Ruth has a day job caring for an elderly patient suffering from pneumonia. Dave finishes up another job, and mentions a surprise party they had for LaVere’s 15th birthday. Ruth gets news from home in a couple of letters from Jennie.
April 13, 1936
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Hello Honey,
At first I thought I wouldn’t write tonight, but I got to thinking how sweet you are so I decided it would be a shame not to write to such a nice boy. No doubt you will be writing to me tonight and I bet you will be plenty tired because someone told me that you didn’t get any too much “shut eye” over the weekend. Just another case of me abusing you.
Loretta and I got up about 10:30. After breakfast we went out with Loretta’s sister and another lady to do some shopping. I think I told you about this woman who is being married for the second time. She is fifty-one and she is so excited it is really pathetic. We never saw her before today and she has asked us to come to the wedding and also the wedding breakfast at the DeWitt Clinton. Loretta says we may go over to the church just to do a little snooping and get our air.
How is the lame shoulder? If it doesn’t get any better, you had better let your nurse see what she can do about it. I’m sort of glad Ben and Florence came down yesterday even if we did skin out on them. I would have worried awful if you had brought me up last night. Loretta was gone to bed but not to sleep when I got in. I guess she spent rather a lonesome day all by herself.
Gee, it is bad enough to go five days of the week without seeing you, but I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t be with you on Sunday. It is so nice being with you over the weekend. I haven’t done a thing on your bedspread yet today. Looks like I’m neglecting my honey. However, the day is still young, it is only five o’clock.
I was so tired last night I couldn’t get to sleep. Loretta said she couldn’t get to sleep either. We are both wondering what we are going to do this summer. I can always go home and I suppose I really should. I don’t even like the thoughts of being so far away from you. I would like to be with my mother, but it looks like I can’t be with both of you. I think we love each other too much to be separated for very long. Life is too short to spend much time apart anyway. When I leave you on Sunday night, I start looking forward to the time when I will see you again.
Gee, dear, did I thank you for the candy? I intended to anyway. I have eaten more candy today than I have eaten before since my birthday. I don’t eat Loretta’s candy because I like mine better. However, I still think you shouldn’t have bought it. As I said before, I didn’t expect anything, and I wouldn’t have thought a thing about it if you hadn’t done it.
“Loretta.. is decorating your envelope” S.W.A.K. = sealed with a kiss.
Here’s hoping we get some work this week before we go nuts. This sure is discouraging. If you know of any place around there where we could get a job of waiting on tables, let me know. We are almost tempted to hire out on a farm somewhere or other.
Well, my little “Bunny Duck”, Loretta has finished her letter and is decorating your envelope. I’m not responsible for any of it. I only told her what to write.
Lots of love,
Ruth
April 13, 1936
Middleburg, N.Y.
Hello My Sweet,
For once it is my turn to be wondering how you got home. I didn’t worry about you as you do about me but I did think of you until I fell asleep, and I don’t think you were home yet when that happened. I came right home after you left. I guess it is a good thing I didn’t take you home because even with six hours sleep under my belt I was a little foggy. Maybe the weather was responsible for that though. We went to work in spite of the rain this morning and got in a full day. I don’t think there was more than two hour when it wasn’t raining some. It feels good to get into some dry clothes and sit by a warm fire tonight. If it was only my own fire and my wife was sitting with me (or on me), it would be perfect
Boy, did I have a close call Saturday. The leap year cupid nearly got me didn’t it, hon? I’m both glad and sorry that it didn’t if you can figure that out and I guess you can.
Tomorrow is LaVere’s birthday and Lula is giving him a surprise party so you can figure out where I’ll be. He has been fishing all day today and didn’t catch a thing. Guess he will have to take some lessons from his big brother.1
LaVere Coffin c. 1944
I was rather surprised when Florence admitted she was out for all she could get, and I really think she meant it. Too bad she hasn’t got someone like me where the getting isn’t so good.
