Letter from the Illinois Department of Public Health when Dad was born.

I've been holding on to this just because it feels just a little historic and, because of the references to immunization, currently topical as well. 

I assume that Father was born at home, mostly because his youngest sister was.  There's a family story about her birth, but not one about his.

I checked his birth certificate.  There was a space on the form for Street and Number, with a note: "(If birth occurred in hospital or institution, give its name instead of street and number.)"

Unfortunately, in the space for the address, there was a man's name, possibly the doctor's, possibly Dad's.  It was and is a common name.

There are also two other 'birth certificates' for Dad.  One looks like a bought form, to be filled out by whoever bought it.  Both it and the official birth certificate have had my Grandma L's birth date either modified or scratched out.  She never did like anyone knowing how old she was. 

The last certificate was a certificate of registration.  It has much less information and is an official statement of where the birth was registered, so that you can go there for more information if you want to.

Keeping the certificates in a file.  Tossing the letter from the Health Department.  Feeling very little guilt.  Feeling some accomplishment, but that's because I've emptied and sorted another box.  Not feeling total victory because there are more boxes and I only got 2/3 of my desk clear.  I vote to give myself credit for the 2/3, though.  Go, me. 

People wrote each other poems in the 30's

2/23/30 From John E. Hardy on the U.S.S. Colorado to his wife, Lily

Never Forgotten

Honey, don't think that I've forgotten,
If I don't write every day;
For my thoughts are always of you
Although I'm far away.

Don't ever think that there's another
Who can take the place of you
No matter where I go or roam,
Always will my heart be true
To baby, you and home.

At present I'm in the Navy;
My future is unknown.
But always my thoughts are of you,
As I long for you alone.

So, while we are waiting; sweetheart
Think of me and don't feel blue.
For when I've finished this duty,
I'll be coming back to you.

When ocean waves do break and roll,
And your face I cannot see,
Kindly look into your mirror
And kiss your dear self for me.

Though miles and miles between us lie;
And we are so far apart.
Remember that it is me dear
That sends this, with all my heart.


It's kind of sweet seeing the Grandfather I never met get all sentimental over Grandma.  There is a small, cynical voice saying, hey, the man was a sailor.  They probably swapped poems for sweethearts.  There are more semi-colons in that poem that in all of the rest of his letters.  On the other hand, a bunch of them are placed for decoration rather than for grammar.  And his other letters are all extremely sentimental.  So I'm just going to assume that it's genuine and not even try Googling it.