This post has only one letter, which falls on a Thursday. From this point on, all letters from Ruth are from Adams Center. I’ve listed all the different addresses she had in Albany, including a few where she resided in the patients’ homes for at least a week or so. Some of these houses and addresses still exist, and some do not.
April 30, 1936
Middleburg, N.Y.
My Dear Girl,
Another long Mon gone by and what I mean it was long, on both ends to be exact. It started this morning when Mom woke me up a half hour early so I could go down and get Lula before I went to work. Then to help out we had to put in a real hard day’s work and I guess I was tired out by ten o’clock. From then on all I could think of was how long till four-thirty. I managed to put three new blisters on my hands today. Yes, hon, I’ll take care of them so just forget I told you about them.
In spite of all my doubts, four-thirty did roll around but it was at least three hours late. I came home and had supper and then had to help my father crate some of his chickens to take to M. While we were doing that some guy came along and wanted to buy my hens. Of course being a Jew he couldn’t see my price and you can imagine how much I felt like standing and arguing with him. I just left him in the hen house and went on with my business. He hung around for about a half hour trying to buy at his price and I wouldn’t say a word to him. Finally he said, “By J____ you’re a stubborn man”, and he agreed to take them at my price Thursday or Friday. He even handed me a five dollar deposit on them.
Here is the big news. Fluffy had a bath. Lula gave it to her and she looks to me as if she were all tail.
In as much as I’ll be in the money in a couple of days I’ll give Lydia the whole twenty dollars when I go down either Tuesday or Wednesday night.
Howard and Emma were here yesterday. Came just after I left. Howard got rid of some of his pups. Don’t let me forget to tell you about it. It is too much to write tonight.
It has just started to rain. Isn’t that just my luck. Here I am so darned sleepy and you know I can’t sleep when it rains.
I am about three-fourths in bed now and about one-fifth awake so I’ll say goodnight, darling, and topple in.
Oceans of love to my sweetheart,
Dave
P.S. I hope you won’t think this is an April fool letter and throw it away without opening it.
Ruth Parker’s addresses Albany NY, 1934-1936:
The map below is interactive!
Time table (dates are approximate and by letter date)
73 Brookline Ave
Dec 1934 – Feb 17, 1935
Photograph is here (Feb 7)
Mrs. McCreedie was the landlady. She asked Ruth to move out in February.
70 Jay Street
Feb 21 – ~June, 1935
$6/week
Mrs. Conlon was the landlady
Moved out because the neighborhood was too noisy and one of the other tenants was apparently a drunk. Ruth didn’t feel safe there and locked herself in her room.
349A Madison Ave
June 9 – July 31, 1935
Mrs. Mack
Ruth seems to have barely spent time there – she mostly worked a night shift during this time, and then took some time off out of town (likely Preston Hollow)
45 Brookline Ave
Aug 12 – Sept 11, 1935
Mrs. Herlihy
Lydia (Spencer) Sprague seemed to have been a previous boarder there. Ruth did not get along with Mrs. Herlihy, who was unsympathetic to her having to do work night shifts and expected Ruth to do house keeping and babysit a toddler during the day. This arrangement barely lasted a month.
464 First Street
Oct 23, 1935 – May 1936
$2.50/week, plus $1.25/mo for phone, $0.25 for breakfast (possibly per week)
Roommate with Loretta Sosville
Hewitts were the landlords
Patients’ Residences:
Mrs. Pauline Finkelstein
26 New Scotland Ave
(only for work)
Ruth spent a lots of time with Mrs. Finkelstein, from early February 1935 to June of that year. Her obituary is posted here (June 25).
Schenectady Gazette, Jan 20, 1937
35 F21 Altamont, NY
c/o Arthur Tiffany
Dec 5 – 12 1936
Mrs. Frederick was the patient who had suffered a stroke. Arthur Tiffany was her son-in-law. Her grandson, Frederick Tiffany, seemed to help Ruth with the heavy lifting. Sadly, Mrs. Frederick’s daughter must have also been ill and passed away the following year, 1937.
1807 Ninth Street
Rennselaer, NY
Dec 24, 1935 – Jan 9, 1936
Mrs. Hannon was the patient