(Robert Diebold)
Biographical Note:
(continued)
---------
(Clarence Fish)
Biographical Note:
Clarence John Fish was born August 27, 1884 to William H. and Elizabeth (nee Umfleet) Fish. In the 1920 census for Detroit, Michigan, he is living with his wife Mary E. and daughter: Helen I. (b. abt. 1920).
Editor’s Note:
American Railway Express Company was a national monopoly set up by the United States federal government in 1917. Rail express services provided small package and parcel transportation using the extant railroad infrastructure
|
We are eight miles from El Dorado and five miles from Oil Hill. Get our mail at Oil Hill and do our trading at Eldorado. We can have groceries delivered to us three times a week if we need them and our mail is delivered every day.
I have a good job here and expect I make as much clear money or maybe more, then I could farming, but I think we would get more pleasure out of our work on a farm.
Another thing, I don't believe the oilfield is the place to raise children, for there is nothing for them to do but go to school and romp over the oilfield during school hours with other boys and girls, learning mischief and I always thought I wanted my children to have a little sense, as well as school sense, so it is hard telling where we will be this time next year, but I hope on a farm somewhere.
I will close by saying we are all in the best of health I weigh 180 pounds.
The Press is a welcome paper in our home every week and I hope to see a great many letters in it from my relatives and friends.
It may be remembered that my wife was formerly Emma Heath.
Robert A. Diebold
------------
Detroit, Michigan
February 3, 1919
Dear Editor:
At your request I will try to write a few lines for your Non-Resident Edition of the Press.
We have always been residents of Lawrence County, the greater part of the time in the vicinity of Sumner.
We have been a subscriber of the Press for several years and think it a fine paper, as it tells us all the news of around home.
We have lived in the city of Detroit for almost 2 years, where I am employed by the American Railway Express Company.
We find this a large and beautiful city of almost one million population.
The people here are industrious, being engaged in all kinds of industry. The principal industries are the manufacture of automobiles and aeroplanes.
Also the discovery of thick beds of pure salt in the down river district led to the establishment of another of Detroit’s greatest industries.
The Burroughs Adding Machine Company, which employs 3000 hands, makes 90 percent of the adding machines in the country and sends them all over the world.
The manufacture of overalls is a great industry here, making 60 percent of all the overalls made in the country. Also the manufacture of aluminum castings and brass in various forms.
|
The city has three hundred and eight churches of various denominations. One hundred and thirty-six public schools, about twenty colleges and universities and one hundred nine banks.
Having written, I believe, as much as space will permit in your paper, I will close, wishing you success.
Yours respectfully,
Clarence Fish
-------------
Denton, Texas
February 2, 1919
Dear Press and Old-Time Chums:
I was about to miss meeting with you this year for want of time to write a letter, but have at this, the 11th hour, changed my mind, so here goes for a hurry up letter; not knowing if it will be called a short or a long letter. I have enjoyed all of the past homecomings. Your letters have all been interesting to me. It seems a splendid opportunity to renew old acquaintance and share our mutual joys. But speaking of "joys" seriously reminds me of one feature of this reunion, which I fear will show a tinge of sadness. The past year has brought sorrow to so many homes that it is evident that many of our dear wanderers have been affected. The great world war has been so frightful, so many of our brave boys have been cut down, and their loved ones on this side will not be permitted to again look into their true loyal faces. Many are coming home maimed beyond recovery; this awful pestilence called the "flu" is abroad in all lands, and I fear that the homes of many who contributed inspiring letters a year ago, have been brought to grief and will now tell us of their sorrows, and some way feel too gloomy to even send in their letters. Truly, our hearts will go out to those with love and tender sympathy. But for we who have been blessed and spared all the heartache alluded to above, it is our duty to write the most cheerful letter possible. If we have any knack at all of scattering myrth and sunshine, and let's get busy. We have a letter today from our boy, who is now in Germany, with the occupation troops, under date of December 4. He writes that he is well and happy. Brags of having a sweetheart in France, who has taught him to speak her language almost perfectly. He tells us that all the fighting he was in was so strenuous that he had neither time nor inclination to get homesick, but now he is really growing very homesick. Certainly we are thankful that our boy, so far, has escaped all harm and that we have hope that we will soon have him in our home again.
Our entire family is well, happy and prospering. I may be different from others regarding that word "prospering". Three meals a day, all paid for, is prospering, as I understand the term, especially if it is good home cooking, as I am getting. Still I don't think that is perfect prosperity unless one is retaining all of his old friends, and continually picking up new ones as the days go by. I picked up my Sumner Press today and where the announcement appeared referring to the "Fifth Annual Homecoming", I noticed a heavy blue pencil mark. Now if this had simply been a checkmark, or a mark straight across, I would have not worried over it, but it was a long stroke, kinder on the bias and that has led me to believe that I am expected to furnish more poetry of the reminiscence type. Excuse me folks, I retired from my poetry business last February. I still enjoy the other fellows verses, but I shan't attempt to reel off any more until you folks feel like coming back close to nature and show that you appreciate the good old style "Hog and Hominy" brand of poetry. Now if one of the good old Lawrence County wanderers has a vision of those good boyhood days way back in the 70’s and comes across with a bunch of verses, bubbling over with pathos, taking into account us common people, I'm going to write him my congratulations, even if he does use the expression: "a long persimin pole", to make a rhyme with "our dear old swimming hole", or that "Uncle Dan was mad as all Sam Patch because we stopped to view his melon patch".
|
(Clarence Fish)
Biographical Note:
Editor’s Note:
Detroit has a long history of being associated with the production of automobiles. But few think of it as a City of Salt. Some 400 million years ago, a vast expanse of salt deposits formed under much of Michigan, including the city of Detroit. The existence of rock salt in the Detroit area was discovered in 1895. The Detroit Salt Company completed a 1,060-foot mine shaft in 1910. By 1914, the Detroit mine was producing 8,000 tons of rock salt each month, mainly for the leather and food processing industries. Now the company mainly produces road deicing salt.
|
