Fredericktown Ohio - May 1918

Fredericktown

R.D.6

May 29, 1918

Dear Uncle:

          I expect you are getting acquainted with the camp by this time. I am down at Annie's now. I am feeling fine and hoping you are the same. Supper is over and I am upstairs and think I will go to bed.  I stayed alnight up to grandmas Tuesday night and I mowed the yard.  I expect you see the Ohio River  Mrs. Holland wanted me to pick strawberries for her, but I was going to Annie's. Mary and Ennice I guess are going too.

          When grandmas was over to our house she got so tired of hearing the blackbirds she took a piece of brick and throwed at it and killed it so that it dropped out of tree.  Anna and I cleaned Guy's room this after noon.  I am writing on papa's suit case.  Do you know Kenneth Conway?  He is Gales' Conway son his mother is a sister to Ernest Tuttle.  He asked Mable how old I was.  He said he would make a date with me if I wouldn't turn him down. Ruth said that they weren't counted nothing.

           Do you know that "live for ever" that Grandma put on a wood house of me and Opy we are right together?  Hall's have got one better from Opy.  He is just fine and has a good job.  Geneva Mead is working in Gilead and now Grace runs with Florence Haycock and Claude Hines. Have you got your suit on yet? 

           Mary got a bump on her head Tuesday night running the little chickens in till it knocked her down. Ennice has got his hair cut close to his head.  Till you can't see a bit hair on his head only a little bit on top of inch long.  Today Iva made some candy to send to Zulauf.   I have not wrote to him yet and I don't think I will either. I expect you cannot read this writing I have.
          I guess Clyde has gone.  Some man seen him go through Galion.  Harold Musen has enlisted. I guess Willie is going to help Uncle Henry thru harvest.  Aunt Bells was over to Uncle Willies Sunday and she said grandpa and grandma was there.

Johnny Butler     L  M

 Edith Hulse       L  F

Love - I knew it long ago.

I soon will have to go to bed.         Good bye.

I guess I will be here for a while longer so write soon as you can.

BBSHHg

Meet the Butlers

I suppose I should have introduced you to our main characters.  Say hello to the Butlers.  This family photo was taken about 1897 given that John appears to be 3 years old.  His parents are George and Augusta Butler and his siblings are Stella, Rose and William.  They live in South Bloomfield NJ. 

John and William are a little older here.  They are closer to the age when John will be drafted for WWI.  This photo is the size of a thumbprint.  I suspect it may have been taken at a fair.

Coreta and Mary Geiger are Rose's daughters.  They are standing here in front of Grandma and Grandpa Butler's house.  From 1901-1908 they lived in Sparta, Ohio (once born) with Rose and Louis Geiger.  Louis is an engineer who works on bridges and is frequently away from home.  In 1908 Rose and Louis divorce.

Rose remarries in 1913 to William Shepard. Coreta refers to them as Momma & Papa.

And finally, we have Coreta.  This looks to be about the correct age when she wrote what seemed to be her first letter to Uncle John away at war.

Old Letters 1918-1919

I am fortunate to have in my possession many old letters dating from 1918-1919. The letters were written by my Great Grandmother, Coreta Geiger and her mother, Rose Butler, to Rose's brother - John Butler - during World War I.  I am sharing these letters as part of  our collective history. I will do my best to post these in order.  In between the letters I will locate relevant photos of names and places mentioned.  

Centerburg, Ohio

Feb. 2,1918

Dear Uncle, 

    Mamma has me to write for her. She had first sent a letter the day she got box. She certainly thanks you for that beautiful silk handkerchief.  I guess Papa and Mamma are going to church tonight.  I have been reading all afternoon.  The name of the book is the girl of the Limber Lost.  Well I don't know anymore to write.  I will close. Write a letter to me soon as you can.  What a good time we will have when you get home.  Good bye.

[This is followed on the flipside by a half page of flowing scribbles]

Floyd wrote about him and Wanda down in the Corn box. Jeanette and Mary put him in the corn box and Wanda kissed him and I guess he kissed her.  He will never forget it I guess.

                                                                                      Good Bye

Centerburg, Ohio

Feb. 18,1918

Dear Uncle,

     Mamma had just got a letter from you and she is going to write to you so I thought I would write also. I have the sore throat real bad. I went to the doctor. He gave me two kinds to dissolve on my tongue.  I don't know much to write. I made out a order to Sears Roebuck to get me a summer dress of changeable silk.  I was at Grandma's and stayed all night. Mamie C. came down.  While she was there your mother-in-law called up. It is getting my bed time.  Papa and Mamma have went to bed. I just got through getting my lessons. I wish you would come home pretty soon. 

Friday night at the Sparta Gym, at the Opera House there is going to be a basketball game a double header.The Marengo Grammer Room and Sparta Grammar room is going to play against the Marengo High School and Sparta High School. Last Friday night Sparta went to Fredricksburg and Frederich put us one score that wasn't much. We sure have got good players who are -  captain Homer Wilson, Merle Culiver, Hoy Weaver, Langstaff Fern Mitchel when Langstaff don't play Ansel Hulse takes his place. 

Well I am studying Latin so I will give you some. This is what Edith says to you.  The Translation will be on the back of this paper.

