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Genealogy

Michel Lefebvre – Letter #2

By Sheetar 4 September 2024 19 February 2024

Well, just when I thought the one letter from Michel Lefebvre in France was a one-off, I found two more, one of them is here. The postmark on the envelope indicates it was sent from Bourges in Cher, France on 14 March 1951. Two 15 franc stamps are on the front.

Here’s a transcription of the letter, to the best of my abilities. Spelling and grammar errors left as they were written.

Dear Clarice,
I remark since your last letter there are many things changed while your patient Jud Westover is died and you have a new job.
Between this time, I leaved Percy Hospital near Paris where I have spent four months, for the Military Hospital of Bourges in the department (district) of Cher. I am separated of Paris from two hundred kilometers but chiefly I had rather to rest in a special house or at home and I might be glad. It’s raining since a week that I am arrived and after the people say: the weather will not change afore one or two months.
My illness is not worse, I am spending all day long between rests of two or three hours and small activities such as reading, walking limited by walls of the hospital, inside games and hobneys [?]. I have not any treatment, I like very well this and I feel better. I do not know how many long I am about to stay here but I wait principally on my boxes a departure in a time so that [this?] possible.
I went in Borgest next Sunday, it is an old town with irregular paving stone streets, the cathedral dating in the Middle Age is in good state what is astonishing with the two international conflicts, you might see it from the card that I like is in the letter. Borges has a great historic past, it was a royal town with Louis XI’s [crowd?] and Jacques Coeur the famous treasurer. In spite of this there are more squares and gardens what turn over the aspect of the town.
I hope that your job is liked by you and I wait the pleasure to read you.
Your Sincerely,
Michel

Michel did enclose a postcard of the cathedral which was kept with the letter. Apparently Clarice told him about Judd Westover, who I believe she cared for after high school and before her career as a nurse. I remember going through a box of photos with her once and she pointed out the Westovers, and I *think* that photo exists in the collection on my hard drive somewhere. If I find it, I’ll put together a post and update this post as well.

UPDATE: Information/photos found, and that post will be coming shortly, here – https://www.sheetar.com/2024/02/19/the-westovers/

Genealogy

Michel Lefebvre

By Sheetar 31 July 2024 1 February 2024

This one is a real mystery. I tried to do some searching for this fellow, but the name is apparently common enough that I was coming up with too many results and had too little information to really narrow things down and be sure I had the right person. I’m basically putting this out on the internet in case someone is searching for their ancestor and finds this post – if this is you, send me an update!

Grandma saved this letter from a man in France in 1950. She was 19 at the time, so this may have been a high school pen pal or letter exchange program? There’s not a lot of information here to really know for sure, but he sent her photos of himself and (presumably) his parents. Let’s start with the envelope.

It’s addressed to Miss Clarice Spicher, and the postmark is from Clamart, Seine, France. The stamp has been cut out of the front. On the back, the return address is Mr. Lefebvre Michel, Hopital Percy, Pavilion 10, Clamart, Seine.

The front of the card features a boy playing a violin to little birds with a message, “Meilleurs voeux et Souhaits,” which Google Translate tells me says, “Many wishes and greetings,” in French.

The inside message is dated at Clamart, 18 December 1950. Here’s a transcription to the best of my ability with the handwriting. I’ve left in misspellings and errors exactly as written.

Dear Clarice,
In this end of year, I wish you a happy and merry xmas, by the circumstance I show you my wishes of good health and perhaps of happiness, in any case of Peace for 1951.
The dark cloud of the War is rising and everybody in the world wonder if nothing of ugly and redoutable is not going happen? Against that I am happy that President Harris Truman has taken strong measures so as to renforce Peace.
What are your intentions now? Is your house ended or nearly?
Presently I am treated by streptomycine and a product called in French P.A.S. para amino salyscilate di sodium and I am better.
Even I shall have the joy in returning at home for New Year, this shall change me of this annoying atmosphere.
I remarked this year in France that big Christmas-trees will be put on the largest places such as Obelisque Opera, in Paris, enactly like in U.S.A.
I do wait impatiently an of your letter.
Your Sincerely,
Michel

The drug he references seems to be a drug used to treat drug-resistant Tuberculosis, so it seems like our soldier was hospitalized and being treated for Tuberculosis when he wrote the letter.

