Fred Perel: June 15, 1939

I'm running haggard and was too lazy and tired to come up with something creative and innovative myself tonight, so I thought instead I would post another love letter. I promise to post something different and more "me" tomorrow night.

I also wanted to mention that if anyone wants to comment, it's that little button on the upper right hand of the post - where it says "0 comments". Just click that and a comment box will appear!

Not sure why, but I only took one photo of this letter.



June 14, 1939

Dear Marion,

After waiting quite a while I've received your letter yesterday and have, like I always do, forgiven you already, and understand your position all right but I believe you really don't have to let me wait so long, if there isn't much to write, don't write much but at least let me hear from you. Please don't misunderstand, but I really worry if I have to wait so long.

In the meantime you must have received the big picture. How do you like it? I think its swell. We are both good on it, I even found that our lips look exactly alike on it. Gee! Didn't I find something there. I received the film from Silvia the other day, and send you enclosed a few prints.

I am very happy that you enjoy my staying with you as much as I did and the fun and good times we both had. Well a few more weeks and I hope we will enjoy ourselves together again here in Birmingham.

How did you enjoy these dances from the A.[Z?].A and that other one? Our club the J.L.C. Gives a banquet and dance next Wednesday. Boy! I wished you were here. Would we have a grand time. I wonder if you could make it. Gee! I wouldn't know what to do. I know how it is but maybe you can come anyhow.

A nice experience you had the other day. 2 miles to walk is plenty to make you hot and tired. I am also glad that the driver of the automobile had the car under her control.

Yesterday our Y.M.H. + Ping Pong team played the Y.M.C.A. Skinny loosing his game gave them an early lead which then came to a 3:2. I had to play the last game and in this match I had the most important one. I played their no. 2 man and did I fix him up. I beat him 21:8, 21:10 which tied up the score. Our no. 1 man then had to play twice so we can find the winner and he brought us the victory. It really was exciting.

In summer school I am enjoying myself. I take Biology and Sociology. Like usual I don't intend to work hard in this heat, so don't worry I won't work myself to death. Three more weeks and I will have completed my first semester. Five after this and I will be through and waiting for you to come here which reminds me, have you written your aunt yet?

Now let me tell you the big news if you don't know it already. Hellen, Sam's wife, left him a couple of days ago. She is in Atlanta now for good. Everyone seems to be happy about it, I don't know about Sam, but I try my best to make him forget her by taking him along wherever I go.

Well it looks like I have written you all there is and its getting late, tomorrow at 5:30 o'clock is my night over, so I will close my letter hoping you all in the best of health and sending my regard to every one including your dear father and sister.

Yours Always,

Fred

P.S. I love your new stationary. Its very pretty.

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Amy's Comments:

I like Fred. He has very pretty, easy to read handwriting. :)

Evelyn: Aug. 28 1939

As many of you probably know (or have guessed) by this point, I am a photographer. It's the reason I am on the computer 12 to 15 hours a day and the reason (aside from my daughter) that I look forward to getting up each day. It is extremely stressful, time consuming and unrewarding, but it also challenges me and pushes me to grow not only as an artist but as a person.

It is also the reason I indulge in waaaaay too many bowls of ice cream (can you tell what I'm doing now? ;)

At any rate, since I do not (as of yet) have any new interesting tales to share, I thought I would share another letter with you. This one is not from a suitor, however. It was penned by Evelyn - Marion's [older] sister.



I feel almost like I'm intruding by posting this letter, but since nothing is actually revealed within I figured it would be ok :) And yes, it literally does say "Don't show this to anyone".

Btw, this was sent to an address in Birmingham.

August 28 -[19]39

Don't show this to anyone.

Dear Sis,

I hate to write this letter but Mama thinks its best for you and for Bessie that you come home. We will tell you why when you get here.

Mama says for you not to leave later than Wed. and let us know when you will leave.

Brother went to Miami Sat. nite. Papa came to the store for the first time since he has been back Sat.




That's all now. Will tell you everything when you get here.

It wasn't my idea for you to come, but I guess Mama knows best. She has her reasons.

That's all, give Bessie + everyone my love,

Love,

Evelyn


Amy's Note: :( Unfortunately I never was able to find out why. I have very few letters from 1939 and 1940 so those years are hard to trace. I have a lot of letters from 1942 and 1943 though...and during those years we get introduced to my favorite guy - Bill!

The "I Love You" Letter (Aaron: Aug 19, 1940)

My own grandfather, a WWII vet who lost his brother overseas, has not been doing well of late. It is a reminder that we lose history everyday in the form of our elders who have passed on. My goal is to photograph and record the contents of these love letters in my own personal endeavor to preserve a bit of history of my own.



Ok, I don't live anywhere near Charlotte but as far as I can figure, Uncle Sam's Loan Office is long gone. However, I did find a photo in an old NC photographer's archive from the beginning of the 20th century – located here: toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/photo/ball/jpeg /ball1811.jpg

As best as I can figure Aaron is (maybe?) Harry Orenstein's son (Harry was the proprietor of Uncle Sam's at the time). The reason I think this is because businesses back there were often family owned – also the return address on the envelop is 2 doors down from the store and Aaron apparently still lives with his father (being that it was his Dad that gave him Marion's letter). Also the return address is typed in the same font as the stationary head.

