1919
Despite the horrors of the Great War, as WWI was then called, and the ravages of the influenza epidemic or Flu, optimism appears in almost all of the letters written to the Pink Press in 1919. The war had ended in victory and the flu seemed to have been contained. As Della Abernathy writes: The past year “will go down in history as representing two extremes, one of absolute anguish and one of glorious exultation …monumental in its greatness in comparison with other years, but furnishing full draughts from the cup of sorrow for most of us.” H.C Sutherland says that “while there are many sad things in life, yet there is lots of joy.”
By the summer of 1918, the U S was sending 10,000 soldiers to France every day. Mrs. Lizzie Anderson says “we have all gone through something that one year ago we did not realize we would have to do, that of giving up our boys for the Great War.” The letter from Mr. and Mrs. W I Smith describes the anguish they felt when they didn’t hear from their son. They also describe the morning the armistice was signed. Other letter writers talk about doing their part at home by working for the Red Cross like Mary Baird, or Mrs. Myrtle Wagner by buying Liberty Bonds. Many other letters describe their loved ones being drafted and sent to military camps across the US.
As awful as the war was though, the flu may have been worse. J.P. Shick wrote a particularly poignant letter describing the death of his son, daughter-in-law and grandson within three days of each other, and how he and his wife were raising the surviving three grandchildren. Mrs. Bessie Smith describes losing their ten year old daughter, and most of the other letters at least mention the epidemic and its effect on their lives.
Several letters describe life in the oil fields of Kansas and Texas like the ones from George Baltzell and Robert A Diebold. Mr. Diebold expounds upon his belief in child rearing near an oilfield and believes he will return to farming. Zeta Jones Petty of Ranger, Texas, describes the money they are making, but says they will soon be going back to a farm they bought in Missouri.
Several letters writers could work for their local Chamber of Commerce. Their enthusiasm for their new place of residence is the main subject of their letters. Clarence Fish describes Detroit. Mrs. Imogene Maffet describes Hampton, Virginia and Moffit Mills says that travelers should not complete their journey without coming to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
A lot of ministers born and raised in Lawrence County wrote letter to the Pink Press, and some like Rev George Goodman, bragged about their congregations in other communities, and how much salary they are receiving.
Often the letter writers sound like old friends because they have written letters every year. The reader learns about what they are doing, where their children are, and gets a sense of the writer’s personality just from the annual letters. That is the way with Mary Cooper’s letters. When the editors of this book found her obituary, and the tragic way she died, they both felt they had lost an old friend.
Almost all the letters speak of the joy the previous Pink Press letters have brought them, and how much they are looking forward to this year’s edition. One even penned a poem:
Again has come the time of year, For the Pink Press to appear, and if we don’t send in our letter, we’ll feel like we have been a quitter.
Then those that write will wonder why, you didn’t write and were so shy, not to let us know what you are about, how you are getting along on life’s route.
Della Abernathy
Lizzie Anderson
Mary Baird
George A. Baltzell
H. H. Baltzell
John Brothers
Leo H. Caudle
Mary R. Cooper
Robert Diebold
Clarence Fish
W. C. Fyffe
T. S. Gerhart
George Goodman
Charlie J. Heath
Earl Irwin
David Logan
Imogene Maffett
Vira A. McQuiston
Moffit Mills
D .S. Moore
John F. Peters
Zetta Jones Petty
C. M. Piper
Emma Raurk Rawlings
Thomas H. Seed
Mrs. A. C. Shick
E. O. Shick
Ira W. Shick
J. P. Shick
George W. Shirley
Bessie Smith
W. I. Smith
Mrs. O. O. Stamats
H. C. Sutherland
Myrtle Wagner
Grant Williams
Mrs. William Worstell
Bernie, Missouri
January 15, 1919
L M Wood and Sons:
We were admonished to do our Christmas shopping and our New Year's shopping early, likewise to respond to the call of the Press for its annual non-resident issue. It is to be hoped that no contributor is so late as to cause our editor inconvenience, for he is surely kind to favor his patrons with the home-coming number each year.
I can apprehend many sad reports among the letters this season. Hardly a home or heart in the world which has remained intact from the ravages of war, influenza or other form of trouble during 1918. It will go down in history as representing two extremes: one of absolute anguish and one of glorious exultation to the fulfillment of a great dream; monumental in its greatness in comparison with other years, but furnishing full draughts from the cup of sorrow for most of us.
Last June 8, about the time the sun was in eclipse, the death Angel summoned my best earthly friend and mother lay at rest. She sleeps beside father there in the Sumner cemetery, which is as beautiful and well kept as any you will ever find claimed by the city its size.
Not many days after mother's death, we received an announcement of the birth of a second grandchild, a little girl, born to Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Frymire, of Salt Lake City and named Kathryn Lee. Mrs. Frymire, our daughter, Kate, and the babies have remained in the home while Lieutenant Frymire, her husband, has been in an army camp in the east. Just now he is with them, having obtained a three-month furlough.
