Tag Archives: real estate

September 4, 1925

Friday Night 9/4.

My Dear Sweetheart,

I am happy tonight – both letters came at one time. They were short and sweet and as usual they hit the spot.

It was awfully nice of you, Dear, to say that you would cook all three meals if I thought my digestion would stand it. You can bet your life that my digestion can stand it and I already know that you are a dandy little cook. Too, your taste is very similar to mine and I know that both of us will enjoy the meals. I guess I’ll have to drink coffee by myself but this will be all right. Mother Lewis is a good cook and from what I know of your cooking, I know that you are a good one too. I am looking forward with pleasure to yours.*

September 29, 1925

September 29, 1925

I agree with you and the minister who preached that The World is Getting Better. Years ago everyone had a high fence around the house and on the inside of the yard they had a ferocious dog. Lots of them have gotten rid of the dog and some have taken part of the fence down. I have particular reference to homes in the cities, as both the fence and dog are often necessary in homes on ranches and farms.

I am going to Jax again tomorrow morning and I guess I’ll be up there most of the day. Dr. White will stay down here. It makes a pretty hard day and he is older than I. He goes in the surf about twice each day and has quite a coat of tan, much more than I have. I believe that he is going to invest in a lot or two here on the beach. He thinks it is mighty fine and that the beach will develop. I believe it will, but I also believe that I made a better purchase at Fulford. I’ll be down there the latter part of the month and will investigate the present value. You did not mention the idea of a homestead, and I guess that it did not strike you favorably. I won’t consider it if you do not approve of it. I want you to know, Dear, that I have no idea of giving you any undesirable place to live. I want it to be such that both of us will enjoy it and I am going to do my best to make it that way.

You mean the world to me and I love you lots and lots and lots.

With a sweet goodnight, I am,

Yours always & forever,
Walter.

* Walter was a true gentleman.

August 31, 1925 (Walter)

This letter was out of sequence in the file, so I’m inserting it at the appropriate point in the blog now (22 November 2011) and backdating it to when it should have appeared. Sorry for any confusion.

Jax Beach. Monday Night. 11PM.

My Dear Sweetheart,

We were in Jax again today on account of the new C.E. location of which I wrote you a few days ago. Your letter and also one each from Mr. Laake and Mr. Bishopp were waiting for me. Dear, you always write such good letters and I always enjoy every word. Especially did I enjoy that portion in the last letter on the wedding plans. The place seems to be settled, and the parties have been agreeable to it, so it seems to be a question of when? It doesn’t make any difference to me about whether you wear a suit or the white dress with the laces etc. I’d say “yes” and feel awfully proud of you if you wore a house apron. Just suit yourself about that, Sweetheart, and whatever you decide upon will suit me.

August 31, 1925 (Walter)

August 31, 1925 (Walter)

Mr. Laake’s letter stated that Mr. Brundrette had accepted a position with the Jr. A&M College at Stevensville and plans to leave Dallas within the next week or ten days. They are giving him an increase in salary and I believe he is getting a good place. Mr. Bishopp tried to get an increase in the Bureau for him so as to meet his offer, but I guess it could not be arranged. I am sorry that Brundy is leaving us, but I believe it is a position which he cannot afford to turn down. It will no doubt be teaching for most of the time, but he is interested in entomology as a whole and I believe he is the man for the place. He has been a good man for us and we hate to see him go.

