Nov 25-26, 1935

This was Thanksgiving week, so there was only one exchange of letters before everyone gathered in Middleburg or Preston Hollow. Because this is such a short post, I’ve added notes here about what we were able to find on Zelma, who is often mentioned in the letters and appears to have been a very supportive friend.

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November 25, 1935

Middleburg, N.Y.

My Dear Girl,

Well here goes the four hundred and first letter to you.  I really don’t know how I ever managed to write so many, do you?

Arrived home safely sometime this morning.  I didn’t get a bit sleepy all the way.  In fact I lay in bed a long time before I fell asleep.  Maybe I had better go and see a fortune teller and then I won’t spend so much time trying to think what the future is going to bring.  It all looks pretty vague to me, dear, but I’m hoping my ship will come in some day.  I should say our ship though because if anything does come my way, I’ll expect to share it with you.

I suppose I could fill up a couple of pages if I was to put all my thoughts in writing, but what’s the use when most of them don’t make sense even to me.  Fran drove in about noon today and for a wonder I was working.  It is a wonder he didn’t catch me asleep some place.  If he had, I wouldn’t have heard the last of it for a long time.  He lacked a couple of pieces for that bookcase he is making and he came up here to get them.  He and Lydia are going to Coxsackie tonight providing he can fix the radiator so it will hold water.  It sure leaks quite badly.  I told him I was bringing you out Wednesday night so Lydia will have time to get used to the idea.  He said he thought she was writing you a letter today.  I sent your uniform down by him.

Mom asked me this morning what you did to me last night.  She had to call me three times this morning.  The third time she called she asked if I was sick.  I sure was sleepy this morning.

Lula and Mom ate the rest of the karmelcorn this morning and I didn’t even get a smell, but they did let me have one of the candies.

Well, sweet, take care of yourself and don’t get sick so you can’t help put away that chicken Thursday.  I think I’ll stop eating tomorrow night so I’ll be sure and have plenty of room.

Here comes Amos and Andy so I’m signing off and saying goodnight to my sweetheart until Wednesday night.

Lots of love,

Dave

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November 26, 1935

464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.

Hello My Sweet,

I received a letter from Lydia this morning so I guess it is o.k. for you to come after me (if you want to).  Gee, I’m glad I can’t see the dirty look that last brought forth.

It is 12:15 and I have only been up since 11:30.  Loretta called then or I probably wouldn’t be up yet. I don’t get to bed very early nights.  There is usually someone to talk to at night and it seems sort of good after being alone all day.

I had my hair waved yesterday.  I had it waved back of my ears so I am due to listen to Loretta rave when she sees it.  We had an argument the other night and Ed tried to make her think she should expose at least one ear.  She told him the only reason I did was because you liked it.  The lady in the beauty parlor said everyone was wearing their hair away from their face and anyway I don’t like to have my nose tickled all of the time.

We have a date at the “Albany Art Union” for 3:00 this afternoon.  I hope they turn out better than the other ones did.

Come quite early tomorrow night or afternoon and we will see if we can collect that five dollars.  Why don’t you bring Lydia and Fran along with you.  If they don’t come, will you stop and ask Lydia if there is anything she would like to have me get for her in the city.

I had letters from Grace and Mom.  Grace said Niles got him a job in Syracuse so I suppose he is living with his mother.  Hermann came down home on his vacation.  I guess they are going home again Friday.  Too bad we couldn’t have been together for Thanksgiving.

Gee whiz, I’m not even dressed yet.  If I don’t snap out of it, I’ll be going down to have my picture taken in my pajamas and bathrobe.  Don’t be asking me if I ever get dressed either.

I just told Cliff if he would collect that five bucks, I would give him half of it.  He seemed to think it would be fun.

It is now 6 p.m. and I have been and got back.  I hope the pictures turn out good.

Loretta made me have my picture taken at Newbury’s and I was going to tear them up but I thought it would be a shame to deprive you of a good laugh.  I also got the pictures we took Saturday and they aren’t much better.  They aren’t bad of the uniforms so I suppose that is all that matters.  The pictures of Pat and Joe were swell.  The mutt looks almost intelligent.  Even Cliff said she wasn’t bad looking.

I saw Miss Hickey down street.  She is working nights.  From what she says nearly every one either is or has been working. She was all for finding out how much work, where, when, etc. I have had.  I didn’t offer much information.  What people don’t know, they don’t have to worry about.

Can I see Fluffy Thanksgiving or will it be too cold to bring her out?

Well, darling, it is time I mailed this.  I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.  If you don’t have anything else to do, come up early.  There isn’t any danger of me being called.  I’ll be waiting for my Sweet.

Love,

“Me”

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Zelma Rockenstire Wilhelm was born in Newtonville, Albany County on 28 January 1911. She married Karl Wilhelm, who was from Germany, on 30 December 1939 in Bethlehem, NY. They had a daughter, Louise Jane. Sadly, Zelma died at a young age on 28 August 1952 and is buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Guilderland, Albany County NY, where they had been living. Karl remarried in 1954 to Hedwig “Heddy” Reimer (nee Scheffler), who was also born in Germany; they had known each other from childhood. Heddy also had a daughter, Annegret, from her late husband, Wilhelm Reimer, who had died in World War II. Karl died in 1965 and is buried with Zelma in Guilderland.^{1, 2}

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Footnote

1. As noted in the caption, the photo on the right was taken at the Willows, located in Catskill, NY. The Coffins were employed by the family that owned this farm, and ran it from the late 1930’s to the early 1960’s. They moved to the farm to live there some time during the mid-1940’s. Francis and Lydia were also employed there, so the Coffin and Sprague kids spent a lot of time there together. The Willows is now on the U.S. Register of Historic Places. It is owned by the Greene Land Trust and open to the public.
2. Update: Thanks for the clarification from Janet and Lisa, both the Coffin and Sprague families had lived on the farm beginning from around 1939. As the families grew larger, the Coffins moved into Athens and resided there for the next five years. They moved back to the Willows in 1947 after the Sprague family moved to Rensselaer, and lived there until the early 1960’s. The farm was owned by Dr. van Loan, who worked as a dentist in Albany and used the property as a weekend retreat. He had inherited the farm from an aunt, and Dave kept it going as a fruit and turkey farm full time, while Ruth cared for the Doc after he retired.