Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A letter from Addie in Memphis

Today's letter is from Addie, the woman who assists Maj. Gillham's mother at the home for the elderly in Memphis.  Frances, as you recall, had been there during the Easter holiday, and now Addie is writing to Japan.  Her address, 1207 Sledge, is directly off U.S. 51 near downtown in the Annesdale-Snowden neighborhood.  The letter has no date on it, but the postmark is May 18, 1946, so we are ordering it in the collection according to that date.  Maj. Gillham's mother, Effie Young Tucker Gillham, died that summer, on September 2, 1946, at the age of 75.


1207 Sledge
Memphis, Tenn.

Mr. Gillham,

I hope you will surely excuse this fine paper.  I'm going to write in spite of the yellow paper.  I have had very little chance lately to get letter paper.  So, I am going to write just the same.

Well, yest. Sun. was a lovely mothers day.  Also, it was very cool throughout the day.  We had visitors until late Sun. night.  Wish you could have been among the bunch.

Mr. Gillham, your wife and lovely children came to see us some time ago.  You have a grand family.  Frances gave me both yours and her address, but they were misplaced.  I'm so sorry, for I promised to write her at once after she went away.  Won't you forward me her address to me soon?

Your sweet mother is as usual.  I have just finished her bath now and left her laughing.  She said I had been drinking.  She is a mess.  I love her very dearly.

Well, it won't be so very long now til you'll be coming our way, will it?  Try and bring your family, if possible.

I am sorry I had not written sooner, but I could not from losing the address.

Hoping you'll be heading our way soon.

Best wishes to you and family,

Your dear Mother and Addie

1 comment:

Katherine Caldwell said...

I never knew about Addie. What a sweet lady she was! I'm sure there are no pictures of her. I wonder what "Homes for the elderly" were like back then....