I do not know just what the effect of Brundy’s leaving will have on my work. If his place is not filled during this fiscal year it will give us more funds for operating and in view of the need I believe it should be left open with no attempt to fill it until after next July 1st. Just how Mr. Bishopp will consider it, I do not know, but I am in hopes that he will give me a little more toward the work down here. It is possible that he may want me to join Mr. Laake in Dallas as soon as I can, but I am not so anxious for that. We have already made a contribution on creeping eruption which Dr. Cort of Johns Hopkins says is the greatest advance in human helminthology that has been reported for years. We are working on a point which is the next step in the problem and which is more important than the work of last year. I believe that Mr. Bishopp realizes this, and it so happens that I have just written him to the effect that I’d like to work on it all winter. With the chance of having funds, I rather suspect that he will be of the opinion that I can stay most of the winter. It isn’t that I do not want to be in Dallas, Dear, for I certainly do like Dallas, but I am more interested in my work here than I am in the work they are doing at Dallas. This will mean more to me and to you and I. At the present time I would not trade jobs with anyone, and when Dr. White leaves I’ll be pretty happy. He has increased the duration of his stay until the 10th. His niece is going to teach at a point (Dayton) south of here and he wants to stay until after she arrives. I told him that I’d meet her and see that she got the train out of Jax OK, but he thinks he should stay and meet her. In the mean time we will continue the studies we have under way. He says it is the most interesting piece of work he has ever been connected with, and I can’t blame him for wanting to stay. He has been quite human the past few days and we are good friends etc.

In checking over the list of home stead land, Dear, I do not find very much in the southern part of the state. I am keeping this in mind. Possibly some one down there has a notion of selling his claim so that he can sell real estate. If I can buy one reasonable & then apply my Army service in lieu of residence, it might be a good thing.

I am enclosing a little paster which came on the back of my notice from Fulford. It looks as though their race track will soon be in operation. I am anxious to know the values down there now. Before the 1st of Oct I’ll go by there.

With a real sweet kiss and a goodnight hug, I am,

Your
Walter.

August 31, 1925

Monday Nite
Aug. 31, 1925.

My dear Sweetheart:

Claudelle and I were among the guests at Eastern Star this evening. The occasion was the birthday of Robt. Morris, Founder of the organization. You, of course, being a member know more about that than I do. We had a very pleasant evening, and had the additional pleasure of coming home in a slow rain. We came back by Thelma’s and exchanged our evening dresses for some gingham ones and made our way home nicely, enjoying the drops of rain in our faces. It stopped and the moon came out as soon as we drove safely in the garage.

August 31, 1925

August 31, 1925

Mrs. Parman visited with us for a few minutes this morning soon after breakfast while Mr. Parman killed a rabbit for experiments. They were expecting Dr. Hunter on the ten o’clock train.

I was interested in what you said of real estate in Florida. It seems that the climate is the main drawing card and that is something that won’t change so it looks like there would always be somewhat of a boom, though of course it will not always remain at the height that it now stands. Of course I wouldn’t blame a person for not wanting to invest in everything in sight, but I can’t see that a few sane reasonable investments would be dangerous. After one has been down there for quite a while and studied and understood conditions he should be able to judge good and bad investments. I am not afraid of your going “wild” over it.

I love you most ardently Dear, and trust you in everything.

Always, your
Ina.

August 30, 1925 (Walter)

Sunday PM.

My Dear Sweetheart,

We have just eaten lunch and found your letter at the P.O. when we went down. It was sweet of you to write just after you returned from the party Tuesday night. It looked as though you wanted to be sure that you wrote everyday. You have been wonderful to write so regularly, and all of your letters were just as sweet as they could be. I have observed one thing in particular about them, and that is, you never mentioned your worries or troubles, if you have any. I have not been so considerate of you for I have expressed just what was on my mind everytime I wrote to you. No doubt they bored you some. If they did, I am sorry for I want you to be happy.

August 30, 1925 (Walter)

August 30, 1925 (Walter)

Dr. White thinks that another week should put our work into pretty good shape or so that we could leave it. He is right about that for we have quite a bit going just now. I’ll probably be here for two or three days after he goes, and I rather expect that I will be down the state for about a month. I would rather be in one place, but I know that it is the right thing for me to do, to make a survey and see what they will do toward getting an appropriation. I am anxious to know what you think of the homestead idea, so I’ll know whether or not to investigate this at the same time. The idea would not appeal to me if the land was not so valuable down here, and since this is true, it might be worth while if I can locate something good. You can bet that I want a nice and comfortable place for you and I am keeping this in mind above everything else. We naturally want things and to accumulate, but I want you to enjoy life at the same time. I am going to do what I can to have you enjoy our married life. If you are happy, I’ll certainly be happy. If you are not happy, I’ll be more unhappy.

