|
11-11-11 Veteran’s Day – a perfect time to revisit Merritt and Dorothy Schwarnweber’s family album and read letters written by Ernie Henning to his "Dearie," Edna Birdsley, while he was in boot camp during World War I.
The Indy is pleased that Merritt and Dorothy are sharing these family treasures – we know you will enjoy Ernie’s letters from camp. We also encourage other Indy readers to submit photographs and information similar to Merritt’s and Dorothy’s about family members and the events that shaped their lives years ago. Since this is an on-line publication , we prefer images that can be emailed as jpeg files. However, we will accept submitted photos and information that is mailed. Please send information to: St. Johns Independent We look forward to hearing from you – and publishing your information in our "Indy Family Album." Following is an introduction provided by Merritt and Dorothy and Ernie’s letters. Click here to see several Henning family photographs. This portion of our family history deals with Dorothy’s dad when he went into the Army in August 1918. Some time ago, Dorothy and I found out that Lois Whitford, Dorothy’s sister, had all the letters that Ernie had written to Edna while in the Army. There were a total of 74 and I believe after reading them that Ernie was homesick from day number one. We want to share just three of them as they show some of his Army life and how it was back then. The letters include one at the beginning of his boot camp, his travel to Texas after boot camp and the day they heard the war was over. Before his enlistment Ernie was an automobile mechanic. Edna Birdsley and he had just started dating when he left. Edna had moved to St Johns from Illinois with her folks and was living at 824 N. Clinton Ave. She was 17. She had a job as a telephone operator for Union Telephone Co. when it was located above the post office next to the fire hall on East Walker Street. Ernie arrived at the University of Michigan camp grounds for boot camp at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 15, 1918. On the grounds, the Y.M.C.A. and the Knights of Columbus each had a tent where Ernie wrote most of his letters. The men would gather at these tents on off-duty hours to play the piano and listen to the phonograph. The pianos were the player type. Ernie arrived with two others from Clinton County but didn’t mention their names. Ernie had only an eight grade education and he did some short cuts with his word spelling such as leaving out the apostrophe, using "thot" for thought and "rite" for write. Sept. 8, 1918. Ernie was home this weekend and rode the interurban from St. Johns to Lansing to get back to Ann Arbor. He writes: "Well here I am, Dear, back at my old post at 9:20 and glad to get back so will write you rite away a short but sweet letter. Well Dearest I got that letter you wrote but was very much disappointed in not getting the box of candy yet. I spose you will think that funny but My Honey Dear I didn’t get it just the same but will live in hopes of getting it yet. "Well, Jess Mead was on that car after I was on it a while and I went to pay my fare to Lansing and it was already paid and he is the only one I can lay it to. It was real good of him if he did do it don’t you think so Darling. Got here quite a lot earlier than last Monday. "Well Honey Girl I am awful tired and as I told you this would be short but very sweet. I will ring off." This letter was dated Sept.8. Dort and I found Jess Mead listed in the 1929 telephone directory for St. Johns. In 1918 he was 29 years old and died Jan. 9, 1937 at the age of 48 years. In 1918 the electric interurban was in full operation in Michigan. Ernie could get on in St. Johns, ride to Lansing, thence to Jackson. At Jackson he could catch the interurban that ran between Detroit and Battle Creek for Ann Arbor. Oct. 16, 1918, Tuesday. He writes: "Well Dearest Girle, I suppose it took your breath when you read that I was on my way to Texas, and true enough it is quite aways from you Dear and my Dear folks, but it didn’t bother me when I heard it. To be honest I was getting wild for excitment and I guess I’ll have it out here all rite. "We sure had some trip out here. There are nine of us out here but they took one of them rite away to the hospital. He just got over the flu and didn’t feel well all the way out. Well, Honey Girl, I went thru your home state and several others such as Indiana, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, but I thot all the time of you while I was awake thru Illinois, but I slept most all the way thru that State. "But Honey, I’m not as far away from home as I could be. I think it is only about 1500 miles and think of it, we rode all the way from Chicago first class in a pullman car. We were just issued a cot, a small mattress, pillow and four blankets and had a good dinner and if things aren’t any worse later, I think I can stand it. "We are seven miles out of Dallas and that is a town of 150,000 population. It sure is noisy here and I can look out and see any amount of air planes in the air so it makes it exciting. "We will be under quarantine for 15 days and at present we are in a fenced pen about 50 by 150 feet and tents in it and mind you, locked in at that, but I think we will be in this small enclosure only four days. So I’ll have a lot of time to rite. "I just heard that Germany had give up and I hope by the one above that it is true. I have thot a lot of what is going on down home today Dearest and I guess that is all I can do. My pen went dry so you see Honey, I have to rite with a pencil. I don’t know my address yet, but just as soon as ever I find out I will write it to you so you can rite me a nice long love letter and also the news. "The Red Cross sure used us great on the way out. We could get off the train when it stopped and the women would have cookies, cigarettes, candy, post cards and apples and believe me we were looking for them. "Well My Dear lonesome Honey Girl, I will ring off for this time with heaps of love kisses and more hugs. I am as ever yours Ern. "See Dearie, I didn’t forget you on the way out here. Did I Honey?" Ernie adds this at the top beginning of this letter: "I don’t want to forget this so I’ll rite it rite here. I just signed up for a Liberty Bond!" Nov. 12, 1918. In this letter Ernie describes the arriving of the Armistice. "Well Dear, I havnt heard from you since Saturday and to day is Tuesday so thot I best drop you a line to see what the matter is. Are you so tickles Honey being the war is over that you forgot to rite or what is it? But My Dear Edna, think this time it is the truth that it is all over, but the one above is the only one that knows when they will let me come home to the folks I love and care for. You know there is no one down here that I care for. "There is sure some rejoicing around this country and there will be some more when I get home. About three o’clock Sunday nite the news reach here and all the hoops and yells I ever heard I thot I had awoke in an Indian village and it continued all day Monday. The whistles were blowing and bells ringing when I woke up and you can imagine the feeling that came over me. "But Oh Dear, the time can’t come soon enough for me to get back in Dear old St. Johns, Michigan where all my Dear folks live. I have been transfered into a Squadron now and my address will be: 877 Areo Squadron, Aviation Repair Depot, Dallas, Texas. "Is your mother home yet and has your aunt gone home yet? You see Dear I am interested in your aunt." Ernie "rings off." Upon his discharge from the Army in March 1919, Ernie went back to work as a mechanic at the Ford garage. He was boarding at Fred Bishop’s home in the 1920 census. Ernie always wanted to farm and in 1925 he and Edna moved east of St. Johns to the farm on Wildcat Road. They both lived there until their passing, Ernie in 1975 and Edna in 1979.
|
