Tag Archives: South Carolina

October 27, 1931

Tuesday Night
Oct. 27, 1931.

Dearest Sweetheart:

Giles Rawles (Johnie’s brother) spent this evening with us. His wife and baby remained in Columbia, Mississippi while Giles and his wife’s brother are making a tour of Texas, “prospecting.” When he saw Walter White he immediately said he was just like you. Didn’t you meet him once when we were here or has he just seen your picture? I believe he and his wife were visiting here at that time. Yes, I know they were because we all went into Mexico together and took some pictures. She was the one with the babyish voice, you remember.

October 27, 1931

You would be amused to hear your son call Papa “Nickey” and “Humpkin” (Mama’s pet name for Papa). He has been in the yard almost all today. This afternoon Mr. Dougharty has been thrashing the pecans and W.W. has been helping him pick them up. Sometimes he decides to take them out of the bucket by the handful and scatter them. He fills his pockets and a little glass with them. He likes the taste of them but we do not give him many. He puts one under his little bare foot and says “onna cwack it,” or squeezes one in each fist and says the same thing.

It is lovely that you have so much enthusiastic cooperation in preparing the exhibits etc. for the meetings. I’m glad that you, Mr. Hall and Mr. Hull are going to present “The Sandfly Problem” in December. It should be of great interest to those attending the meetings because of its importance and the lack of previous work done on the problem. I’m glad you are planning to be present at the meetings although we are going to miss you. If Mr. Hall goes also perhaps Pauline and little David would stay with Walter White and me. We would enjoy having them and none of us would get so lonesome. Perhaps we could find a cot or something for David to sleep on.

I was so amused at your comments on Charleston that I read that part of your letter aloud to Mama. She said tell you that the more you disliked Charleston the better pleased she was. This speculation about Dallas is something to my wife’s ears and that about Jacksonville isn’t exactly bad. It would seem too good to be true if we could return to Dallas to live. If that cannot be, Jacksonville would be nice – certainly a great deal nicer than Charleston. Anyhow, those things are pleasant to think about. I can’t believe we are settled in Charleston for life, but I am beginning to feel that it would not be bad at all to live there for a while longer. It is a good experience. It makes us appreciate other places. By the way, yesterday a neighbor of ours remarked to Papa that they were trying to kill all the rats at Carrizo Springs because they were spreading typhus. Papa did not inquire into it but when he told Mama she was all keyed up over it, thinking that you might go down there to do some work. He will make further inquiries and I will let you know. Are you interested in getting material from there if possible, or do you think it would be worth the trip? I do not know a Carrizo Springs physician’s name to whom you could write for information. It would be lovely if you could come.

Yes, Honey, I love you too even though you live at Charleston. I’d love you if you lived at Kuippa [?].

Good-night and I hope you sleep good.

Always, your
Ina.

September 25, 1931

Friday Night.

Sept. 25, 1931.

Dearest Sweetheart:

Your letter of Monday night which arrived this morning was most welcome. It contained lots of interesting information.

September 25, 1931

The thing that impressed me most was the possibility of our moving to Tampa. Yes, of course I understand that it is by no means cut and dried but is a mere possibility. However, it doesn’t hurt to think about it. In fact, I consider it very pleasant food for thought. Tampa is a very nice place to live, is it not? At any rate it is not Charleston – is not even in South Carolina. I am very anxious to know more concerning it. Also, I am wondering who would remain in Charleston. 150 miles from Ft. Pierce should be safe.

Have you heard anything from the Cushings? They should be coming out soon.

It is nice that your trip to the Southern has been approved and that Dr. Shelmire had a second thought in regard to the order of names in the exhibit.

I am glad that you were pleasantly surprised in the number of sand flies in your collections during your last trip. I did not want you to be disappointed in it.

Walter White gets sweeter every day. This afternoon Mr. Cain (the rather elderly gentleman in the apartment next to us) said that W.W. was the cutest boy he ever saw. He said he was so easily entertained. He, his wife and daughter seem to be so fond of W.W. I believe the baby would enjoy visiting with them all day. He knows when people like him.

I believe there is more talk about the depression here than at Charleston. These people are more accustomed to prosperity than Charlestonians, I suppose, and a shortage of it causes discomfort and probably alarm. Honey, don’t you suppose we had better wait quite a while about getting a new car? It was for this trip home that I was especially anxious for it and since we have gotten along so far without it I believe we could make Willie do for many months yet. In that way we could avoid rendering a new car for taxes next year and could probably buy a car at a lower price later. In the meantime we could be using our money to a better advantage. I am anxious for us to be able to pay a great deal on Owenwood next time. It will be lovely when we get even with the world financially.

By now Rebecca should have been married long enough to settle down to her household duties.

It would be lovely to have another letter from you tomorrow.

We love you lots & lots.

Always, your

Ina.

March 31, 1931

This is a letter to Ina from Anna Laake, wife of one of Walter’s colleagues in Texas. From the address on the envelope, we learn that Walter and Ina were living at 10 Elmwood Ave., Charleston, SC.

Dallas, Texas
3-31-’31

Dear Mrs. Dove and family:

I have thought of you dear people so often and wondered how you were and what you are doing and after seeing Dr. Dove’s name in the paper to-nite I could not resist writing and enclosing the item.

March 31, 1931

Ina I received your letter and also Claudelle’s card which I enjoyed. I know you two are happy to be together again. And so you have found the old town more interesting with Claudelle’s help. I know you must be busy with your house full and I am certain that Walter White is receiving his full share of attention from “all.”

The weather has been just beautiful until the last week and we have had two bad freezes that have ruined many flowers and fruit.

