentz didn’t take my white suit-it was in a paper cover and we just missed it at least that is what he said. But he did take the raincoat.

We ate at the Famous Café last night the food was OK but the service was poor had to wait about one hour. Don’t know where we will go tonight. I just go along because I don’t do the driving.

I’m unusually hungry tonight so will ring off and get some eats-

Love Daddy

Dorothy Krull

8 Replies

Obituary extraction from ObitArchive for Dorothy J. Krull, 1996.

It would appear that Dorothy Krull did make the trip with my grandmother to Norfolk. In fact, it appears that she might even have stayed in Mrs. Evans’ boarding house. I don’t know if my grandparents ended up getting a hotel room somewhere in Norfolk for the week or if Dr. Lentz was out of town for part of the duration, thereby allowing my grandparents to stay at the Evans house together in a room. What today’s letter does tell me is that Dorothy must have borrowed another resident’s alarm clock and there was a dead mouse left behind in the closet!

Dorothy Jane (Jackson) Krull was born July 8, 1908 so she was a couple years younger than my grandmother, but their oldest children were the same age. Dorothy’s oldest, Elizabeth “Betty” Krull was the same age as my Uncle John. They were in the same graduating class from Kent High School in 1848. On the 1940 census in Kentland, Indiana, Dorothy J. Krull was the wife of Nicholas P. Krull. They were the parents of three children: Elizabeth (9), Richard (8), and Nicholas, Jr. (5). According to the census, in 1935, the Krull family had been living in Oak Park, Cook County, Illinois. However, it appears that Nicholas grew up in Kentland, the son of Nicholas Krull, an immigrant from Germany. By 1940, Nicholas & Dorothy had returned to Kentland to stay.

As I sat at my computer attempting to track down Dorothy and her family, I came across the cemetery records for Newton County, in particular Fairlawn Cemetery. This is the cemetery where my grandparents are buried in Kentland. Much to my surprise, my grandparents and the Krulls are listed together, their burial plots side by side. They must have been very good friends indeed. Sadly I also discovered that Dorothy’s son Richard died soon after the 1940 census and Betty didn’t live very long either. She died in 1973, at the age of 43. Nicholas died in 1966. Dorothy lived another 30 years, dying in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1996. I found a very brief obituary for Dorothy through the ObitArchive. It really didn’t tell me a thing about her. I found a family tree on Ancestry that lists Dorothy and Nicholas, but does not list any of their children. I sent a message to the tree’s owner. Perhaps they know of or are related to the Krulls. I’m sure eventually I might come across a photograph of Dorothy. I think it is likely that among the photographs of my grandparents there are pictures of the Krulls, but they just are not labeled. Nicholas Jr. (or technically Nicholas III) would now be in his 70s and appears to have lived in the Arlington, Virginia area. I think it would be great to make contact with some of Dorothy’s family. Once my grandmother starts talking through her letters, Dorothy is mentioned quite frequently. I am sure we will get to know Dorothy a little better in the weeks and months ahead.

: June 23, 1942 Envelope

: June 23, 1942, p. 1

: June 23, 1942, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Tue 1700 (postmark June 23 8:30 PM 1942)

Dear Mother,

Hope you are home and OK by this time. You will note some mail that came again today. The letter from Mark is a little mixed up but I guess its OK.

Another Dr. got orders today. He has to report to New Jersey to a brand new destroyer. That to me seems like a pretty good assignment. He came in long after I did. In fact 3 or 4 of those that came in after me are already gone.

Don’t forget to buy the stamp for the windshield before July 1^st.

We had a very hard rain last night, seemed to me as if it rained almost all night.

Mr. Ferneau told me to tell Dorothy he still had it in for

(page 2) her for setting his alarm clock so early.

I finally got that laundry today that is one bunch it was taken on the 11^th so that was only 13 days. That will hold me now for a while at least, but I’ll have to get some more out right away.

Mrs. E. found a Dead Mouse in the closet in Dorothy’s room. She was very much put out because we didn’t tell her. She hasn’t said anything about a package you left as yet. You must write her thanking her etc. I think she will get as much kick out of that as anything.

Well, I’ll do better next time

Love Daddy

Kingston Ceylonite

Wordless Wednesday – Norfolk

6 Replies

Shhhh! I know it’s supposed to be Wordless Wednesday. Here are some pictures that I believe were taken in Norfolk in June 1942 when my grandmother came to visit. They all appear to be taken at the same location. Although my grandmother would have been almost six months pregnant, she is not really showing (and her clothes are doing a very good job disguising her bump. My dad was also a small baby. They appear to be having fun trying on all my grandfather’s various uniforms.

Roscoe in Khaki

Roscoe in Dress Whites

Roscoe & Gladys

Roscoe & Gladys. Roscoe is wearing his dark Navy coat with dress white pants

Another shot in dress whites

Headshot of Roscoe

Roscoe & Gladys
Roscoe in his White Dress uniform

Travel Tuesday – Heading to Norfolk

6 Replies

As I transcribe and write today, I feel like I am ending the first chapter in my grandparents’ war story. During the past three weeks, my grandfather has begun his Navy service in Norfolk, Virginia. In this time, he has moved three times: his first nights in Norfolk were at the Navy Y.M.C.A., and then he moved briefly to Granby Street. He has acquired a roommate, Dr. Edmund Lentz, and the two doctors are living in the home of the chatty Mrs. Evans on Magnolia Avenue. My great uncle Jim has finished his basic training at the Great Lakes naval base and has also come to begin his service in Norfolk as a SeaBea in one of the naval construction companies.

