“Family Archaeologist” explores a century of family letters, diaries, and artifacts, and how they illuminate history and our shared humanity. To get an overview of the blog, click: “Welcome to Family Archaeologist”
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97 boys from one West Side church in WWII
Less than two years after Pearl Harbor, the lives of every family in America were upended, and that included the lives of those in my former community, West Garfield Park. In my family's relatively small West Side Chicago church, Bethel Lutheran, nearly 100 boys were in the service—and several girls as well. That's 100 families with sons (and some daughters) in harm's way. The anxiety must have been palpable.
Stabbing and plane crash puts WWII Mom on edge
My grandmother congratulates her son on becoming flight sergeant and on his stint teaching fellow airmen how to dance. She adds some motherly warnings to keep to his studies. When she writes, "Think always of yourself first," I don't think she means for him to be selfish, but rather not to forget his duties and school work.
Words of sympathy
Frank writes condolences to his sister-in-law, my mom for the death of her dad a few days earlier. (See Sept. 20, 1943 letter from Frank's mother, my grandmother, informing him of the death.) As an eighteen-year-old, he tried his best to share his sympathy, but such a young person had to rely on the tried and true. His words may come across somewhat trite, but many of us a good deal older, couldn't do much better.
Death in the family during WWII
John Koroschetz, my mother, Lillian's, father, whose death on 9/17/1943, is recorded in this letter to Frank. My maternal grandfather, John Koroschetz, was buried on September 20, 1943. In her letter to Ebner (Frank), my grandmother notes that on the same day she's writing this letter, she and the family attended John's funeral. But the date on the [...]
U of W for classes––and girls for WWII cadet training
University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point—That's where Frank has been assigned to the 97th College Detachment to pursue college courses. Without the military, Frank would never have been able to attend this excellent school. And there's a bonus: Girls! Girls! Girls! Delicious food! Cameraderie! I'm posting two letters here, written two days apart, first updating his mom and then his [...]
WWII cadet shipping out––to college!
Yes, Frank is an Army Air Corps Cadet, but part of his training will be college courses. His parents' dream was to see all three of their boys graduate from college (my grandparents were able to only complete through fourth grade in Romania.)
“Have faith”––Mom’s advice to WWII soldier son
Money is still an issue in this letter. It seems that some of the $10 my grandmother sent to Frank Ebner has gone missing. Even though she only went to school through the fourth grade, my grandmother had a good business head and kept careful track of everything she sent—not only the dates, but the time she mailed. Working as hard as they did for their earnings, missing money was not something to be taken lightly. Yet she never hesitates to promise to send her son "all he needs."
Draft deferment and death during World War II
Many mothers during World War II had to send off multiple sons to war. My grandmother's deep concern for the safety of her youngest is palpable in all her letters, yet she was lucky in that her other two sons, in their late twenties, were not drafted. This letter tells us why.
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