July 2021 – Boxes of Letters

January 21, 1942

Enclosed letter from Ferne January 1942 Age 16

I feel compelled to transcribe this letter since if you are viewing it on a computer it may be difficult.

Dear Leona,

I am writing you a square turn letter as you can see. This letter is wrote in military style. I hope you have no trouble reading this if you stand on your head. Well we are going air raid crazy in this town up at Keith we had to go to the cellar and lay down on the floor in Williamsburg the kids had to do this and Homer said many of them caught bad colds. This week and three days of next week we have to take junior Red Cross from 2 o’clock to 4 this does not agree with my work very well but I have to take this course as everybody does. I guess you know that Bud Broke his leg. I went up last night and stayed with him until 9:30 I left home at 8:00. Hi aunt Laura, that is Loyd’s mother, is very sick with pneumonia and is expected to die that is where Mr and Mrs Hornish were while I was with Bud they were glad that you got to go. Well I mailed your two packages to Pittsburg, I went down town on the bus I had four packages all together to mail, one to Al, one to Hites and the other two to you. Mr and Mrs Mangus are going to Florida Bill says about the last of the month. On Sunday we went to Grandma’s and Grandmoter’s on the way home we went to Charles his boys were very lucky, Leo is in Fort Wayne, Indiana and he sent the boys his bike home for Christmas. It is in good shape.

From Flicker

I had this filed under 1941 but since I do not have a better guess, I'll leave it here. The postmark year is not visible. — A postcard announcing a cheery visit from Ethel and Charley, Leona’s aunt and uncle.

The announcement of the coming visit. The message reads: Dear Brother a card to say we will be there to bring you all up Sat. eve. 4,30 to 8 o’clock be ready use are going to take your all down home Sat 14-15 From Ethel and Charley.

From Just Bob — Behind each postcard photo is another photo so these are pictures front and back within a postcard type envelope. Date

Two different stories. These guys had signed up for the military and we weren’t officially at war yet.

The stamp was likely torn for whomever was stamp collecting. Mom worked as a nanny for a year or so after high school. She worked for the Leighton family in Long Island, New York. From the contents my best guess is middle of 1941. (no mention of war).

One from each brother a month or so after the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec 7, 1941.

The first on reads: Dear Leona and all, Well Al don’t have anything on me now. Here at Moffett Field I share a tent with 5 other fellows and eat at the mess hall. We got two more shots today. We got an 8 hour pass so I came to San Francisco. Love, Clyde.