Elma and Al

This letter is the first one that I could find chronologically. It was written by my grandfather right after he made the long trip to Kokomo, Indiana from Evansville, Indiana.

The first letter:

The actual text of the letter:

Elma Bassemier – Evansville, Indiana
Alphons (Al) Weinzapfel
Kokomo, Ind. February 8, 1931
Dear Elma,
I have arrived safely at Kokomo at 4:55 o clock PM Sunday and am feeling about as good as can be expected after such a rumpling all day as I had coming up on the bus. Boy I mean they shake you up plenty, the interurban from Indianapolis wasn’t so bad, and I also made good connections at Indianapolis. I got off the bus and walked across the tracks in the central station and bought my ticket for Kokomo and asked the agent what time the train pulled out, he said, its ready now on the third track, that was 2:55 o clock P.M. and I boarded the car and at 3:00 P.M. it pulled out for Kokomo, boy wasn’t I glad that I didn’t have to wait about three or four hours.
Well Elma when I got here I went around the corner and got me some supper and now I am sitting here in Room No. 12 in the Union Hotel where I will stay tonight, tomorrow I will have me a boarding place if I can find one, which I hope will be a good place to eat and sleep, no bugs, I already looked for bugs in this bed here but I didn’t find any so yet and hope not to find any. Elma, I didn’t tell you yet where and what kind of dinner I had today. Elma I bet I had as good a dinner as you did. It was chicken dinner, down at Orleans, Ind. The bus stopped there 20 minutes for lunch at eleven o clock this morning Elma. I told a lie, it was not like home cooked, it tasted fair but nothing compared to home cooking.
Elma, I guess you are feeling very well by now too which I hope you will remain all the time and take care of your self don’t worry so much, I will take all the care I can for my self too so don’t worry, will write more in the near future, with love and kisses

Al

My notes

This letter was the first of many letters that my grandparents wrote to each other while my grandfather was working in Kokomo, Indiana installing phones. I find it to be revealing that he wrote her name five times within the body of the letter. You can feel how much he missed her.

A few things to note:

1. Kokomo is not that close to Evansville, 225 miles apart. Even today it would take four hours by car to travel that distance. It must have seemed like a vast ocean between them when my grandfather left that Sunday back in 1931.
2. His first night he stayed in the Union Hotel. At the time there were seven hotels in Kokomo. I’m going to guess that my grandfather had never stayed in a hotel. He went on to rent a room somewhere–I’m guessing that we will get the scoop on that in future letters.
3. Dinner and supper are not the same thing. You will notice that he said he ate “dinner” in Orleans. Growing up in the Midwest I reflexively have always called the middle of the day meal “dinner” and the last meal of the day “supper”. In southern Indiana, were I grew up, we always referred to the noonday meal as dinner, but I never knew why. The reason for this goes back to the time when the economy was based on agriculture. Farmers worked a busy work schedule and had little time and meals were typically breakfast and dinner, with dinner being eaten around noontime as a large feast. Supper was always lighter and often leftovers were eaten. (reference) https://tiphero.com/dinner-vs-supper#:~:text=And%20lunch%20is%20what%20you%20eat%20midday.%20So%2C,being%20those%20who%20grew%20up%20in%20rural%20communitie
4. Last thing. in the postscript he mentions writing a letter to Harold. You might be wondering, Who is Harold? Harold was one of my grandma’s younger brothers, along with Ed and Ray. My guess is that my grandpa was friends with Harold. Not that interesting, but helps us build a clearer picture of their lives.

And just one day later…here is his second letter:

The actual text of the letter:

Dear Elma, 

I am still with the living and scribbling again, but not in the Hotel. I am now in my room and new home located at 620 N Union St so if you want to write me a few lines which I am longing for, it will make a little more life, everything seems so dead nothing to do and no plans to go, all forsaken in a little bitty corner of the Great Big World in the Land of Kokomo. Well that is that forget the craziness and use a little common sense. 

Elma we have school on Monday and Thursday nights here so that is the reason I am writing this letter now because we have school and it is about time for me to get started to go there. I don’t know really how far it is, the warehouse I mean I was not there yet, I am but about three blocks from the new Telephone building which is right up here on the corner of Union and Taylor St. It is a bldg about like the one in Evansville the only difference is it is not quite as big. 

Well Elma I didn’t do anything this morning but fool time away, this afternoon I worked with a fellow changing telephones to the Dial, I changed four myself so that wasn’t so bad after all. Elma if I haven’t the blues too much tomorrow night I will try and write you another letter and tell you a little more. I am well and how these few lines will find you the same. 

With love and kisses Al

Goodby Elma

My notes:

I found 620 N. Union, Kokomo, Indiana on Google maps

I was so surprised that he wrote another letter so soon, but I guess he had to tell her where he was. Remember: no cell phones, no texting. I am not even sure that Bassemier’s had a phone yet. Many years later they would have a “party line”.