Dear Mother,
Received your airmail letter
yesterday the one written and sent
on the 26th of Oct. The letters
comeing over here are really
mixed up too.
Before I forget it I will
tell you now. My APO
number has been changed. It
is now 638. So when you
write again please make the
change. Why it was changed I
don't know and I don't think
anyone esle does. We have
been so busy no one knows
what is going on here.
A couple of weeks ago I had
my picture taken. They
2
are so good but I will send
one in this letter. My mustache
shows up little better now
than it did then.
Who did Bob Ziss marry?
Gee things really are changeing
around back home. I always
thought of Catherine Paul as
just a kid. But I guess I have
been away from home longer
than I realize.
It doesn't seem possible
that I have been gone so
long. But still when I look
back over what I have been
through and the places I have
been to it seems like I have
been away longer than I have.
I know that all my experiences
all have been worth while.
3
I have received two Christmas
packages already. One from Lenore
and one from Luella.
How is Harley now? I was
surprised to hear that he was
going to the hospital. I hope he
gets along ok. I suppose he
will be out of work for a few
weeks now. Well I know he
will be a lot better when it is
all over with.
I have answered Freeman's letter.
I answered it the same day I
received it. Has he the same
car as before?
Mother about Irene's Christmas
present. It is ok with me
what you bought her. I was
going to tell you to get one
but thought maybe they were
4
all gone. So get one and take
it over there to her folks or get
her up home and give it to her.
I wish I could be there to see
her when she sees it. I bet
she will
I have received quite a few
letters in the last couple
of days. It was almost 3 weeks
since I heard from you.
Please send me Morgan's
address. I would like to drop
him a few lines. Luella told
me about him being sick.
I enjoyed the newspaper
clippings very much and
sometimes I have a notion
to write to the Record so I
will receive a copy of it.
Well mother I guess this
5
is about all I will write for
tonight. I hope a few more of
your letters comes this week.
Irene says she has been
receiving my mail more regular
lately.
Goodnight for now. Please
advice all of my new APO
number.
Love Ralph.
The next letter will be posted on November 7th.
Background Information (and comments):
- APO stands for Army Post Office.
- Ralph switched from V-mail to airmail for this letter. Airmail paper was thin like tissue paper. An airmail letter cost 6 cents to mail. This one was written on Nov. 4th and postmarked on Nov. 6th (much faster than his previous V-mails). It still had to go through a censor.
- I think Ralph meant to say that his pictures "aren't" so good, not "are".
- The Record was a weekly newspaper called the Metamora Record. It was published from 1901 until 1974 in Metamora, Fulton County OH, with Harold Buck as publisher.
- Guess we'll all have to wait to find out what Irene, his fiancee, is getting for Christmas.
- To review some names:
- Lenore was a sister-in-law, married to his oldest brother Harold.
- Luella was his only sister.
- Harley was a younger brother.
- Freeman was his youngest brother.
- Morgan was a first cousin.
- I do not know who Bob Ziss and Catherine Paul were (my guess is classmates, neighbors, friends of family, or people from church).
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