The 1920s Letters – 1st Category: 1924 – 26
In the 1920s letters from 1924 – 1926, Brodie, Bob, Whit, Joe, Dick, and Gordon wrote twenty-two letters to Helen. She received most of letters at three addresses: her Aunt Rose’s home in Richmond Hill on Long Island, in Albuquerque at First Savings Bank and Trust where she appears to have worked, and at 403 West 115th Street in New York City. Although their letters include references to her correspondence, these relationships seem to go nowhere.
In the episode, I missed naming letter writer, “Floyd,” whose letter had a big brotherly teasing tone.
I was much surprised to get a letter from you … I supposed you would be so busy writing your soldier friend … you would not find time for anyone else. They tell me Lyman bought a trading store 100 miles out in the sticks in Arizona. I am wondering if his moving out there will effect your coming back here… It is probably best that you do not run into me on Broadway as I have been behaving a little better than usual. We will be in N.Y about Dec 28 if you are still there then we will paint the town red. It is not often that sheepherders get to such a big city… I don’t know what the Charleston is but be careful.
Signed “Floyd” on Fernandez Company Cattle and Sheep Company letterhead, October 26, 1925
I imagined Helen relaying learning the Charleston and inviting Floyd to spend time in the “big city.” But, it was his reference to Lyman buying an Arizona trade store that intrigued me. At the time of the episode publication, I knew little about Helen’s older sisters, Elsie, who lived in Albuquerque with her husband Lyman Putney, and Catherine, who lived in Santa Fe with her husband Charles Broome.
However, I did remember a group of pictures notable because all six had handwritten descriptions on the reverse.
Only one had a label on the front: “Arizona.”
The Master’s Thesis
A few weeks after publishing Episode 8, I followed a curiosity. I suspected Helen visited New Mexico because of her sisters presence there. But, why New Mexico? And what happened to Elsie’s first husband, Ernest? How did Elsie meet her 2nd husband, Lyman Putney? Where?
After searching for Lyman on the internet, following lead, and taking a leap, I would learn three months later that Elsie’s first fiancé had tuberculosis. They left Queens to convalesce in New Mexico. Although my family tree noted Ernest Huhn as Elsie’s first marriage, it contained no marriage date, only Ernest’s death recorded as 1920. The tree also noted Lyman and Elsie married in 1922.
While searching for Lyman, I found his name referenced in a university master’s thesis acknowledgements section. The family tree from the collection indicated that Lyman Senior and Elsie had had one son, named Lyman Jr. The family tree continued all the way to the sixth generation naming the grandson whose name matched the thesis writer’s name.
On April 15th, I took a chance and mailed the grandson. I explained what I was doing, how I had found him, and asked if he had any interest in the letters and pictures.
Then, I waited.
Within days, we were exchanging family information via video call. His grandfather, Lyman Junior, is the 2nd child and only son of Elsie, Helen’s sister, and Lyman Putney Senior. He turns 92 years young on August 3, and, he remembered Helen.
The Arizona Trading Store & Homestead
On July 8th, Lyman Junior and I finally connected by phone. I didn’t want the conversation to end. He recalled visiting Helen in New York. I shared the letter Helen had written about how adorable he was as a baby in 1930. He shared that he visited Helen’s home, which was “a mess.” This didn’t offend me me as my experience had been similar, only to me it was an ‘adventure.’ I had learned during research for Running to Thousand Letters, Dad thought differently. In cleaning out Helen’s attic after she died, Dad felt he had to sort through every single stack of newspapers in her attic.
I was thrilled to hear Lyman describe Helen as “a character” who wore big, floppy hats. Given how many pictures in which Helen is wearing a hat and that I found two of her hats in my collection from Episode 2, his description didn’t surprise me. I wanted more and hoped I could meet him in person.
Toward the end of our conversation, I asked if he remembered a homestead in Arizona. He did. Not only did the family have that store but also one in Bernalillo and Cuba, New Mexico. He mentioned a picture of the homestead and I promised to send the six from my collection. Upon sharing his address, I realized he and his wife live less than 30 minutes from George and Julie’s new home in the Portland area. I added a visit to see all to the “For Later” List.
After our call, I compared a letter Elsie wrote to Helen in 1945 to the handwriting on the back of the pictures. It looked the same to me, especially looking at the “k”. Thus, it seems likely that I did indeed have pictures of the Arizona Trading store that Floyd referenced.
The 1920s Letters -2nd Category: 1928 – 1929
The second category of the 1920s letters were almost entirely from a man named Howell. He wrote 36 letters to Helen from October 1928 just after she returned to Queens from New York. It seemed Helen cooled on Howell after advice from her sister, Cathrene in April 1928.
I disliked Howell from the first words of his first letter. Helen would have been 28 years old and he addressed her as “my darling little girl.” Maybe if she was 4 or 5 that might have been appropriate. I tried over and over with each open and read of his letters to have an open mind. But, I agreed with Cathrene. Helen should not encourage Howell. She seemed to have agreed and stopped writing in March.
But, perhaps her grief softened her to Howell as it did me, briefly, in July. Four telegrams and a few other family letters, including Elsie’s 5-page typed letter, detail Cathrene’s sudden death after giving birth to her second child.
Enjoy this episode that focuses on these 1928 – 29 letters from the collection.
