Elma and Al

Kokomo, IN

Feb 26, 1931

Dear Elma,

            Don’t let the looks of your letters worry you just write lots of them it don’t matter whether you are in silk clothes, winter coat, or in your night clothes, I don’t see any difference in the letters so write all you can. If I was there with you I might know the difference don’t you think so Elma, but then you wouldn’t have to write any letter “Oh boy I do wish I was there with you now.” Elma, I thought the other day I felt better when you said you prayed for me, keep up the good work and I will also try to remember you in all my prayers, but be careful and don’t let too many tires go flat otherwise you will get your hands so sore that you won’t be able to pray the rosary anymore. Like I said before go get the tires off my car and trade them on new tires for your car. Elma, do like some other people used to do when they got flat tires, let some garage man fix it ha ha. 

            Well Elma, be sure and save a quart of that P.D. for me, I also like beer you know Elma that I like it once in a while. Don’t let Oscar drink it all, he should not drink beer during Lent anyway. If I cant get any beer during Lent he should not get any either. Ha. Ha.

            Elma, I guess Oscar and Marie were not cold the other night when you come home and they sat there with the fire out. You know Elma if you and I were sitting there how much fire we would need, not even a light for fear that might make us too warm don’t you think so too Elma, my heart is warm enough for you to keep you from getting cold in zero weather so don’t worry about getting cold Elma come to daddy he will keep you warm all the time. Elma don’t think for a minute that I would quit my job unless I was sure that I wouldn’t have to worry about anything else. Unless there would be something to turn up that I had to quit, not otherwise. 

            Elma I am well yet and feeling fine feel more like working everyday. I put in ten more telephones today but tomorrow will be a whole lot for we have too far to go to get them. So when you think you get started to work right it is all over you are out of town again that is Kokomo all around. 

            Elma I wrote Marie a letter and I guess I will write a few lines to your dad and mother it will make them feel more like something and better than just to read one of your letters once in a while which I think that they do just so they don’t get all those kisses I am sending for you and you alone. So I will close these few lines with lots more kisses and love to you Elma.

Al. x. .

My comments:

My first thoght is that my grandparents were ridiculously in love at this point. My guess is that they were engaged to be married–I can’t prove it, but I’m pretty sure at this point.

I am not sure what P.D. is–wine? Either way, they liked their alcohol!!

Kokomo, IN

February 26, 1931

Mr. & Mrs. Nick Bassemier

R.R. 7 Box 150

Evansville, IN

Dear Friends,

            The time has passed so fast but yet it seems as though it is years passed since I left Evansville and only going on three weeks, so I don’t know whether Elma ever says anything to you about me, she might be selfish and keep everything for herself so I will write a few lines to you to let you know that Al is still well and working everyday in the dead town of Kokomo trying to bring it back to life. I don’t know really how long it will be until I will get to see all of you again to help drink all that good homebrew and wine and help eat all the ice cream. I sure do miss all the good home cooked eats. Nevertheless I have homecooked meals here but not like at home. I say that any day of the year, home beats it all for I sure do miss those cookies like I used to get a Rockport they sure was good, but I can’t taste them anymore.

            I am well and hope that you are all the same and hope to be back home with all in a big homebrew party real soon.

Your true friend,

Al

My comment

This letter is to Nick and Sophie (Feldhaus) Bassemier, Elma’s parents.

Here they are pictured on their wedding day, October 11, 1905. This picture, in an old, ornate frame, hangs on the wall behind my mom’s recliner in the living room. They were married for 51 years until Sophie died in March,1956. At the time this letter was written Nick and Sophie were in their early 50’s.

They sure liked their home-brew! This just goes to show you that prohibition was alive and well.