1. Nunquam ero miser tecum 2. Ego te amo. 3. Amasne me?

1. Never shall I be miserable with you. 2. I love you. Do you love me?

Well I will close now.  Your niece, 

                                      Coreta

OXXX many more            

Nine Years Later

The years have flown by haven't they?

The kids are almost adults now with my oldest studying in Paris this summer.  As they are beginning their own adventures, I'm wondering if it is time to dust myself off and pursue a few of my own.  Over the last nine years I dove into my work with a focus on taking care of the family.   I wonder if perhaps I veered off course and forgot to take care of myself along the way.

My wake up call was the M word - merger. I've known for 9 months that my company will be merging with two others.  Operations will not begin for another nine months.  I see chaos building in the coming months.  Following the rising tension there will be relief. Reminds me of the preparations each hurricane season.  There is always an exciting frenzy accompanied by a biting dread for what may come. Will this be the year that landfall will wreck havoc over my memories?  Will we relive Hugo once again? Or will the storm turn in the last moments and follow the curve of our barrier islands out to sea?

I will know soon in which direction the tides will turn for me.  I am excited about the possibilities that come with change and I look forward to the relief that comes with knowing that I will eventually settle down to another comfortable routine with Dadsy at my side.

The Mighty 8th

I am soo choked up that I have to share..... my father-in-law was a POW in WWII. On November 26th his plane was shot down. Coincidentally, another plane of the 8th USAAF crashed behind the house of a Dutch Boy, John Meurs, leaving a huge impression on him. Such an impression that he has spent the last 7 years researching every plane that crashed on that day. His book Thanksgiving '44 is almost complete and the first printing is scheduled for March 2009.

Today, John sent me a letter and I would like to share part of it with you. I could not read it to my husband without crying.

When we started to correspond with each other I told you that my present research was triggered by the fact that one of the 34 heavy bombers of the 8th USAAF that were lost on Sunday. November 26, 1944, the B-17 "Little Guy" of the 381st Bomb Group, crashed behind our house in Nazi-occupied Holland. This crash made a deep impression on me.

About two years ago I discovered that Jelle Rietsma, a retired general of the Royal Dutch Army was also interested in this crash as he lives quite near to the crash site. I told him that a monument for Pilot Kyle Smith in the outdoor swimming pool complex of Apeldoorn would be appropriate; also because each and every year thousands of mostly young people go there for a swim, a flirt and a bite. For them to realize when seeing this monument that they have to thank their present freedom to people like Kyle Smith.

Last year, November 26, 2007, [my wife] and I went to Apeldoorn to assist in the unveiling of this monument. The band of the Royal Dutch Air Force played the last post, members of the Dutch Army hoisted the flags of the Unites States and the Netherlands and the highest class of the nearby primary school (my primary school!) who had adopted the monument, sang the American anthem. I was very moved, because these kids had the same age as I had then in 1944.

A representative of the American Embassy in The Hague (the Ambassador himself was on a visit abroad) spoke a few words and so did the Mayor of Apeldoorn. The actual unveiling was done by two family members of the pilot and a plane of the Dutch Air Force made an overfly. I was very proud that due to my research this ceremony could take place.

First time in Chicago......

.....and, sadly, I was there on business this week..so no city exploration for me. I did have a pretty neat encounter with a cabby. On Tuesday, when I was dropped off at my hotel, Alfred approached me with his business information. He could tell I had just come from the airport. He immediately told me that he knew I had paid too much for the cab ($69 + tip) and that next time I should call him. I liked his demeanor and salesmanship ...so I schedule my return to the airport with him.

When I walked out of the hotel 15 minutes early, he was there waiting on me. It turned out to be a very enjoyable ride. He is from Ghana and has been in America for 36 years. He's very upbeat and positive and interesting. He is making a trip back to Ghana in a couple months to explore a business idea he has of importing his culture to America. When he found I worked for a steamship line....the questions about containers alone just poured out of him. The rate was $42 + fun conversation + tip.

If you are ever in Chicago - give Alfred a call. He is with Citi-Suburban Taxi & Limo. 312-287-6992 (direct) or the company # is 708-343-6666 Cab #2

What a Difference 9 Months Make

Ok, now....DON'T FAINT!!!!! It seems I have been slack with my blog writing, but soooooo much has been going on in my little universe. The company I work for went through a reorganization and I landed my fat lil arse with a promotion, in a completely different department......and ......in...... HOTLANTA!!!!!!!! I have plenty to tell you and we do have some catching up to do - don't we?

Right this moment I am living out of a Residence Inn - hoping to find a home away from home....and the pressure to register the kids for school and get them up here with me is mounting - oh, yes it is. Mare Bear still has a couple weeks before she can join me as she is performing in Summer Stage as a thespian (that IS the actual part in the play) in Highschool Musical at the Sottile on Aug 1, 2 & 3 - so check her and the other kids out!

This past April, I did manage to get to San Francisco for a work related training session. I snuck out the Sunday prior and walked around downtown and at the Fisherman's Wharf. Here are a few pictures from the trip:

In case your wondering - why this pic? The trolley I rode on claims that H.Bogart rode here.

I found this lone sun lion bather interesting considering on another dock there were abt 50 on top of one another. Makes ya wonder why we sometimes wander off to get away from the chaos.

Oh, by the biddly...for those of ya in the know....my blog slackness is also due in part to my WoW addiction. A girl's gotta find someway to release the tensions of the day - so I lose myself in a world of chivalry, for the most part.