Tag Archives: Rotary Club

The mail was better today (Roscoe)

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Letter transcription:

Dec. 13, 1942

Dear Mother,

Nick Krull, circa 1960

Nick Krull, circa 1960

The mail was better today. Got two letters dated Nov. 25 from you, and one dated Oct. 14 from you – a package from Boonie – (a box of candy) a letter from John – V-mail and two birthday greetings from Nick & Dorothy. One of the greetings wasn’t very nice and Dorothy wouldn’t have her name to it so she sent another with both their names. I guess all of our mail will finally get here. John said he was down in the dumps because didn’t have meat for dinner. After all if a fellow is hungry he isn’t very happy.

I’ve written the folks their usual weekly letter today. Wrote it just before chow and it is after church now. We had a visiting Chaplin give the sermon tonite a change now and then is pretty good.

Today has really been hot. I believe it’s the hottest day we have had even in our hut it was hot. We’ll have to get us an electric fan now – maybe – again it seems pretty definite that we probably will stay here for some time – and now that you

[page 2]know where we are it won’t be so bad. Today’s letters were the first with the new address and I suppose the next ones will have the addition that were attached a day or two after the first address came out. Fred got a package from his wife – Had – candy – nuts a pipe – cigarettes etc. The peanuts were very tough but still good. I’ll have to write the Krulls and the Boones and I almost forgot – Otto Paul. His letter would come thru. I’ve already wrote you about that so you tell Boonie and he can send him the stuff and I won’t have to write.

I wrote Joe Roberts the other day but didn’t have to use all the address left off the San Francisco part. The P.M. told me here it wasn’t necessary to send it back to San F. If Mrs. R. don’t know where he is you should tell her because I wrote it to you. Wish I could go over from Christmas but it’s to[o] far to paddle a row boat. He should get my letter in pretty short order, but it would be as hard for him to get over here

[page 3] as me there.

Dr. Huth took some pictures the other day and we developed them in the Xray tank and today we tried printing some of them. I’d almost forgotten how it was done but we got a few out. Our fixer solution isn’t quite right for pictures because they turn yellow around the edges. It seemed I was the only one who knew anything about printing and that wasn’t much because it‘s been years & years since. I had the carpenter make the frame. I think I told you something of that last night – well we had no glass so we just had two boards one with a hole slightly smaller than the film. In time we should get pretty good – especially if we can get the Corpsman to do the work. I’m going to have to have a Corpsman when I get home to do the work for me. It’s just like having a colored maid. Maybe I’ll get over being lazy. I hope.

Have a boy in the hospital now with hands just like yours used to be. Of course, we have no zimocol but I’m giving him Hcl just the same. He got his washing his hands

[page 4] in some kind of soap he thinks. Or maybe he had to wash dishes. Could be the same as yours and maybe not.

The original four members of the Rotary Club: Paul Harris is on the far right, while Silvester Schiele (Roscoe’s uncle) is second from the left.

Guess you were somewhat honored to have Paul Harris as your guest even though it wasn’t but a little time. Wish I could have been – there- It’s a little late now but you must get that in the paper. I mean it – call Bart and tell him Uncle was along and Paul H. The founder of Rotary was with him. Make a nice little story. Things like that don’t happen every day. Maybe you have already done so – if not do it. I can read it too if and when the paper gets here.

Well, must stop and rest – work or write another letter – don’t know which –

With lots of Love

Daddy

©2013 copyright owned and written by Deborah Sweeney

Post originally found at: https://genealogylady.net/2013/08/25/the-mail-was-b…r-today-roscoe/

Happy Birthday Roscoe (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
Nov 25 – 1942

Dear Daddy –

Happy Birthday again. We sent cards but don’t know yet whether you received them. Dorothy Krull called this morning to be sure about your address and your letter telling of your New Caledonia address came so I told her. She is sending you a birthday card and said you would know she remembered it, although you wouldn’t get the card till later. Remember last year how we surprised you? I didn’t get a cake baked today. Your mother & Kenneth left – was going to leave about 9 a.m. and I said if they waited till the mail came maybe there would be a letter from you and there were two, so I gave your Mother your new address too. It was about 9:30 or a little later when they left. I had to hurry then and bathe the baby and feed him. I managed to get a washer full of clothes going and things straightened up a little when Uncle Wes stopped. He and Paul Harris had been making some trips and were on their way to Monticello. I gave him your new ad. And he said if you didn’t get the letter he

[page 2] wrote about the baby, he has a copy and will send the same letter again. Also he is going to send you the maps you want. Said he had just the thing. I read that part of your letter to him. The letters you sent with the money for all of us haven’t come yet. Probably will come this evening or in the morning (I hope). This is another unusually pretty fall day so think I’ll take David out after while. I hung out some white things today it was so sunny. Kenneth’s deferment is up the first of the year. He wanted to go to Laf. to inquire about enlisting in the Air Corps but it was so late when they left here I doubt if they went that way. They were going to stop in Rockville to see Uncle Charlie and I think your mother was getting in a hurry to get home.

I have to go to the Court House and get a certified copy of my power of attorney and send to Dan W. Flickinger so they can mark their records for the addition of David to the policies. I signed the necessary form but they have to see the “power of attorney.”

It is almost 4 P.M. so I must get along with this little “feller” and get in the sunshine.

Love Mother

One of your two letters today came in 7 days.