He also sent along three photos. The first is of him in uniform and what looks like barracks in the background, and the back inscribed with, “To my American friend, 1949.” The next is a more formal portrait, dated on the back 7 September 1949, and “to my friend Clarice.” And the last one I would imagine is of Michel and his parents, no date, but, “To my American and to our friendship.”

It’s a really neat capsule of a piece of correspondence and I’d love to know more about Michel if you happen to be connected to him! I’d imagine he was a young man, probably early 20s at the time this was sent.

UPDATE: It turns out there were more letters from this same man in her collection, so I’ve added those to other posts. They can be seen at the tag here: https://www.sheetar.com/tag/michel-lefebvre/

Genealogy, Sepia Saturday

Sepia Saturday 241: Writing and Letters

By Sheetar 16 August 2014 17 September 2014

I went back and forth on this week’s theme since I have plenty of letters, but very few pictures to go along with them. The letter is written to Nellie Gasparri in the photo on the left (b. 9 May 1924, Dysart, Cambria County, PA, USA, d. 9 Oct 2007, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA, USA), my first cousin, once removed, or my mom’s first cousin (her mother’s sister’s daughter). It was written by Angelina Guerrini who is Nellie’s Aunt (her father’s sister). From what I know from living family members, Nellie never learned to read or write in Italian, but had a friend who read/wrote back letters for her. This particular letter was one in a series of letters written to Nellie that she saved for many, many years. After her death, relatives found them and didn’t know what to do with them, so they ended up with my mother somehow who fairly recently found them in a drawer while cleaning and passed them on to me. I had studied Italian at University as well as taking a semester abroad, so about 12 years ago, I was just about fluent. It’s faded a lot since then, so in order to translate these, it’s quite a process. First, I try to figure out what was written and type that up – it can be a struggle between the handwriting and spelling/grammar issues, but fortunately it’s just about the same region where I took my semester abroad, so that helps! Then, I run the translation through Google Translate to see what it comes up with, correcting the Italian side to fix spelling issues. Finally, I go through and do my own translation on top to fix odd phrasing that Google doesn’t really translate well and make it sound more like it was written in English. Some of the phrases don’t translate well from Italian to English, and I tend to go for a more literal than flowery approach in terms of translation. I’m always open to correction, so if you happen to be Italian and want to help me out, please leave a comment!

If you’re interested in the other letters, they can be found here:
A Letter to Great Grandma
Searching for a Son
Angelina’s First Letter

San Valentino, 6 April 1947
After several days of delays, I have come to respond to your dear letter that I received with much pleasure, to hear that you remember me with much affection and that you are in good health as are your brothers.

As for me, always little is well, but nothing is so serious, just a little bit of organic deterioration. My husband and my daughters are doing well. My husband is 60 years old, and I’m 50. Grandmother is also well, she is 84 years old. I haven’t had the courage to tell her the news of the death of her son, and I think that’s because my brother has found a wife so cruel that the old woman could not ever see her and stay in good health. They have a 4 year old daughter and live quietly, but I ought to say very little to you about the awful things they did to this poor old woman.

If you send something to grandma, send it to me or write it to me because she doesn’t know how to read or write and she’s deaf such that to have her understand, it takes time, and even when you repeat it, she substitutes whatever she wants.

Dear Niece, I am happy to hear you explain in your letter so many things that I wanted to hear about you and your brothers. Now all that remains is the desire to have a little written also from him and I’d even like to have a photograph, but first we must send you ours. I would like to know about the brother that isn’t in the army. Your aunt told me he works – what does he do?
I received the letter from your aunt with the photo of your father. It made me happy and at the same time a little sad that he isn’t around anymore. I don’t know how to find peace. You tell me that you work in an office. I’m happy to hear that, and I hope you enjoy it.

I’m sad that I can’t give you any help being so far away. You sent us the package and you said you can send another but what can I send you? Do you want anything that I could send to you? Tell me please! Let me know if you read my letters yourself or if you have someone read them to you the way I do the with your greetings to me, your friend Gina Canali.

Thousands and thousands of dear greetings and kisses from us that you will pass on also to your brothers, your aunt, and even these coming days I’ll write more to you.
Many dear kisses from me, your aunt, Angelina Guerrini.

