Edna and Edward Swanson: May 4, 1928 Chicago, Ill

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was a little shorter and kind of busy. I worked on Saturday for 6 .25 hours then the husband and I went to a fair. I did a lot of walking. I was tired and on the crabby side on Sunday. But I got over it. The weather was good around here.
Anyway, here is a letter from Edward and Edna Swanson. They were originally from Grandpa's neighborhood.

As always, for those that find it hard to read, here is what it says:

                  Chicago, Ill.
                   May 4, -28
Dear friend Howard
  I just got a letter
from home they told me
they gave you that dog
of mine. If I should
ever want it back
when I come home
sometime. I'm sorry
your dog died. Let me
know how you like
Boono. When you write
to you know how
you like her I am
working for a whole
sale packing house

just across the
street from Montgomery
Ward Co. It is inside
work.
        Your friend
         Edward Swanson
1903 Winnemac ave
      Chicago Ill.

Hello Howard:-
  How are you? I am
fine& hope you are the
same. When are you
coming to Chi? Don't
forget to come & see
us. If you were here
tonight we would take
you to a Swedish festival
Hurrah! for Sweden?
                   Edna

I think they are siblings. I'm sure I have shown you pictures of then at one time or another.
I wonder if Grandpa was able to keep the dog or if he had to give it back.
I wonder how often he was able to go to Chicago. People always seam to want him to come and visit them.
I wonder what kind of a whole sale packing company he worked for and how long did he work there?
More questions that will never get answered.

Here are the last two viewer cards from the Childhood Fun set:

 Count the Puppies.

Trying to be Good.

How many puppies do you count? I think there are ten puppies and two adults
I wonder how long that puppy stayed in the basket.


Here is a random picture for you to look at:

This is Arlene Winn a junior at PHS  the school year 57-58. I'm not sure who's classmate she was.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
Stay cool. And I hope you will come back again real soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Sigrid Niemela: April 28, 1928 Mt. Iron, Minn.

Dear Friends,
How was your week? Mine was uneventful. There were a couple of day where we got rain, again. This is a very wet year. I wonder what the fall and winter will be like around here.
Here is the next letter from Sigrid:

As always, for those that find it hard to read, here is what it says:

                 Mt. Iron, Minn
                 Apr. 28, 1928
Dear Friends,
  Thanks for the letter
and such a wonder-
fully long one yet.
And also thanks for
the pictures. You surely
are going to have
a nice house, when
it gets done it'll be
beautiful I'm sure.
Dosen't it cost trem-
endously now-a-days to
build? it's wise I
think too, just to fix
up and pay for it  little
at a time instead then of
going into deep debts.
Anybody would get lone-

some in such a big
house alone, even
scary I think. How
have you fixed your
rooms? Plastered, papered
or what. Are you
putting hardwood
floors? I think they
are pretty when var-
nished nice. Gosh
why do we have to
live so far apart
that it's hard for
either of us to see
the other ever. I've
been here all my life
and would just love
to have a change
of atmosphere already.
Do you live far

             2.
from town? Are the
roads good up there?
I too like radio's but
we haven't any in
our house. We even
haven't got a phono-
graph, imagine! Have
a lot of records?
I'll send you a
picture, although it's
not much of one. It
was taken in our
park on a bright, bright
day. One couldn't even
keep your eyes open
hardly. I'm afraid
you'll be disappointed
terribly when you see

it, for all your visions
of me will go to sh-
atters, for I'm far from
the good looking type.
I'm not able to write
such nice long letters
as you wrote, Does
your hired girl know
about these letters, But
maybe you get many
more, that are more
interesting too.
Will have to close
now and "lay me
down to sleep" as it's
eleven already.
              Sincerely,
                  Sigrid

It sounds like Grandpa was in the process of building the home place. I wonder how long it took to get it built. As for what was on the walls, there was some plaster and some wall paper. And the floors were hardwood.
I don't know who the hired girls was. I suppose she kept the house clean and cooked his and Thomas's  meals. I might have to asked my dad to see if he knew who helped around the house before he finally met and married Grandma.
I wonder how much it cost him to build it?
I wonder how long it took her to get a radio or a phonograph? It must have been a very quiet place to live.
So many questions that will never be answered.

Here are two more viewer cards from the Childhood Fun set:

 The Hunters Talking Over the Day's Sport.

Weary Hunters.

A couple more pictures of the young hunter with his best hunting friend. It looked like the best kind of day the two spent together. So go hug your best hunting partner.

Here is a random picture for you to look at.

