If you’re following along you’ll notice that Elma and Al have been apart for a month now. Elma mentions a lot of people–remember she was crammed into that 80 yr old farmhouse with her parents, Nick and Sophie, Nick’s sister’s–Kate and Phine (Josephine)(Cecelia did not live with them), brothers Ray and Harold, and sister, Marie. That’s eight people in a house that only had two proper bedrooms and no AC. It was crowded.
Grandma mentioned going to Meser’s and they came over to the Bassemier’s house. Remember that Christina Meser just died about a month ago. I am certain the family and the neighbors mourned her for a long time. Grandma also mentioned Oscar and Marie, who would be married a year after Elma and Al. At this time Marie was only 20. Harold and Ray were 19 and 16, respectively.
Well, it’s a cold day in northern Indiana. It looks like that rain in southern Indiana was snow in northern Indiana. Even today that is the case. It’s a Sunday so grandpa went to mass. I wonder if he misses Saint Boniface and going to church with his family in Evansville. Very likely.
Elma responds to Al’s previous letter, not the one from March 6, but the previous letter. Elma talks about a couple of things worth noting – the weather, the fact that she had a cold, remembering that Al had a cold, reflecting on Al’s installation of phones at KKK headquarters in Kokomo, and recommending that Al sees someone–maybe a chiropractor–for his cold. Well, it was March in Indiana so of course, it was rainy. The other thing to note was that it was a Friday, and Elma went to church. They were members of Saint Boniface, and I can imagine that going to church during the week was the way of connecting with other members of the community. As always, their love is palpable.
Well, here we are again, Al missing Elma. It is March in northern Indiana so the weather is a bit unpredictable. I think that the real news here is that grandpa installed phones at the KKK headquarters in Kokomo Indiana. So of course I did some research. Grandpa had the name a little bit wrong. The name is Mafalfa Park. I found more information at the digital civil rights museum at Ball State University. Here is what they had to say: “On July 4, 1923, approximately 200,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) met at Malfalfa Park in rural Kokomo, Indiana [1]. The crowd gathered to celebrate the state’s transition from a KKK Province to a Realm and to inaugurate a new Indiana Grand Dragon [2]. As the great number of attendees suggests, the Klan was well established in Indiana by the 1920s. The KKK originated in the South after the Civil War, but quickly spread to other states, where members pursued their mission to intimidate people that diverged from their profile of an ideal American. Their targets included African Americans, Jews, immigrants, and Catholics.”
There is a lot more at the digital civil rights museum page above, but suffice to say that Indiana had one of the largest Klan memberships with Klaverns as they were called in every county and the governor and US senators were controlled by the KKK. Embarrassing and disgusting. And there was grandpa in the middle of all of it. Above I cited that the KKK was against Catholics. In my ignorance I did not realize this but grandpa probably knew and that’s why he expressed such trepidation at entering the building.
I am so glad that times are at least a little bit different now, but it is a good reminder that we’re not that far off from that time.
Mafalfa Park is now Camp Tycony, a YMCA camp just west of Kokomo on 52 acres.
I know it’s been a while and finally I am making the time to get back to the blog. I got some help scanning in the letters and doing transcriptions so hopefully I’ll be able to load at least once a week if not twice. I’m starting back where I left off so with the letter from Elma on March 4.
Well, this letter is not too interesting, but we are once again reminded of how much Elma loved Al. My grandparents were married for 60 years and they lived apart a variety of times. But the one thing I remember is their constant, loving presence. Their lives were hard, but they always had each other.
It is nine o’clock now, just came home from our regular meeting and got through reading your letter over again which I received this evening when I came in and Elma you sure don’t know how good that makes me feel to come home from a days work and have a letter waiting for me with all the love and kisses I would get from you if it was you in person waiting for me at the door. Elma I feel a little tired this evening but I cant pass up to write you a few lines for I know how it is to go to the mailbox and not get a letter from Al, I am the same way, don’t know what to do with myself or what happens if I don’t get a letter every day from you Elma. Really it puts a new life in me every time I come home and get a letter from you Elma, to know that even if I am all by myself amongst strange people there still is one far away from where I am to help make life a little happier than what it would be otherwise. Elma, it would be pretty tough once in a while if it weren’t for the letters I am getting from you to help liven me up a little, I guess I would have come home long ago.
