World War II Letter from My Father to My Great Grandmother

Dear Dear, (He called his grandmother Dear)

     By the time you get this letter I guess Mubber and Daddy will be on their way to see me.  You will probably get this Saturday morning because the mail from here won't leave out until Thursday morning (tomorrow morning).


     The other day I finally managed to take the time off to go and get the packages Mubber sent me.  I really needed the stuff and clothes that were in them.  Also I cashed the money order for $15 that Daddy sent me.  I didn't need it just yet though.

     Today they taught us how to conceal ourselves in the bushes and spy on the enemy.  That is just what I did all last winter when I was hunting ducks on the sand bar.  That's why I wanted to get into the infantry where each man is a single unit.  Yesterday we threw hand grenades.  You pull out a little pin and hold down a lever on the side of the grenade.  As long as the grenade is held tight, the lever stays down.  When you throw it, the lever goes up and sets off a fuse.  After a while the grenade explodes, giving you plenty of time to fall into a trench.  It's a lot of fun, but I won't do it any more, so you don't have to worry.  You see, we are through training with hand grenades.

     We march and drill a lot during the day and also we attend lectures by the officers.  They teach us a lot about first aid and many other things.  It's quite interesting.

     Well, I can't think of anything else worthwhile to tell about, so I'll have to go.  Tell Aunt Bessie and Fannie Rose that I will write them soon.  Also I will write to Taddy again.  I guess Anna and Ida have gotten my letter by now.

     Well, take care of yourself and be sure the gas is off at night.

                                                                                                     Love,
                                                                                                            Howard


For more of my fathers adventures in World War II, go here and here.

Matters Familia - Letter from Greenville 1947

Natchez Cotton Carnival 1921

A New Lease on Life for our Strays in Natchez/Adams County, MS

Annet's House

Found another photo of my great aunt's house on the bluff overlooking the river in Natchez, Mississippi. They had to work to keep that afternoon sun from heating the house. They tried vines and awnings and trees. Last photo is the house as it looks today. The new owners did a fabulous restoration.

The last is a link to a .pdf file of a Union pass I found in the house.  It belonged to my great grandmother, who was from Alton, Illinois.  She was allowed to go back and forth across the Union lines because she was a good dance partner and could play a card game called Euchre.

This link is for the Union Pass.

To read about the history of the house, go to:  http://shantybellum.blogspot.com/2011/09/long-farewell.html

The Showboat's Comin'! - 1951

I've had this picture a few days and have been trying to get information on who's in it and where they were going.  I found out yesterday from Bettye Jenkins that these Natchez belles were on a train on their way to the 1951 film premiere of Showboat, which was filmed in Natchez.  Please see the caption under the photo for identities.  If I've mistakenly identified anyone, please feel free to let me know.

So far, here's what I have:

Man seated in center aisle, Xaviar Cugat, a famous band leader who was married to Charo; woman seated next to him on the right, Gladys Schaifer; seated far right, Katherine Miller; man behind the partition, Joe Kellogg; woman standing in between two other women, Ruth Adele Hayles Lovitt, who was serving as Miss Hospitality in Natchez.