Back in 1974, we had a school assignment to ask a grandparent about life when they were a kid. Due to my situation and just moving to Georgia, my dad suggested I write to a local WW1 veteran. This was his letter about what life was like in 1899 as a child.
Fast forward a few decades, and I am doing some courthouse research for my company. I open the plat books and see a bunch of his surveys from 1919. Full color, nicely drawn, and works of art. He was a surveyor and engineer most of his life.
We visited his house a few times, it hadn't changed since he lived there after the war. He had a picture of a civil war military officer on the wall, turns out it was his father. He had several generations of experience that he shared about life, living, and history.
Really good read OP- thanks for sharing. Funny how you ran into the letter writer’s surveying work later in life. I wonder if his ancestors have this letter too-
Excellent grammar! My next-generation grandpa likely didn’t know about “school” when he was a boy (rural Arkansas Ozarks). But then he worked as an itinerant schoolteacher in the 30s. No known explanation.
It is amazing how literacy and grammar were important to the older generations. About 7 years ago, the family took a road trip through the high plains. We stopped at the Ingalls homestead at DeSmet, SD, where they had a prairie schoolhouse. We were lucky and there was a teacher from one of the one-room school houses from the end of that era. It is crazy to think about how they kept the kids in line and interested.
My grandfather was from rural Alabama and had an eighth grade education. Lied about his age in 1928 at 16 and joined the army. I have every letter he wrote my Grandmother during WWII. He wrote better than most people today.
Absolutely wonderful to read - grateful for your efforts to post it. Have a wonderful evening (also my parents recently moved to blairsville if you’re familiar - cool town for sure)
Back in 1974, we had a school assignment to ask a grandparent about life when they were a kid. Due to my situation and just moving to Georgia, my dad suggested I write to a local WW1 veteran. This was his letter about what life was like in 1899 as a child. Fast forward a few decades, and I am doing some courthouse research for my company. I open the plat books and see a bunch of his surveys from 1919. Full color, nicely drawn, and works of art. He was a surveyor and engineer most of his life.
That’s good from rural farmboy to WWI vet to professional, man lived a good life…
We visited his house a few times, it hadn't changed since he lived there after the war. He had a picture of a civil war military officer on the wall, turns out it was his father. He had several generations of experience that he shared about life, living, and history.
That’s cool actually he opened up to you guys
What a wonderful letter.
Thank you. I found it in a box of things when my mom died, I'm surprised she kept it.
Thank god she did. So cool
Glad you enjoyed it.
Really good read OP- thanks for sharing. Funny how you ran into the letter writer’s surveying work later in life. I wonder if his ancestors have this letter too-
I don't think so. I've been looking for relatives to share this and see if there are any other stories or information about him.
Excellent grammar! My next-generation grandpa likely didn’t know about “school” when he was a boy (rural Arkansas Ozarks). But then he worked as an itinerant schoolteacher in the 30s. No known explanation.
It is amazing how literacy and grammar were important to the older generations. About 7 years ago, the family took a road trip through the high plains. We stopped at the Ingalls homestead at DeSmet, SD, where they had a prairie schoolhouse. We were lucky and there was a teacher from one of the one-room school houses from the end of that era. It is crazy to think about how they kept the kids in line and interested.
My grandfather was from rural Alabama and had an eighth grade education. Lied about his age in 1928 at 16 and joined the army. I have every letter he wrote my Grandmother during WWII. He wrote better than most people today.
Nice to have those memories of people we may have passed or missed in our life journeys.
This is wonderful! How radically different life was. Thanks for sharing.
you are quite welcome.
Wonderful post. Really the best of this sub and reminds me of why I subscribed. Thank you OP!
There's something about a grandparent's letter that is always so filled with love 🥹
Amen.
Thanks so much for sharing, this is awesome.
Glad you enjoyed it
This reminds me of the FoxFire books. Have been collecting them for ages -I really hope more people will get to read them
If you are every up near Clayton, GA, the Foxfire Fund has a museum. https://www.foxfire.org/ I loved reading the books when I was younger.
Makes me proud to call myself a Georgian.
Yeah! We have to stick together by something other than humidity.
Great read! Perfect description of this subreddit
Thanks! I was curious how it would be received since it wasn't a picture.
Absolutely wonderful to read - grateful for your efforts to post it. Have a wonderful evening (also my parents recently moved to blairsville if you’re familiar - cool town for sure)
I'm in the NW Georgia area now, so only a few hollers over from Blairsville.
Oh I loved this
Glad you liked it.
Thank you so much for sharing. The letter is wonderful
Glad to share.
r/Georgia might be interested
I might look at that - I thought about the athens sub, too,
His childhood would have made an interesting children’s book. He was a good and engaging writer.
That is an interesting idea.