Personal Notes that Bertha included with Rent Checks sent to Quincy Morris
While processing her parents estate, Evalind (Ellis) Pickering found letters sent to her grandfather, Quincy Morris. We received a package containing 10 letters written in 1951 and 1952 by mother when she mailed a check for the rent for the Morris Home to the owner, Quincy Morris. Mother's handwriting was always a challenge to read, even decades ago. For the first time we now can read them all. Fascinating letters, as mother would tell Quincy all about the "doings" of us "kids." These letters also give us additional insight about mother. The envelopes are all intact as well, each with a 3 cent stamp. --- Philip
November 1951
Dear Mr. Morris,
I want to tell you how much we are enjoying your lovely house, especially since the weatherman has brought winter temperatures to us so early in the season. It is so comfortable and such a cheerful house. I feel as if I am really living once more. We hope you are keeping well and that James keeps you busy.
Sincerely,
Bertha Myers
I want to tell you how much we are enjoying your lovely house, especially since the weatherman has brought winter temperatures to us so early in the season. It is so comfortable and such a cheerful house. I feel as if I am really living once more. We hope you are keeping well and that James keeps you busy.
Sincerely,
Bertha Myers
December 1951
Dear Mr. Morris,
It looks like a fairyland today—the trees covered with ice, down to the smallest twig. We are really snowbound, but enjoying it. The boys have built a fort in the back yard two days ago. They enjoyed really smooth sledding on the crust of the ice in the front yard. I had laid in groceries Monday afternoon and had finished our Xmas shopping, so we are not fretting about anything. I hope your cold has improved.
Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
It looks like a fairyland today—the trees covered with ice, down to the smallest twig. We are really snowbound, but enjoying it. The boys have built a fort in the back yard two days ago. They enjoyed really smooth sledding on the crust of the ice in the front yard. I had laid in groceries Monday afternoon and had finished our Xmas shopping, so we are not fretting about anything. I hope your cold has improved.
Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
January 1952
Dear Mr. Morris,
Margaret and I just finished our lunch, and I want to take a few minutes to send you a note, so as to be prompt with our rent.
I have been making dolls’ clothes all this week in my spare time. Margaret has a heavy cold. It keeps her amused. Her new doll came without a wardrobe, so it was a job that had to be done some time. I have rather enjoyed it, tho’ I could have made Margaret herself some with the same time and energy. No wonder they charge so much for doll clothes. Frieda Yochum sent a box full of scraps and it has been fun choosing materials and patterns.
I hope you will escape this “flu” or bug that so many are having. Viva and Virgil Young still do not feel up to par. Take good care of yourself.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
Margaret and I just finished our lunch, and I want to take a few minutes to send you a note, so as to be prompt with our rent.
I have been making dolls’ clothes all this week in my spare time. Margaret has a heavy cold. It keeps her amused. Her new doll came without a wardrobe, so it was a job that had to be done some time. I have rather enjoyed it, tho’ I could have made Margaret herself some with the same time and energy. No wonder they charge so much for doll clothes. Frieda Yochum sent a box full of scraps and it has been fun choosing materials and patterns.
I hope you will escape this “flu” or bug that so many are having. Viva and Virgil Young still do not feel up to par. Take good care of yourself.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
A note from Margaret in 2015.
It’s difficult to transcribe this rent note with tears in my eyes. To think that Mother considered this worthy of reporting in her newsy notes speaks volumes to me and transports me instantly back to our lives at the Morris Place. I am pretty sure that she is talking about the “Ginny doll.” It was not a Christmas gift doll (the sweet faced, soft doll with a big butt so that I could carry it around in my arms like a real baby that I got for Christmas when I was 6, or the beautiful blonde walking doll that I got when I was 7). I was just about to turn 5 at the time of this note, and this doll apparently arrived in January. So I think that the doll that “arrived without a wardrobe” may have been the Ginny doll. The Ginny doll was miniature and had a sweet, pretty face that mother especially loved. Mother always picked dolls based on the beauty of their expressions. This lovely little doll had long curly dark brown hair. It was only about 6 inches toll, so the doll clothes were especially miniature and very difficult to make. What is amazing to me now (2015) is that this is the one doll from my childhood that I was able to preserve. All the others were used for the grandchildren to play with. I still have this Ginny doll and these tiny handmade clothes in a little wicker trunk in Moss Beach CA, 63 years later. Oh my goodness. |
The Ginny Doll and Her Handmade Wardrobe in 2015.
February 1952
Dear Mr. Morris,
Doesn’t this look business-like? It is some stationery used years ago, before Mr. Regan died and while Wayne was still on the board. Bill brought it home for the kids to use for drawing, etc. Even the phone number has been changed.
I hope you can manage to escape the flu—we are still having it. Johnny this week, David last, and Philip the week before. Like Helen, I am a little weary of having someone ill. I suppose it will be Margaret’s turn next. I hope not mine.
