Edna: March 8, 1933 Chicago, Ill.

Dear Friends,
I hope everyone had a good weekend. it is finally getting warmer and the snow is finally melting. Birds that fly south for the winter are being seen. We have seen Red Wing Black birds, Robin and the husband has seen a couple of Cranes. I'm really starting to get Spring fever. I look forward to being able to do something outside, once the mud drys up, after the snow is gone.
Anyway, it has been awhile since there has been a letter from her, but here is the next letter from Edna:

Since this one is typed, I will not repeat it.

It does sound like she has been very busy. It's good to hear that she was able to work at that time since it was the depression and many were not. Maybe working for a magazine publisher was a very good thing at that time.
She mentioned that she was to go for a sleigh ride but the sleigh never showed up so 17 girls all piled into a Lasalle. Now that is a lot bodies. I have looked up what a Lasalle looked like in 1933.

 
Maybe it looked like this. Notice the trunk on the back. That is where Edna and another girl rode. They must have been a sight to see.
As for Grandpa getting married, I don't think he was seeing Grandma yet. But I don't have her letters so I'm not sure exactly when they met.
Spring sounded like it had sprung around there. I'm not sure I'd say crows sing wonderfully.A nightingale might be a different story.
It's to bad the play they were going to put on fell through. I wonder if they planned another one for the summer?
It sounds like she was still hanging out with Gladys Holm's.

Here is a picture from the scrap book:

Trinidad Del Rio, 22, is pointing out the object to be shot
while her sister Delores, 17, and her brother Paul, 12, look into
the camera in The Journal photo studio. Paul is also shown
standing at William Westman's knee. The combined weight of
the sisters and brother is 53 pounds.    (Journal Staff Photo)

I wonder why they were hanging out at the Journal. They do look familiar. I wonder if they were by any chance in The Wizard of OZ.

Here is a joke from the joke book, "Bedtime Laughs" 1956:

So that's what happens when you scare  newspapermen.

Finally, a random picture:

Not sure who they are or when it was taken. But the photographer was Glander from Manitowoc, Wis.

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you have a good week.
Don't forget to drop by again real soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Edna: Sept. 13, 1932 Chicago, Ill.

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was quiet. It could have been warmer but at least we are not experiencing the problems they are have out east and west. It did snow, but not a lot.

Anyway, here is the next letter from Edna:

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

                              September 13-32
Dear Howard-
Say, how about that letter you
promised to write me!
I was very much disappointed
in not seeing you when I was
home. You were the only person I
called on too-- and then you
were out "nutting". Thomas told
me you were out picking nutz.
What wouldn't I do for some of
those nuts we used to gather
up there when I was a kid.
My mouth waters for some.
But I certainly was disappointed,
because I always see you
when I come home. I had a
couple of nice girls with me
too. One can never tell what
might have developed from
this meeting-- maybe you would
be opening up your house in
the spring. You know I've heard
of those happenings.

               -2-
I have been working awfully hard
since my vacation. In fact, I still
am- sometimes as late as 10 o'clock.
Of course I get paid extra for it,
which isn't so bad.
I haven't been to a show for
such a long time-- not since
before my vacation. Elsa ( the girl
I had home with me) and I are
going tomorrow night. Haven't de-
cided what show yet.
Well, Howard, I just wanted to
tell you I'm still looking for that
letter you said you were writing me.
Also, how sorry I am not to have
seen you.
                   Sincerely,
                      Edna
P.S.- Suppose you have seen Gladys
by this time. I'm writing her today
 
I have moved recently to 1325 Ardmore Ave.

She also included a little poem that was clipped to the first page . "Clara bell Cow". It's a cute little poem.
I also like the little picture with a chick and a fake duck.
I wonder if it was her way of getting his attention to write to her again.
As the nuts he was picking, I'm thinking it was hickory nuts. But I could be wrong.
She still sounds like she is a very busy girl at work.
I wonder what show she was able to see.

