Tag Archives: Amanuensis

Amanuensis Monday-Letter written to Ruth O. McCartney from her sister Winn

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. From The National Standard Encyclopedia

Amanuensis Monday was started on the Transylvanian Dutch Blog. This link will take you to the page concerning Amanuensis and why one should transcribe the records !

1516 No. Dixie Highway
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
April 6, 1960

Dear Ruth:

      Thank you for the lovely birthday card, your note and the pictures you enclosed. It is so good of all of you.  And you are looking younger every day! Dorothy couldn’t get over it.  She said you looked younger than she.  But as I looked at the groups I thought you were all pretty young-looking people.

     I had just written Kaye when your letter came so didn’t get the picture off at once, but am enclosing it in a letter today.

     It is so grand being at Dorothy’s and she is doing her best to see that I get plenty of calcium in my food, vitamin C, etc. Plenty of cottage cheese, buttermilk, yogart and we both eat bone meal onour cereal.  I liked it very much at the rest home except for the meals. I got very little milk and scarcely any orange juice and I felt that I was slipping back every day I was there.  Kaye used to bring me oranges often when they came to see me which I was so grateful for.

     But we sent away for more bone meal with vitamins D added the other day.  To a health center where all their products are much cheaper than in the average health food store.  Also for Rose Hips in tablets  that are 100%  Vit. C. Do you know what they are? They are the seed pods of wild roses.  I seem to need especially calcium and vit C. for building bone and Dr. Murray and our osteopath I had call today. Both told me not to give up and gave me much  encouragement. The osteopath  here prescribed a hormone which Dorothy will bring home tonight that he said was wonderfully effective in building bone.  So Dorothy is going to try to do what she can with food, vitamin and minerals! The doctor today took my blood pressure and he said “wonderful!” It always has been normal in spite of the other things. Of course, as he said, he didn’t see the xrays, but he doesn’t see why I wouldn’t have a reasonably good chance of being able to walk again. After a few months of using this hormone and the extra vitamin, calcium ect, on xray would show what was happening. We just might fool the Brunswick doctors!

     Yesterday and today have been quite chilly altho on the days before, the temperature was up in the 80’s and quite warm. But it could easily change again just over night.  Dorothy has a small air conditioner in the living room which she was going to have removed and a larger one installed. But Ernie said, “no”.  She wouldn’t get much for it anyway. He said, and might as well just leave it in and have another small one put possibly in my bedroom or the hall if the one she has doesn’t prove adequate. So I shouldn’t be bothered with the heat here.

     Well Ruth, Dorothy will soon be home and I’d like to write a note to Kaye and will enclose the picture. Write when you have time.  I presume the organ takes a good deal  of your time these days. eh?  Oh, buy the way, in one of Florence’s letters she said you had written me and enclosed a picture of you sitting at the organ, but I didn’t get it, Ruth.  I had meant to have Dot phone the rest home to see if they received it.  They have been very good at forwarding my mail and just wondered if perhaps you hadn’t mailed it yet.

     Remember me to Mac-

                                         Lovingly Winn

Aunt Winn passed away about 3 months after this letter was written.

Happy Hunting!

ruth
Adela Ruth Ogilvie McCartney
6 Sep 1905~3 Apr 1985
winn
Winfred “Winn” Mason Ogilvie Davis
29 Mar 1888~21 Jul 1960

 

Amanuensis Monday-Letter From Home (Oak Park Ill.)

Letter to Kaye from his Aunt Hattie (Hattie Amelia Copeland Kaye)

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Oak Park Ill.
Dec 2, 1918
My Dear Kaye

Just think, I am too late , to even send you a Christmas card. And can only express my best wishes for the very Happiest Year you have ever experienced.

My heart is so full of joy and gratitude that this “little scrap” is over that I need only the assurance, that you and Cecil are both well. And will soon be at home again. How we shall appreciate our everyday mercies in the future. If I had you both here, I would given you such a hugging, as you never have had. I am not saying it would be the embrace most desired, but it certainly would be heart felt.

Your very interesting and most welcome letter of the 30th of Oct. reached me, one day last week- And I presume this will not reach you this year. All the time I am writing I have the feeling you may be home before this reaches France.
The mails have been terrible tied up. And the ? of those whoes boys and sweathearts & husband over here has been terrible. And we in this country are still receiving long casualty lists in the papers each day, It seems hard that very many homes that were so happy  when news came that the war was over were so soon to be saddened by reports of death and wounded.

Words would fail me and time too to describe the wild joy of people everywhere when the whistles blew and bells rang to the limit of ? for hours. The city went wild but why attempt to describe what I realize you have heard about though letters that are more frequent then mine and I know have left little for me to tell what will be news.

