June 8. 1936
Jamestown N. Dak
Dear Rose.

I did start a letter to you one evening last week but I was that petered out I could make it go nohow. I haven't been peeved - just too cold all winter to be comfortable enough to settle down to letter writing and since then I've been so very busy.

Seems I had quite a little more outside activity to take part in this year. I was advisor for the Junior class this spring had to coach their play - then later take charge of the Junior-Senior banquet etc. along with my housekeeping it just kept me going. Besides I think you owed me a letter. It would never do for our family to write out of turn.

We thought you were coming out this summer as soon as school was out. What made you change your mind? Viola is coming the last week of June.

I have been out here on the poor farm for a week. Started in right after school was out. It was a chance for a job so I thought I'd better take it. Since then a better paying job has materialized for me and I'm going to try it. I start next Monday at the State Hospital - just for the summer. But that kind of knocks my trip to Ashland and I had really been planning on that all along even before I was invited. I saved just 35 dollars from my year's work teaching so you see I must either work or get married. I have no teaching position for next year but I have made very few applications. Guess I have to get busy soon or I may be left out in the cold. How's your rheumatism been behaving?

I'm afraid now it's going to be too warm for Eleanor to be a knittin' and we're going to lose out on that swagger coat. I did take those measurements right off but that’s as far as they got. But tell Eleanor not to fuss about it now the weather is too warm.

Our crops are just about done up. We have had no rain all. spring and the wind blows day after day. All the farmers are so discouraged.

Write me soon, here or in care of the State Hospital. Kathleen will be at Alice's and I will be lonesome. Hope you can read this.

Love to all.
Ann

*****

Ashland, Wisconsin
September 10th, 1936

Dear Ann,

I am surprised that you have given up on teaching. Still if you find working at the State Hospital to your liking, I guess that will be fine too. And you say that Kathleen is happy at the Academy. So many of us and our kids have gone through those nuns' doors.

What sort of place do you have to live in? Are there any nice men around for you to spend time with? It's about time you got married again.

We are all doing just about okay here, with school starting again. But it was a miserable summer, with my aches and pains giving of their worst. 

I had a sort out and sent some things that might suit Kathleen.

Love
Rose

*****

Oct. 29. 1936
Dear Rose

You will  think me a very unappreciative person. The little knit coat is so sweet as it can be and fits perfectly. I will save it for next summer but we are planning a dress for it because next summer is too long a time to wait. Tell Eleanor it is a lovely piece of work and that I shall plan to do something especially nice for her some day. Thank you a lot.

The time here goes so fast. It doesn’t seem possible to me that it is almost  the first of November. I rather like the work and yet I get tired as the dickens. This past week my feet bothered me quite a little. The week before that I slipped in the bathroom and struck my back on the side of' the tub. Hurt my back and spent four days in bed. I go home quite often now that Dad and Martha are living in Jamestown.

The rooms in their new house are small but they are quite comfortable. They have a small kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom. The bedroom is large enough for two beds. Dad hardly knows what to do with himself but be reads quite a little, does the shopping and visits the beer parlors.

Kathleen likes school at the Academy but Leona doesn’t. She got spoiled by spending part of last year with us, I think, but it is good for Kathleen for her to be there too.

I was sorry to hear you felt so miserable this summer. I spent two days in Minneapolis the last week in September - saw Trudy who I can never bring myself to calling Sister Rose Alma,  and she told me how much she had enjoyed herself at your house and how you got lost in the woods and walked and walked some more.

I haven't heard from Ceal for a month and a half. She expected to be home in Oakes by Oct. 15 but I don't know whether she is back or not.

I haven't heard from Mary either. I owe her a letter and everyone who has ever written to me.

Andy. and Alice have moved on the old Filla place. It is a smaller house and they think the house is in a little better condition.

Mabel is teaching the home school. Frank Szarkowski and wife have moved into Jamestown. Frank has a job in the S and L Store. They expect the stork sometime soon.

Ernest is in Chicago but the last we heard from him he didn't have a job.

The Murphys have moved to Portland Oregon and I can't tell you how much I miss them. I have always felt more at home there than in Martha's house.

What does Julius think about the election? Georgia is a senior - how time flies. Robert is going to science school at Wahpeton and Lenore is attending the N.D.U.
There is a man I quite like who works here. He is called Chet Wyngarden but he is much younger than me.

Love to you all
Ann

June 24th, 1937

Dear Ann and new brother-in-law Chet,

Thank you for my birthday card, sent I see while you were on your honeymoon in Minnesota. Did you catch many fish?

Many congratulations to you and I hope you have a long and happy life together. I am sorry we couldn't get there for your wedding but I know you wanted to keep it small.

It is nice that Leona and her new husband Bud could stand up for you. But how funny for Martha and Dad to come uninvited. You can guess whose idea that was.

And then you say you had pancakes eaten off sticky tables for your wedding breakfast. Not exactly something you want to write home about is it? I hope your honeymoon has turned out better.

It was kind of you to have Kathleen with you for the second week. Does she like Chet? He sounds like ever such a nice man and I am looking forward to meeting him. Thanks for the picture. Too bad Chet got chopped off.

Love from Rose.

*****

February 10th, 1939
Dear Rose and Julius,

It's a bit late for doing this but that seems to be my pattern. Thank you for my birthday card and the hanky.