©2013 copyright owned and written by Deborah Sweeney

Post originally found at: https://genealogylady.net/2013/06/26/happy-birthday-roscoe-gladys/ ‎

Protected: A little of their mother’s attention (Gladys)

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Silvester Schiele

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In yesterday’s letter (1942-05-23 730 AM), my grandfather mentioned the Rotary Club.  He asked Gladys to thank the Rotary Club members for the pen they gave him.  For a man about to write hundreds of letters, this was a practical gift. On the surface, this would seem like an ordinary gesture; the local Rotary Club giving a leading citizen a gift as he went off to war. However, in the case of my family, there is a second deeper understanding of these events. My family is inexplicably bound to the Rotary movement. You may recall from an earlier post that my grandfather’s middle name was Schiele. Schiele was his mother’s maiden name. My great grandmother was Lovina Jane (Schiele) Yegerlehner. She was the sister of a man named Silvester Schiele. If you know anything about the Rotary movement, this name should be very familiar to you. In 1905, Silvester Schiele and his lifelong friend Paul Harris founded the Rotary Club in Chicago.

Silvester and his wife Jesse were frequent visitors at my grandparent’s house.  They would often stop by Kentland on their way to Clay City from Chicago, or on other trips that Silvester took for the Rotary.

If you are interested in learning more about Silvester Schiele, check out the RGHF (Rotary Global History Fellowship) Internet project: http://www.rotaryfirst100.org/leaders/schiele/

 

Getting settled

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As with any new project, there are lots of things to consider while executing the long term goals. In the case of my grandparents’ letters, there are some basic logistics to consider.  There are hundreds of letters that I wish to share with family, friends and the world.  My first step is to organize the letters into a presentable format for publication.  I have sorted the letters by the individual writer. In some cases, there are more writers and recipients than my grandparents. Occasionally I have found a letter written to my uncles or letters written by them to their father. There are also the rare letters from an additional family member or friend. I have separated out these letters for the time being. I will place the letters back into their chronological context at a later point. The next step is to put the remaining letters in chronological order. Many of the letters are not dated. The only clue I have to go by is the postmark on the envelope.  This is not always helpful either.  Since my grandfather often wrote one or two letters a day, I sometimes have to stop and read each letter to see if there is contextual evidence that will place one letter before the other. The post office didn’t always sort the letters chronologically either so sometimes an earlier letter has a later postmark.  Some of the postmarks are illegible or missing. I will definitely have my work cut out for me with those letters.

Another aspect of this project is the long term preservation of the original letters. I don’t currently have the backing of a major archive to help me do this. What I can do in the short term is open up each individual letter and unfold them. The fold lines are one of the areas in which wear and tear can break down the paper. Storing the letters flat will help preserve them as well.  I am also placing each letter into a protective sleeve. This will limit their exposure to handling. Once the letters are scanned and transcribed, I am putting them back into their protective sleeves and storing them in binders for easy access.

One day, I hope to donate the letters to a suitable institution that can more properly preserve them for posterity and future World War II scholars. But not until I have read and savored them all.

Letter transcription:

Sat.

Dear Mother,

Just got home and not feeling so hot. Took shot for typhoid & smallpox. As yet I haven’t gotten any mail from home so your letters must be somewhere in the mixup. We may try to move tomorrow to a Hotel across the bay it will be a little more reasonable only $1.25 per day.

I had to go to to work this A.M. at 7:30 but and home at 4:00 so that isn’t bad. I think we should arrange for you to come down at least for a visit and to look the place over. I think I could get an X gas card and sent it to you so you would have no trouble. You would have to make it in two or three days because it is very near 1,000 miles – 970 to be exact

(page2) at least that is what I got paid for. And I wrote a check today for 15.80 for the insurance. It is to be taken out each mo. But it is such a short time until I’ll be 38 that they didn’t have time to take it from my pay.

There are lots of interesting things to see here and it rains almost every P.M. This is the first day it hasn’t but from the way it looks it will before long. There are numerous airplanes in the air both night and day and anti air craft guns can be seen at various places as well as lots of search lights crisscrossing at night. Down along Virg. Beach cars must dim their lights. We went driving and a cop came up and invited us to turn on our dimmers (we did)

(page 3)I’m not used to navy life as yet. Just as soon as I got the uniform every one under me saluted me and I wasn’t sure of what to do but I guess we’ll learn that as time goes by. You got my address in the last letter in case you didn’t-

Lt. (jg) MC V(S) RS Yeg—

Unit “A” Dispensary N.O.B.

Norfolk, VA

The time of a complete change of clothes seem to be gone I’ve worn the same shirt now three days and the same underware 2 days. At the base it takes 10 days to get laundry and up town it is so high. The only thing I’ve changed my socks daily – can’t stand it otherwise. I had to get some sock – must wear black or brown

(page 4)I bought six pair at the ships service for $1.50. They really are a bargain. Everything is cheaper there than up town.

I’m going down to the Y. tonight to see if there is any mail.

I haven’t had a chance to write to anyone yet but the folks. Maybe if we can find a better room tomorrow we can become more settled. And get on a definite schedule.

If you see any of the Rotary Club thank them again for the pen, I don’t know of any other thing they could have given that would have been more useful.

I realize that this is pretty choppy but it’s just the things that came to me. Maybe I can do better tomorrow,

Love Daddy

©2012, copyrighted & written by Deborah Sweeney