"Letters From the Attic" ************************************************************************ File contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Belinda Clayton USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must contact the submitter or the listed USGenWeb archivist. ************************************************************************ This letter is from Mary Lee Wilson, daughter of Kenneth Wilson, who was Dale Clayton's best friend and best man at his wedding on March 1, 1945, to Lavonne Armentrout, daughter of John and Myrtle (Eddington) Armentrout. Dale Clayton is the father of Olin Dale Clayton of Raymond, Il. The letter is dated August 24, 1944. Dale was in the US Navy during WW II, aboard the carrier Nehenta Bay. "Letter From the Attic" Dear Dale, How are you anyway? Seems like it has been so long since we have seen you. I bet you wouldn't even know me for I have grown. I'll be 16 this January. Seems like all of the kids around here are growing so fast. Joyce Bowman, Evelyn Pickerill, Ralph Niehaus and several others will be sophomores in High School this term. It won't be long before school will start. It begins September 5. We are all busy working from morning to night. War news sounds pretty good. Hope it will soon be over. I saw your folks at the club show August 1st and I got your address from your mom. My but Warren and Carl have certainly grown. When the 4-H club met here I tried to get a few of them to write a few lines to you, but you know how noisy and wild that 4-H bunch can get. Kenneth is leading the club this year. We have 21 members. This crop year has not been so good. We never had a rain from May 30 to August 10th. That almost dried up the crops. On top of that chinch bugs and grasshoppers worked on our corn. We have one piece of corn that you can see clear down the rows. Sure is a discouraging sight, but when we think of what people over there are going through, I guess we are pretty lucky. It is about 9 o'clock so I must close. Take care of yourself and may God Bless You. We are all backing you up on the Homefront. Mary Lee Wilson The following letter was sent to Dale Clayton during WW II, date is unknown. The letter was inside a service card that reads "To a Fine Son in the Service". The card has a flag on it with an eagle perched on it. The letter is from Suavilla (Hulbert) Clayton, Dale's mother. Dale is the father of Olin Clayton of Raymond. Dear Son, I came to Hillsboro with Lavonne, her mother and Dad this afternoon. She had your address so I decided to write to you. Warren received his billfold day before yesterday. He is proud of it. Lavonne her mother and dad, helped us paper the dining room and kitchen Wednesday. I think the rooms look spiffy now. I have your Navy Mothers Club Membership card now. When should I send it to you? I went to the Navy Mothers Club meeting Wednesday night with Mrs. Colonius. They showed pictures of the Navy in training. We went to prayer meeting last evening. Warren walked Betty home. Carl has one more week of school, then he will have Bible school for about two weeks. Well Lavonne and her mother are waiting here in Hillsboro Post Office for me to get this written. I put your money in the bank, you now have $117.54 in your savings account. Will write more later. I'm praying for you. Love Mother The letter is written by Suavilla Isadora (Hulbert) Clayton, the paternal grandmother of Olin Clayton, to her son Dale, Olin's father. The letter is dated September 5, 1944. Dear Son, At last I've finished with peaches for awhile. In all we bought seven bushel. Of course some of them went down some red lanes raw, so there was about 125 quart in cans when I just added them up. They will come in handy this winter when snow is flying. Carl helped with all of them. We've canned 11 quarts of tomatoes so far. They like them raw too. Warren is home now helping with the fall work here at home. We are going over to Grandma's Sunday for dinner after going to Sunday School and church. Then we went back to Church in the evening. Carl started to school this morning. He was home early though. They want to go to Pana for Carl's bicycle this afternoon sometime. He is getting a good re-built bicycle with a pre-war frame. Now if he can ride it without falling off and breaking himself (or tearing his pants like you did one day on one you borrowed, remember?) The men are getting ready to cut corn with the binder. The clover is ready to hull. I believe John Armentrout is to hull it for us. We have an old black hen that has ten white chickens and one black one. They are about two or three weeks old. She sure looks funny, like a negro mammy with a bunch of white babies to look after. Warren just came from the mailbox with no letter from my sweetheart. Well I'll live in hopes of one tomorrow. The clutch went out on the tractor yesterday evening, when Warren was working the wheat ground. He didn't quite get done I don't think. The man that was to come fix it, still to come, so-! Maybe he'll get here some day. Your Dad paid the cash rent the other day August 31st. It was due the 1st of September. The milk check is beginning to be larger now that we sold the two calves. We still have the tiny bull calf that is yours. We would like to keep another heifer or two yet besides the two we have. Carl is growing like a bad weed and oh! boy! can he eat! He sure likes beef steak too! We will start using the chickens to fry one of these days. We have all kinds and