Edwin Howard Letters from Monteverde Academy

Last week Jim moved some plastic boxes from our bedroom to the basement. The boxes had photo albums and photos. I raided one box because it had old photos from Jim's family. I also found an old envelope with three letters written by Edwin Armstead Howard, Jim's dad, to his mother, Winnie Leah Tucker Howard, in 1928. Edwin was a boarding student at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. He had just turned 11 years old the month before he wrote the letters. It's interesting to read about life in a child's words.

There were three letters in the envelope dated Oct. 23, 1928, Oct 1928, and Wednesday (no date but probably written in November, 1928). The envelope has a postmark of Nov 28, 1928. All three letters mention a special Montverde school belt that Edwin really wanted, and in fact had already ordered. He asked his mother to send the money so he could get the belt. He described it and gave a good pitch on why he should have it. "They are the cats meow." He also asked that she send him the money in an envelope addressed to him and not to both him and his brother, Leon.

In the second letter he thanks his mother for the check for $3.00 and for packages she sent him and his brother.  He wrote "I was glad to get the check for my belt they will be in soon and I will get mine"

In the third letter Edwin wrote "I want you to send me more money for my belt. Mrs. Carpenter made me cash the check and get a hair cut. I want you to send some more for my belt the belt will be here in two weeks the hair cut cost 25 cents and I got my moneys worth too by golly." He also wrote about needing a winter coat because it was very cold in the school buildings and about the importance of addressing mail for him to him. "addrees the letter to me with the money in it because Leon will try to say you sent it to him"

We have many more letters that Edwin wrote to his mother from school and during World War II. She saved them for decades and Jim's mother kept them as well. I'll post more from time to time.

Letter 1 Front, Oct. 23, 1928

Letter 1 Back

Letter 2 Front, Oct 1928

Letter 2 Back

Letter 3 Front Wednesday 1928

Letter 3 Back

First Post

 A few months ago I started a blog called "Karen's Family Files." (karensfamilyfiles.blogspot.com) Since I retired from teaching first graders two years ago, I finally had more time to put into genealogy research of my family and my husband's family. This blog, "Jim's Family Files" will deal with Jim's side of the house.

I actually started researching in the 1990's, dabbling here and there, but not on a consistent basis. I went to the Orange County Library from time to time and managed to find a little bit of information. I took a class or two in Winter Park, FL.

Since moving to Murphy, NC, I started taking genealogy classes at the local community college. What a blessing that has been! Beginning in the fall of 2009 and during subsequent semesters I've taken these classes: Beginning/Intermediate Genealogy; Genealogy on the Internet; Advanced Genealogy; Legacy (the computer program I use); and my current class Genealogy: Researching Your Family History on the Net (an updated version of my previous class - things change rapidly in the computer world). I've had the same instructor for all the classes . . . the very knowledgeable and experienced genealogist, Larry. In the first class of this semester, he encouraged us to blog about our genealogy.

My purpose is to let Jim's family and my family know what I find out as I go on my treasure hunts and to share what I've already found out. Jim now has a notebook his grandmother, Winnie Leah Parker Howard, put together after his father, Edwin Armstead Howard, passed away in 1968. The notebook has names and pictures of family members.  Jim also has letters his father wrote as a child and when he was in the Army during World War II. He has photos and other items on his mother's (Dorothy Ann Gaines Howard) side of the family. It's been much easier finding out more about Jim's family than mine.

So, here goes . . . another adventure in the blog world.

                                                  Jim's first grade picture