Kokomo, IN

February, 25, 1931

Dear Elma,                                     

            This was another day, but not near as good a day as yesterday for I came home for dinner but did not get any mail so I went to work again and worked until five o’clock and came home just a few minutes ago and still no mail not even a letter from Elma. Elma, that sure made me feel blue just for a few minutes when I stepped into my room and found no letter but I kinda got over it again by reading the two I got yesterday over again and thinking tomorrow is another day and I will surely hear from Elma tomorrow and if I shouldn’t get word from you tomorrow, I know that there is something wrong, that you are probably sick in bed but there is no need worrying until that time is here that I ought to by all means have a letter from you. Well Elma I am still feeling fine and am in good health yet and also hope you are yet in good health and hope you will remain in good health all the time. Elma, I wrote Oscar and also wrote his mother a few lines last night so I will send Oscar’s other letter to you for you to keep for me but don’t tell the rest that you get Oscar’s letters from me for they might not like it much. Someday we might get a lot of kick out of those letters from Oscar if you tuck them away and take good care of them all. I will send everyone to you as I get them from Ossie. Well I didn’t have supper yet tonight but will soon be time for it and afterwards there will be church again and that won’t leave me much time to write. I want to mail this letter as I go to church then it will get in the mail tonight yet and might get to you quicker than the other way. Well Elma I put in a good days work today I changed ten telephones that was a good run for a change. Yesterday I made eight but today was my biggest day since I am up here. Well Elma I ain’t going to write so much tonight otherwise you might sit and read too long and won’t write me anymore until you get through reading so I will put the quits to these few lines but more to the love and kisses so you will get a whole lots of time love and so many kisses that they will last til you will get my next letter. And Elma here is an extra good bye kiss. x

Al

My comments…

I think it is interesting that Al is already talking about Elma keeping the letters. It’s kind of strange that here we are 91 years later and my grandma saved ALL the letters. I mean ALL of them, including the letters they wrote to one another when my grandpa went to St. Louis in the 1950’s to work at Chrysler. Those will come later. Something to think about…Al had to bring or mail the letters that Elma sent to him. I think he did an amazing job keeping all of those letters.

Whoops Grandma–it’s 1931.

Evansville, IN

Feb 24, 1931

Dear Al,

            Well Al if this is a punk looking letter don’t blame me for if you could see me sitting here, you’d know the reason why. After a real days work and in a chilly house with my big winter coat on. But I made a good beginning by going to church and communion this morning. It was some feast day to gain a big indulgence and don’t think that I forgot you Al. Seen your mother and spoke to her. She, right away, asked if I heard from you. So, Al, I guess I’m not the only that’s always thinking of you. Well on the way home I stopped at Mesers and got the wash for we told him we would do it for a few weeks until they were straightened out. Mom and I did the washing and bottled the P.D.Q. and the rest butchered a pig and made sausage. We bought it from Marx dressed. After I came home this afternoon with Harold I pitched in and done their ironing (It was some washing and ironing no one knew what ,dƒ÷Tena did until now. I finished it all up and mom and dad and Harold and I taking it back tonight. Helfrich’s were there and we stayed until about 9:30 when we got home Oscar and Marie were sitting here with the fire out and it’s not summer time here yet. Marie said she wrote and told you what a good beginning we had yesterday morning. I raised two of the most perfect blisters in my hand pumping up that darn tire that’s how tough I am. 

            Al I was sure glad to hear you got into something else outside of work and worry. I might but didn’t like how it turned out and if you haven’t got the flu by this time be sure to be careful and don’t get it cause mamma don’t want her sweet daddy to be sick and so far away that she couldn’t even kiss him and make him feel better. Don’t think Al that I wasn’t there cause I didn’t want to be Sat. or any other day. Al you know I’d much rather be with you than any or all the rest in all the world. Really you don’t believe how dead Evansville and all that’s in it seems to me since you left it. I go round like lost almost all the time Al. I am lost without you and your love and sweet kisses that I guess I already never thought enough of before Al for I know now how much I really loved you before. But don’t you think Al if we can stick it out this way until later on we’ll do lots better for you might get to come back home. I don’t do like you said last week unless you can’t stand it anymore for I’d never forgive myself Al. 

With all love and many kisses

Elma

My comments:

So it’s been 12 days since Christina Meser died. I know, it seems longer, doesn’t it. The part of this letter that got me was the part were she talks about picking up and doing the Meser’s laundry. She comments that it was actually washing AND ironing, and that no one knows what Tena/Tina did. I struggled with trying to figure out who is Tina/Tena and what was she doing that no one knew about. Then it hit me. Tina was Christina and she was referring to the fact that no one knows what she did as in the washing AND the ironing. She/Christina was probably the glue that held her family together. I wonder what happened after they stopped doing the washing.