Well Elma, I guess Bill Debes and his wife will have a lots of pastime with their big baby girl don’t you think so too, Elma tell Harold it was a good thing he got a hair cut otherwise even the fat babies like the picture he sent would get scared of him. Well Elma I think I am going to take some stock with the telephone company, it is just the same as putting the money in the bank. You can draw it out anytime you need it and they keep I think it is 75 cents out of every paycheck every week for every share, a share costs us that is employees $150 and if it is all paid out like now the same share sells for $198, it is a good thing that they pay I think .09% on the money where the banks only pay .03 and .04% on the money and savings so it is a whole lot better to have it with the company for nearly everybody has it that way, I was talking to a fellow tonight he paid $7 every week on shares also we have shares with this company, it gives a better impression and they take a little more per person that is what some of the bosses have told me already so Elma don’t worry about that for it is alright anytime I need the money I .can get it and it ain’t lost. So I will go to bed in the next few minutes but before I do go to bed Elma I will seal this letter with all the love and kisses I have but an extra sweet goodnight kiss.
Al x
My comments
My grandpa had quite the sense of humor. Or at least that is how it comes across in the letters. Remember, he rarely spoke when I knew him. Today, as I am writing this would have been his birthday 123 years old. It’s hard to believe that he has been gone for 31 years. The best part about the letters is that I get to know my grandparents all over again.
My grandpa mentions Bill Debes and the fact that he and his wife had a baby, on February 26, 1931. Her name was LaVerne Debes and here is her birth certificate. Debes is a Flemish name, but her mother was Christine Muensterman, and that is German. LaVerne ended up marrying Tenbarge. I feel like everyone on the Westside is related. : )
A note about the stocks. It was the Depression and 1,000s of banks failed. I am curious if he hung on to those…
Just got back from taking Ed home they went to market today and so its getting late already about 9:30 but before I have you waiting and looking for a letter and a kiss that I did not send. I’m going to do as you said in that letter I got today just say hello Al and send a sweet kiss well Al I was both glad and surprised to hear from you today really I miss getting that letter until this afternoon so Katie went to look for mail this morning and said there wasn’t any there. I left it go at that for I wasn’t used to getting mail on Monday. But it sure seems like a long day and when Harold came home I told him this was one day we didn’t hear from Kokomo. Mom said we sure miss it too and ** she’ll go and when she came back I felt like you might be at least a hundred miles closer and believe me I was sure glad to get those two big kisses that I missed so much Saturday and Sunday. Al that sure would be a shock if you drive in so unexpected. Better not do that you might kill a few by such a shock every time I see one of those dern telephone trucks it darn near makes me sick to think of them lucky devils around here when you have to be so far away but we’ll just keep on praying Al and if nothing worse happens its not going to be so bad after all for I’m in hopes that we’ll soon get to see eachother then we can talk things over and Im not so many kisses and O so much love when the big warm heart waiting for you Al and I’m at home you’ll bring just that many with you. Gosh wouldn’t it be swell to be together again (if you don’t hurry Ill forget “how” and a lot of things for theres no one here to practice on) Well Al, everybody here is in the best of health only if they got a little cross once in a while Im feeling just fine only plenty tired and sleepy. Guess you can see that by the looks of my scribbling. Believe I’m going to start drinking milk and try and get fat that’s a pretty good resolution to make during Lent aint it. The trouble of it is I never care much about it until I can drink It with you guess I’ll sign off for tonight hope my daddy’s still well and feeling fine and don’t get too far out in the country and get lost and never come back, with all true love and lots of kisses.
Elma x
Goodnight Al x
My comments
I love the use of the x’s for kisses. They must have established the use of the x’s up front, because they both use them liberally at the end of every letter.I think it’s cute, but then again these were my grandparents. I just have to smile when I read about all the kissing. I’ve said it before, they loved each other very much.