Genealogy

Italian Letter 16 Feb 1947

By Sheetar 19 March 2014 17 September 2014

So, it might seem a little odd that I’m posting these letters to the public. Two of the people referenced in the letter (Angelina’s daughters) may still be alive and what a thrill it would be to have the internet somehow connect us. You hear that Thia Guerrini, Rina Guerrini? If you’re reading this, I would absolutely love to hear from you. We’re related by marriage, and my cousins would get a real kick out of hearing from long-lost cousins in Italy. If they were alive, they’d be in their 80s this year (2014). It’s a long shot, but hey, you never know.

Moving on! The letters are also interesting for their historical information. Nellie Gasparri, (my first cousin, once removed) apparently sent a package along with her letter to her aunt Angelina. The reply letter from Angelina is what I’ve got posted here – she enclosed a separate, smaller piece of paper thanking Nellie very specifically for the coffee since, she explains, it was something they hadn’t seen in Italy for many years since the war. She also mentions that they’re missing many things, and that her daughters appreciated the clothes Nellie sent. Basic living supplies seem to have been pretty scarce in San Valentino (Sorano). There’s also mention of Nellie’s Aunt who I can assume is her mother’s sister, my grandmother, Norma Innocenti. Just like the last letter, the same grammatical/spelling errors persist (penziero instead of pensiero, “ai” and “o” instead of hai and ho for the verb avere, and a couple various misspellings). It’s slowly making these easier to read since the handwriting is becoming more familiar. At the end, Angelina writes a little blurb to also thank the friend (of Nellie’s I assume?) who wrote the letter, Gina Canali. In my translation, I added some punctuation to help with flow and took a few liberties with some of the not-easily-translated Italian phrases. I love perfectly literal translations, but it never flows well. Without further babble, here’s the translation, and images of the letter. Click any image to enlarge.

February 16, 1947.
Dearest Niece,
Days ago I received your letter and even the package that you sent. I just received it and it was delivered in good condition. I can only thank you for the thought that you had for us. Your cousins Thia and Rina thank you for the clothes that we really needed because in Italy we are lacking clothes and many other things after the war. Your cousins are ages Thia 18 and Rina 17.
Dear Niece, if it’s easier for you to write American, write that way since there is someone who reads to me. As for the letter that I wrote to your aunt, I hope that she has received it and my greetings and if she writes to me again it would make me happy. I’m glad that you are in good health. As for us, my daughters and my husband are well, but for a while I haven’t felt well but don’t worry that it’s serious.
Dear Nellie I would like to know so much about you all. Make your brothers write to me too and tell me how you’re doing now that you’re left without your father. I have so much sorrow for you all. We are far away and I cannot give you any comfort. I would like to have a memory of my brother if it’s possible (a photograph of yours); it would be much appreciated. For this time, I can only greet you and kiss you, united to my family. I tell you that your aunt thinks of you always,
Angelina Guerrini.

Don’t ever forget that my address is only this:
S. Valentino di Sorano
Pro di Grosseto
Only So
Do you understand?
Greetings again to your friend that wrote the letter,
Gina Canali

(enclosure, on green paper)
Dear Niece,
I thank you so much for the coffee, here it’s been many years and you don’t see it any more and I tell you again there are many things we’re lacking here in Italy. Nellie in as much as I remember your address it’s not as it was before. Did you move? It’s been a while since your aunti wrote to me the other time where she is. I want to tell you many other things and ask you many things but I’m afraid I’ll bore you. Write to me at length and tell me many things. Again, many kisses, your aunt,
Angelina Guerrini

Genealogy

More Letters from Italy

By Sheetar 8 February 2013 8 February 2013

While on a recent trip home to celebrate the holidays (a belated celebration since my husband wasn’t home on December 25th), my mom found another stack of letters written in Italian to Nellie Gasparri, my first cousin, once removed. The way mom explained it, when Nellie died in 2007, the folks cleaning out her house found these letters, didn’t know what to do with them, and handed them off to my mom for safekeeping. This is just one of the letters that I managed to translate. My knowledge of Italian (where I was fluent about 10 years ago) has degenerated to about the level of a 5 year old, but I can manage a decent translation with the help of Google Translate and a dictionary. The hardest part is reading the handwriting, misspellings and all, and working through the local phrases, grammar, etc that can vary WIDELY from town to town. Fortunately, this is pretty close to the area where I studied abroad, so that makes it easier.

