After the Trip - November 1943 - A Letter From Ellen Upton Hall

Grover got his furlough, and he and Ellen Upton Hall visited Upton relatives in N.Y. and Pennsylvania.

Ellen wrote a letter in late November of 1943.  The letter is written in pencil and difficult to read.

"Did you get my cards I sent on the trip?"

"Mother said Pat & Bob were home. Lucky stiffs."

"Excuse pencil - my pen is at the factory being repaired."

"Ml. Rt. #38

Augusta, Ga.

c/o D.J. Bowles

27 November 1943

Dearest Sis and family,

You do owe me a letter but will write and tell you something of our trip.

There was just oodles of snow all the time we were there - which made it beautiful (scenery I mean) and it was fun to play in but was very unpleasant in other ways.  Grandma is fine, looks much better than I had expected.  Sure hope Dad gets to see her soon though.  That is about all she looks forward to is when Dad and Mom can go see her again.  By the way she and Grover clicked it off at once, just like old pals.  Jimmie1 is a big boy - fact didn't know him - even mistook a neighbor for him.  Aunt Mildred2 looks much different...There is a new arrival3 coming there on April 26 is "she" arrives when expected.  Say nothing to anyone that I told you as Grandma doesn't know and they don't want to tell her for awhile. Uncle Robert is the one I was shocked when I saw...He could barely walk.  He had the flu and when he got over it his legs were absolutely useless.  They are taking him to a chiropractor (sp?) in Erie and he was getting a little better when we left but was still pitiful...

We went to see Aunt Ida4 for a little while,  She looks old and tired - but still not much gray in her fair.  Helen5 was home....Helen had had a boil and hadn't worked since Wed (that was Sat.)  Went downtown and saw Jane.6  She is a big girl, not quite as tall as I am but before she's twenty she'll be taller.  I'm quite a bit taller than Helen.  Jane is a pretty girl.  Never got to see Virginia7 and family.  From their picture the boys are sure handsome little fellows.  Did you know Bill was a strict Catholic - I didn't.  Uncle Robert, Aunt Mildred, Grover & I stopped by Aunt Ida's again on Monday but no one was home.  As for Aunt Jennie & Uncle Ross8 and family, Aunt Jennie looks the same...Uncle Ross looks very tired...Rachel is a sweet little girl and as bright as a dollar...Janet sure looks like V'Ona did as a little girl.  Except for the brown eyes she's almost identical to V'Ona, especially in that picture of you two kids...All in all we had a swell time while there.

I got home from the trip and came down with the flu.  I'm supposed to be well now but my body hasn't been thoroughly convinced  of the fact and I still drag around a bit.  I have a bad cold.  I went back to work Wednesday but was mighty glad to have the day off Thurs.  We both got the day off.  Instead of having turkey for dinner we had a nice roast.  After dinner we went to a putrid show.

Must get Grover's dinner now.  Bye and write soon.

Love,

Grover and Ellen

P.S. Now about about a letter Jim?"  

       

  

1 Jimmie Upton b. 1928 1st child of Robert & Mildred Upton. Would have been 15 in 1943.

2 Aunt Mildred b. abt 1905 - wife of Robert Upton b. 1898 the 5th child of James & Nellie Upton. 

3 New arrival - "she" turned out to be Robert Upton born April 1944 - son of Robert & Mildred Upton.

4 Aunt Ida b. abt 1890 - wife of Parney Upton b. 1888 the 2nd child of James & Nellie Upton. 

5 Helen Upton b. abt 1914 - 1st child of Parney & Ida Upton 

6 Jane Upton b. abt 1927 - 3rd child of Parney & Ida Upton.

7 Virginia Upton b. abt 1920 - 2nd child of Parney & Ida Upton. 

8 Ross Upton - 4th child of James & Nellie Upton b. 1893 - married Jennie - two daughters - Janet & Rachel.

Summer 1942 - The Accident - Letter From Helen Upton - Part Three

Barbara & Helen Upton - October 1940

Helen's Letter Continued....

"What is V'Ona1 doing?  Still working in the bank?  Haven't heard anything of her for a long time.  Glad to hear Ellen2 likes it in Portland.  What do you think of the war out there?  Doesn't look too good here in the East.  Expect to get  Gas rationing in Erie tho' the wells are almost at our back door.  I expect your father is busy busy - Seems every one must do double work but then we shouldn't complain it is little enough for us to do back home.  It is hard to get help.  The girls are all working in the factories. 

We are all fine here at home except Butch who is getting over the whooping cough.  Jane3 has gone over there this afternoon to take care of the boys so Virginia4 & Bill can go out for a bit this evening.  They all went down to see Grandmother5 & all while I was in Jamestown.  Mother says everything is fine down there - they have a couple milking machines.  And were getting ready to pick raspberries.  They had a large crop this year.  Jimmy has a pony - and Grandmother a new Refrigerator.  Glad to hear every thing is coming along well for them.  I guess Ross6 & Jenny don't get down so often - he is working quite long hours.

