Friday, January 13, 2012

Ida's Letters - And who was she?

Ida was a great aunt of my husband's, whom I met once when she was old and senile, but cheerful. 50 years before that she had traveled from California to Panama and Peru as a missionary, and the gifts she brought home long ago have decorated our houses over the decades and made her name a household word. Like this carved gourd:


Recently I came into possession of several packets of the letters she wrote home from 1919 to 1922, when she was in her early 30's. I am spending many hours of these winter days typing Ida's words into computer documents so that this little bit of family history will be accessible to whoever is interested.

Ida wrote to her mother as she was preparing months ahead:
    
Florence Fletcher is making me a couple of skirts and a dress and I have enough waists and underclothes. You know things mildew down there so I’m taking only just what I need and no more. I’ll have to hang everything that I possess in the sun every week so I won’t want a couple of trunks full of things. Picture me dressed in white every day, just like a real lady. When my corset covers wear out (I have 6 good ones) you can make me some more.
Now don’t worry about me. I’ll get some fish berries and flush and won’t even be sea sick. God will lead me there safely or he never would have called me to go so you just rest easy in the Lord because that is all there is to do.

The night before she departed from San Francisco:

My war stamps will bring me $42.90. I had to wait 10 days so they (post office) are going to send me the money. My ticket will be $114. The fare is $152 with a 25% discount for missionaries. So you see I have plenty of money.... Sent my trunk to-day and to-morrow a.m. Sat. I go up to the city on the 7.20 train. I’m taking my rattan suit case and then 3 suit boxes done up in heavy paper with a shawl strap. Have practically all of my clothes with me.

She makes me laugh out loud, the funny way she relates her responses to the people and culture she encounters. And I admit that some of my laughter is over her less-than-charitable opinions which I would be unkind to publish. But here's a fairly innocent clip from Panama, less than a month after she'd left home:

I’m sick of cockroaches but I do have many in my room. But ants and cockroaches have complete possession of our kitchen. Our girl is so shiftless and it doesn’t seem to be any body’s business to make her clean up.

There is no such thing as wall paper here. It wouldn’t stay on the walls – too damp – Nearly all the houses are ceiled, sides and all and painted in a most hideous shade of bluish pea green. The kind that makes you crazy. They are strong on red too. You’d think it would make them hot to look at it.
I like the spirit of someone who writes things like, "Don’t worry about me because you know I’m always happy anywhere and I sleep and eat like a brick, as per usual." So I'll likely have more expressions of her verve to pass on as I go along with Ida on her South American adventure.

9 comments:

Jeannette said...

Those lovely gourds! And now you have letters to plot her journey...

Amanda Parish said...

a long time ago, i came across some letters that my grandpa wrote to my grandma while overseas during the first world war. i enjoyed reading them but was too young then to fully appreciate and protect them. what value such things have even if only to say we're all and always have been sojourners. this was lovely. thank you for sharing.

M.K. said...

Oh, I wish you would publish them all, in their entirety! I love reading old letters. I have a family letter of my husband's that is from 1890. So fun and fascinating to read! Well, I'll enjoy every word of Ida's thoughts that you put here - thank you!

Miss Melicious said...

I love reading old letters! I stumbled upon your blog as somewhat of a mishap...and I'm so glad that I did. You should consider making a book (on picaboo etc.) of these letters. If for nothing else, to preserve them for current and future family members.

Gumbo Lily said...

Now that was a jolly read! I'll bet you are so enjoying every bit of those letters. Your family will kiss you after they have their very own documents supplied by you. What treasures.

When someone asks you where you got the gourds (for instance) do you have the answer, "Aunt Ida."? A friend gave me several things from her Aunt Betty and so the standard answer to the question is, "It was Aunt Betty's," even though I never met her.

I'm glad you shared Aunt Ida's thoughts.

Jody

Kassianni said...

"eat like a brick" !!! I laughed out loud.
these letters are absolutely priceless! what a treasure. you should publish a blog for these! what a readership they'd have. I love these few words I've read. what a character she must have been.

Anita said...

These letters sound so interesting and tell us so much about the times in which they lived. What a family treasure!

elizabeth said...

loved this! old letters are so enjoyable... I just got a used copy of Flannery O'Connors letters... very lovely...

GretchenJoanna said...

Elizabeth, I also have O'Connor's letters and they truly are wonderful...I know you will be enjoying them.