sizes from 2 to 3 weeks on up to frying size. Alot of them too compared to what we generally have. Grandpa Hulbert is always laughing at my old roosters but turn a bunch of old hens and roosters loose and they'll raise the healthiest bunch of chickens you ever saw, "no kiddin", ha-ha! Carl will have Junior High work at school this year. A man Mr. McGregor will be his music teacher. He comes to the Baptist Church. He said to just remember the name of the man in the Peter Rabbit story and you'd remember his name. Ha-Ha! Come to think of it that was your Boot Training Captains name too, wasn't it? Then the 1st of October, Mrs. Janvrin takes over the class Carl is in and he will have her for a teacher. He thinks he's a lucky guy. I don't think I'll go to Pana this evening for I want to go to Sunday School Conference tonight and it starts at 7:30 rather early but will get home early so Carl can get to bed, he has to go to school tomorrow. I believe you asked me just what the directors of the Navy Mothers' Club do. Well I guess they do about the same as the directors of any organization, settle disputes etc. They aren't supposed to to be any disputes but as the head officer said "They sometimes arise." We meet every second Wednesday of the month. As we are an inland club we send our money and help to the clubs on the coast that are helping our boys. Here come the men to go to town, so I must close for now. I'll try and write a description of our next Navy Mothers Club meeting for you, after our next meeting. Lots and lots of love and kisses! Mother P.S. I had to wait till we went to church to mail this. Carl now has his new bike and does pretty good at riding it, believe it or not. He had riden Doris' when he was at Gridley. It isn't a great big bike. It's just about the right size for him until he's older. I'll send you two of the pictures in this letter and the others later. I wouldn't go to Sunday School Conference but I want to see how they are going to arrange some of the classws after promotion. Be a good boy! Lots and lots of Love Mother! The following "Letter From the Attic", was written by Sarah (Armentrout) Craig, born 1842 and died in 1932, the daughter of Christopher and Elizabeth (Borror) Armentrout, who were the paternal third great grandparents of Olin Clayton of Raymond, Il. The letter was written to her brother George W. Armentrout, born 1855 and died 1934. The letter is dated November 6, 1930 and her address was 817 Riverine Ave, Santa Ana, California R.F.D. George W. Armentrout's address was simply, Irving, Il. My Dear Brother and family, It has been a long time since I wrote to you and it seemed a long time since we heard from you until recently when we got a letter from you. We are always so glad to hear from any of you and I suppose we would hear oftener if you didn't dread to write about as bad as I do. So it seems. But remember you may dread it more in thirteen years from now. I suppose you know that it will not be two years until I am ninety years old. But people are not as old at ninety now as they used to be. There is a man here who goes to the M.E. Church regularly who is 101 years old; and people say he is quite spry. A few years ago I went to see a woman who was 102. She couldn't hear nor see well, and did not live much longer. A man lives across the street from us who is 90. He has poor eyesight but walks downtown alone almost every day, but I don't think it very safe. Do you call that bragging about old folks? When it comes to myself I can't bragg so much. Last July something happened which put me on the "retired list". Lost the use of my abdominal muscles, and you don't know how hard it is to do without them. I had to use a cane in one hand, and Cora on the other side to get along at all, and it seemed I would never get over it, but just as I could get around better, the same trouble caught me on both sides of the small of the back and I was helpless again and while in that condition I had trouble with one of my knees. Dr. said the trouble was in a tendon. That put me to bed and made me more helpless than ever for a few weeks and that was very painful whenever I tried to move my leg or when any one else moved it, but I am about over all these things now. I don't know what is the matter with me now unless it is just plain old age, but I can't walk alone yet. Use my cane on one side and Cora helps me on the other. I can take a few steps alone but feel that to depend on myself is not safe and I want to be sure to not fall down. I have had too many falls now. All this trouble of mine has not been so very painful so long as I lay still, but could not help myself even to turn over. The least tiny move was very painful to my knee. Well I am thankful that I am as well as I am and think I should not complain as I have always had good health. Have had but few sick spells. Have fared so much better than most people of my age. I have said quite enough about myself, so will tell you about Jessie. I believe Cora told you about her getting an electric burn. That was the 27 of May I think. A doctor was using xray in treating her. The burn seemed to develop slowly but surely. Got to be in size 5 by 7 inches, when they had a specialist come down from Los Angeles, after the Dr who did the burning had been treating her for several months. Well he just burned it out with what resembled a soldering iron which was electrically heated. (Of course she took an anesthetic) She stayed in the hospital near three