Sweetheart, you don’t know how much I love you. I’ll be the happiest man in the world when I can have you with me always. You are first in my thoughts and anything that I do, I have in mind getting something for you.

I’ll be mighty glad when we have our own home just like we want it, though I do not expect that we will have everything just that way. I believe a person should be contented but not satisfied. I’ll be contented to spend my life with you, but I’ll never be satisfied with what I can do for you.

I certainly do love you Sweetheart.

Your
Walter.

August 29, 1925

Saturday Night. 8/29

My Dear Sweetheart,

Your letter did not come today, but I have tomorrow to look forward to as they always come. You are a wonderful correspondent, and nothing pleases me more than to get your letter. They always make me wish that I could give you a hug or in some way let you know that I appreciate them.

I do not know just when I will go down the state, as it depends upon how well I can get away for the trip and also I do not want to go until Dr. White leaves. He had a letter from Texas today which indicated that the work was of such a status that a visit by him would not be necessary at this time. I guess he will go to Washington from here and apparently he is in no hurry about it. He rather likes it here. I hope to make a plan pretty soon, but I rather think that he will be here all of next week. I told him tonight that I would need about a month down the state and that the sooner I could go the better it would be. He thinks that I should try for the papropriation for the fiscal year after the one beginning next July on account of the President’s economy policy. I know that it will be difficult to get one through for next year but I believe it can be done if the right tactics are used. I guess he has an idea that if I am not on a definite project next year, that possibly he could be here and work with me on C.E. again, but I have an idea that he and I will not work together again if it can be worked any other way. No doubt you get tired of my telling you about him and my troubles and I guess I shouldn’t do it, but I feel that I’d like to have you know about everything, even though some of them are not the most pleasant in the world.

August 29, 1925

August 29, 1925

There is something else I want to talk with you about, and I want to know just how you feel about it. The land in Florida is booming all over the state and where it has a water front it commands fancy prices. There are a few places in which the land has never been “taken up” under the homestead act and I understand that some are desirable though the acreage is not large & all are three miles or more from ocean fronts. Some of the tracts appear to be on or near rivers or lakes and some are located near real good roads. What I have in mind, is that I might keep an eye open when I make this trip and arrange to see what these places look like. If they look good, considering values of nearby properties and elevations, it would not cost much to file for some. To “prove up” requires three years, but my Army service would count and this would mean about 18 months. That would leave about a year and a half and I believe they require 7 months residence during each year. It would not seem a difficult matter to spend that much time on a place which looked as though it would be something when I got through “proving up.” As far as my work is concerned I believe that any arrangement which I would care to make would be satisfactory with Mr. Bishopp. As a matter of fact, the location for the Lab will be left to me anyway. The idea may not appeal to you, Dear, and when you think of it, please remember that I would not consider it if it is contrary to your wishes. If I did not believe that the land would be worth something when we had it I would not want to take the chance and trouble. I love you too much to take you where you would not have a pretty good place to live, and I intend to give you a good home. What gives me this idea is the fact that the land any place in the state is increasing very rapidly, and that on the interior, bordering lakes, it has sold for big prices. The Northern capital is coming to the state and values can’t help but increase. I feel that if there is an opportunity, I don’t want to let it go by for I want to accumulate enough to give you a home and all the comforts that go with one.

Don’t think that I am ready to file now or that I have an idea of taking you to a poor place to live, for I have no such ideas. I simply want to know how you feel about the idea. I expect to discuss all matters with you, Dear, before I take any action and I want you to tell me just what you think. I know that you will, and that is another thing that I love you for.

I love you above everyone and everything else and I want you to know it. I’ll be the happiest person in the world when I can have you with me always.

Yours – only & always,
Walter.

August 28, 1925 (Ina)

Friday Nite
Aug. 28, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

We have spent a very pleasant evening with Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and Lucile. Claudelle and Lucile are going to be room mates at Westmoreland so Mama and Mrs. Johnson had several things they wanted to talk over about it. I don’t know whether either of them will study very hard since they are always such “cut-ups” when they are together. Maybe they will get over that though.