This a picture of the home place. I don't know what year it was taken.This is the house that Howard built.
I know I showed you a different house last time. That house, I don't know where it was.

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you have a good weekend. I think the weather around here is suppose to be just right.
So don't forget to come back real soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Nellie Currier: April 26, 1928 Manchester N.H.

Dear Friends,
The start of another week. I hope you had a good weekend, mine was drama free. The weather was not to bad this weekend, at least around here. But now we are headed back into the humid temps and of course more rain. Oh well, what can you do.
Here is the next letter from Nellie:

As always, for those that have a hard time reading it, is what it says:

                 485 Lake Shore Road
                     Manchester
                                     N.H.
                                 4/25/28
Dear Howard:-
   I am trying to answer
your this mornings letter which
I thought was very interesting.
The weather over here in Manchester
is quite cold. We had a snow storm
that lasted from Saturday eve. to
Tuesday morning and we got
quite a lot of snow but it
rained at the same time and
melted the snow as fast as
it fell. We are having some more

               2.
muddy roads now. Today is
the first fair day we have had
since Saturday and it seems
nice to have some more fair
weather. How is the weather out
there where you live, Howard? My
cold is still with me, but it
isn't so bad as it was. How is
the world using you, Howard?
Even if it is an old ford you can
get along just as fast, huh?
Hazel sure was glad to hear from
Thomas too. I suppose he got her
answering letter and has it back
on its way, heh? They seem to be

             3.
getting ahead of us Howard I
guess we will have to start
putting rush or something on
our letters so we won't be so
far behind them. I bet you have
received about fifty letters from
other members and I suppose
they all live nearer to you than
I do don't they. About all the
fun we (Hazel & I) have in the summer
time is cutting down through the
woods and going fishing down
to Lake "Massabesic" it isn't no
more than five or ten minutes
walk down through the woods.

             4.
You bet your life I like to
read jokes, I could read them
all the time, if they are good ones. Ha Ha
What is that one you know.
Hazel said she heard that one some
time ago but has forgotten it. I
suppose I told you in my last letter
that we sent away for a film so
we could take some pictures to send
away, well it came today with your
letter and will try and have some
pictures ready to send by the time
I get your next letter.
I am closing now with thoughts
Bye Bye         be ready to
 maybe a         run when     From a friend
picture in          you get it.    Nellie
the next             Ha Ha
letter. Ha. Ha.

( written on the inside flap of the envelope)
Violets love the sunshine
Lillie's love the dew
Angles in heaven know
I love you x ha. Ha.

It sounds like they were have a last snow storm with rain. it must have been a very sloppy mess. And for it to last as long as it did must have caused a lot of head aches.
It sounds like Thomas and Hazel were writing to one another. I wonder how long they corresponded? I doubt I will ever find out.
She mentioned a lake Called Massabesic. I found an old postcard on the internet. Here is what it looks like:

Since it is now used for drinking water today, they do not allow swimming or water skying.
It sounds like Nellie liked to laugh which is a good thing. I'm not sure exactly how funny Grandpa was back then but I do know how much my Dad and his siblings like a good joke. You know the old saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." I think it applies to my family.
I'm not sure if there will be a picture in the next letter or not. I guess we will just have to wait and find out.

Here are the next two viewer cards from the Childhood Fun set:

 "Now, Look Pleasant, Please."

The Young Hunter's Reverie.

I like the little girl trying to take a picture of a cat and dog. I like all the flowers around her.
I wonder what this young hunter and his dog were hunting and were they successful?

Here is a random picture for you to look at:

This might be a picture of the first two girls I shared with you. Katheryn and Theresa and their siblings. This picture is really faded. I did my best to darken it so it could be seen better on the computer then it really does.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will back again soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Mattingly: April 26, 1928 Willisburg, Ky.

Dear Friends,
The weekend is here once again. This week started out on the hot side and ended very wet. Why can't things just be more in the middle and not to the extreme? I guess we just have to except that nature has a plan and does not want us to  know what it is.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Mary Mattingly. It was a very hard one to get right. Between sometimes bad spelling and broken English it's been very challenging. So if I get it wrong I'm sorry.

As always, for those that find it hard to read, here is what it says. I've done the best I could to get this one right.

