"My darling husband, It makes me feel so lonely, to think how many miles we are separated, and that I can't wait for you tonight when you come from the office. Last night we sat on the porch and talked until eleven-thirty and sweetheart, that wonderful moon -- I couldn't keep my eyes off it and I wondered if you had felt as I did -- lonely, and sorry that I hadn't gone to Detroit with you, sorry for those moments spent in dark thoughts..."
One of the main reasons I love old houses, is that you can always catch a glimpse of history in them ... in one way or another.
This morning, after church, Nathan came downstairs from cleaning his half of the closet...which he had really YET to do since we moved in (and much of his stuff was still in bags on the top shelf.)
While cleaning his top shelf, he came across something quite interesting! Four pieces of paper ... three letters and a postcard, two of which had dates ... 1912 and 1916. They appear to be written between an Arthur Knipschild and someone named Edna, or "Eddie" for short. One letter is from him, just before their wedding and another is a postcard from her, from what looks to be her family's vacation spot in Michigan, called the St. Clair Flats, northeast of Detroit. Then another is written to the couple from a friend, after the wedding, and the final is written from Edna to her husband, while he works in Chicago as she spends time at the Flats, yet again.
We were floored by this find, and can't figure out why the letters would be here, since we have a pretty complete record of who lived in our home since 1914, and it doesn't include these folks. But what a neat thing to discover! The handwriting, on original monogrammed staionary, is so incredibly precise and beautiful!
Here's a line written by Arthur....
"Just four weeks from today, you and I will be standing hand-in-hand, in some strange city, man and wife, with a world of love and happiness before us...Ed, when a fellow loves a girl with all the good that's in him, when the thought of and image of the wonderful wife-to-be possesses him to the exclusion of every other idea, there just can't be anything but good and happiness engendered(??) from such a union. So we should worry, what!"
Ah, l'amour! I find I'm much obsessed and would love to learn more, but am having trouble figuring out how. I'll have to consult my records of this house again, to make SURE they didn't live here!
7 comments:
Surely the local historians/geneology buffs can help you find out more, especially since you have a full name and a date. How fun!!
What a delightful find! Maybe Edna and Arthur were relatives of the people who lived there and they had the old letters passed to them... happy sleuthing! I love the "voices" of long ago, don't you!? So full of emotion and caring! Sweet! Email just doesn't do this nowadays, does it?
Well, I did a little bit of sleuthing in the census records tonight, and Edna and Arthur were 29 and 34 respectively in 1920, and had a 2-year-old son named Charlie. They lived in Benton Harbor. (Right in town)
that is so exciting! i love finding old treasures like that!
How cool! Hope you can find out more about them!
You are so cool - and what a find. This will jump start a novel, I am thinking ...
Kat!!,
Please contact me. That was my Grandmother (Edna) and Grandfather (Arthur) who lived in BH. I lived in Fairplain until 1984. I may be able to fill in some blanks on the the house, if I knew where you lived. (Possibly where my father had lived)
I never knew my Grandfather, and my grandmother passed away in 1973.(I was 9) Unfortunately both my parents passed away in 1978 & 1983 so I have very little family history.
I cam across your blog when I was searching my fathers name (Which BTW was also my grandfathers) You can reach me at knipper@gmail.com
Thanks!! Hope to hear from you!
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