August 28, 1925 (Ina)

August 28, 1925 (Ina)

I didn’t get your letter this afternoon as we didn’t get in town until after the post office closed. However, I ‘phoned Thelma to ask Bob to get our mail when he went to the post office and we could get it at their house later. She got busy and forgot to tell him – hence, no letter. I may receive two tomorrow though.

I love you lots and lots.

Always, your
Ina.

Saturday Night
Aug. 29, 1925.

Dearest Walter:

The foregoing letter was such a wee thing that I didn’t want to mail it without writing some more.

Claudelle and I have just returned from a surprise birthday party given by Mr. and Mrs. Lee honoring Walton Rowland (the young man who came out here that rainy Sunday afternoon with Mr. Lee while you were here). The party was a complete surprise to him and we had lots of fun. There were about thirty guests present. Mr. and Mrs. Lee are moving to Del Rio Monday.

I feel so lucky tonight. I received two of the nicest sweetest letters from the one I love better than anyone else in the world. Why shouldn’t I be happy? I am too.

Yes, indeed, I am very enthusiastic over the prospects of our spending the winter and spring on the beach. I think it will be mighty fine. I, too, like the idea of going straight to a house of our own when it is convenient, but, under the circumstances, it would be an impossibility since we don’t know where it will be etc. This other plan that you have suggested has a number of advantages over the “straight to house” plan I think and I prefer it. I think it will be so nice to have plenty of time to select our furniture etc. together and have it shipped direct to our home instead of buying it hurriedly, perhaps getting something with which we were not entirely satisfied, and placing it in a temporary home from which we might soon move. You know there are a lot of things that are better for furniture than constant packing and moving. Won’t it be fun to select the furniture? I am looking forward to it with such great pleasure. I think one of those little cottages on the beach will be fine for the beginning of the honeymoon, and the one that suits you best will suit me fine. If you like the one you are in at present best, I will be happy to live there. And, Sweetheart, I haven’t any conscientious scruples about preparing all three meals every day – that is, if you think your digestive organs can stand the test. Do you suppose they can? I’m willing to try it if you are. Remember the pineapple cake!!*

Now, about the wedding gift. All of your suggestions were mighty nice and all of the things you mentioned very desirable. But Dear, I already have quite a bit of jewelry so perhaps it might be a good idea to discard the idea of that and consider the others that you mentioned. In this connection I’d like to make a suggestion. If we should send out quite a number of invitations no doubt some of our friends would present us with silverware, glassware, cut glass etc. in patterns that we would like to add to, and don’t you think it might be better to wait until after we are married and see if this happens, instead of getting some design started before then that we might not like any better than one we might receive? I am mentioning this, but if you don’t like the idea, please be frank and tell me. Bob and Thelma were fortunate enough to receive so much beautiful silverware, cut glass, chinaware etc. and I thought of that when you mentioned what you did. When you made the suggestions that you did it “hit the spot” with me as such things appeal to me very very much. Your ideas and mine are so much alike on so many things that I can’t help but notice it. We are going to get along fine together I know.

I love you most wonderfully and will be a mighty mighty happy girl when I can be with you always.

Yours forever,
Ina.

* Ina’s culinary skills are the butt of a longstanding family joke. Once, when pressed to comment on his wife’s cooking, Walter simply stated that she was an excellent seamstress.

August 27, 1925 (Walter)