I added punctuation and paragraph spacing to make the letter easier to read in the translated version. Interesting to note, Silvio Gasparri, the man to whom the letter is written, died 18 July 1944, two years before the letter was written. Nellie, his daughter, had corresponded with one of Silvio’s sisters in Italy a number of times, but the earliest letter we have in that set is from 16 February 1947. I suppose it’s possible that two years went by without any notification to family in Italy about Silvio’s death. The overall tone of the letter is pretty sad – a mother wishing for news from her son, hoping that everything is okay, but wondering if something bad happened.

Click any image to open up a larger version.

Montebuono, November 3, 1946. Dearest son, It’s been a long time, even years, that I waited for news, but I always waited in vain. I thought something has happened to you. Until now I thought that maybe one day I would have had your news as we rejoin hands. There is always news from other Italians in America, but I have always waited in vain. Think, my son, on the great pain I suffer. Think of my age that I’m 81 years old and have no hope of seeing you again before I die. It could be a consolation to have news from you, comforting for me and for all. I have written you twice after the end of the great holocaust of the war but I have had no response. I am forced to make a search for you through the American President. The situation in Italy is bad. Life is very expensive such that if you don’t live anymore, you pay a lot. Expensive and you don’t earn anything. You believe that you need to go almost nude and drained, but who cares. I would be happy only to hear from you. Please write soon, my son, that you would lift a great sadness from my heart. I hope that this letter reaches you and finds you and your family in good health. I won’t even say that I’m well because age prevents it but it will make do. Pietro and your family are well. I won’t say anything more for the moment. I will write you more at length another time. I give you a hug and a kiss. You and my grandchildren should be great. Now I sign, your affectionate mother, Rosa Lombardi. Goodbye.

Genealogy

A Letter in Italian

By Sheetar 10 July 2012 22 July 2012

When my grandmother passed away, mom saved a bunch of papers we found in her home. Among these were letters written in Italian that none of us could translate. I was in my second year of studying the language and really wasn’t proficient yet. But, now, twelve years and a study abroad in Italy later, I’ve finally got back at it and have started working on these. The genealogy research I’ve been doing has paid off as well, since I’ve finally been able to identify everyone in this first letter which is really neat. I can’t say the translation is perfect – some of the handwriting and nuances of the language can’t be made into a perfect translation, but I think this is pretty close. If you happen to have any suggestions on how to make my translation better, I’m happy to accept corrections!

The letter is from Angiolina (Ducceschi) Cioletti, addressed to Eugenia (Arcangeli) Innocenti.
Marsilio is Eugenia’s cousin and lived with Eugenia and her children through 1940.
Amos is Angiolina’s husband.

Worth noting, Angiolina uses the word “figlie” when referring to her children, meaning they’re all girls (and census records tell me that they were indeed). When referring to Eugenia’s children, she uses the word, “figli” meaning that they’re either all boys, or of mixed gender (in this case, one boy and two girls). She uses the phrase “Vi Fo Sapere” instead of “Vi Faccio Sapere” (I want you to know). “Fo” is a regioinalism particular to Tuscany. Angiolina and her husband came from Piteglio, from what I can find, which is in Tuscany. “Bath Room” is written out in plain English instead of Italian. Towards the end, she uses the letter z instead of s in Penziero (Pensiero) and Verzo (Verso). The stamp has been torn off the envelope – grandma was a stamp collector, so it’s possible that this one ended up in her collection, even though she would’ve been 7 at the time this was written.

Haledon NJ 20 September 1928Dearest friend,

I come to write you these few lines on paper to tell you that I am fine. Me, my husband, and my children and so I hope that it is the same with you, your husband, and children. Now I want to tell you that we are together in New Jersey and we’re here willingly, and we’re very happy. We have a house with 5 rooms and the bath room makes 6, and we pay $22.50 a month, cold and hot water, and all the amenities. Also, the place is beautiful for the kids. There is no danger. The house is all fenced in. Also Amos is content with his work. He works every day and brings home $6.50 a day, but he works at night, 13 hours of work, but the work is not as tiresome as in the mines. Especially when he came to work every day at Flinton, Marsilio works all day and I hope that he is still, but we hear that the mines are going very badly. Respond to me. I wanted to write you for a long time, but I never took the time, but I thought about my friends. I have always and will now give my greeting to all of you, your husband and children, from me, my husband, and children. Here I sign, your unforgettable friend, Angiolina, my mother Cioletti. I greet you if you’re ever near to me, it would be nice to have a short walk.

Here is the Address

268 Belmont Ave
Haledon, New Jersey