The reason that I classify this post as Travel Tuesday is because my grandmother is about to begin her journey to Norfolk. Today’s two letters include last minute travel tips and directions from my grandfather. They eventually decided that she should drive the car down, partially because without the car in Norfolk, they wouldn’t be able to get around. I don’t know if we will ever find out who her traveling companion was, although it was most likely Dorothy Krull, a friend and neighbor from Kentland. Between mailing the car registration back and forth between Kentland and Norfolk, and finally acquiring some type of gasoline ration card, the trip is finally going to happen. I love my grandfather’s final instruction: Bring my swimming trunks along!

Since my grandmother was in Norfolk for a little more than a week, there were obviously no letters written during this time. When we pick up the story again, it will be near the end of June. The Navy was victorious in the Battle of Midway, and things are beginning to happen. My grandparents had a lot to talk about and discuss while they were together in Norfolk. Many of the letters will begin to have more cryptic statements. They definitely had a way of saying things, without saying anything at all (that would offend the censors). Loose lips, sink ships, or so they say.

: June 9, 1942 (7:30 PM) Envelope

: June 9, 1942 (7:30 PM), p. 1

: June 9, 1942 (7:30), p. 2

Letter translation:

Tue Eve.

Dear Mother,

I’m in the car downtown waiting for Dr. L. to have some white suits altered. Hope the card etc. gets there ok. As I have said before I’ll be off Sat P.M. so if you could get here then it would be fine of course I know that you’ll have to be there Thurs. to hear John, but Sun would be a good day to look around.

Keep the gas tank full most of the time after you get into the rationing area because the stations close early and open late and then some may be out.

Let me know if you have time if Dorothy is coming so

(page 2) that I may make hotel reservations.

I didn’t get any letter today but got the extra one yesterday due to the air mail. I’ve sent the last two air mail-don’t know what connection they make.

It is only a short time before 6:00 P.M. and that is the time the mail leaves here for Cincinnata so will get this off.

Don’t hurry but get here as soon as you can.

Love Daddy

: June 11, 1942 Envelope

: June 11, 1942, p. 1

: June 11, 1942, p. 2

Wed Nite 10:00 PM

Dear Mother,

Just received your airmail special and thought I’d better write before so that you would get it before you come. I hadn’t written yet today because I thought you would be coming Fri and I didn’t think you’d have time to get it.

When you get to Washington come thru Richmond. It will be a little farther but you make better time and because you have fewer ferries to cross and less toll to pay.

When you get into town find Hampton Blvd and follow it until you come to Magnolia. Hampton is one of the main roads

(page 2) thru town. I can’t direct you definitely because there are two ferries and it would be different depending upon which ferry you took.

I guess you won’t be here then on Sat P.M. or Sun. It will be Ok, but that would have been time extra. I’ll not make any hotel reservations etc until you get here.

Well, see you when you get here

Love Daddy

Thurs A.M. Bring my swimming trunks along.

Amanuensis Monday – June 8th and June 9th, 1942

2 Replies

Over the last week, my grandfather has continued attempts to make contact with his brother-in-law Jim Foster. Between calling the base and writing letters, he has had no luck. Considering how many people were stationed in Norfolk in June 1942, it is not surprising. And it was about to get more crowded.

Battle of Midway; photograph from Wikipedia and belongs to the public domain

During the last week, the Battle of Midway was fought and won in the Pacific. I don’t know how much they told the men at home on the naval base about what was going on. My grandfather was certainly mum on that point. He does make a comment in the first letter I am posting today about whether my grandmother heard about their big day on the radio. I can only assume he was talking about the Battle of Midway.

I also enjoyed hearing about my grandfather’s landlady, Mrs. Evans. She was apparently quite the talker! Although it sounds like it was pretty miserable experience for my grandfather. After coming home from a long day working at the base, and not being able to have a moment’s peace would have driven me crazy. I had not expected to learn anything about my great, great uncle George this week. Another juicy genealogical tidbit to add to his file “chatty and often repeated himself”. We all know someone like that. By 1942, George would have been around 78 and near the end of his life. George died in 1949.

This week also saw the last of the letters from Uncle Jim for awhile as well as the one letter I have from my great grandmother Emma.

Today I am posting two letters since they are both short.

: June 8, 1942 (7:00 PM postmark) Envelope

: June 8, 1942 (7:00 PM postmark), p. 1

: June 8, 1942 (7:00 PM postmark), p. 2

Letter transcription:

Mon Eve. (postmarked June 8, 1942 7:00 PM)

Dear Mother,

I’ll find out definitely about the gas card tomorrow. By the time this letter gets there I will have written you two others about that gas card. So will let it drop there for the time being.

We had a big day today and will have all this week-since the mass induction on Sunday which you heard on the radio if you were listening. I get mixed up on the programs since this is one hour earlier here.

Who is we that you are talking about coming down. You spoke of a lady who used to live in Norfolk and of course Dorothy has volunteered. So who do you

(page 2) mean?

There has been a storm in the west all P.M. but so far we have only gotten a sprinkle.

I’ve not been able to contact Jim yet. He has been transferred to Camp Bradford(?) which is a part of the base but still I can’t find him. I wrote him last Thurs and no answer. If he doesn’t get any more mail from home than from me he sure doesn’t get [?] from there-

Well, I’ll send the card back air mail and hope you get it in time to get here by Sat. noon but I guess you won’t start that soon-

Love Daddy