Ernest visited me, arriving Friday evening March 20 – and left Tuesday March 24. He was just out of the hospital, having had a pretty bad case of flu. He came by auto and made it in two days – fortunately the weather was good during the trip and while he was here. He went back by train. I received a letter yesterday saying he was O.K.

You remember Mrs. Parish of Menard? Well the baby arrived O.K. about a month ago. They are so pleased with “him.” Ernest had Mr. Parish to come here while he was in Dallas. Ernest was so busy I saw very little of him while he was here. I can hardly realize he was here.

With very best regards to every one and a big hug for Walter White. I am

Sincerely,

Anna.

March 23, 1931

Though he had to miss Christmas with his family at the end of 1930, Walter’s work on the transmission of endemic typhus went well, and he and his colleagues started preparing their data for publication. I believe he brought Ina and young Walter White to live with him in Charleston, SC sometime after New Year’s. Meanwhile, Walter took out a loan from the Veterans’ Administration. The VA was apparently getting a lot of loan requests around then. Even with a steady job, the Great Depression was a tough time.

March 23, 1931

June 25, 1930

Stationery from The Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina.

June 25 – 10AM.

My dear Sweetheart,

Your letters were fine. Today we go to Wilmington & then tomorrow I return here for Jimmie. We will go to Savannah and when I get him started I expect to return to Dallas.

June 25, 1930

I don’t know whether I’ll have time to get an answer to this note.

Jimmie was at the Y.M.C.A. when we arrived. He has been looking over things with us.

With love,

Your
Walter.

June 22, 1930

Sunday June 22nd

My dear Sweetheart,

We did not get away for Charleston today. This morning we went down to the Tybee beach and then to a resort hotel on Wilmington Island. The plan is to have Jimmie work from this hotel. We will know more about it tomorrow. We expect to leave here tomorrow at 1:20 PM. Should arrive Charleston at 4:20. We will be there until Wednesday afternoon. Guess I’ll have to go to Wilmington, and possibly to Florence S.C. then return here. I’ll call at General Delivery when I return here. I should get back about next Friday PM. Will probably get return tickets on the last day of the month and it would be about the 3d of July before I get back to Dallas. When I return here it may be necessary to draw a check. Would like to know if the expense check has arrived and has been deposited. I would draw not more than $25. Guess salary check would get in in time to catch it OK.

June 22, 1930

I hope that everything is going well with you and Walter White and Claudelle.

Savannah looks good for a laboratory site. Charleston may be just as good.

I love you, Honey, and I will be glad to see you.

Your,
Walter.

June 18, 1930

Stationery from the San Juan Hotel, Orlando, Florida.

June 18, 1930.

My dear Sweetheart,

We made stops at Stuart, Vero Beach, and Cocoa, after spending most of the forenoon at Ft. Pierce. You would be surprised, but there are less than 10% as many mosquitoes at Ft. Pierce at the present time. They have about 50 miles of ditches which permit the minnows to find the wiggletails. Many of the ditches are made by blasting the mangrove trees with dynamite.*

June 18, 1930

We found more sand flies and mosquitoes at Vero Beach than at any other place along the East Coast of Florida. The conditions were quite similar to those of Marco Island. Mr. Reed came to Cocoa with us and then we took a bus to Orlando. We arrived here at 8:30 tonight. We had dinner and now it is about 10:30.

Orlando is a nice town. It is not in the sand fly section. Bish wants to spend a day with McNiel here. Tomorrow night we leave for Jax. The next day we go to St. Mary’s, then Savannah, then Charleston. We hope to find Jimmie up there about that time. Too, we expect to find that his appointment went through. As near as I can figure, it is not going to give me much time in Charleston before it will be time to return to Dallas. Will try to get Bish to cut out the Wilmington & Myrtle Beach trip or make it by himself.

I hope you are getting along OK and that Walter White sleeps well.

With love,

Your,
Walter.

* Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

June 17, 1930

Stationery from the Hotel Dixon, Fort Pierce, Florida

June 17, 1930

Dear Sweetheart,

Greetings from all of us! The mosquitoes are not so numerous since the anti-mosquito work was undertaken. We called on Mr. Fee tonight, but will have more time with him tomorrow. The sand flies seem to be holding their own but are not annoying when there is a breeze. We go to Cocoa for tomorrow night, then Mr. McNiel will meet us and take us to his sub-station at Orlando. From there we take a train to Jax. Will visit St. Mary’s north of Jax, then Savannah, then Charleston. We may call at Myrtle Beach which is between Charleston and Wilmington. This general survey is getting pretty tiresome. We are getting some general information but it is not giving much in the way of leads. They have different notions about the breeding places. I’ll be glad when we get to Savannah and Charleston and can make some arrangements about beginning the work. I was surprised that Bish stayed with me so much for a general survey.

June 17, 1930

I certainly hope that you are getting along OK and that Walter White is on good behavior. It seems a mighty long time since I saw you. I love you, Dear, Walter White too, and I am anxious to see you.

Always,
Walter.

Mr. Reed of the Fla. State Board of Health is driving his Ford Coupe for the 3 of us. Quite crowded but we make stops frequently. Will be looking for a letter “General Delivery” Charleston. Should you find it necessary to wire me, send care City Health Officer Savannah or Charleston.

Autumn 1929?

I can’t decipher a date on this telegram, but it’s probably from late 1929, when Walter and Dr. White received an award from the American Medical Association for their work on larva migrans.

CHARLESTON SOCAR 11 839A
DR W E DOVE. EXHIBIT BOOTH CONVENTION HALL
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSO

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH WE ARE SO GLAD LOVE
INA.

Autumn 1929?