Before I forget, just thought of a good book you want to read "All That Glitters" if you haven''t read it already - Very good which is poor praise.  Well Margaret I guess I have run out of news.  So I guess I'll quit this scribbling; which you should be glad of - I really should copy it - but I am afraid the ink would run out.  So will say good by for now - Love for all of us to all of you & that big little girl of yours too - She's sure a cutie kid from her picture - Take good care of the husband of yours - write soon & give me all the news.

Love Helen"

1 V'Ona Upton - the middle Upton sister
2 Ellen Upton - the youngest of Margaret's sisters
3 Jane Upton - Helen's sister
4 Virginia Upton - Helen's sister
5 Nellie (Ellen) Carter Upton - Helen and Margaret's paternal grandmother
6 Ross Upton - uncle to Helen and Margaret
7 Frances Parkinson Wheeler was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. She married Henry W. Keyes in 1903. They had three sons together. They lived in Washington and Virginia for a quarter of a century while Henry, a Republican, served in the United States Senate. He had earlier served as Governor of New Hampshire. The story of their courtship is told in Mrs. Keyes' first autobiography, Roses in December. The story of their marriage is recounted in her second autobiography, All Flags Flying. Henry Keyes was much older than his bride and, having never married before, was quite set in his ways. Early on he was dismissive of his wife's writing talent and the acceptance of her first manuscript by a reputable publisher was a triumph personally as well as professionally.  Her 1941 novel All That Glitters is also about Washington DC politics. (Wikipedia)       

Summer 1942 - The Accident - Letter From Helen Upton - Part Two

Helen Upton and Margaret Upton Waning - October 1940

Continuing Helen's letter...

"We were supposed to shop to check up on merchandise & displays in the big stores for discussion Friday but it rained & stormed so that one of the other girls & I didn't get a chance to get into any of the stores except Macy's.  So we took a cab up town & had supper in the Rainbow Grill1 on top of the R.C.A. Building.  Very nice & then I left at 11:30.  Coming home was in the Club Car before retiring when Peggy Hopkins Joyce2 came in accompanied by her detective on the way to Canada to sell War Bonds.  She needs one to protect her with those diamonds she wears beautiful & she seems a very nice person.  Also saw a couple of good plays and had supper at the Hotel Algonquin3.  If you want to read an amusing book read "Take a Wayward Inn" it is by Frank Case who owns the hotel4.  Saw Mr & Mrs James Ghason(sp) there - were sitting in the lobby & came into the dining room where we were eating.  Broadway isn't what it used to be - all the lights are out & the taxis drive around with only tiny head lights about 2 in in diameter.  So you can see there is quite a difference in the town.  Took a ferry across the river to the Jersey side past the Normandie5 - looks just like it does in the news reels.

Was in Jamestown for my vacation & Buffalo from there for a few days.  Had a nice time - nothing exciting however - didn't go much of any place - only to a few baseball games & dancing 2 or 3 times.  Visited Mrs Kennedy in Buffalo - was glad to see her again.  Saw a couple of good shows.  I hope you have seen "Mrs Miniver"6 - it is all the publicity says it is.  I also liked "This Above All"7 - also liked the book.  Read "The Sun is My Undoing"8 & Ilka Chases' book "Past Imperfect"9 - both good.  Haven't done much reading as I have been playing golf every chance I can get.  Couldn't play today as I hurt my foot fooling around last Wed at a picnic not seriously but thought it best to stay off of it as much as possible today."  

To Be Continued 

  

1 The Rainbow Room was an upscale restaurant and nightclub on the sixty-fifth floor of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The Rainbow Room first opened on October 3, 1934, and was originally conceived as a formal supper club, where the elite and influential of New York could gather to socialize over cocktails, dine on fine cuisine, and dance to the strains of legendary big bands on a revolving floor. The Rainbow Room featured a revolving dance floor, a live big band orchestra, and a view of the New York City skyline. (Wikipedia).

2 Peggy Hopkins Joyce (May 26, 1893–June 12, 1957) was an American actress and celebrity, famed as much for her several marriages to wealthy men, colorful divorces, scandalous affairs, her diamonds and generally lavish lifestyle as for her work on stage or screen.  Born Marguerite Upton in Berkley, Virginia, she was known as "Peggy", a traditional nickname for Margaret or Marguerite. "Hopkins" and "Joyce" were the surnames of her second and third husbands, respectively (of six overall).  She owned the Portuguese Diamond, one of the most expensive in the world, that she sold to Harry Winston and which is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. (Wikipedia)
3 The Algonquin Hotel is a historic hotel located at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan (New York, New York). The hotel has been designated as a New York City Historic Landmark.  The 174-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwin Starrett. It was originally conceived as a residential hotel but was quickly converted to a traditional lodging establishment. Its first owner-manager, Frank Case (who bought the hotel in 1927), established many of the hotel's traditions. Perhaps its best-known tradition is hosting literary and theatrical notables, most prominently the members of the Algonquin Round Table. (Wikipedia)