Jacksonville Beach
Thursday Night 8/27

My Dear Sweetheart,

Excuse the stationery but I find that I am out of any other kind. I probably have some but haven’t located it since we have been here. We had an interesting visit in Jax today. The place had furnished four cases of creeping eruption, two electricians and two plumbers. Dr. White will no doubt stay with me until we see if this location reveals the identity of the parasite. It is the best place for exact location of the origin of the cases we have had and it should furnish us with the causative organisms. I am hopeful of this location and I am determined to get it after Dr. White leaves if we do not get it before. It would seem that the matter would be comparatively simple but the infective form is a definite state in the development of the parasite and in other stages we believe that it would be impossible for them to cause creeping eruption. This is what would occur in closely related forms and we believe it would be reasonable to expect it to be true with this one. I was amused at Dr. K.S. today when he told me to use my own initiative and let White do as he pleased out there. He said that White may want to let everything stay until the sand moves, and we want to work this out before death overtakes us. The two men are extremely different and of the two I can’t help but admire KS tactics even though they are not as scientific as they could be. White is too conservative, slow, and what I would call lazy. I guess it is a good thing that all of us are different. If everyone was alike, I’d have more than the dozen or two dozen rivals for you, Dear.

August 27, 1925 (Walter)

August 27, 1925 (Walter)

I have been showing White some real estate and have given him some of the figures on increases in values. He thinks that the Florida boom is now at the peak and that values will drop from now on. The pessimists in California thought the same thing about the 3rd year, but they continued for ten or twelve years and they have not yet felt the slump. It does not take a keen real estate man to find good investments down here as a location which is reasonably good, has to increase in value. The Eastern capital comes and improvements are made. It will continue for years.

It is getting late, Sweetheart, and I did not sleep very much last night. I am pretty sleepy now so I’ll have to say “goodnight.” I love you Dear with all my heart and with a “goodnight kiss” I’ll go.

Always your,
Walter.

August 24, 1925 (Walter)

Monday Night 8/24

My Dear Swetheart,

The wind has subsided some and today it has been raining regular spring showers. According to the old timers these “Northeasterners” last for 3, 6, or 9 days and usually close with some rain. We have had two days of the wind so we expect that tomorrow will be the last day. The beaches are certainly nice and clean with all the rough places smoothed out. I believe it is a good thing to have one of these occasionally, but it is a little unfortunate if one happens to be driving up the beach.

August 24, 1925 (Walter)

August 24, 1925 (Walter)

Dear, you don’t know how much I wish you were down here with me. It will be dull here during the winter but the people who live here say that it is delightful and that there is hardly a day but what one can go in the surf. As a place to begin our “long time” honeymoon, it strikes me as being a very desirable place. If we are living here before going down the state, we could do our shopping for furniture and household goods at Jax and have plenty of time to decide on just what we want. We would not need them here at the beach, but could have them shipped to our home. (That “our home” sounds mighty good).

We could buy more reasonably in Jax than in Miami or Palm Beach, and too, would have more variety from which to select. It may not strike you just right to live here at the Beach, but I am inclined to believe that you would like it. I have had an eye out for the most desirable cottage in the event you think you would like it down here, and some of them are very nice. I’ll look around at Atlantic Beach some too, for you would probably like it up there. There are no stores up there, only cottages or rather homes. The cottage we have now is better than the average and for my work it serves the purpose very nicely but of course is not adapted for the work. The lady who owns it and who lives in the rear says that she is not going to be here this winter. I guess she will join her husband.

There seem to be quite a few Negroes who live further back and I imagine it would not be difficult to get help.

Most of the cottages are equipped with oil stoves, and I believe that most of the people eat dinner down town. One of the cafeterias, and the best one, will run all winter and spring. I have an electric grill which I have never used and it may be better for breakfast or lunch than the oil stove. I do not know anything about oil stoves but the land-lady seems to think they are OK.

I would like to know just what you think of taking a cottage until we go down the state, for if the idea does not strike you favorably I would not want to do it. I wouldn’t want you to live at any place where you did not want to live, and we will make arrangements accordingly. Please tell me exactly what you think. I am going to make you as comfortable as I can, and I hope to show you that you have a devoted husband. We have electricity & running water in all cottages and most of them are furnished.

I love you, Dear, and I’ll certainly be a happy human when I have you with me always. I hope to be as good and as considerate of you as one can, and if I can make you happy I’ll be happy too.

With all my love, I am,

Your
Walter.

Box 61

P.S. I guess Dr. White will be with me about one week longer.

PS #2 Whatever you and Mother Lewis plan for the wedding will be perfectly all right.