Here I am again, in the first day of March, the great of the month of the year in which the old kid Al was born some few years ago, is that right Elma, Elma if you would have been here yesterday you would have had a job on hand, that was cut my hair. Marie said in her letter that you made such a good job of her hair cut, so keep it up Elma. I know you can do it if you want to. It does require a little pains once in a while when you go to cut a boys hair but I know that you can do it Elma you will have to learn now and later have to cut my hair also ain’t that hot. Elma how would you like to have the job on my head, well Elma I went to church this morning and then came home and passed my time by reading the papers, listening to the radio, and doing a little studying in my books or rather read up on lots of stuff that I will have to have when it comes to work out in the country on the telephones. That lasted until dinner. So now I am in my room all by myself writing the blues to you after a while I might stretch out in my bed and take a nap thats if I won’t get the blues too much and tonight at 7:30 o clock we have church again. Wednesdays in place of having it in the evening they will have it at 3 o clock in the afternoon only on Friday. Will we have church in the evenings so I will be able to write you a longer letter on Wednesday night from now on Elma. When I got up this morning I thought about my overcoat but it wasn’t so bad after all. It is a whole lot warmer now again. Last night it snowed a little and also rained but not everything is as day practically as on fourth of July when you have no beer Elma did you save me some beer so when I come home I can drink a quart with you and have lots of pastime or when you come up to see me Easter time. Be some to bring a quart along with you for me, then we can drink it here in Kokomo to celebrate Easter wont that be real Elma coming to Kokomo to see Al. Elma I said Easter was tomorrow I can’t hardly wait for the time to come for Elma to come to Kokomo to see me, we sure will have lots of pastime. When you do come Elma , but that time is a whole month off yet. Elma, when you come you will have to get here on Saturday afternoon, so then we can be together all Saturday afternoon and have an all night party and be together all day Sunday then I won’t have to lay off work or if you stay longer we will get along alright. I will make up some other time by working overtime for we are not allowed to turn in overtime if we work overtime they expect us to take off some other time so that we’ll be fine. Elma, just come ahead Al will be waiting for you. Elma, I don’t know whether you can make out all of my scribblings and lots of times thought about that like now I am sitting in a rocking chair and have my feet propped up on another chair in front of the window, the sun is so hot through the window on my feet for I have my shoes off and so I have to move my feet every once in a while and that starts me to rock with a stationary box above my knee writing a letter to Elma and when I go to rocking I start to write up and down I guess you can see every time I go to rock while everything is crooked and hooked together. Well Elma I don’t think that makes much difference for the meaning of true love is always in it whether I am sitting still or whether I am rocking. I guess Elma you know that by now that is just as good when you don’t sit still as it is when you sit real still (and how) Elma I guess I better get away from that crazy junk right don’t you think so Elma. All I wish is that I was out at West Heights to see Elma this afternoon for it is so pretty outside, it gives me the Spring fever to lay around like that no place to go and nothing to do. Elma I wish I was home then we could go places and do and see things when it is as pretty as it is today for instance take a ride to the old dam at New Harmony, will go to Mount Vernon I forgot drive to the old dump in Rockport and see all the rocks there. Oh boy ain’t that something. Elma talk about rocks, you come to Kokomo Easter time Elma, come in the bus and on this side towards Indianapolis and Bedford where the Indiana line rock company has their place you will see all the rocks you care to see for I think they have a big hill all leveled out all the dirt off the rock and I think about 100 or more carsts around all over the place. I think the place must be about a half mile nothing but big boulders of rock. It is right close to the highway on the right side coming up to Indianapolis. So you want to be sure to look for it when you come Elma. It is worth seeing. Well Elma I think I will have to write mom a dutch letter sometime. I wrote Matt in Indianapolis last night as I wrote you so you will hear from me again real soon as I am still feeling well. Only a little blue and hope these few lines make you feel good and find you in the best of health. So I am sending all the true love and all the kisses I have one more Elma, and a long and sweet kiss for tonight when Oscar comes to see Marie tell Marie she ain’t the only one that can get a kiss that you got a sweeter kiss than she did.
Al
My comments:
You might be wondering why he refers to March as”the great month of the year”. His birthday is March 18,1900, so he is about to be 31. I always liked the fact that my grandpa was born in 1900, because it was so easy to remember how old he was. He was 66 when I was born and 91 when he died–so easy to remember, because he was born in 1900.
He is also fixated on haircuts. Growing up I can distinctly remember my mother cutting my grandfather’s hair–silver/white and thin. When he was in his late 70s and early 80s, I can remember going to their house in the evening and my mom standing in the kitchen at the table. It seems to have all started with Elma cutting everyone’s hair. Funny, because I don’t remember her cutting anyone’s hair. I will have to ask around and find out.
