A big family welcome...
This weekend, I was at my grandmother's on the Eastern Shore. My aunt came over bringing a bundle of letters, saying that we really ought to read them, that they were the letters written to Grandmother by Granddaddy's family on her engagement. My grandfather was a graduate of Annapolis, and a career naval officer, and in and out of the country in between cruises. He had one older sister who was married to an Air Force officer, and a younger brother (18) in military prep school and a younger sister(16) at an Episcopal girls' school. My grandmother was teaching school in Eastern Virginia. The letters were warm and affectionate, there were to be no such thing as in-laws between them (she would be one of the family) and all remarking on her picture, how Frank was so lucky to have secured such a beautiful woman to be his wife.
The letters were interesting for a number of reasons. 1) It was from a very formal era, but when writing personal letters was much more part of every day life 2)It introduced me to members of my family that died years before I was born, but were so vibrant and alive.
Granddaddy had one older sister, whose letters were very helpful and correct, but she was already married and lived far away, therefore not as able to be involved in the festivities. The younger siblings included physical descriptions, reports on how they were doing at school, and things she absolutely was not to tell Granddaddy about. The youngest insisted that she had been sent away to school in Mississippi because she had too much fun at home and couldn't study enough. Lil Sis' favorite expression seemed to be Golly pete! and she set out to storm my grandmother's heart with the deepest confessions of her 16 year old soul, professions of love, and intense interest in her bridesmaid dress. Ed was almost a man, and insisted that Grandmother was exactly the type of girl he himself hoped to marry and he was so glad she was beautiful. Not, that, he hastened to add, he wouldn't have liked her if she had been plain, but her looks certainly made it easy. He also commented how glad he was that she was from Virginia like his mother. Now Granny would have someone else to talk to who pronounced tomatoes the way she did (To-mott-toes). He confessed that he had recently switch schools and dropped participation from three sports to two, which seemed that it might have some positive effect on his grades. (A few years later, Ed intentionally flunked out of the Naval Academy in Annapolis and announced to everyone's disbelief that he wanted to study medicine. He did, and went on to get a Harvard fellowship and have a very successful medical practice.)
Granny poked gentle fun at the men in her family, remarking that Ed had recently come home for Christmas thinking himself quite a man and smoking a pipe. Granny laughed saying she thought he smoked more matches than tobacco, and she had never seen someone get so much enjoyment from so little tobacco. She also laughed at her husband when she said if she were 30 years younger, she would likely have married a handsome young naval officer like my grandmother (this apparently "hurt" his feelings). Granny also expressed her outrage at Frank (my grandfather) for not having written either Granny or my grandmother for some weeks and threatening to "hang him up by his toes." Then she realized that as he was out on a cruise, he wouldn't have been able to post letters that he had written, so while she knew it was hard for my grandmother, it was part of life in the service. Her husband's letters were so kind and loving to his new daughter (whose own father had died about 8 years before,) expressing his hope that she will feel quite one of the family. He didn't want to be interfering, but wanted to help bear the new couple's trials as well as joys, and she should feel free to confide in him.
The wedding date had been set for June, but in March, Granddaddy received orders to report for another assignment, so the wedding was hastily moved up. In the packet of letters was a copy of the letter from my Grandmother's School district allowing her to break her teaching contract. Then the responses from the siblings on hearing the news. Ed was ecstatic, because not only did he get a longer Easter break, but the military academy was having inspection the day of the wedding, so he would get out of all the cleaning. Lil Sis was happy at an excuse to miss classes, and Grandmother did have her correct bridesmaid dress size?!? Golly pete, she must be thrilled about getting married so soon. The parents settled down to normal Parents of the Groom responsibilities and the banalities of travel arrangements.
And I drifted along, feeling that I was watching an old movie, except that the stars of this show were my own relatives...
The letters were interesting for a number of reasons. 1) It was from a very formal era, but when writing personal letters was much more part of every day life 2)It introduced me to members of my family that died years before I was born, but were so vibrant and alive.
Granddaddy had one older sister, whose letters were very helpful and correct, but she was already married and lived far away, therefore not as able to be involved in the festivities. The younger siblings included physical descriptions, reports on how they were doing at school, and things she absolutely was not to tell Granddaddy about. The youngest insisted that she had been sent away to school in Mississippi because she had too much fun at home and couldn't study enough. Lil Sis' favorite expression seemed to be Golly pete! and she set out to storm my grandmother's heart with the deepest confessions of her 16 year old soul, professions of love, and intense interest in her bridesmaid dress. Ed was almost a man, and insisted that Grandmother was exactly the type of girl he himself hoped to marry and he was so glad she was beautiful. Not, that, he hastened to add, he wouldn't have liked her if she had been plain, but her looks certainly made it easy. He also commented how glad he was that she was from Virginia like his mother. Now Granny would have someone else to talk to who pronounced tomatoes the way she did (To-mott-toes). He confessed that he had recently switch schools and dropped participation from three sports to two, which seemed that it might have some positive effect on his grades. (A few years later, Ed intentionally flunked out of the Naval Academy in Annapolis and announced to everyone's disbelief that he wanted to study medicine. He did, and went on to get a Harvard fellowship and have a very successful medical practice.)
Granny poked gentle fun at the men in her family, remarking that Ed had recently come home for Christmas thinking himself quite a man and smoking a pipe. Granny laughed saying she thought he smoked more matches than tobacco, and she had never seen someone get so much enjoyment from so little tobacco. She also laughed at her husband when she said if she were 30 years younger, she would likely have married a handsome young naval officer like my grandmother (this apparently "hurt" his feelings). Granny also expressed her outrage at Frank (my grandfather) for not having written either Granny or my grandmother for some weeks and threatening to "hang him up by his toes." Then she realized that as he was out on a cruise, he wouldn't have been able to post letters that he had written, so while she knew it was hard for my grandmother, it was part of life in the service. Her husband's letters were so kind and loving to his new daughter (whose own father had died about 8 years before,) expressing his hope that she will feel quite one of the family. He didn't want to be interfering, but wanted to help bear the new couple's trials as well as joys, and she should feel free to confide in him.
The wedding date had been set for June, but in March, Granddaddy received orders to report for another assignment, so the wedding was hastily moved up. In the packet of letters was a copy of the letter from my Grandmother's School district allowing her to break her teaching contract. Then the responses from the siblings on hearing the news. Ed was ecstatic, because not only did he get a longer Easter break, but the military academy was having inspection the day of the wedding, so he would get out of all the cleaning. Lil Sis was happy at an excuse to miss classes, and Grandmother did have her correct bridesmaid dress size?!? Golly pete, she must be thrilled about getting married so soon. The parents settled down to normal Parents of the Groom responsibilities and the banalities of travel arrangements.
And I drifted along, feeling that I was watching an old movie, except that the stars of this show were my own relatives...
posted by Ceil | 10:49 PM
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