And I Think I Have it Rough Some Days
This is a letter written by my great-grandfather, John Lewis Palmer, to his sister, Lilly Palmer, on Jan 13, 1919. It was about a month after the death of his second wife, Ludie Knowles Palmer. John Lewis and Ludie were Pop's parents. At the time, they lived in Broxton, Ga. His sister Lilly lived in Goldston, NC, where John Lewis was from originally.
[On Palmer-Chambliss Hardware Co. Letterhead]
J. L. Palmer and C. F. Chambliss
Palmer-Chambliss Hardware Co.
Dealers in Hardware
Terms Cash – Interest Charged After 30 Days
Oliver Plows, Mowers, Rakes, Binders and American Wire Fencing
Also Exclusive Agents for Famous Roberson Cutlery
Broxton, Ga., Jan. 13, 1919
Dear Lilly,
We received your letter yesterday and was glad to hear from you. Yes, Ludie died Dec 19th. It was a great shock to us all and it leaves me in a bad fix. Six little children to look after besides Lee and Estelle. The baby has been real sick for a week. We thought Friday it wouldn’t live, but I am glad to say it is so much better this morning, and believe it will soon be well. It has a stomach trouble caused from feeding it. He was nursing and we had to go to feeding him. He vomited everything he ate for 4 days, then his eyes and face began to swell. The Dr. said it was a poison caused from eating.
Ludie died I suppose with acute indigestion caused from the condition the Influenza left her stomach in and then ate something that didn’t agree with her. She was first taken on Tuesday morning while cooking breakfast. We got the Dr. and she got easy in about 2 hours and Wednesday worked all day. Wednesday night she had an other spell but got over that about 10 o’clock that night. Thursday morning she did not get up. She said she was so sore, but not in any pain and about Dinner Thursday she was taken again and was nearly dead before we could get the Dr. She died about 4 o’clock Thursday evening.
Our baby liked 10 days of being a year old. Our two little ones names are Hugh and Walter and the baby is name Carl.
Estelle is with me now, but don’t know how long I can keep her as her husband has a job in Douglas, but I will get on some how. I can cook and attend to them my self. Mrs. Knowles is very feeble, not able to do much so she can’t help me; Lena Mae, J.L. and Margarette are in school. All except the baby are doing nice and are as fat as pigs.
I wish you could come to see us and stay a while. When is Charley coming? We have looked for him ever since Christmas. We gave Ludie a nice burial. A solid steel casket and a cement grave, and I hardly ever saw so many pretty flowers. Some came from other towns as far as 25 miles. Ludie was a good wife and mother and we miss her so much. No one but those who have experienced it can know anything about it. I will close. Love to you and Charley. Write again.
Your Bro,
J.L. Palmer
p.s. We had just about gotten well when Ludie died. We had nine sick at one time. Lee and I had Pneumonia. I am not real well yet, Can’t get to feeling good. Lee seems to be all right. We certainly had a time, 2 Drs. and a trained Nurse.
J.L.P.
Lee and Estelle are John Lewis Palmer’s eldest children (by his first wife, Lena Cole). The sick baby he refers to is his youngest, Carl Jenkins Palmer. Hugh and Walter are Hugh Knowles Palmer, and Walter Woodrow Palmer (my grandfather). Mrs. Knowles is Ludie’s mother, John’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Sarah Patience Hood Knowles. Lena Mae, J.L, and "Margarette" are his children Lena Mae Palmer, John Lewis Palmer, Jr. and Mary Margaret Palmer. Charley is John Lewis’ brother, Charles Christian Palmer.
A few different things struck me about this letter: First, it is hard to imagine someone dying and me not finding that out until almost a month later, and by mail. It must have been difficult to receive a letter with such sad news and then not be able to pick up a phone and call someone to see how they are or have any questions you have about the death answered. Next, I find it interesting that he is so quick to point out that she died and left him in a bind. People seem so reserved in old letters that you don't even sense how devastated they must have been; he seems more concerned about how he is going to keep the household running. I found the descriptions of their sicknesses kind of funny: "A poison caused from eating?" "Acute Indigestion?" I also love that he says the other kids are "as fat as pigs." It is hard to imagine living a life so hand to mouth that you brag about your kids being fat.
Sadly, John Lewis Palmer died later in the same year the letter was written, in August of 1919. At that point, the children were orphaned and split up between family members in GA and NC. My grandfather (Walter), Hugh, and Carl all went to Ludie's sister, Bettie Knowles Bird, and her family. They lived on a farm about eight miles from Hazelhurst, GA, I think, which is itself absolutely nowhere.