I am so glad Helen came to play cards and visit with some of us the other evening. We all enjoyed having her with our group again.
We are to get 100 chickens tomorrow. Bill expects to start them near the furnace, on the train table, then move them to garage, and finally outdoors when the weather moderates and they feather out. We use so many eggs and are fond of chicken in most any form. We are getting AAA Hampshire Reds and I think Philip is to have them for his 4H project this summer.
Good luck.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
Doesn’t this look business-like? It is some stationery used years ago, before Mr. Regan died and while Wayne was still on the board. Bill brought it home for the kids to use for drawing, etc. Even the phone number has been changed.
I hope you can manage to escape the flu—we are still having it. Johnny this week, David last, and Philip the week before. Like Helen, I am a little weary of having someone ill. I suppose it will be Margaret’s turn next. I hope not mine.
I am so glad Helen came to play cards and visit with some of us the other evening. We all enjoyed having her with our group again.
We are to get 100 chickens tomorrow. Bill expects to start them near the furnace, on the train table, then move them to garage, and finally outdoors when the weather moderates and they feather out. We use so many eggs and are fond of chicken in most any form. We are getting AAA Hampshire Reds and I think Philip is to have them for his 4H project this summer.
Good luck.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
March 1952
Dear Mr. Morris,
I am so glad that you escaped the flu this winter. Sorry, too, that James has had such a long siege of it. We are all well since Monday, thank goodness. Some chickens are in a homemade box in the garage and doing wonderfully well. Our first (and best) pup was run over the day before Margaret's birthday, which bothered us all, but her most of all, for she was with me when it happened. We had gotten so fond of him. We were able to locate another from the same litter, which Bill brought home the next day, so we have one to take its place, which has helped Margaret to recover. It's not as fine a dog, but looks somewhat like the other.
Bill's father is in the hospital at Wilmington, with a bad case of high blood pressure and all the accompanying symptoms. He was very bad last night--suddenly developed pneumonia, and Bill stayed over till midnight when one of his sisters relieved him. He is much better today.
Our basketball season is finally over, except for the annual supper they hold at the school for them. It is a relief in a way, tho' we would love to have had them go to the State Tournament, even for one game.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
Better have Helen read this to you. I am a notoriously bad writer.
I am so glad that you escaped the flu this winter. Sorry, too, that James has had such a long siege of it. We are all well since Monday, thank goodness. Some chickens are in a homemade box in the garage and doing wonderfully well. Our first (and best) pup was run over the day before Margaret's birthday, which bothered us all, but her most of all, for she was with me when it happened. We had gotten so fond of him. We were able to locate another from the same litter, which Bill brought home the next day, so we have one to take its place, which has helped Margaret to recover. It's not as fine a dog, but looks somewhat like the other.
Bill's father is in the hospital at Wilmington, with a bad case of high blood pressure and all the accompanying symptoms. He was very bad last night--suddenly developed pneumonia, and Bill stayed over till midnight when one of his sisters relieved him. He is much better today.
Our basketball season is finally over, except for the annual supper they hold at the school for them. It is a relief in a way, tho' we would love to have had them go to the State Tournament, even for one game.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
Better have Helen read this to you. I am a notoriously bad writer.
April 1952
Dear Mr. Morris,
Margaret and I have been working in the yard yesterday and today, and as usual in this season, I am discovering some muscles I haven't used for awhile. Our chickens are doing very well. The flowers have been beautiful this spring, and now some of the bushes are getting ready to bloom. Margaret, Karen (the Corey girl from across the road), and I planted some flower seeds this morning, but I fear the pup may prevent some of them from growing.
We have part of the garden planted, and I do hope the rain will stay away till we can get some garden planted, especially my 2 lbs of peas.
The boys have been flying kites recently--what a thrill it is when they soar and dip so high in the sky. They have also been fishing at Blue Bridge with Charles, Earl Murphy, and others. Johnny caught 2 little ones on Sunday afternoon.
I am glad you escaped the flu.
Sincerely,
Bertha Myers
Margaret and I have been working in the yard yesterday and today, and as usual in this season, I am discovering some muscles I haven't used for awhile. Our chickens are doing very well. The flowers have been beautiful this spring, and now some of the bushes are getting ready to bloom. Margaret, Karen (the Corey girl from across the road), and I planted some flower seeds this morning, but I fear the pup may prevent some of them from growing.
We have part of the garden planted, and I do hope the rain will stay away till we can get some garden planted, especially my 2 lbs of peas.
The boys have been flying kites recently--what a thrill it is when they soar and dip so high in the sky. They have also been fishing at Blue Bridge with Charles, Earl Murphy, and others. Johnny caught 2 little ones on Sunday afternoon.
I am glad you escaped the flu.