He mentions West Heights. I put the link above to a Historic Evansville page. West Heights, or Babytown, was the “neighborhood” that Elma’s family lived in on the far westside of town.
He also mentions the Old Dam at New Harmony. I have not personally been to the Old Dam, but here is what I found on Visit Posey County’s website:
“The Old Dam is a group of natural rock formations rising from the bed of the Wabash River near New Harmony. When the Wabash is low in Summer, the rocks emerge forming a series of rapids, pools, and waterfalls, it becomes one of the best swimming holes east of the Mississippi. The rapids make for a great kayaking experience.“
I couldn’t find much of anything on Rockport, but more interesting is Indiana Limestone which he talks about above. I gave it a separate page. At the time of this letter there was a fair amount of “quarrying” going on–the Empire State building was built in 1931 from Indiana Limestone–technically Salem Limestone. I talk about that on the separate page.
He mentions a dutch letter to his mother and a letter to his brother, Matt Weinzapfel. I found two letters written in “old” German in a batch of letters we found in a closet. I’m having them translated and I will share them as soon as I have them.
Back again after two days with a little more of my scratching. Got all your letters Saturday morning Al and everybody was sure glad to hear from you, but would have been more so if you could’ve told them you was coming home. Gosh Al I’m always wondering and wishing and praying that I’ll get a letter or a call real soon telling me you’re coming back home or at least closer to me than you are now so that I can get to see you and talk to you and love you and get some of those real sweet kisses like I did before Al. Just three weeks this morning Al I kissed you goodbye and left you on the bus headed for Kokomo. Really it seems like three years and when I look ahead it seems like eternity Al you don’t know how slow the time passes for me. But after all I ought be satisfied to think you’re all by yourself with no one at all except strangers to even talk to, but keep it up Al and I’ll try as often as I can to do as you said you were doing pray the rosary before I go to sleep. I was glad to hear it and maybe we’ll get to be together again before long. We sure had one time yesterday, Al. Harold had made up his mind not to get his haircut until you came back, the whole family tried talking to him but didn’t do much good. Dad said he sure didn’t know what to do. I told him how I thought you hated to be so far away and if you knew he was acting like that it would make it all the worse, but he said he felt so sorry cause Al always cut them and couldn’t this time that’s why he didn’t go. But I finally got him in the notion, taken him down on St. Joe and Penn St., looks a lot better but not like when you did it. Went to confession yesterday afternoon and communion this morning at 8 o’ clock mass wondered if you were going and if I was praying with you. Talk about getting off easy Al and I had to pray 1 Hail Mary Saturday but like you said I don’t have to worry so much while you’re so far away. Only think of and wish for a whole lot once in a while.
Went to church this afternoon and brought Ed, Tillie and family along. Got home and Miss Becker and Alberta Craig were here they all stayed for supper. Then Helfrichs came and Mesers with Henry and Oscar. We had a houseful. Wish I could have left the whole and came to you. So Helfrich said Ed had a buyer for his place and was asking $6,000 for it. Don’t know how true it is so don’t say anything about it. Well Al they all left pretty late and it’s now ten til twelve so I guess I’ll have to bundle up all my kisses and an extra goodnight kiss with lots of true love and send them to you far away to someone I’m sure will be waiting for them.
Elma
My Comments
Finally, I’m done with February. Well, sort of. I found more letters and while most of them are from after they were married, there are a few stragglers from before. I may or may not post those.
Elma sure can’t wait for Al to be home. I wonder later if she will be happy that he has a job since it’s the Depression. It will be interesting to see. Anyway, only three weeks has passed since he left.
Near the end Grandma mentions a few people and I thought it would be good to talk about who they were. I am going to create separate pages for people, things and events that were significant. first are Ed and Tillie. Briefly, Ed was Grandma’s younger brother by 14 months. You can read all about him at the link. Grandma also mentions a slew of other people–you already know Oscar. Helfrichs came with Mesers, because Mayme Meser, John Meser’s sister, married George P. Helfrich. Henry and Ed were Grandpa’s brothers. Ed ‘s house, which in 1931 was catty-corner and across the street, was a steal at 6K. I’ll do a separate page on Grandpa’s seven brothers later.