From Aaron's letter, he seems pretty close to Marion, but I don't think he was her boyfriend as she apparently tells him about hanging out with other guys and signs her letters to him with “as ever”.

For anyone who is interested, I can tell you that Marion was the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants. Her family lived for a while in Philadelphia, but her father became partner (and eventually owner) of a Delicatessen in Atlanta where the whole family worked except Marion.

I found out the above info by doing an Internet search. That being said I don't have any contact info for any of her family members and I'm not quite sure who sold me the letters.



The envelop is postmarked Charlotte, NC (Aug. 19 1940 12:30PM)

FROM: 205 East Trade St.
Charlotte, N.C.

August 19, 1940

Dear Marion, I love you.

Doggone you, why don't you send me some good pictures of yourself? Man those pictures are really terrible. If you don't send me a good picture, I'm coming there to find out what's the matter. You ought to be ashamed to send me pictures like that. I'm almost mad at you. But then again for some reason or another I can't get mad at you. I don't know why. (Gosh this certainly is getting to be a slanting letter isn't it?) I'm almost ashamed to show those pictures to anyone. You're twice as cute as those pictures. Aw ell I guess I raised enough h-- about those pictures now I'll write you a letter. I'd better start all over. Here goes.



Dear Marion, I love you.

Well how are you honey? O.K. I hope. I certainly was surprised when Dad gave me your letter this morning. I really didn't expect it.

Here it is another [dull?] Monday. You think that your work is boring. Huh, you ought to be here. Say that's a good idea, why don't you come down here and spend 3 or 4 years? That would be O.K. with me. How about it? What-cha say?

There's a possible, quite slim chance that I might come to Atlanta within the next two weeks. I don't know how its going to come out but I'll just keep plugging. Maybe I'll win and maybe I won't. But here's hoping anyhow.

You'll have to excuse the stationary but I'm at the store now and this is all I could get my hands on. Sorry. I love you.



I believe you're trying to make me jealous by telling me about the boy-friends you go out with. I'll be doggoned if you're not really making me jealous. So quit before I really get mad and come up there and get you. I love you.

Honey, those pictures of you kind of made me speechless. How about sending me some pictures that look Marion Muldawer? I had to look twice before I could recognize you. I believe you said something about some pictures that you took at the pool. Well where are they? Good gosh if I had a figure like yours I wouldn't be ashamed to show it off.

Well I guess I just about ran out of saying nothing, so I guess I will lose.

Please send me a good picture of you. Thanks a lot.
I love you. With all my love,
(p.s. By the way what does “as ever” mean?)

Aaron

Amy's Note: There are a number of letters that mention photos, but unfortunately, I have been unable to locate any.

Jake: Dec 16, 1940

I have a collection of letters I got off of ebay many years ago. They are all addressed to the same woman (a Miss Marion Muldawer from Atlanta) from a number of male suitors. I cannot tell if she was serious about any of them - it is hard to say as I believe I am missing one set of letters. If anyone has them, I'd love to hear about it, and/or buy them off of you.

At any rate, I thought it would be selfish to keep these letters to myself and not to share. :) Hence, here is the first. It is from "Jake" (later a Lt. J.L. Goldstein who served with the 14th Infantry).

These are photos of the real letter. I had fun playing with the light. :)



The envelop is postmarked Milledgeville, GA on Dec 16 1940 – 7 AM

On the back of the envelope it reads:

“IF NOT DELIVERED IN FIVE DAYS
FORGET IT”




Friday Night

Dear Marian,

I think I answered your last letter and told you how sorry I was about not answering you sooner than I did. You know that I have a weak mind and I might have forgotten to mail it, but I don't think that I could forget one of your letters.

In case I did forget to mail my last letter to you, in it I explained very well (I think) why I didn't answer you so quickly. If you didn't get it, I understand your not answering it; but if you did get it, why in the ____ didn't you answer it. You know there is nothing in Emily Post that says you had to wait as long as I did. You see it says on page 43, section 102, article 81, line 14, that I was, “justified in not answering sooner because of an acceptable excuse.”

Now that you see how wrong you were I accept your apology.



What have you been doing since the last time I heard from you? Hold on to your chair because here I go again. You know how I feel about you. You also know I can't help it if I am crazy about you. I understand of course that I must have gone crazy first, before going crazy over you. Just because I've you, and you know I do, is no reason for you to treat me the way you do. Do you know that I stay at home at night thinking about you? Anyway I think about you whether I stay home or not. To much of you and to much hair, are on my mind all the time. Now I can have a hair-cut and cure the hair problem but what am I going to do about you? I tell you Marian, that I have really got it bad and I want you to advise me what to do. All advice will greatly be appreciated and if there is anything I can do for you it will give me great pleasure and delight to attend to it at once.

Well, I think I have said enough all ready so I had better close.

Love,

Jake



Amy's Note: I will be publishing more of these intriguing correspondences, so stay tuned!