Sincerely,
Bertha Myers
June 1952
Dear Mr. Morris,
I know this will be late, for it takes 2 days to get a letter from here to Helen's. I saw the girls at dancing class last night and started to write a check then, but discovered I'd no pencil or pen along.
We are busy dressing young chickens for the freezer, doing cherries, and yesterday, picked our first peas. My, how good they were.
Hope you continue to be well.
Sincerely,
Bertha Myers
I know this will be late, for it takes 2 days to get a letter from here to Helen's. I saw the girls at dancing class last night and started to write a check then, but discovered I'd no pencil or pen along.
We are busy dressing young chickens for the freezer, doing cherries, and yesterday, picked our first peas. My, how good they were.
Hope you continue to be well.
Sincerely,
Bertha Myers
September 1952
Dear Mr. Morris,
I don't know whether you watched us or not, but yesterday a group of women from this township went on a chartered bus to Cincinnati and were on the television show, "Breakfast Party," led by Mel Martin. There were 24 of us, and I can tell you we were a lively bunch. We left at 6:30 am, so you know what our husbands had to put up with--sketchy meals and no housekeeping for one day. We were served doughnuts and coffee at the program, and after that we went our separate ways if we wished until 2:30 when we met the bus again and came home. About 14 of us met at one of the newer hotels and ate at the cafeteria in the basement, and the food was very good, and weren't we glad to get off our feet! Then most of us shopped some more. Some went back to WLW and had a nice tour of the studios, and part were even able to sit in on another show. You should have seen us boarding the bus to come home--our feet hurt, we were smothered by the late afternoon sunshine, and loaded down with bundles. Two of them even had big pictures for their living room walls. It was quite a treat for all of us, and now our families want to go!
Hope you are well.
Yours,
Bertha M.
I don't know whether you watched us or not, but yesterday a group of women from this township went on a chartered bus to Cincinnati and were on the television show, "Breakfast Party," led by Mel Martin. There were 24 of us, and I can tell you we were a lively bunch. We left at 6:30 am, so you know what our husbands had to put up with--sketchy meals and no housekeeping for one day. We were served doughnuts and coffee at the program, and after that we went our separate ways if we wished until 2:30 when we met the bus again and came home. About 14 of us met at one of the newer hotels and ate at the cafeteria in the basement, and the food was very good, and weren't we glad to get off our feet! Then most of us shopped some more. Some went back to WLW and had a nice tour of the studios, and part were even able to sit in on another show. You should have seen us boarding the bus to come home--our feet hurt, we were smothered by the late afternoon sunshine, and loaded down with bundles. Two of them even had big pictures for their living room walls. It was quite a treat for all of us, and now our families want to go!
Hope you are well.
Yours,
Bertha M.
October 1952
Dear Mr. Morris,
It seems awfully good to be at home once more, I can tell you. I finally got to feeling well enough that I wanted to leave the hospital. Your sister-in-law, I believe, recuperated faster than I did. I enjoyed visiting with her so much while we were there and with your brother also. They are eager to hear all about your train trip into the Ohio hill country. Now, our children want to do the same thing.
Come see us when you can.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
It seems awfully good to be at home once more, I can tell you. I finally got to feeling well enough that I wanted to leave the hospital. Your sister-in-law, I believe, recuperated faster than I did. I enjoyed visiting with her so much while we were there and with your brother also. They are eager to hear all about your train trip into the Ohio hill country. Now, our children want to do the same thing.
Come see us when you can.
Yours,
Bertha Myers
November 1952
Dear Mr. Morris,
Haven't we been having the most unusual weather lately? In more ways than one. I do wish for rain. We are not out of cistern water yet, but are being most careful with it just now. I am having to let the wind rake the leaves, but they are collecting around the flowers and shrubs and will protect them later on.
When I first got up this morning, I saw some pheasants walking in the garden. Bill got out his gun and started down, but they heard him and 8 flew out, cocks and hens about equally divided. I am roasting a chicken for the school supper tomorrow and hoped to put a pheasant or two in at the same time.
Our dog was hit by a car Sunday afternoon. He must have been hurt internally, for he died in a couple of hours. I never saw the traffic go any faster than it did last weekend. I was glad I could stay home.
Come see us.
Yours,
Bertha
Haven't we been having the most unusual weather lately? In more ways than one. I do wish for rain. We are not out of cistern water yet, but are being most careful with it just now. I am having to let the wind rake the leaves, but they are collecting around the flowers and shrubs and will protect them later on.
When I first got up this morning, I saw some pheasants walking in the garden. Bill got out his gun and started down, but they heard him and 8 flew out, cocks and hens about equally divided. I am roasting a chicken for the school supper tomorrow and hoped to put a pheasant or two in at the same time.
Our dog was hit by a car Sunday afternoon. He must have been hurt internally, for he died in a couple of hours. I never saw the traffic go any faster than it did last weekend. I was glad I could stay home.
Come see us.
Yours,
Bertha