History Through Personal Letters: The Importance of the Written Word

History Through Personal Letters

The Importance of the Written Word

by Patricia L. Cummings

Just recently, I have realized more than ever the value of the words that are left behind sometimes, by way of old letters, and all of the other documents that someone can accumulate during a lifetime. Personal correspondence can capture the feelings of a particular time and place, as nothing else can. Often, the letters transcend one's personal experience and reflect opinions about certain current news events of the times, such as war, and murder trials. The mail brings news of births, illness, engagements and marriage announcements. Letters tell of trips taken, challenges endured, promotions granted, awards given, and so very much more. All of these form a personal record of a life lived.

WWII Postcard - 1944- from Germany, from M. Fischer to sis

WWII postcard sent to my mother from "Somewhere in Germany."

Postcards and Letters From World War II

While looking through family ephemera, I found several pieces of V-mail that were sent to my mother from her brother, during World War II. Those 4.25” x 4.75” small pieces of mail were sent “Free.” The return address is “War & Navy Departments” - “V-Mail Service,” “Official Business.” The photocopied, reduced-size letters are so tiny, they are barely discernible. Other letters and postcards, were sent by the same uncle who was all over Europe during "The War." One letter begins with the words, "From Somewhere in England." There is only one request: that my mother send pastries.

Letters from Distant Relatives Provide Clues

Letters from my mother's Aunt Daisy in Jacksonville, Florida kept her up to date on the doings of the southern entourage of the family. She had left Georgia when she was only five years old, yet stayed in touch by mail with her aunt, her cousin, and her uncle. Now, those letters are helping us to establish genealogical relationships because the "news" often mentions family members by name and refers to them as cousin, uncle, or grandfather. As a result, we have been able to determine information (and related individuals) that perhaps we never would have found otherwise.

Public Records

Letters provide details and “feelings,” components that are missing when one views plain “statistics,” such as birth, death, and census records. However, keep in mind that all sources of information complement each other in helping us to establish family ties. Old draft cards are interesting because they list a person's physical attributes, as described by the party. For example, my grandfather's draft card from World War I, (dated 1917), says that he has gray eyes, dark hair, and is of medium height. If one knows where to look for these tidbits of information, it is likely that many insights about people who lived in the past can be found. A good starting point is always the saved ephemera in one's own household.

My Dad and His Writings

Most precious to me are the humorous letters written to me by my father when I was living overseas. The pile of letters sent from my Dad to Mother during their nine year courtship prove his steady attempts to woo her heart and to persuade her to marry him. During part of that time, he was in Boston, going to school, and working at a boring job that he disliked. Times werehard. He was lucky to have any job whatsoever, during the Great Depression.

My parents finally married in 1937, but not before he had mailed hera string of letters expressing his undying love, along with his own handwritten poetry. Although previously I was unaware of this correspondence sent to my mother, the communications reflect the deepness of his affection for her. Unwittingly, his personality is immortalized in these writings. They reveal his ability to poke fun at the events of life, in a kindly sort of way, and his sensible habit of always putting things in perspective.

The Importance of Handwritten Letters

Letters can take on many qualities. They can express joy at being on vacation. They can appeal for funds. They can be sorrowful, and written at the end of a relationship that has been lost through disinterest or callous disregard. They can reflect hopes, dreams, or wishes for a better tomorrow. They can be an account of physical suffering. They can announce a decreasing state of well-being. Letters also can be vicious, full of jealousy, acrimony, and malicious intent. Mail can express a wish to end a relationship. Inadvertently, a letter can be a fond farewell from a soldier who is unable to ever set foot on home soil again.

The Value of “Snail Mail” v. e-mail

Old letters are charming. It is fun to see the handwriting of our relatives. E-mail can not begin to compare, as it is quickly gone, as our words evaporate into cyberspace, at the push of a button.

Enduring Family Memories

The potential of letters is powerful, and know this: the written word is both enduring and endearing. How else would I know that my mother was called "Weensy Scrap” by both her uncle and her grandfather? How would I have ever known that my oldest brother was called “Jeep” by my uncle? How would I have found out that my mother's uncle had written many letters to Congress to encourage that a bill be passed to improve veterans' benefits? In every letter, a bit of the personality of the writer shows through, and provides the reader with some clues as to the person's state of mind and life experiences.

The Perils of Life Demonstrated

A letter from my grandmother bemoans the pregnancy of one of her daughters, blaming it on “that man” and the fact that the couple was Catholic. She offers "condolences” to my mother for being in the same state(with me!), my mother's last child. Is this letter evidence that my grandmother was a man-hater? I never knew the woman, and I can only know her through her words, scrawled on a piece of paper, a reminder that words spoken or written may stand the test of time, long after we are gone.

Another family member expresses her trepidation about animpending birth. Yet another note asks my parents for money to help with college expenses, and describes how awful it is to live and work in a farm building that houses chickens, at the university, in order to earn some money to offset the costs of a college education. In reading this kind of mail, it is easy to realize the hardships that some members of the family endured. They faced life with a mixed sense of desperation and hope.

Preserve “Pieces of the Past”

I encourage you to preserve your own family letters and related paper items, in a safe and archival way. I have purchased some three-ring notebooks and archival sheet protectors and I am in the midst of sorting and organizing all of this kind of family memorabilia.

As a whole, the group was prolific in their correspondence. After reading all of their thoughts, I believe I will know them all much better. Of course, there is a plethora of certificates, newspaper obituaries (that I plan to scan and print), and other old documents worth keeping. The personal letters are most special because they provide a meaningful glimpse into the past, as seen through the eyes of loved ones, many of whom are no longer with us. If you have any old letters, please preserve them. Your children or their children will thank you. While you are busy, you might as well also organize all of your family photos and identify the parties ... for posterity.