4 Further reference to The Algonquin Hotel & Frank Case.
5 SS Normandie was an ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France for the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat; she is still the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built. During World War II, Normandie was seized by the United States authorities at New York and renamed USS Lafayette. In 1942, the liner caught fire while being converted to a troopship, capsized and sank at the New York Passenger Ship Terminal. Although salvaged at great expense, restoration was deemed too costly and she was scrapped in October 1946.
6 Mrs. Miniver is a 1942 drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Greer Garson in the title role. It was based on the fictional English housewife created by Jan Struther in 1937 for a series of newspaper columns, Mrs. Miniver. The film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director. (Wikipedia)
7 This Above All (1941) is a novel by Eric Knight. It was adapted into an Academy Award winning movie in 1942. The novel has been adapted to a movie of the same name in 1942 directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Tyrone Power and Joan Fontaine. It won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
8 By Marguerite Steen, it was best-seller on both sides of the Atlantic.  The massive slave-trade and Bristol shipping saga The Sun Is My Undoing (1941); this was the first part of a trilogy, but the remaining volumes were far less popular. 
9 Ilka Chase (April 8, 1900 – February 15, 1978) was an American actress and novelist. She was in the first Broadway cast of Clare Boothe Luce's play The Women (1938) and subsequently appeared in Neil Simon's Broadway hit Barefoot in the Park.  Her autobiography, Past Imperfect (Vol I) Which said " Those who never fail are those who never try." was published in 1942 and Free Admission (Vol II), published in 1948. She also wrote more than a dozen other books.  Chase died in Mexico City, aged 77. Her epitaph reads: "I've finally gotten to the bottom of things."

Summer 1942 - The Accident - A Letter from Helen Upton - Part One

A long, newsy letter from Margaret's paternal cousin, Helen Upton arrived in August 1942.  Helen was born about 1914 (one year older than her cousin Margaret), but was leading quite a different life - that of an unmarried, working, Big-City girl. 

Helen Upton - Springfield, OR - October 1940

Envelope

"Sunday Aug 23 -

Dear Margaret & Family -

Surprised to receive your letter & very sorry to hear your news.  I wish there was something I could do to help.  I hope Jim is getting better fast.  Some how it is hard to sentence him in bed for such a long time.  He is so active & such a big guy.  U get they had a hard time at the hospital to find a bed big enough for him.  It won't be long now before he will be home & up again.

And no doubt Uncle Otto will be glad to have that day come again too.  How has he been able to get along without Jim this summer - with all the men in the army, navy etc - Won't be long around here now when the streets will be entirely without men except for old, old men or boys in uniform home on short leaves.  Getting pretty desperate already as it is.

At the store we haven't a company assistant manger & couldn't get one so the boss made our local floor man the assistant.  I have been pretty busy since I wrote you last.  How long ago that was I have lost track except for a from Youngstown where I am on a relay job for the company.  They enlarged the store there - had quite a crew from other store helping.  Had a nice time - was the second relay job I was on - was in East Liberty in Pittsburgh in February.  Had a nice time there too.  However I won't be going on any more as I have a new jog at the store.  Am in charge of the Ready-to-Wear on the second floor.  I don't remember if you were up there or not but it is quite nice.  Just had it repainted & shades added - makes quite an improvement to the place.

Was in New York a couple weeks ago to a meeting of most the the department heads held at the hotel, Pennsylvania where we stayed.  Left here on Sunday eve and got there the next morning & left N.Y. on Thursday & reached Erie again in time for work Friday morning.  They kept us busy while we were there didn't even have time to do any shopping."   

To be Continued... 

Cousins - 1940

Helen and V'Ona Upton

Springfield, Oregon

October 1940

Helen Upton - October 1940

Helen Upton and Margaret Upton Waning - October 1940

This post is in honor of our new follower - an Upton relative!

In October 1940 Helen Upton came out to Oregon to visit relatives - her aunt Olivia Upton Adams, and her uncle Otto Upton.

We have a small series of photos that say

"Taken at Mom's - Oct 13, 1940.  The day Helen started Home for Penn."  

(Mom refers to Elsie Greenwell Upton, wife of Otto Upton.) 

Helen Upton - Springfield, OR - Oct 1940

Helen was born about 1914 in New York - the oldest child of Parney (Ernest) and Ida Upton.  In 1910 her father is enumerated as a Teamster for a Coal and Ice Company in Jamestown, NY.  By 1930 he was married, living in Erie, PA and a Steam Shovel Operator.  By that time the family included three children: Helen, Virginia, and Jane.

Margaret Upton Waning, Helen Upton, Elsie Greenwell Upton, and Barbara Waning

I have a vague memory of Helen, and Virginia and maybe Jane too coming out to visit their cousin Margaret Upton Waning - the mid-1980's perhaps?  Anyone else recall that?