weeks, with a day and night nurse, each 7 dollars a day and pay for their board. Then they took her home and one nurse with her. She stays daytime, Jessie's mother is with her all the time since she came home. The burn is healing now, but is a long way from well. It is back and below her hip and goes past the middle. A few times lately she has sat up on the edge of the bed for 5 or 10 minutes. Yesterday when she was doing so she fainted. It was very painful until after it was burned out. Of course it was still painful but not like an electric burn. I have heard say they were more painful than cancer. The Dr has to come and dress it everyday. I have not seen her for several months. Not since it was like a light blister under the skin. She is surely having a hard time of it and now I think I have said enough about the family and I will tell something about the election. It seems that the state is about as wet as it can be and has elected Ralph who has been Mayor of San Francisco for several years and a boasted wet and does nothing for but all against the dry cause. He didn't get so far ahead of the dry Democrat who ran against him in the southern part of the state but the northern part was most all for him. The wets are fighting hard and don't stop at anything to carry their fight. The people here put up a dry Democrat against Ralph but so many of the Republicans would not vote against their party and many of them are wet too. I was one of the absent voters this year. I thought all along until near the last, that I would be able to go to the polls, but when I found I wouldn't I done the next thing. I expect to vote for the dry cause as long as I live, regardless of Democrat or Republican. I voted at home. I am sorry to know of your crops being poor there this year. The farmers have been hit pretty hard for several years and I know how hard they have to work to raise their crops and always rejoice in their success and am sorry when they fail. We have had a very hot summer here or at least part of the time and have had some rain this fall but not nearly as much as we need. I hope we will have more and suppose we will as it is early yet. We have plenty of fruit here for which we are thankful. I am afraid I have written enough this time to tire you but I may not do so next time. I would be very glad if you would write oftener, we are always so glad to hear from you, any one of you. If one can't write, maybe another can. Your Sister and Aunt Sarah C. Craig This letter is from Charles Leo Clayton, paternal grandfather of Olin Clayton to his son Dale Clayton, the father of Olin Clayton. The letter is dated November 29, 1944, from Nokomis, Il. Dale was in the Navy aboard the S.S. Nehenta Bay, during WW II, at the time of this letter. Dear Son, I will try and write you a letter for a change as all I can do is lay around yet at present as my left leg is still in a cast from the hip down to the toes. I am hobbling around the house here on crutches. This is my second cast I have had on. I have to go back to St. Louis Monday December 4th to get the cast taken off as they want to look at my leg at that time. My knee cap was knocked up my leg under the skin and the ligaments tore loose with some bone with them. Was taken to Dr. Vaughns office, Mrs. Vaughn took two xrays of it and when Dr came in he said he wouldn't attempt the operation, so he sent me to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. There I was flat on my back for nearly a month. After my leg began to get better, I had my ruptures fixed while I was there so I hope I won't have to wear a truss any more. Dad paid most of the bill. I am going to try and make him take part of it back. The whole bill including two operations was around $175 dollars. I hope to be up and going again before long. Mother, Warren and Grandpa Clayton came after me from the hospital, Sunday November 5. Grandpa Clayton or Uncle Lloyd will take me back Monday. Lavonne sent me two pretty cards while I was in the hospital, wishing me to hurry and get well. Armentrouts were over the other evening, Lavonne is as sweet and pretty as ever. Uncle Lloyd combined the beans and picked the standing corn, the shredding is also done. John said he would come over and help Warren put an electric fence round this ground north of the house, then the cows can eat clover, corn stalks and bean hullings. Uncle Lloyd bunched the bean hullings, sold over $900 worth of beans, the rent comes out of this. Have over $200 in bin yet, counting seed, the beans made around 23 bushel to the acre. Corn north of the house made around 40 bushel per acre, south of the house not so good. Cash rent on beans and corn will be over $700. The Chevy has played out, so we are going to take the Ford in and have it worked on soon. Will close, with love. From Dad P.S. Warren and Carl are getting along okay with chores. This is a letter written on the back of a Christmas card that shows a manger scene and the corners have blue tulips with descending leaves. The card is from Charles Leo Clayton to his son Dale Clayton during WW II. The card is dated December 14, 1944. Leo lived in Oconee, Il at the time. "Letters From the Attic" Dear Son, We have a snow here over a foot deep, some places it is drifted nearly as high as the fence. I have the cast off my leg, but haven't been out of the house much yet. Have 17 little pigs around here born 12th of December. Wishing you a Merry Christmas. Hope to be out and around again soon. From Dad