This letter from my grandmother to her son Francis was written 67 yrs ago on Sunday.
Dad was taking part in the Carolina manuevars & expected to be discharged from the army as an "older fellow" in Dec 1941.
I thought you might get a kick out of seeing it. My grandmother was born in Co Clare Ireland in 1880 and had only a 6th grade education but she had lovely handwriting.
This letter is also intriguing from an ancestry research standpoint because my grandmother mentions a Francis Davenport who must've been a relation (her mother my grt grandmother was Eilis Davenport). I had no clue that there were any Davenport relations here in the US.
She wrote: Dear Francis, Two weeks today you went down, from now on I hope the time will go by quickly down there. I see by the paper the water is pretty scarce, we have not
had any rain for a month but once that was last friday, it rained all day. Miss Fiske ( a school teacher my father had) called me to say she had a letter from you saying what you intended to do. She thought it best and said - he will get his discharge allright. I see by this morning's paper, the fellows from Devens are on their way down there. Mary (Dad's sister), Betty Drummond, & Shirley went up to Groton this morning in Betty's car, and they stopped at the gates, but nobody was let in. I saw Francis Davenport last week, also Mary saw Marion Curry - she is fine, also Jimmie. He is working at the hospital and is as spry as a kitten. Pat Hagerty was married this morning. Eleanor L. told Mary that Mrs. Carman, the Aunt, was not invited to the reception atall (I can hear the brogue in this bit of gossip). Francis Davenport's son is
down in Texas, he has not been home but once since he went there. Everyone here is fine. Things are going along about the same. The next Draft won't come until January.
Love from all at home
Ma