Mary, our second daughter, is employed in the home school and, like the others, has taught only intermittently. The flu ban has been in effect so much of the time that our term is not half finished, though school opened in July.
George, our third and youngest, is not far from the largest of the family now. He attends high school, a member of the sophomore class.
Mr. A. is home with us now having had employment near Brookland, Arkansas, during the summer and autumn.
Uncle A. M. Fyffe’s family are well and employed same as at this time last year, except Arthur, the youngest, who is yet in Camp Funston.
Mrs. W. F. Guess, of whom we spoke at another time, died very suddenly of heart failure last September. Her husband was shocked to awake and find her dead in bed. He is still in Dexter and was well as usual when we heard from there not long since.
Other former Illinois residents near here are prosperous and in good health, save a few who are convalescing from influenza.
With best wishes to the Press and all its readers, I remain,
Yours very truly,
Della Daniels Abernathy
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Biographic Note:
Editor Note:
Della Abernathy also wrote a letter to the Press in 1918. See her biographic notes in that section.Editor Note:
Della’s mother, Anne Daniels died June 8, 1918 fourteen years after Della’s father, George on November 20, 1904.
Biographic Note:
Editor Note:
Lizzie Anderson also wrote letters to the Press in 1917 and 1918. Her biographic information is included in those sections.------
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Editor Note:
Mary Bairdalso wrote letters to the Press in 1916-1919. See those sections for her biographic information.Annotation:
The U. S. Congress declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917. 2.8 million men were drafted after the passage of the Selective Service Act. There were three separate registrations. The first, on June 5, 1917, was for all men between the ages of 21 and 31. The second, on June 5, 1918, registered those who attained age 21 after June 5, 1917. The third registration was held on September 12, 1918, for men age 18 through 45.
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/ Monan, IndianaFebruary 1, 1919
Dear Readers of the Pink Press:
Another year has gone and here we are again. Although there are great members who have passed into the great beyond, some of us have been spared.
We have all gone through something that one year ago we did not realize as we do today, that is in giving up our boys for the great war. Dana, has been in camp since June 15, 1918 until January 27, 1919. Never left the states, has not arrived home yet, as he and wife are visiting relatives at Olney.
Herbert was in the last draft, but did not have to go. Ere this is printed Herbert will be married. He is braking on railroad making good money.
Nina graduates from four years high school in one week on February 7.
Sorry to see so many passing away at old Sumner especially the passing of Mrs. J. M. Brian, a good friend of mine. I loved her so much. It grieves me when I get the Press to see my good friends had gone.
We had flu but got through all right, for which we are thankful, whole families have died here with it.
I hope in March to visit Sumner again and I am anxious for the time to come.
Last year I sent a letter for this issue and received four letters and cards from friends of other days, of whom I had not heard for so long. Was so glad to hear from them. Hope I shall have as good success this time. I will close and wait anxiously for the letters.
Yours respectfully,
Mrs. Lizzie Anderson
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Guthrie, Oklahoma
January 31, 1919
Editor Press:
I have been thinking I would just let the soldiers and the rest of the non-residents fill up the Pink Edition this year, but husband says he thinks I ought to write for others will expect me to and it has been the means of my finding a very good friend and a cousin's daughter living close enough that I can visit occasionally. She reminds me so much of Uncle Levi's girls that I feel quite at home when I go there.
We didn't have any boys in the first registration, but the second one got the youngest and the last one got all of our sons and three of our grandsons and some of them were anxious to go, but I am thankful that the war was over before they were called to go, for surely it had lasted long enough to leave plenty of suffering and expense for years to come. I, like all others, have tried to do my little bit in food saving and had helped some with Red Cross work, though I never did join the society, consequently have no Red Cross flag to display in my window, but as I belong to the Church of Christ. I need no other society for his teaching will thoroughly furnish us unto all good work, and if all nations were humble, obedient Christians, nothing more and nothing less, it would do away with so much crime and sinfulness and also the necessity for wars of any kind.
This country has been afflicted with the flu and there has been some deaths from it, but the weather is very nice now and those who have it seemed to be getting better. Our immediate family has escaped it so far, thanks be to God, the great giver of all good gifts, to man.
Mary Baird
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El Dorado, Kansas
January 14, 1919
L.M. Wood and Sons:
I will try to write a few lines to the Press this year, as I happen to be temporarily away from Sumner, but we still consider it our home and are only here because of the exceptionally good opportunities offered.
At present we are all in the best of health and have been except for a very bad spell of the flu and pneumonia, which Elsie had during November. It looked for a time as though she would not get well, but by skillful doctoring and good nursing, she is regaining her strength.