I was just going to tell you that Fluffy must be sick again because she wasn’t on my lap but a commotion in the cellarway just now told me the reason. Of course I was crazy enough to get up and open the door so I am now looking over a big, bushy tail to get an occasional glimpse of what I am writing. She looks real clean now.
I hope you get some work this week, darling. I know how hard it is when you have nothing to do. Gee, I hate to think of having you go home for all summer. I could stand it for a couple of weeks but more than that would do things to me I’m afraid. I can’t imagine what it would be like when I think how hard it is to go a whole week without seeing you. You have come to be a definite part of my life, honey, and a big part at that.
The weatherman has turned optimistic and forecasts fair weather for tomorrow. If the sun really shines, I’ll be afraid of it.
Guess I’m about out of words so I’ll sign off with the usual amount of
Love and kisses,
Dave
April 15, 1936
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Hello honey boy,
I guess you must have had another one of your premonitions this week. Anyway, I am working again. Yesterday Hickey called Loretta for night duty so she talked me into a job. It is hard to believe that I am on day duty. The patient is a man 83 years old. He is quite sick. I don’t know what it is unless it is old age. He may have pneumonia as he has a cough and a temp.
As usual, I don’t know if I will be working Sunday or not. I’ll send you a card Friday night and hope it will reach you Saturday. If I’m not working Sunday and I don’t know it by Friday night, I’ll call you and you can come after me for the day. The chances are the patient will be dead before then, but these old people are quite apt to fool us.
The Dr. was in a little while ago and he says the old man has pneumonia, a heart condition and kidney trouble. He had me make a pneumonia jacket.2 By the time I am finished nursing I should be quite a seamstress. Loretta said she expected the patient to die last night. He has the same symptoms of anyone I ever saw yet who was dying.
Ed is in town tonight so I have to work until 8:30. I hope it isn’t any later as twelve hours is plenty to put in with a patient such as we have. The priest was in yesterday, so I suppose he knows the end isn’t so far away.
Loretta and I didn’t even bother going off register at the Exchange so now I suppose we will get called. They told Loretta Sunday we were ten and eleven on register.
I guess our party for this week is off. I called Marion and she is sick with the grippe. I sent Florence a card this morning and told her I was working.
Wednesday night 11:00
Well I stayed with Loretta until 10:00 and then I came along home with Ed. Ed came in and waited for a call from Loretta saying to come and get her. She just called and said he died at 10:20. The poor old man suffered terrible. He went into a coma about seven. Gee, honey, it is terrible to have to go through it even with a stranger. I feel like I have gone through a sausage grinder.
I have been wondering if you got your car fixed. Please do that soon, dear. There are so many accidents and I worry about you anyway.
I haven’t heard from Mom in over two weeks so I commence to feel worried again. I got a nice Easter card from her Monday.
I think rather than stay in the city and pay room rent for nothing I will explain to Mrs. Hewitt that I can’t afford it. Loretta says she will let me know when my name gets near the top of the list and I can come back up. That way I can still be on register and stay at Lydia’s. Ask Lydia what she thinks of the idea. I don’t know what else to do.
Guess what? Mrs. Hewitt stayed home from work yesterday and cleaned up the house. I dusted and washed all the ash trays and even the lunch and supper dishes. See, I’m just trying to find out if I have forgotten how to do those things.
I guess if I’m not working Saturday, I’ll let you come and get me just as you did last week. I’ll be ready at any time. If Lydia and Fran have nothing on, you can bring them along too.
Everybody thinks our dishes are pretty. I haven’t taken the gravy boat back yet, but I think I’m going down after a new hat tomorrow, so I’ll do it then.
While I am waiting for Ed and Loretta to get in I’ll start a letter to our Mom. How do you like that? I think it is rather cute.
Loads of love and kisses,
Ruth
April 15, 1936
Middleburg, N.Y.
My Dear Ruthie,
Well here I am back among the unemployed again, honey. Finished up tonight. There will probably be a little more work later on if I am not doing anything else when they are ready, and I probably won’t be.