But really I never expect to experience such thrill of….

There are many more pages to this letter, but the beginning is so full of promise and hope that her loved nephew and son would return home safe. Sadly one did not return home alive and her son died shortly after returning home.

To remind you Kaye was killed on November 29 1918, just three days before the above letter was written.

Happy Hunting!

Amanuensis Monday-Letter to home from somewhere in France (Toul)

2nd Lt. Alexander Kaye Ogilvie
2nd Lt. Alexander Kaye Ogilvie

Somewhere in France .
Oct. 30 – 1918
Dear Aunt Hattie,

I have been intending to write you for some little time but something usually come up to prevent but tonight will start anyway. We are now located at a flying field, coming here last Friday and have been busy ever since. Started flying on Sunday on small ships that stay on the ground – gaining  from them dial instructions on a different type of plane, and in about half an hour was turned loose to solo. Finished my solo rides in the after noon and then waited around for a day and a half for stunts. Finished that yesterday and started cross country work getting in one trip. This morning went on a triangle cross country trip of about 150 miles and got back without any trouble in time for dinner. Had to land at two fields on the way to get some papers signed showing I had been there. After dinner went out on another trip about fifty miles each way, landing on the other end.  This is some beautiful country to fly over- being covered with forests which have a distinctive shape everyone of them, and lots of towns this country being fairly well populated. I got home about four o’clock, pretty well tired out.  I  have now finished all the work on three fields and tomorrow morning I go to another field for some work on a smaller plane and then about a day later will begin an Liberty.  I really don’t see the idea of all this instruction on small pursuit ships when the ones we are going to use in action service are great big ones. Possibly they figure that if we bust any up they might just as well be litte like to have had you along today in the front seat enjoying the ride, as it was a beautiful day and no bumps and the scenery was wonderful. Every once in a while you come across a chateau with turrets and cupolas all over them, and usually with pretty grounds all around them. They are fine place for aviators to stay who have been caught out over night, as they sure treat you nice. My pal (Boothe) who went out on a crosscountry (sic) trip this am. Had not reported in yet and I presume he is spending the night in some such place.

I got letters from Esther and Cecil yesterday, the former written on Sept. 20 th and Cecil’s on the 22 nd.  He told me that he understood from other sources that I was engaged to Esther and that he thought I had used exceedingly good taste etc. which coming from one of his pronounced ideas on the subject of marriage is taken as praise of the highest order. Seriously I am glad that he thinks so well of the idea as I didn’t know what he would think of it. Esther told me that she had read Bess’ letter to you and that both she and Norman liked her real well and hoped to have her for a sister some day. It sure feels good to know that some of the rest of the family endorse at it were my judgment or good luck or whatever you want to call it.

I have met any number of fellows that I have known at some time or another during my career in the  army, and It seems nice to be around with some body besides a bunch of strangers.

You sure ought to see some of the flying that goes on around here. Every body is good but some are away above the average and some of the things they pull off are sure thrilling. There is an English captain around here who is a wonder and is only about 21 yrs old. They say he leaves the grounds doing a loop and while I have never seen him do it I have seen him fly and he is sure good.  Perhaps some day I may be able to do such things but I don’t believe I will because there is nothing to be gained and the factor of safety is too low for comfort.  Flying machines have their weak points and its bad enough sometimes in ordinary flying.

I expect to be ready for action service with in a week or so if the good weather holds on, but it begins to look from the news yesterday and today as though this little scrap was about on its last leg. You cant’ tell about these stupid Huns thought, and perhaps they will keep on even if Austria does quit.  I should like to make it at least one trip over the lines after coming this far but after that they can call it off as soon as they please, and the sooner the better. The army is all right for a change but as a life job is not to be desired by me, anyway.  I will sure be glad when I am a civilian again and be back and move with some of the old bunch at a little gathering. However, if it wasn’t for the war perhaps I would not have had the some opportunity to know a certain young lady, and if I derive no other benefit, that alone will be ample.

Well, its is time for taps so must close. Write when you have some time to spare and I will keep you informed as to my activities.

Love to all
Kaye
Lt. Alexander K. Ogilvie.
U.S. Air Service
American E. F.
France

In closing there is really nothing more that I can add, this letter speaks volumes on its own. There is one fact that will make this letter all the more poignant, Kaye lost his life on 29 Nov 1918.

Letter transcribed by Julia K. Hogston great grand niece of Alexander
from a copy of the letter given to me by Jean Wells granddaughter of James R. Kaye, Uncle to Alexander Ogilvie aka Kaye, Hattie is James’ wife. Cecil is their son.

Happy Hunting!