We have a bit of news for you. We are expecting a baby – probably about October time. And Chet has applied for a job at the State Penitentiary in Bismarck. It will be doing more or less the same sort of thing – orderly work, but it is a  better salary. It will be odd moving from this area, but Bismarck is a nice town and not all that far away. If he gets the job we will be moving there in the spring.

I will be quite pleased to be giving up work here at the State Hospital anyway, and Kathleen will be happy to be living with us full time. So here's hoping it all works out.

Love
Ann

*****

Ashland, Wisconsin
October 25th, 1940

Dear Ann and Chet

How can I possibly express to you my sympathy of your loss of your little baby boy? It is so sweet that you named him Donald John, which is the name you had picked out for Cornel all those years ago. He only lived a few weeks, but you will remember him always. You say he was a blue baby – does that mean his heart didn't work properly? I suppose if he couldn't live to have a full life, it was better for him to die straight away, but it can never be easy for the parents having to cope with that. You are in our thoughts and prayers. I can understand why you wanted to have him buried in Jamestown. That is where you still feel you live.

I am sending you a gift – which might come in useful.

All our love
Rose and Julius

Bismarck,
November 19 1940

Dear Rose,

We received the blanket more than a week ago, and it is lovely. I was so very pleased, seeing as how it wasn’t xmas or anything. You are a little better on the correspondence than I am but not so very much better. I am hoping you weren’t cold when you slept in my bed, yet if you were, guess it was a break for me or I wouldn't have gotten this nice new blanket.

We have had stormy weather and nice weather, and this morning the sky is gray and looks like more snow. What we had had practically disappeared. According to reports the snow storm of a week ago was worse in Minot than here.

Martha sent us a little turkey yesterday. I was glad for otherwise I’m afraid we wouldn’t have had one. We have asked the folks upstairs to have dinner with us, Thanksgiving. They don’t seem to have any family around either. Ma wrote a note, saying that Friday, Cornel, Ernest and Dad were catching turkeys to send to market. Dad fell and broke his wrist. She didn’t say whether it was the right or left. I am hoping it will heal ok. Older bones sometimes heal very slowly. I’ll bet he hates the turkeys worse than ever now.

I just had a letter from Mary. She said in case her husband, Robie, got his army commission by the first of the year, they might come home.

I am getting lazy and not losing any weight in this little dug out of ours. There is so little housework to do. I haven’t been much in the mood for visiting.

Write when you can. Thank you again for the lovely gift.

Love
Ann

*****

Feb 2, 1941
Dear Rose

This is sure some time for me to be writing a Christmas thank you letter – but I have done worse – I remember a couple of times when I didn’t write at all and felt like a heel ever after too. I used to have the excuse that I was overworked and tired. But I can't use that now – Just plain laziness, I guess. Anyway, the candy was very good and we enjoyed it. Chet doesn’t usually care for candy but he said he sure like those little balls. Thank you very much.

We were pretty much poverty stricken this past Xmas. We gave no gifts but received more than usual. Ceal sent me a lovely monogrammed sheet and here she’s the one with a guest room – I doubt if I will ever have one. That reminds me, I put the blanket you sent us away in the cedar chest – but Chet was cold so I felt kind of guilty hoarding a warm blanket and letting him freeze so I put it on the bed and it is the grandest warmest thing. I just love it. The month of January seemed rather long. I guess it usually does especially when Dec. check are paid before xmas.

I am trying to learn to sew. I made Kathleen a pair of butcher boy pajamas before Xmas and she liked them. Now I am making myself a house dress. Have been at it two weeks. I’d be pretty thin if I had to learn my living sewing.

Kathleen rec'd the blue dress and she is very pleased with it. That label, ”Judy Garland” means a lot to a gal Kathleen’s age. The dress fits except for length – the jacket is a little large but my next door neighbor is the best little seamstress. She will help me fix it. The green skirt is too long now so rather than shorten it from the top we will save it til next fall and it will be about right. I appreciate those things and I am glad to have them. From now on her clothes will cost more. She needed a coat last fall and we were short in money of course so I got her a $10 coat at Montgomery Wards and it is sure a cheap thing. Looks like a rag.

Had a letter from Viola. She has been promoted to Supervising clerk in her new office. She was quite thrilled about it. Said she had had a letter from you in August so could hardly expect to hear from you again very soon.

How does it seem to have your family grown up? This is Georgia's last year in college, isn’t it?

Leona's baby boy was born Jan 10. You have undoubtedly heard from Martha. Dad’s wrist is almost healed but she said it pained him to move it sideways.

We have had very little snow here but they’ve had quite a bit at home. I hope that you are feeling well.

Love to you all,
Ann, Chet and Kathleen

Christmas 1941

Dear Ann and Chet,

So sorry to hear about the miscarriage. But I expect you will be luckier next time. I have had a few of those over the years myself. 

It was interesting to hear that Chet was exempted from the service because of his medically related job. You must be very pleased that he won't be going and yet you say that two of his brothers are going. That is enough for any family to give to the war effort in my opinion.

Mary, who we are told me must not call Eleanor now, is enjoying her time in College. Georgia is courting a very pleasant young man and John is enjoying his hobby of taking pictures.

Lots of love,

Rose and Julius