Wish you could be here to help eat some of the ice cream we have had yesterday and today. There must be about two quarts down cellar in the freezer now. The occasion, of course, was LaVere’s birthday. He had a good time at the party although until he found out what it was all about he had a pretty long face. He had a date to go to the movies and he couldn’t see why he should give that up to go visiting for the evening. He got two pocketbooks, six hankies, a book, a tie and collar set, two neckties for me to wear and candy.
I wasn’t too interested in the antics of a bunch of kids so I went to P.H. for a couple of hours and picked Mom up on the way back. Lydia had a letter from your Mother. She read it to me and then told me to send it to you as she didn’t think she would write. Too bad about your Cuffy cat, but then I don’t think we would be able to support two cats and besides I think Fluffy would beat Cuffy up anyway.
Mom and LaVere have both gone out and the radio isn’t working tonight. It seems awfully quiet here. Even Fluffy has quit purring for the moment.
Gee, hon, you always manage to say the nicest things in your letters. I think you are right about our loving each other so much we couldn’t be apart for very long. Every week seems to be longer than the one before. I don’t know how I am going to stand it until we can see our way to be married. We’ll probably live thru it, but it is mighty hard living.
I don’t suppose there is much chance of your having work before Sunday. At least I haven’t had any more premonitions about it. Let me know when you want me to come up and I’ll be there.
This letter isn’t very long but the one from your Mother will help make up for it.
Bye, bye, my darling, until I see you.
Love,
Dave
April 11, 1936
Adams Center, N.Y.
Dear Lydia & Francis & Ruth (if she is with you),
I am glad Francis has work. I think you have been wonderful to get along all winter and still have a surplus of eats. Lately I have been to Glenn’s and Eva’s. Eva and her family were well. The baby is the cutest little thing, stands almost alone and goes backwards off the blanket, gets around a lot. Kent and Ethel were here Tuesday night. Their baby walks all over and she thinks her daddy is the greatest ever.
Glenn T. has whooping cough so the baby has been exposed. I am glad if the little thing had to have it, it will come from that side of the house. Tryon’s have bought a nice place 7 miles from Pulaski and move next Tuesday.
Bill has an opportunity to go sailing and says he must make up his mind by next Monday. At present his job here is good but the decision is his not mine.
Nellie Elmer is very low. Janie took me down to see her last night. She had had a hypodermic in the morning, had tremors and one since the night before.3
The children will be home a week now. I have missed Grace and family. I hope it is for the best for them.
I had not written Ruth that Joe Cuffy took to the road weeks ago. I thought he would be back but have given up all hopes now.
I would like to see you all but do not see how I can.
Lots of love,
Aunt Jennie
Mail time.
April 16, 1936
Middleburg, N.Y.
Hello Hon,
I’ll start this letter to the tune of “Goody Goody”, that is what’s on the radio.
I bet this has been a dismal day for you hasn’t it, dear. It rained here all day. It was awfully selfish of me to stay so late last night, but it is hard to say goodnight. When I did get started it must have seemed as if I was in a great rush but if I was, it was only because I wanted to see you get some rest and sleep.
I had an uneventful trip home last night only it seemed as if I was an awfully long time getting here. I kept thinking of those fellows in Ravena all the while and I guess I took it pretty easy. I left your box in the woodshed at P.H. I told Lydia I would leave it there.
I got up at 7:15 this morning and I could envision you rubbing the sleep out of your eyes at the same time. I went down and got Lula so she could do her washing. After that Mike wanted some help to put a dam across the creek where it had broken thru the bank and was flooding his lots. Boy, did we get soaked thru. We just nicely got the logs across and some brush thrown in when it started to pour. Being on the wrong side of the road, we couldn’t get back with the team and wagon until we had made a drive way over the dam. Oh well, just as a precaution I’ll take a dose of soda and if I can get up enough ambition, a ginger tea. Anyway, I earned half a dollar and got paid. I feel real proud of myself.
I took Lula home about two o’clock and I flopped on the couch down there and slept for an hour, but I felt worse after it than I did before.
My lop-eared hound took himself off last night. He probably was tired out and stopped here to rest before going on home.
