Ray Dale Butler, veteran of WWI.  His father is Henry Butler, uncle to Rose.  His mother Sarah A. Hulse died in 1909. His step-mother is referred to in the letters as Aunt Bell

William Shephard with Rose Butler and
their son Floyd Shepherd

Anna Scarborough Reed.
She is a 1st Cousin to Rose Butler

Rella Alonzo Hatton married to Amy Estella Butler.
Stella is Rose's sister. 

Donald D. Hatton (Rella & Stella's son) with Mary Elizabeth Geiger and Coreta Mae Geiger (Rose Butler's daughters)

 I contacted Donald's son,  Don J Hatton who passed in 2016,  to share these photos.  In return, he sent me the letters I am sharing with you.  They were in an old box in his basement.

Bloomfield Ohio - May 31, 1918

May.31.1918.

Bloomfield.Ohio.

Dear brother, 

         

         Received your most welcome card today.  Our mail man did not make his trip yesterday so we didn't get any mail. I am glad you are feeling better. Some days I am better then bad again. But able to still dig. Coreta went to Anna's last Wed. morning.  Haven't heard from her since. The rest here are allright.

          Floyd said at Sun. he wished Johnny would come and cut his hair.  I don't know what made him say it for you never cut his hair.  Johnny, that fellow that worked on the pike called banty, he is over in France. Then that heavy set fellow has gone that worked with them too. Dada and Mamma are very lonesome came home with me Sun. morning stayed until Tue. morning, but dada would go home at night.

          Coreta got her card promoted to High school.  Don't that sound good.Willie started in to plowing corn this after noon. It will certainly rain for it is so very warm.  Johnny,  I got my dress and Floyd's shoes were allright only a little large.  Mary was in here talking so I made some mistakes.  I called up Stellas a little while ago.  Our folks are there.  Mamma said Dada was getting uneasy. Wants to go home to get the mail.
           Mrs. Taylor said Herman called her said he believed he would enlist for all the boys are going.  He will be 20 in June.  How is Ray and Howard.  Are they any ways near you?  I felt sorry for Ray.  He kissed me good bye. Poor boy no mother's kiss. Floyd and Mary is sending these roses to you.  The dark one is Mary's the other is Floyds.  Ennice is helping Verner Conway this after noon.  How do you like your wrist watch.
          Well I expect you are tired of this so I will close.  Hoping to hear from you soon.

                             May God bless and protect my baby bro.

Your sister

Rose,

P.S. Saw in Gilead paper where 60 boys from your place goes to camp Sherman.  Maybe Johnny.  XXX

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.