The Rain in Spain
It is a rainy evening in NC tonight. I wanted to try something a little different dear reader. I am going to transcribe one of the letters my Grandfather has written. I love seeing his cursive but it is hard to make out concisely, thus I am trying it this way. It just makes it easier for you all to read.
Darling Eugenia,
(This is me again. Can we all agree that my Grandfather was the cutest with all his affectionate openers to his letters? I couldn’t believe when I saw honey bunch written. I digress.)
I have missed you very greatly on this trip. It was very lonesome driving for five hours alone, except for my thoughts of you and our future together. I want you to always be happy and us to be happy together- working, worshiping, and bringing up our family together.
It is restful here at the White’s . The room in which I am staying has six windows- two on each side- and three beds. From the front windows I can see the parsonage across the highway. It is a large double story house with seven rooms. It looks as if it has been painted recently and is snow white. I haven’t been over to see the preacher for they say that he works on a power line in Virginia and stays until late in the evening. I think that his wife is away visiting, but is expected back today or tomorrow.
There have been some minor showers of rain this morning, but I think that they will not be bad. They need rain pretty badly in this section.
There will be a meeting of interested people here tonight for the purpose of taking over the Vacation School plans. I am hoping to go home 8:30 or 9 o’clock. That will make it possible for me to leave home for Greensboro about mid-morning tomorrow. If I can’t leave here tonight I may not get home until late tomorrow, so I am hoping to begin as soon as possible tonight!
Everyone seems anxious to meet you. Perhaps we have often been the subject of conversation over the yearly meeting.
We are going visiting this afternoon and this morning. I will spend writing a few letters and doing some reading of the Bible School Material. I have already finished reading some of the materials.
I shall be glad to see you tomorrow, I hope that this gets there before I do. I will be glad when June first comes so that we can leave Greensboro and be together. You need to rest away from that atmosphere. We both do! See you tomorrow.
Love always,
Ted
There’s a lot to unpack in that letter. My grandfather was such a romantic! Talking about imagining their future together feels like young love, yet my Grandfather then talks of work in his Quaker Ministry. Then he gets back to business until he admits there has been *gasp* gossip about the two of them amidst the ministry. He then alludes to a bad “atmosphere” that my Grandmother needs to rest from. I believe she was working for Greensboro College at the time. If so, she was teaching only women and I remember her telling me that she did not like that job because all the women that went to school were really just trying to find husbands. She hated being around that dynamic. She stayed teaching first and second graders even though she was very overqualified. She still gets angry about that time in her life if I get her on the topic. She felt they were “wasting” time getting their education since they had no intention of using it in the professional realm. My sweet Gram definitely had opinions and was a bit judgmental. God love her!