I have to go to M. in the morning for Lula and possibly again at night. There is a P.T. meeting at the school and I imagine Mom will want to go.
LaVere went to school today and I guess he is none the worse off for it. He was tired when he got home and went to bed but that is only because he had gotten used to sleeping half the day.
Gee, hon, here it is seven o’clock, I’m about ready for bed and you’re still working. I hope you didn’t have it too hard today. A man would drop dead if he had to work twelve hours a day and here you do it without a murmur. I’m glad I’m not a nurse.
Be good, dear, and until I see you, remember I love you.
Yours always,
Dave
April 16, 1936
Adams Center, N.Y.
Dearest Ruthie,
Thursday morning and snow again with wind blowing. Bill has gone to Pulaski to paint for the Dairymen’s League and took Donald with him.4 Yesterday he took both June and Billy. He said they were too much the live wires and didn’t want to try it again.
Detail from Jennie’s letter. The name mentioned might be “Sam Hill”.
Nellie Elmer died very early Easter morning, about 1 a.m. I think. She was buried Tuesday. Rev. Cash gave a wonderful talk about the life she had lived. Said it was a very fitting symbol of the life of goodness and purity she had lived to be taken on Easter morning. He read different passages of scripture which he said he had often read to her from the same book, Nellie’s Bible. By Hattie’s request Sam Hill and Marion Higgs sang “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere”.5
We went out to Eva’s again and Bill traded cars with the Chevrolet dealer for an Essex one year later than ours. It looks almost like new so probably had had different usage. That Scott who kept the store near Hermann’s station up on the Hailsboro Road owned it. So they say the car has never been used roughly. So you see when you come on your vacation we will have something to drive.
Bill is really going sailing. Has had word to report for work Monday morning the 27th of April. I shall miss him more than I can say and the children will, too, but if it is best and easier for him, I cannot object. I am more than thankful I have June and Billy and Percy and Harold living near me.
I shall not know where to send this as I have had no letter this week.
I have not been to the Dr. yet but if Bill gets home early enough tonight, I will. Joyce went to her Grandmother’s in Lorraine to stay a few days. She is certainly a fine little girl and works very hard, both at home and at school.
Well, I think I better sign off and get this into today’s mail.
Worlds of love,
From Mom
Footnotes
- April 14, 1936 was LaVere’s 15th birthday. Roland LaVere Coffin was born April 14, 1921. He was the youngest child of Wilbur and Ida Coffin. He married Marguerite Susi on Sept 21, 1941. They had one child, Gerald Bruce. He enlisted in the Navy on Feb 18, 1944, and died in service of what was possibly throat cancer on March 18, 1946, shortly before is 25th birthday. His rank was listed as “M.O.M.M. 2/c”; Motor machinist’s mate 2nd class petty officer.
- A pneumonia jacket was used to keep the patient’s chest warm. At the time, it was one of the only available treatments. The penicillin antibiotic, which was originally isolated from mold, wasn’t available for therapeutic use until the early 1940’s. Mold had been known to have antibiotic properties, and in fact had been in use by some ancient cultures for medical treatment of infection. In the 19th century, it was discovered to inhibit bacterial growth, and the penicillin compound was isolated in 1928 by Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming. The causative agent of pneumonia, Stretococcus pneumonaie, was independently discovered by Louis Pasteur and George Sternberg in 1881.
- Nellie Elmer was a first cousin to Jennie. She was born April 27, 1863 in Henderson, the daughter of Alberto Dennis Overton and Martha Pearl Spohn. Alberto was the brother of Lydia (Overton) Spencer (Jennie’s mother). She married Elliot Elmer on 25 February 1902. He died in 1917 and they had no children. There may be some relation between Nellie and her husband since her grandmother was Eunice (Elmer) Overton, who was the mother of both Lydia Overton Spencer and Alberto Overton.
- Donald is the foster child. He is first mentioned here.
- The name “Sam Hill” might be “Seam”. This passage was difficult to read. Photo included.