On Friday, Ann and I headed over to Seattle to help wind down mom’s house and clean up what’s left (spoiler alert, still more to do …).
The house is pretty much ready to sell, though we still have some odds and ends to remove. We had though the house would hit the market this week, but it turns out that there is a title snag with one of the two parcels. One parcel was some land and the house, while the other parcel was just a piece of land. The land’s title wasn’t filed correctly, so we have to fix that (and of course everyone related to the title purchase and payments has died).
Among the items I brought home on this trip was a surprising collection of dad’s baby congratulations, cards, letters, and wester union cables, from 1933. Also in the mix were condolence letters from the death of my aunt Anita (apparently, my grandfather said Anita was shorthand for ‘little Ann’ (Ann was my grandmother’s name, which I thought was a sweet reference) when she was only 13 in 1944.
Some of the more surprising letters and postcards were from my great grandmother (Leonie Wurlitzer Eilers), who sent my father letters, whom she addressed as Master Karl E. Eilers, II. This rather weighty title for someone under 10 years old partly reflects the fact that Dad was named after his grandfather (and Leonie’s husband) of the same name.
Another surprise was that my grandfather wrote a letter to dad in 1971 a month before he passed. In the letter he discussed his prostate cancer and the pain of urination. He still had three weeks to go before he expected to be done with his treatment (unfortunately, he didn’t last much longer).
Glad you got possession of those family photos and letters that mean something to you. I used to get a little sad when I’d see a flea market dealer that did house cleanouts was selling similar items. I knew no family member was around that wanted and appreciated them anymore.
MASTER was a common way of addressing a young boy, a sign of respect until the age when he earned Mr. (MISTER) it also gave a young boy a sense of dignity while he earned respect to be called Mr. Received many letters and birthday cards addressed to Master Michael in the 1950’s. In today’s world, most likely not politically correct, The meaning of language has been lost, along with it Respect.
Well guys, I didn’t mean to publish this post .. it was a draft from last Sunday .. oops! It had been the initial beginning of my first-jeep post, but I changed how I wanted to approach this and forgot to delete this.
I too received birthday cards(in the 60’s) addressed to Master David ….. Mostly from grandparents and aunts/uncles who were born in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Mike’s comment is spot on.
David in SE Mass,
I apricate your post in reference to my commentary, it give “value” to my words and use of language.
Thanks, Mike