          Willisburg Ky April 25
     Mr Howard H Johnson
Dear friend I take the pleasure
in answering your letter I
received yesterday and glad to
get it an now sure glad to get
your picture and will send you
mine as soon as I get them I
sent them off a while ago I
guess I will get them soon
how is the weather with you
By this time it is pretty
good weather here now the trees as
having art and the front trees
are in bloom in my garden is
up and winter is about 5 month
I have three Brothers and
three sisters
I live at farm of 40 acres and
have one horse and one hog

and a bunch of chickens I
enjoy farmers life I like
to raise chickens and work in
garden any kind of work that
I can do one the farm I haven't
any milk cows I did have
to but I had them I miss
one year baring a crafs tending
and didn't any feed for them
I am sorry I did I live a
bout 6 miles from the town
it is a high place have you
any sisters Now you ever in
Springfield I not there afar
I ward too glad to meet you
so I will close for this time
looking to hear from you again
soon Your friend
Mary Mattingly

I did my best to write what I thought she meant. A number of her words are misspelled or maybe a little Swedish.Some words were so bad I was not sure how to fix it so I just wrote what I thought the word was, even if it made no sense.  If I got it wrong, once again, I'm sorry.
It sounds like she lived on a farm and didn't mind doing that kind of work. Being a hard worker is not a bad thing in my book.
It sounds like she came from a big family.

Here are the next two viewer cards in the Childhood Fun set:

 Getting Our Pictures Taken

  Driving to Market.

Having your picture taken with all of your favorite things is always a must have kind of picture.
I wonder how fast a couple of pig could go pulling a wagon with a little girl in it.
I wish I could challenge people to take a picture similar to one of the ones I've shown. I wonder what they could look like.



Here is a random picture for you to look at:

No idea when this was taken. This is the Johnson home place. It looks like in the middle is a newly wed couple. I am not sure who it is but I do have a clue. I'm sure someone, maybe on Facebook will tell me who this is.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you have a good weekend.
I hope you will drop by again soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Helen Balusik: April, 24, 1928 Evanston Ill.

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was good. No drama, as usual. it was a humid one.
Here is the next letter from Helen, it four pages long:

As always, for those that find it hard to read, here is what it says:

                    Evanston, Ill.
                      Apr. 24-28
Dear Howard:
   I hope you haven't given
up looking for my letter or
have you?
  I have been so busy lately
I didn't get any letters written
whatever-
  Today I went to Chicago
had to get my guitar fixed it
cracked a little so I went to a
big music store & there I run
into the record department
so I made myself at home.
I was looking for some good
records so I played all I wanted
& finally picked out three to
send home- "My Blue Heaven"
is a late one & it sure is
pretty- So I hope the folks at
home like the ones I send.
  I came back from the
city found a letter from home
it sure did thrill me.
Really Howard, I wish you
wouldn't call me such sweet

names in your letters maybe
you won't think I'm sweet
when you see me- see Howard?
You will think just the opposite
I bet.
No, I never read the joke
"His, fatal mistake but if it
isn't a nice clean joke please
do not send it to me.
  You bet next Summer
we will have to have a
game of horse-shoe together
can you play it. It is very
easy and you can have
so much fun especially
when couples play. Every
Summer in the evenings we
play it so much at our
place. Sometimes have the
phonograph going at the
same time- But I suppose
you do not know many of
the boys around there, do you?
Do you think you know my
brother Pete? he is quite
popular around Phillips
seems everybody knows him

                 2.
Tonight is a concert near
here again so I am going
as long as it is walking
distance.
  No Howard, I don't think
I would get so homesick that I
would have to come home
it use to be years ago when
I first came here but now
I almost like city better altho
I like to come home for a
vacation every Summer But
still you never can tell
about the girls can you?
Last year I was back in
the city at the time the fair
was going on in Phillips.
Too bad I didn't go maybe
someone would have
introduced me to you
Oh well, we will meet
some day, won't we Howard?
  My birthday is gone by
already so I'm not twenty-two
any more it was last month
one day.

Well Howard, I am wondering
what you are doing just
now I suppose cooking supper
because its five o'clock
now- I sure would like to
walk in some of these nice
days & see you step around
that stove see what a good
cook you are-- Ha Ha I
bet you can beat me
any day-
  I will have to say goodbye
& hope you forgive me for
not writing sooner- Oh I
know you will
    Will be looking for an
      answer soon.
               Lovingly
           Your new friend
               Helen

A nice long letter.
Lets see... Grandpa must have called girls by kind of sweet sounding names. I wonder what he tried to call her. I wonder if he tried to be a kind of Romeo or Casanova. Tried to woo and flatter them. Boy I do wish I could have known that part of him. I wonder what I would have thought of him.
He must have sent her a kind of joke she thought was offensive.
It sounds like she was still playing the guitar. I wonder how she cracked it.
https://youtu.be/5w-_xbBmXJ4
I think the song is one I have heard before. Here is a link to it.It was sang by Gene Austin in 1927.