We are located about 6 1/2 miles north of El Dorado, on the Stone lease. I am at present and have been for the past eight months employed by the Carter Oil Company as gauger. We have a nice little bungalow, built for us, furnished by the company without any charge; also free coal (we have no gas here) and electric lights. Our house is on the old Hocking Trail, running from Texas to Montana, and directly back of it runs the beautiful Walnut River with the Santa Fe Railroad about halfway between the house and the river. We are about one half mile from school and Charley Baltzell, goes to school everyday. Lorena is with her grandparents and going to school at Hadley. This is a description of our surroundings here.
The Kansas oilfield is certainly a great field and I believe the Carter Oil Company the best in the mid-continent field.
This is quite a change for me from one year ago and I often think of my many good friends on Rural Route No. 3 whom I was serving at this time last year.
Should any of our friends happen out in this "neck of the woods" while we are here we would be much pleased to have them call on us.
We certainly appreciate the Press each week, for it is like getting a long letter from home, for some time we expect to return to our home there.
Work here has been very plentiful until recently, things are a little dull. The wells on this lease produce from 100 to 600 barrels every 24 hours. We have a railroad station just a half mile from us, where we have two stores and a butcher shop and can go into El Dorado twice each day and return.
We have with us here Vernon Diebold, of Sumner, who is certainly making good in the oilfield. /
Biographic Note:
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(George AlvinBaltzell)
Biographic Note:
George A, son of Henry and Catherine Baltzell was born about 1880. He was living in Princeton, Indiana with his wife Elsie K. and 2 year old daughter Lorena when the 1910 census was taken. At some point in time the family returned to The Sumner area, where he became a mail carrier and managed a store. About 1918 they moved to Eldorado, Kansas where George worked in the oil fields. This apparently lasted only a year and by 1920 they had returned to Christy Township, in Lawrence County, where he was once again a mail carrier. He died in Morgantown Indiana on August 29, 1956 and is buried next to his second wife Audrey in the Sumner City Cemetery.------
Biographical Note:------
Editor’s Note:The advertisement to the right ran in the Sumner Press in 1917.
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/ Ed and Nell Perkins live in El Dorado and come out to see us occasionally. Ed looks 20 years younger than he did when he left Sumner and they are both doing fine. Fisher and Sergeant, who used to drill in the oilfield there, and who lived at Klondike, are both drilling on this lease.I will close, with best wishes to all.
Very respectfully,
George Baltzell
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Clearwater, Florida
January 30, 1919
Editor Press:
As I have never written to the Pink Edition of the Press, I thought I would write a few lines to let my old friends know where I am and what I have been doing.
Five years ago I lost my wife and broke up housekeeping and had been making my home at Princeton, Indiana, with my son, Charley, doing nothing but run around and visiting old friends and relatives in Kansas, Iowa, Ohio and Michigan, and two years ago I came down here for a short time and liked it so well I thought I would come down and stay a little longer. So I and French, one of Oliver Baltzell’s boys left Princeton, Indiana, January 6, came down to Evansville, stayed all night, took the Dixie Flyer at 6 o'clock the next morning and arrived in Jacksonville the next day at 3 p.m. stayed all night, took the train the next day at 11 a.m. arrived here at 9 p.m. and John Berryhill met us at the train and we are boarding with him. He is doing a thriving business. He has 24 regular borders by the week and lots of transients.
This is a fine city of 4000 population, situated on Clearwater Bay 20 miles north of St. Petersburg. Dr. Murphy lives there; I got a letter from him yesterday. He says their G.A.R. post is to celebrate Lincoln's birthday on the 12th of next month and wants me to come up. I think I shall go. He says there are several hundred visiting comrades there and I expect they will have a nice time. Dr. Murphy is quite poorly.
There are about 600 tourists at this place. I expect to stay here till after April 1st.
H. H. Baltzell
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/ GAR Membership Badge
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1005 East 58th Street
Los Angeles California
January 20, 1919
L.M. Wood and Sons and the grand Army of readers of the Sumner Press, greeting, and thanking you in advance for the privilege of a letter in your columns.
Have been in Los Angeles over a year now and am a voter again. Have been engaged in gardening for the last year, with fair success. I have had the use of four city lots and have raised good potatoes, tomatoes, beans and roasting ears, and about everything we could use in our family of seven.
Have two girls and three boys with us yet. The girls work in the telephone exchange and the boys, Fred and Theodore, are working in a garage and learning the business, and Ralph would be going to school if there was any. The schools have been closed nearly all winter on account of the flu, but the time is set to open the 27th of this month.
I cannot tell you how long we have been taking and reading the press, but it was when Carlton was the editor. I traded him a load of stove wood for a year subscription and have been a constant reader from that day to this and must say we appreciate it now more than ever. It is better than a letter from home. It makes me sad lately as there have been so many deaths among our dear friends.
We like the Southwest very much. It is sure the land of sunshine. There has been some frost here this winter, but they claim the fruit isn't hurt much.
I think it would be in order that we congratulate each other over the happy ending of the war and tender the soldiers a vote of thanks.
John W. Brothers
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Biographical Note:
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