SentLetters

Note: I am missing a scanned image of the third page, I will upload it as soon as possible.

Envelope:

After 5 Days Return to
Denison, Kans.Mrs. Alice E. Roudesbush
Pawnee City, neb

The stamp is a 2 cent stamp that is a part of the envelope. The postal marking looks like it says Coffee, Kansas. The date is missing, but the letter has been dated, as well as other letters that I received with this one, point out that it is from late 1931 - early 1932.

Letter:

Denison Kans-Dec 9th
Dear Alice - I was glad to get a letter from you-and will now answer but I do not know your address but will send it in a letter that I am going to write your Dad and ask him to send it on to you. Your Dad was down for a short stay day before yesterday and I forgot to ask him for your address. now Alice I will put two dollars in this letter for you and Lawrence-a small Christmas present. I am sending my Christmas money out early before the mails get so heavy and you can keep it until ???? and spend it as you like now do not send me anything but I would appreciate a letter or card mainly though for the green goods - I will accept them for a Christmas present-and expect they will be the most presents I will get now Alice I do not want to take them for nothing so when Christmas is over and I get a little money ahead again I will send you a small amount and only accept a little of the goods for a present now say nothing about this as I like to so as I please -I intended to write and tell you all about it myself when I was sure you got my letters. this is awful weather - terrible roads Alice you say you and Mary miss your mother so much of course you do and always will - no one can fill a mothers place - you sure have my sympathy you ask me if I miss her now Alice I can not find the words to tell you how much I missed her every hour and every minute of the day and every time the door would pen how I wished it was her - but Alice your mother is happy and gone from this world of sin - and if we are good we can meet her in a better world life is short and we can meet where parting will be no more Alice you Dad is living better which is ???? many worlds to me - he has worked hard and how I do wish I was doing for him and could keep able to do for him - he is in a close place as he can not collect what is coming to him times are so hard I hope you and Lawrence are happy and will find work and do well it is not money that makes a happy home it is love - without love a house cannot be happy I think you have a nice husband I like him very much as there is no cause to be unhappy I wish you both a merry Christmas and happy new year I do not know what we will do here I am better than I was when I wrote you - but i stay close to home - and do not know anything to write that would interest you - so will close with love to you both let me know if you get the money

Grandma

Letter:

Goff, Kans - Dec 10th
Dear Alice - thank you for the letter you wrote to me and your Dad you asked me to write to you and I have been slow about it but now will try and say a few words - I do not want to say much as then I will not have anything to tell you when you come i do so hope to see you and Lawrence and Mary and Clifford - Christmas and then I will not know how to stop talking - I do hope you are both wel land will be able to get here - we have a big snow this morning Martha is ???????? but not very fast - her sister is here doing the work as you know I cannot do but little but she will go away next week then I will do what I can to help out I so not know whether martha will be able then to do any thing or not - I hope we will be able to give you a nice Christmas but there you all at house you know and you need not let yourself so hungry I got a ????? from Mary for a birthday present which was day before yesterday I will not send you anything for a Christmas present until I see if you came or not then it will not be very much as you dont I dont give very much to any one - I am sorry to say that Mr. Gabbert died this week he was a good man - and old doctor Graham of Witmore died night before last I do now know how long I will stay here but suppose I will go to Denison as soon as Martha is able to do the work - you know I am only living by the day I am liable to fall at anytime and I dont know where that will be but I hope to see you girls and move as you was both very dear to me I will stop now and wait till you come to tell you the rest - Martha will write some now s oI will close with lots of love and kisses hope you both keep well I was good to get your letter

Grandma

I acquired these letters in the same envelope and posted them together, even though now that I have retyped them I realize that there is the possibility that they were either sent separately, or a letter was received the day after the first one was written and Grandma wanted to send them both.

I noticed that the grandmother is very aware of her situation and her mortality. She talks about how people around her are dieing, as well as how she could fall and get hurt at any time. She seems to want to help Martha, or take over some work from her, but isnt sure if she will be able to.

The reason that I scanned the envelope, (which I will continue to do if I receive them), is that it shows how much different things were even in 1931-1932. The grandmother sends the letter simply by writing a name and a city on the envelope, with no return address. There is simply a typed note saying that if the letter is not delivered in 5 days to return to Denison, where it originated.

I did a little research on the towns mentioned:

Denison, Kansas

Pawnee City, Nebraska

I know that this math is a little bit off, but if you assume that you can track inflation based on the postage cost for sending a letter:

• Stamp on the Envelope: .02
• Cost of a Stamp Today: .39
• Inflation: .39/.02 = 18.5%
• The two dollars that the grandmother sent would worth something like $39.00 today.

I want to point out one more thing about this letter. The grandmother seems to use stream-of-consciousness writing, using run-on-sentences, and in the letter her way of ending sentences looks to me like dashes (”-”) instead of periods (”.”). This could be due to writing fast, or just that she was trying to get everything on the paper and wasnt worried about proper punctuation.

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