I wonder if she made it back home that summer.
I wonder if Grandpa was a good cook. I don't know if I ever saw him cook when I was growing up.

Here are the next two viewer cards from The Childhood Fun set:

 "See My Kittens."

The Kindergarten Class.

A cute scene with a little girl and her kittens.
A bushel of puppies anyone? I wonder how long it took to get a good picture of the puppies in that basket.

Here is a random picture for you to look at:

This is Gary Berg. No idea exactly who he was or how old he was in this picture.

Well, that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back again real soon for more Fading History.
Till then, stay cool.
Your friend,
Sandy

Sigrid Niemela: April 20, 1928 Mt. Iron Minn.

Dear Friends,
Boy what a hot week! I am no fan of hot temps. I hope this next week will be more comfortable. There were a number of places that had storms go through and caused some damage and had no electricity for a while. It got windy here also.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Sigrid:

As always, for those that find it hard to read, here is what it says:

                    Mt. Iron, Minn
                    Apr. 20, 1928
Dear friend Howard,
  Received your letter
yesterday. Thanks a
lot. I'm so glad it
was a nice cheerful
long one too. I just
love them so. Even
if I'm such a poor
one at letter writing
but you mustn't pay
me back with the
same kind, remember.
We're having just
horrid weather again.
Snow, slush and chill.
Wednesday there was
such a storm all
the electric lights even

went out, some poles
had fallen down &
wired broke. I've been
waiting for spring so
anxiously but it looks
like I can wait in
vain.
 I'm glad you think
good of me, and I
hope I can prove
it someday that I
try and be worthy to a
friend like you.
What difference does
it make if you write
to that girl in Ill. &
many more. I cert-
ainly don't care, for
she must have been

           2.
lonesome too, like we,
and wants friends.
 I'll send my greetings
to your birthday now
even if it is late
kind of now. My birth-
day will be May 9. Not
so far off & I'll be a
year older again.
Oh, I live yet quite
a ways from St. Paul &
Minneapolis, so prob-
ably it is too far for
you to venture. Any-
way near to 300 miles
north yet. it's about 65
miles from Duluth even.
I have second cousins

Minneapolis and if
Grandpa gets well. I'll
go there for a visit
this summer. We may
meet someday so lets
not lose hope even
if we live so far
apart.
I have some pictures
to be developed now&
if they come out fair
I'll soon send one.
Must close now &
hike to bed, nearly
eleven already.
                 Sincerely,
                       Sigrid

 He must have told her about the other girls he was writing to. Maybe to see how she would react. I wonder if she replied the way he liked.
I'm not sure if there is a picture of her included in a future letter or not.
It sounds like the weather was being kind of nasty. It was spring in northern Minn. It is much like Wisconsin.
I know I did show you last time where Mt. Iron is located.
I wonder what she did on her birthday?

Oh well, here are the next two viewer cards from The Childhood Fun set:

 A little Shepherdess and Her Flock.

" Now, Victor, Don't You Think It Was Mean."

The little shepherdess is trying to take care of I think 5 sheep.

The little boy talking things over with his dog. I did this kind of thing many times with our animals over the years. I still do. They are the best listeners I know.

Here is a random picture for you to look at:

This is a few of my cousins. I'm not sure what year this was taken.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will be able to stay cool where ever you are.
I hope you will come back real soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Nellie Currier: April 18, 1928 Manchester N.H.

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was good. No drama. Just the way I like it. The rest of the country, not so much. So let me take you away  from the here and now and take you back in time.
Here is the next letter from Nellie:

As always, for those that find it hard to read, here is what it says:

                    485 Lake Shore Rd,
                    Manchester N.H.
                    4/17/28
Dear Howard:-
  I am taking my
pencil in hand to answer
your letter that came to
me this morning. We are
having some very nice
weather over here in
Manchester. Anyone would
think we were having
summer over here now. It is

               2.
to bad you are having snow
now.
What is the make of
your car Howard?
We didn't have enough snow
all winter to have to have the
snowplow come through.
I hope you had a happy
birthday. Mine is a long
ways off yet. It won't come
until November.
I guess if nothing happens
your brother will get his
letter a few days before you

              3.
get mine because Hazel
sent hers two or three days
ago. Yes, I think if a couple
get married they ought to
keep their own religion be-
cause I know my father &
mother did.
We are sending away to get
a film and will have some
pictures taken next week
to send away.
I have got just two other
letters from the club that
I have cared anything about
of course I have wrote lot of
others but got no answers.