Here is a picture from the scrap book:1936

This gap was left construction rail line at the Mississippi river nine-foot channel dam at Genoa, 13 miles south of La Crosse, after an ice jam swept out 370 feet of a timber trestle bridge. engineers said destruction of the bridge will delay pouring of concrete on the project for about month.

This is a picture that could be like what is going on out East today.

Here are a few pages from the joke book, "Bedtime Laughs". 1956 :

Enjoy.

Finally, here is a random picture:

One of the many cows they had. I think this one is either a bull or a steer.

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

Edna: April 22, 1932 Chicago, Ill. & A Birthday card

Dear Friends,
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I know I did. It's always nice hanging out with family you don't get to see very often.
Anyway, I've got two things to share with you.
The first was postmarked April 8, 1932.

Grandpa's birthday was April 10th.he was 32 years old this year.

Here is a letter from Edna:

Since it is typed, I'm not retyping it.

It sounds like she has been a very busy girl.
Grandpa sounds like he was feeling ignored on purpose.
I hope he got the message back then. It wasn't him, it was her lack of free time and not wanting to write more after writing all day at work. I don't blame her.

Here is picture from the scrap book. 1936:

With the hockey matches for the Stanley cup approaching, we find the each Dionne quintuplet has adopted a team. They're apparently in the penalty box here for breaking some rule and are (left to right) Cecile (Detroit Red Wing), Marie (Buffalo Bison), Yvonne (Toronto Maple Leaf), Emilie (Chicago Black Hawk) and Annette of the Montreal Les Canadiens.-World Copyright, 1936 N.E.A. Service, Inc.

I know it's been awhile since I showed the girls. But here they are being little hockey players. I wonder who's idea it was to put them in these shirts?

Here are few pages from the joke book, "Bedtime Laughs". 1956:

To all my show biz friends, enjoy!

Finally a random picture:

Taken during someones class trip.

Well, that's all I have to share with you today.
Remember, stay warm. Below zero, not fun.
Don't forget to drop by again real soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Edna: Dec. 29, 1931 Chicago, Ill.

Dear Friends,
Well it's the end of yet another week. For me it was a quiet one. No drama. I will say where I work, it is colder then I like. My feet are still cold. I know it is cold outside so what the real problem. I like to have warm feet while I'm working.
Oh  well, enough whining, here is the next letter from Edna aka Eddie:

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

                   December 28, 1931
Dear friend Howard-
Well, this is the ? letter
I have started to you. Hope
I will be able to finish
this one.
Thanks a lot for your lovely
Christmas card. I certainly
was well remembered with
both cards and lovely girts.
Would you like to hear what
I got? == 3 pair of hose, a
pair of gloves, some undies,
some money, perfume, pearls,
a photograph from Gladys
of herself, one hankie, pajamas,
2 scarfs, a 5 lb. box of candy
from our president, (as usual),
$10 check from boys in office.

We had our annual Christmas
party the 19th at the Blackstone
Hotel. Had a lovely suite of
rooms and had the nicest
party we have ever had.
We sure had one grand time.
I got home and got ready
for another party in evening.
Had another grand time.
Christmas Eve. we (Linnea
and I) went down to my aunt's.
We wanted to go to "Yulatta" and
if we were to go all the way
from our place to church that
hour of the morning, I'm
afraid we wouldn't have
managed. Well, we went to
Yulatta at 4:00. We left
my aunts at about 11 o'clock
as we were invited to dinner
at 2 o'clock at Gladys Holm's
in Rodger Park. We were
18 for dinner and a couple

             -2-
more for supper. I never
saw so much food. It
certainly was delicious.
We had a wonderful time,
as usual. I always have
such a lovely time up there.
Christmas Eve. before leav-
ing for the south side I
called Dad long distance.
I hadn't had a minute to
write him and I just had
to talk to him. I felt so
much better after talking
to him. I was so sorry we
couldn't manage to go home,
but it would have cost
L & I about $40.00, and as
she isn't working it was
impossible to make it. I was
glad, tho,we could talk to
him.