August 15, 1925

Saturday Night Aug 15th

My Dear Sweetheart,

I have just received your letter of Monday night, and it is a mighty good one, Dear. The prints finally came and I am sending them along. No doubt you will recognize our house as they are not very different from the ones previously sent to you. The lawn is a little better in these. The little boy is the only child of the lady living there and he seems to be a pretty good kid. The dog belongs to the family. The name of the folks, if I remember it correctly is Goodman. The other photo is of the cottage here. We are using the front porch for a Lab, but also have a garage in the rear. It is very comfortable and 2 blocks from the surf. For our purpose there is nothing better down here, and the lady keeps it quite neat and orderly. I asked her when she was going to West Palm Beach where her husband is working and at the present time she is not sure. It looks as though I may have the whole thing to myself if I use it much longer. In about two weeks more, there will not be so much of a crowd down here. However, it is delightful here and one can go in the surf any day in the year. During the winter they sometimes have a frost here, but it warms up quickly. For work, I would rather be in Florida during the winter than in either Dallas or Wash DC, and Dear I may suggest that we spend the first few months of our honeymoon down here at Jax Beach. It would be very quiet here and perhaps it would be too quiet for you, but it is only 17 miles to Jax and we could make the drive any evening or take the train. As a place for excitement the beach would not amount to anything, but as a good place for me to work and as a delightful place to spend a honeymoon I don’t believe it could be beaten. It looks as though this may be the last season on creeping eruption and it would seem to be a good idea to work it up as much as possible. Too, I would not want to start the other work in the state until some money has been made available for it. It could not be available before July 1st of next year. I have not taken up the matter of my spending the winter down here, but after I have been down the state I’ll write Mr. Bishopp about it. I’ll always let you know of developments, for Dear, you mean worlds to me.

August 15, 1925

August 15, 1925

It was mighty nice of you to tell me of your friend Womack. I’ll have to admit that he has mighty good taste in proposing to you. I do not wonder why you have had so many, for there is no one like you, Dear. Claudelle will probably have to turn down a few of them too, before she chooses one. Mother and Daddy Lewis certainly reared some mighty fine daughters, and they have made me mighty happy in giving consent to our marriage.

Sweetheart, I certainly wish I could spend an evening on your porch with you now. You don’t know how I miss you. I love you with every tender affection Dear, and if a man ever wanted a girl an awful lot, I certainly want you.

We are going to be mighty happy.

Always,
Your
Walter.

August 11, 1925 (Ina)

Tuesday Night

Aug. 11, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

Your Friday night’s letter made me feel so good today. In fact they all make me happy and I don’t think I shall ever cease to thrill at the sight of a letter addressed to me in your handwriting. Claudelle declares that I can recognize yours from the post office door to the car if I am parked there while she goes in for the mail.

August 11, 1925 (Ina)

August 11, 1925 (Ina)

Sweetheart, I am delighted with the prospects of a University at Fulford. Won’t that be fine? I want to congratulate you as a wise buyer. I am so glad you bought it. I am so deeply interested in it, and it is mighty nice of you to keep me so well posted on developments there. It seems like the horseshoe is still doing us good, don’t you think?

How are you and Dr. White progressing? I hope that by now he has decided to pack his belongings and return to Washington. You think though that you don’t care to use the system of going in the surf at mid-day to make him want to leave? I’ll venture to say that he will not make that suggestion again. However, I’ll bet he didn’t admit that he had made a mistake in doing it. I know how painful those blisters are and I hope yours are all right by now. I’ll remember the vinegar remedy – that is, if it was effective.

I am enclosing some rather quaint looking pictures of Claudelle and me. They are made in some old fashioned costumes that we wore to a masquerade Colonial party last February. You see, we haven’t outgrown the pleasure of playing “dress-up.” We had lots of fun making the pictures. You will notice that Mama cut our feet off in most of them. I am sending you these pictures to add to your collection for fear you get tired looking at the same ones all the time. I don’t want you to forget me, you see.

I love you lots and lots all the time and want to see you so very very badly right now.

Yours always,
Ina.