Labels: Genealogy, Knowles Family, Old Letter, Palmer Family, Thankfulness
posted by Dogwood Girl @ 2:35 PM
13 comments
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13 Comments:
I know exactly what you mean from reading old letters from Kat's side. People today get all bent out of shape about dealing with a kid or two- it is unimaginable trying to comprehend how 'mortal' everyone was at that time. It was just part of going through life for most people. What gets me about the geneaology is the name recycling- I suppose that was a condition of premature death as well... and it resulted in some sweet nicknames.
Someday we'll have to put our charts together-
Mike
I was going to say something profound about how with the ubiquity of digital communication, future generations probably aren't going to have this kind of written record of day-to-day life; but then I realized that it wasn't an especially profound thought, and so I decided not to say it.
Thanks for sharing this, Anne. I'm really interested in geneaology and wish I had the time (or would make the time) to really get into it.
I know. I only have two kids, and I have a dishwasher, and washer and dryer, and grocery store, and doctors and car, plus the boob tube. It is so sad to me to read about all the kids who died so early. As far as I can tell, they didn't lose any children. My grandmother's mother, though, lost two as children, one who died in her arms on the way to the doctor. And HER mother lost one of her twins in a fire. Just so . . . tragic and sad.
Concerning the names - LOVE LOVE LOVE old names. What are your funny nicknames? Would love to hear them.
"We'll have to put our charts together?" Mike, are you coming onto me?
Lyle - Agreed, concerning the written record, but geez louise, my descendants are gonna be like, "Damn, that woman sure did blog about poop a lot."
Glad you liked it. You know, I have collected some of your family stuff, too, for the kiddos. Johnson, Jarboe, Harris, Almaroad. Will gladly share what I have so far. I haven't really concentrated on it much, though.
I thought she died from pneumonia. What's with all this "stomach indigestion" stuff?
I thought she died from complications of the flu. (That was during the flu epidemic.)
Well, there's Mammie, Gammie, and Bammie- and of course Uncle Boo.
Anne- I'm just saying that maybe someday we could have a chance to merge our genetic information- thats all. Its for the future.
Lurker here. Very interesting post. Curious to know how he died? And did your Grandpa keep in touch with his other siblings? Hard times, indeed.
Mammie, Gammie, and Bammie? Funny. My grandma called me Boo, so that doesn't seem that odd to me. :-)
concerning us merging our genetic future - a) i laughed out loud, because I know exactly the tone of voice you would use if you said that to me. Your joking around voice, which always makes me laugh.
Secondly, my genes are too good for the likes of your genes.
Lurker - He died, I think, of a complication from Influenza, too. I believe that those who didn't die initially from the flu (people got really bad headaches, sore throats, and coughing, then their lips started turning blue, and they coughed up bloody sputum, before expiring), were weakened in the lungs, and many died later of pneumonia. (From what I have read.)
The story my grandfather told me was that his father (the John Lewis Palmer writing the letter) sat down on the bed with him, to take off his shoes, and slumped over on top of him. My grandfather was about three.
My grandfather and the other two younger boys went to the Bird family farm in Jeff Davis co. I think the two oldest children (Lee and Estelle) were over 18. The two girls by Ludie, Mary Margaret and Lena Mae, went to live with their father's brother Hugh, in NC.
John Lewis, Jr. (known as "John L.") went to live with his father's brother, Charley (the one mentioned in the letter.) Charley was an interesting character. He was well-educated at UNC, then came back to live with his parents on the old family homeplace. It no longer stands, but I have been to the property, and my dad has a picture of the house. Anyway, Charley was a bachelor for many years, and adopted John L. He was supposedly very, very tight with his money, more so than the average man back then. He was pursued for many years by Ludie's sister, Mabel Knowles, and they finally married after many years.
Not to out a dead man on the internet, but I often wonder if he might have been gay.
One brother, George, died before all of this happened, in 1909. He was not even one year old.
Yes, the children did stay in touch, but I wonder how close they were having been separated. I know that the eldest of the second batch, Lena Mae, did a lot to try and keep everyone in touch.
Should also note that my grandfather is the only one of the siblings still living.
And here is some more info on the Spanish Flu Epidemic:
http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/1918flu.htm
"675,000 Americans would die from the flu -- more than the total of all Americans to die in all wars in the 20th century."
Wow, it is so difficult to imagine what it must have been like living in that time.
My great-grandfather also died of the Spanish Flu, in 1917. In northern Ontario (Canada).
Thanks for completing the story - sorry, I know it is kind of weird that strangers are asking about your life....
No problem! Lurking is fun.
Interestingly, I have another line of my family that came through Ontario in the late 1800's.
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