Well, it is almost time to go home
now and Linnea and I are in-
vited to a girls house for the
evening, so must ring off.
Hope you boys had as
nice a Christmas as I did.
       Happy New Year to you,
             Eddie

I sounds like she had a very good Christmas. I wonder who gave her what gifts?
She was doing a lot of partying.
I was trying to find out what Yulatta was. But I can't find out what is is. Maybe someone else will be able to find out the meaning of it.
I am glad she was finally able to talk to her Dad.
I do wonder how long it took Linnea to find a job. I know it was not a good time for many back then.
This is the last letter from 1931.

Here is a picture from the scrap book 1936:

The possibility that King Edward VIII of England may marry
was indicated Wednesday in his request to the house of com-
mons for more money. A royal message said "his majesty desires
that the contingency of his marriage should be taken into ac-
count..." This picture of him was made last December by the
court photographer and shows him in the dress uniform of an
admiral.

He looks like a very good looking man for his time.

Here are few pages from the joke book, "Bedtime Laughs" 1956:

Enjoy.

Finally, here is a random picture:

I pretty sure this is my cousin Billy. Not sure how old he is here.

Well, that's all I have to share with you today.
Have a good weekend and don't forget to come back soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Edna: Nov. 20, 1931 Chicago, Ill.

Dear Friends,
I hope your weekend was not too bad. I know there is snow to the south, where it is rare for them to have more then we do here. And in California, where people are loses their homes because of the huge wild fires. The only question I want to ask is how these fires started? Mine here was on the quiet side.It is colder then I like but that is to be expected this time of year.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Edna aka Eddie:

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

(written upside down on the top)
Excuse this stationery please
                           Nov. 19, 1931
Dear friend Howard:-
Well, here is the letter I promised to
be so prompt about sending. Well,
don't think this is the first and only
letter I have written to you. I have
written several, but have found them
several days later, discovering there by
that I had neglected to send them.
Pardon me, won't you?
Did Dad give you my message?
You asked him to find out from
me if I lost a compact in your
car last summer. I did not, as
far as I can figure out, so it
must be some other "dame". It
was nice of you to inquire anyway.
Well, we have been horseback riding
several times this fall. I usually
go with Gladys Holm and some
other girls. Last Sunday we went.
Linnea went also, but we

certainly enjoyed it a lot. Linnea
is not working. She has been
home now for about a month or
possibly a little longer. She has
registered tho' at several agencies, but
there just doesn't seem to be any
jobs in this berg-- or any other,
for that matter. I certainly am
glad I still have mine, and they
say there will not be any lay-offs
in our office either. They fired one
girl a couple of months ago, but
that was because  she didn't care
to work very much. They got one
we used to have a couple of years
ago. We have not as yet received
a cut either. That sure is a
rare thing these days. The rest of
my girl friends have all gotten
cuts several different times. I
must consider myself lucky, that's
all.
Well, it is almost Thanksgiving.
Gee! I would love to come
home & cook dinner for Dad
and the boys, but of course
that can't be done. I can't
afford that.

                 -2-
I am going to a stage show tomorrow
night. I'm going to see "The Unexpected
Husband". They say it is a scream.
Next week I am going to see
"Blossom Time" at the Grand opera
House. I have seen it 3 times
already, but I love it.
It has been real warm here.
Almost like summer, altho' we
have had quite a lot of rain.
Today, however it has been cooler.
A heavy coat was much appreciated.
Somebody I know just came
back from a hunting trip up in
Maine. He was with eight other
fellows and they each came
back with a buck each. Pretty
nice, eh? Is this open season
up there? Um-m-m, what I
wouldn't give for a piece of
venison. He said he had lots