               4.
I hope you will excuse
this poor written letter
because I have a peachie
cold and can't seem to write
very good. So I guess you
will won't you, Howard?
I am closing this
very poor letter to you &
hope I can write better
the next time. Ha! Ha!
Bye Bye Howard
Hope I will hear from you soon
                  from a far away
                           friend.
                  Nellie Currier

( This was written on the inside of the envelope flap)
Apples are good,
But peaches are better.
And it you're not disappointed,
Please answer this letter.

It sounds like they weather was just as unpredictable then as it is now from day to day and year to year.
Grandpa's birthday was April 10. So at this time he is 28 years old.
I like that she was open minded about religion.
I wonder if Thomas wrote to Hazel and if he did how long they wrote to each other?
I hope her cold was not to bad.
I wonder if the little poem she wrote on the flap was original or if it was popular back then.
I wonder how much longer before she includes a picture?

Here is the next two viewer cards from the Childhood Fun set:

 Baby and Bunny.

Playing Grandma.

I wonder how long that bunny sat on the little boys lap.
What would your little one look like if they played Grandma?

Here is random picture for you to look at:

I'm not 100% sure but this might be Thomas. If is isn't I will correct it. That is if anyone knows for sure.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back again soon for more Fading History.
Till then stay cool.
Your friend,
Sandy

Helen Balusik: April 13, 1928 Evanston, Ill.

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good week. Mine was okay, but it could have been better. Today I didn't have to work. I wanted to, but there was not the right work for me. It sure has been raining a lot here lately. Up north a number of roads have been washed out. Some of these roads will take months before the will be fixed so they can be used again. If I could I would send some of that rain west to California. They could use our extra water and would not turn it away.
Anyway here is the next letter from Helen:

As always, for those that find it hard to read , here is what it says:

                         Evanston, Ill.
                          Apr. 13- 28
Dear Howard:
   Sure was glad to get
such an early reply from
you. But Howard, such a
short letter I was surprised
at you. Because you usually
write such a nice thick
one.
  its one nice rainy day
out tonite I was suppose to
go out but didn't care to
on a nite like this. Would
be different if you were
here, would't it?
   Well just think of it
this girl I said was going to
write to your brother, well
she is very bashful and
she hates to write first to the
men so she said, if he
wanted he could write first
& then she would answer.
  Her name is Margaret
Sullivan and same address
as mine, that is if he
wants to write.

            2.
So you can tell fortunes, oh my,
tell me some of the fortunes
that you tell for yourself does
it ever come out the same
way? You sure have to tell
mine sometimes I know
I'd have a lot of fun listening
to my fortune telling.
   The cook we have here
tells mine sometimes on
cards too and we have so
much fun about it. Sometimes
she'll say you have a letter
coming on some one is
thinking about you and you
know how something like
that thrills a person. Really
if it was true.
    Well tomorrow is
Saturday again wish you
were here with your car
we could go for a spin
wouldn't we Howard- I'd
show you the Michigan
lake how beautiful every
thing looks around it
in the Spring ( this time of the year)

             3.
But, nothing like dear old
Wisconsin in the summer
time, is there?
   Early in the mornings I
can always hear the birds
singing- sure makes me
blue for "home-sweet home'
  Well Howard, seeing you
wrote so little to me I don't
think I better write much
either Maybe you don't like
me too anyway!
Hoping you are fine
and will be looking for
your letter soon.
                Lovingly
                       Helen

I wonder if Thomas ever did write to Margaret Sullivan. I'm not sure if he saved any letters he got from people like Grandpa did. Maybe one of my cousins has them. I know Thomas did keep a kind of diary and one of my cousins does have them.
As for Grandpa's fortune telling. I think he did. I used to have a set of old Tarot cards. I had let my younger sister use them for awhile. I asked for them back and now she can't find them. Maybe someday I will be able to get them back.
Grandpa must have really wrote long letters. If only someday I could see of them I could see what he wrote. Oh well. History that has faded away to the point that I will never be able to see it.

Here are the next two viewer cards from the Childhood Fun set:

 Caught in the Act.

 A Sudden Shower.

In the first one, I wonder what was being sampled by this, I think, little boy.
I like the second one with the older girl is giving the little girl a shower experience.

Here is a random picture for you to look at.

This was taken during someones class trip. Not sure what year.

Well that's all I have to share with you today. Remember, stay dry.
Don't forget to come back again real soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy