Digitizing (read preserving) the Past

Man, did May ever fly by! I didn't realize that I'd gone a month again without posting. Here's a preview of things to come, albeit that they will come VERY slowly, merely because of the nature of the work. Of course, my pace probably doesn't help. Here's the list though.

Digitization of Letters:
I've digitized one letter on here from 1920, this is the plan for those to follow.

As I embark on the long, but necessary journey of digitizing and transcribing my grandparents’ letters and letters of older generations (what few I have), I want to note a few observances regarding the letters.

First, I intend to digitize into *.jpeg format each of the letters into files in which each of file will be named for the date the envelope was postmarked denoted as follows 1957.06.01 pm. A date/file name without the ‘pm’ indicates that there was a letter, but no envelope.

I will try to get them organized in related segments/events, and then of course by date. My goal, ultimately, will be to have all of them digitized and typed. As best I can, I will digitize and type the older ones first.

The letters generally will fall into the following groups.

Pre-1940
Most of these fall into the WWI era time frame with one coming just after the war in 1920 (which has already been digitized and transcribed) and a group of letters having been written from a family in France who had befriended Edward Gordon Ponder and kept up correspondence with his youngest sister Dollye Elizabeth Ponder Thompson, Mme. Guiggard and her daughter according to the letters. The spelling is the best interpretation/transcription I can decipher.

Military letters:
Most of these that I will publish will be from WWII, so as to maintain the standard that the primary writers are no longer living, to protect identity, etc. as much as possible. The bulk of these letters were written from Allen Vernon Tuten to his parents Joseph Alexander and Ruth Rogers Tuten. I will also scan and transcribe a journal that one of A. V. Tuten’s crew-mates kept regarding their missions in Europe. There are a few letters that Marguerite Elizabeth Thompson, while in boot camp, wrote to Ralph and Naomi ‘Jane’ Bowden. There are a few military documents as well that I will scan and include.

1957
These letters were written while Robert Harold Clinton & Marguerite Elizabeth Thompson Clinton, referring to each other as Baja and Tommy or Tombone respectively through out the letters, were living apart from each other between May 1957 and Sept. 1957. Baja was in Norwalk, California writing to Tommy and their children in Watkinsville, Georgia and vice versa. Unfortunately, the letters for the month of July that Tommy wrote to Baja are currently missing, and likely lost to posterity. All of the letters written from Baja to Tommy, to my knowledge are accounted for.

While writing to each other during this time, they rarely missed a day of writing, and the letters that I have read thus far have been descriptive of their days and especially full of love for each other and almost disconsolate longing and loneliness while apart.

For each set of letters, mistakes within the letters will be kept as is with the typical notation of [sic] after each.

I will try without too much commentary to let the letters speak for themselves. When narration is necessary or beneficial, I will provide it.

AFN
DCC
Athens, GA 4 June 2009
Rainy

And We Think We have it Bad - Part IV

Pages 10-12. Part I, Part II, & Part III contain the first 9 pages.

The damage to Pages 11 & 12 comes from having to remove the letter from an adhesive backed photo album page. I would have kept the letter as it was, but I wanted to be able to see the top part of the 12th page and the acid from the album would have eventually destroyed the letter all together.

10

our next door neighbor had &[sic] old chicken eating hog in their lot that was eating them[.] it sure provoked me because they wouldn’t do something with that hog[.] their lot is so close. It is impossible to keep them away it ate up nearly all of their chickens but they seem to think more of the hog than they did the chickens[.] I had to shut up what I had left to have a few to eat[.] I wanted to save ½ doz pullets[?] [.] I don’t know of any one who has any pullets to sell[.] they are real high here have to pay 75cts for small frying size. I am not getting a single egg now[.] looks like they never will

11

start to laying again. I have about 20 little fall chickens[.] I think they came off last of day [page torn] in Sept. I am proud of ??lus?? [page torn] they will get large enough to eat so early. Am writing Sat P.M. & am by myself so thought it a good time to write[.] Dollye went home with Lillian two weeks ago am expecting them to bring her home about next Sat. She generally spends about three weeks with Lillian it is so far & she don’t go very often[.] I was sorry about little George

12

Just being in such a bad fix & hope that ^Essie or Epsie? [carroted in] will enjoy her trip & come back very soon afterward.
Guess I have to stop now havent time to write any more. I have a [tear in paper]gro girl to [illegible 3-4 words][.] she washes dishes sets the table brings in wood & so on. Hope you are getting on as well as when you wrote. I am still feeling very well all but my back have spells with it[.] some times it feels weak nearly all the time[.] I know you are tired reading this excuse bad writing & mistakes & write again as soon as you can
love to all Sister

And that's the letter, such as it is/was. As the letter is today it hangs in my office. As it was, a priceless portrait of 'the way things were' in Middle/South Georgia (depending on who you ask) , and shows that just because 'everyone else' was having a time of it in the 'Roaring 20s' it wasn't necessarily so everywhere. "Everyone said Wall Street fell, but we were so poor we couldn't tell . . ." I've thought about that lyric just about every time I've read through the letter.

In a fit of pre-Christmas 'getting something for myself' (and I suppose for any descendants I may have), I bought a frame in which to put the letter with glass on both sides so that the whole of the letter may be viewed and the letter now hangs in my office. Next up getting the glass that's UV protectant to further protect the letter. But until I can rake up the change it's going to be as it is b/c after pricing, it ain't cheap . . .

Merry Christmas!
AFN
DCC
24 December 2008

And We Think we have it Bad - Part III

Pages 7-9 from the letter dated 13 Nov. 1920, likely written by Ida Benton Lester Ponder.

See part I & part II for first 6 pages and more of an explanation. Below are the scans & text for pages 7-9

7

with him. They told him he had indigestion & wrote to his Dr I n Waynesboro that they couldnt do anything for him[.] said it was in his blood, so I dont think he has ever realized what a bad fix he was in. It seems that one trouble right after another comes in our family[.] now we have one consolation if we would think about in[inserted][.] the bible says The Lord chasteneth[sic] those that he loves. Well I will change this sad subject & write about something else. The Boll weevill[sic] is here now & cut crops short so

8

you dont hear any thing talked about now but hard times[.] just lots of people didnt make a third of a crop[.] we havent made any thing evey[sic] one of our hands came out in debt not able to pay for what we advance for them[.] cotton is so low every body that can is holding what little they made for a better price[.] we havent sold any[.] I havent bought me one thing but a ginghams dress[.] the merchants are feeling it too[.]they are not doing much business. We are having bad luck on every side this year[.] we lost all our hogs but one with cholera, will have to

9

Buy most of our meat & lard next year. Hog cholera went through this county this summer[.] I heard of so many losing their hogs. I have some nice turnips in my garden & some pretty collards. They are the white Georgia collard[.] Some of them looks ^like [carroted in] they are beginning to head up. We dug our potatoes today a week ago made two nice banks which is not as many as we had last winter but it will be plenty for us. Well I didnt get very many of my chickens to eat after all they kept disappearing & found out that

Pg 10-12 to follow

Merry Christmas!
AFN
DCC
24 December 2008

And We think We have it Bad - Part II

Pages 4-6 from Letter dated 13 Nov.1920

4

got to die & leave his family. I have had to go ^through[carroted in] with another sad occasion ^lately[carroted in] [.] poor Gordons[sic] remains was burried[sic] here yester-day two weeks ago, we had reg-ular funeral services in the church & it was awfully sad to me but I feel lots better[.] satisfied to know he is burried here at home in our own cemetery & I can visit his grave & plant flowers on it[.] we have a new one started here only about eight or nine graves there. The Government wrote to ^us[carroted in] about two months ago to know if we wanted his body brought home & we decided we would have it brought. you[sic] asked me about Hemans[sic] neck. well

The location of the 'new' cemetery. Now called Rose Dhu Cemetery where Ida Benton Lester, her husband E.E. Ponder, Ruth Ponder Cates (their daughter), Heman Cates (her husband) and Gordon Ponder (all mentioned in this letter) are now buried as well. Scary what you can do w/ technology these days.

5

I will tell you just how it started. A while after last Christmas a bump commenced growing kinder on the side of his neck it was under the skin[.] it looked just like a wenn[?] just a bumg under the skin he went on & did’t pay much attention to it but in March it commence forming & hurting so bad he went to the hospital in Augusta & had it taken out & the place all cured up nicely but it wasnt long before a notti-er bump came on his neck and far from where the other one was. So he decided he would go to a specialist in Atlanta[.]

6

He went & he told him it was a cancer of the worst type & advised him to go to John[sic] Hopkins hospital in Baltimore as thee best cancer Dr that is known lives there. Well he went & Ruth went with him & the other bump was taken off his neck & it cured up, then in two or three weeks another one came kinder on his side[.] he went back to Baltimore to be treated again[.] they examined him good his stomache & all & found that it was in his stomache & was incurable but they didnt tell him so he was getting so then that every thing he ate disagreed

AFN
DCC
22 December 2008

And We think We have it Bad - Part I

I'll pretty well let the writing that I included with this letter the first time when I transcribed it do the talking/commentary. Below is a letter dated 13 November 1920. Because I want to add a scanned picture of Ida Benton Lester Ponder, the woman whom I believe wrote the letter, I will put the letter up in 4 parts with corresponding transcriptions for each page/scan.

Addendum: This is actually a link to the 'streetview' on google maps that shows the very house from whence this letter was written

Unaddressed letter/no envelope
Written Nov. 13, 1920 in Vidette, GA. (location on google maps) Based on contextual clues it was written by Ida Benton Lester Ponder to her sister Clemmie Lester _____. It is also a possibility that it was written to Clemmie Ponder Cates as she was called ‘Sister’ by her parents (E.E. Ponder & Ida Ponder) and siblings, but contextual clues seem to indicate that it was written by Ida Benton Lester. It is possible that it was never sent or that it was sent and returned later after Ida’s death.

Written on wide-ruled paper, narrow, typical stationary. Yellowed with age in 2007 when I found the letter attached to a card board album page with paste, which resulted in the damage to the eleventh and twelfth pages.

Letter:

Vidette, GA

Nov. 13^th, 1920

Dearest Sister,

Your letter was read about two weeks ago and you know I am always glad to hear from you, will not wait so long to answer this time as I want to tell ^you [carroted in] about Heman we went to see him Tuesday & I really dont[sic] believe the poor fellow can live more than two or three weeks longer. We go to see him every week & he is poorer & weaker every time we go he is getting so weak now he cant hardly talk he is pittyful[sic] to look at

2

& dont[sic] seem to realize his condition he talks now about getting well, he dont [sic] retain a thing he eats all comes back back in a little while after he eats. Ruth says she dont know how he has held up as long as he has had been in the bed now 11 weeks and not a soul has waited on him but her[.] it is remarkable how she has kept up[.] She is looking well[.] Heman says she is a good nurse & he didnt[sic] want any body[sic] to wait on him but her[.] I have offered to stay & help her but it[‘]s this way[.] She has two men boarders & hasnt an extra place for any one to sleep says she is obliged to keep them for they are feeding her family[.]

3

it is a sad affair words cant express my sympathy for them[.] Heman has always been so devoted to his family[.] I’ve always though if he should be taken from them that Ruth couldnt stand it but I think she is becoming rec-onciled now she knows that he cant[sic] live, he is living on morphine now[.] the Dr learned Ruth how to puncture him he suffers so with his stomach he just has to have it, it almost breaks my heart to know he has . . .

The Heman Cates mentioned in the letter married Ruth Ponder, dau of Ida Benton Lester Ponder & Edwin/Edward Erastus Ponder & sister of Dollye Elizabeth Ponder, Clemmie, & Lillian and Gordon Ponder who is briefly mentioned later in the letter having only recently died during WWI.