of fun too. He was gone two weeks.
What are you doing with your-
self? I sure have been busy. I
guess Dad was getting disgusted
with me for not writing him often.
I just couldn't do it. i stayed
at the office late almost every
evening in order to get things done.
Do you play bridge, Howard?
I have become quite interested in
it suddenly. A week ago last
Sunday I was invited to a bridge
party= 18 of us girls. We sure
had fun. Then the Tuesday
following I had Gladys H & her
girl friend(she rides with us) over
to play bridge. We certainly had
fun. Last Sunday we had a couple
girl friends over for dinner and
then we played bridge. We then
walked 22 blocks with them. It
was such a lovely evening.
Well, please forgive me for
being so slow in answering. Will
try to do better next time.
                      As B/4
                         Eddie
P.S. L. says hello.

It sounds like she has a habit of misplacing things, like letters. I wonder if it was the truth of an excuse.
I wonder how long she hung out with Gladys Holm?
As for the play "The Unexpected Husband". I could not find any info on it except it only played for a few months in New York back then.
As for the other one "Blossom Time" that she saw 3 times already before this letter.

This is what I found. It might have been an opera. I think it was about a nineteenth century Vienna composer Franz Schubert assisting a girl he is secretly in love with. But I could be wrong, but it is the only thing I found about it.
It sounds like she also found an enjoyment in playing bridge. That's a game I never learned. I have no interest in it.
I wonder if Grandpa found out who the compact belonged to.
It sounds like hunting in Maine back then was very good.

Anyway, here is a picture from the scrap book. 1936:

  An ice jam at N. Forty-second and W. Mount Vernon av. Tuesday afternoon was loosened by dynamite and manual labor in time to prevent a serious flood of the Menomonee river there. The workers had plenty of advice from the crowd which gathered.- Journal Staff Photo.

It sounds like it was a big blast to watch. Can you imagine using dynamite like that today?

Here are a few pages from the joke book, "Bedtime Laughs" 1956:

Enjoy.

Finally, a random picture:

No idea who she was or when it was taken. It is a torn picture. It looks like there was someone sitting next to her. I wonder who tore it and why? The answer has faded away never to be known again.

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

Edna: Oct. 2, 1931 Chicago, Ill.

Dear Friends,
Well, it's the end of yet another week. It finally feels like December out there. I think it is here is stay. What do you have planned for the weekend? As for me, I think we will be getting new tires for the car. After that, anything can happen.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Edna aka Eddie:

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

                         Chicago, Ill.
                         October 1, 1931
Dear friend Howard-
I really am going to send
this letter. I have written quite
a number of them and thot I
had mailed them, but a few
day later came across it. Don't
for a minute get the idea that
I am squirming around trying
to find an excuse, because
it really is the truth.
Well, how have you been?
I am fine, but ever since my
vacation have been terribly busy.
We moved our office and then
last Sat. we moved to a new
apartment. It is much nicer
and a lot more room. We
like it ever so much better. We
have a bedroom, living room,
in-a-door, 2 big clothes closets,
bathroom, dinette,& kitchenette, and
we have a phone too. That is

what I like. I don't like to
be called to the phone by
anyone.
Two weeks ago this coming Sun.
Gladys Holm, 3 other girl friends
of ours and myself went horse
back riding out in the forest
preserves. We sure had a good
time. (All Swedes). 2 of these girls
have cute little roadsters and
Gladys drives their Studebaker
a lot so we have very good
times together. This girl who
drove last Sun. had dropped
all the other girls off and
was taking me home, when
lo! and behold! we got a flat
tire. She didn't have a wrench
or anything with her, so we
had to call a garage and have
them send a man over to put
on the spare.- and the funny
part was we were in such
a hurry to get home. The Thursday
night before we rode in Lincoln
Park. This coming Sunday Gladys
H. is driving up to Round Lake to
ride. We will be about 6 I guess.

               -2-
I really like to ride a lot, but
didn't ride all summer. Every
time I planned on going some-
thing turned up.
We are going to have a house-
warming party here in a couple
of weeks. Hope we have a good
time.
Gladys (sister) is leaving the latter part
of this week with her patient.
They are going direct to Detroit,
will spend a week there and
then they go to New York for
a couple of weeks. Her patient
has "Three weeks of Fun" planned-
They are going places, do thing,
and see a few sights. I am
sure it will be nice for them
both. They made several
short trips this summer and
early fall, but these were
made in her car, her chauffeur
driving. She is a rich old
dame and I don't mean "Maybe".
well, Howard, we sure had
a good time that night up at

your house on the hill. Linnea
and I have talked about it often.
I hadn't been to an "out-door"
party like that since I used to
live at home, and you know
that hasn't been recently.
Well, now just because I
was so negligent that doesn't
mean that you are privileged
to do so. Write as soon as you
find time.
                    As B/4
                       Eddie

Well it sounds like she had a very good summer, sometimes anyway. Riding around in all of those different kind of cars. I wonder if Gladys Holm is the same Gladys that wrote the other letters I've shown you. Someone I work with knew a little about her. He told me she was a cousin of his Grandpa's. She never married but she did become very wealthy. She left her money to a children's hospital when she died.She was known as "The Teddy Bear Lady". I found a story about her. She died in June 1996 at the age of 86. She left $18 million dollars to The Children's Memorial Hospital. The largest sum ever donated at that time. Find the stories and you will be amazed how special she was. Maybe once I'm done with the letters I will do little stories about some of the people I've shown you. At least the ones that had some kind of family around here.
As for the outdoor party that Grandpa gave, it's still a family tradition to do this. My family have get together's every once in awhile at our family cabin. It must be in our blood.

Anyway, here is a picture from the scrap book. 1936:

The arrow in this picture of high water at S. Ninth and W. Harrison sts., shows the highest point Kinnickinnic there.- Journal Staff Photo.

It must have been quite the show watching the ice and high water. Notice the guys with the long sticks trying to guild the ice under the bridge.

here are a few pages from the joke book, "Bedtime Laughs". 1956:

Enjoy.

Finally here is a random picture:

No idea who this is or when it was taken.

Well, that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you have a good weekend.
Don't forget to drop by again real soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Edna: July 9, 1931 Chicago, Ill.

Dear Friends,
I hope everyone had a very good Thanksgiving. Mine was good. The family got together at my parents house for supper. All had a good time. The weather is a little warmer then I think it should be for this time of year around here. But that was okay.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Edna, aka, Eddie:

Since it is a nice typed letter I will not repeat it, just comment on it.

Not a lot to comment on. Just people taking vacation and her planning on coming for a visit up here. I hope she was able to surprise her folks like she wanted to and that Grandpa did pick her up.

Here is a picture from the scrap book, 1936:

Upstate where there is still snow, Emil Chich, a dairy farmer
near Weyauwega, believes not only in keeping warm and his
vision clear but in keeping track of the time. He has pasted in
his cab a snappy calendar for use if he should get stuck in a drift
for a week or two. The windshield wiper is a brooder lamp with
old hose to conduct the kerosene fumes. One picture shows the
exterior of the sled and the other the interior. The milk cans are
behind the cab.- Journal Staff Photos.

Now this is an interesting story. I wonder how often he got stuck in drifts that he had to wait along time to  be able to get out of them. Or was this just a tall tale back then. I guess I will never know.

Here are a few pages from the joke book, "Bedtime Laughs", 1956

Another two page joke starting on the first page. Enjoy.

Finally a random picture.

I wonder what is at this spot today. It looks totally bare here. I bet it's all grown up again.

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope everyone has a very nice weekend. And if you are one of those Black Friday shoppers, I'm not, be careful  and I hope you are able to get all the things you think you need to have.

I hope you come back real soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy