Article Covers - Surnames
- Boring
- Henderson
- Places
- Illinois
- Year range
- 1919 - 1920
Elin Ida Boring (1887-1920) was the grandmother none of us kids
knew, until our Aunt Eleanor started showing us letters
she’d written.
Then she suddenly became a vivid, ironical personality. When these letters were
written, she and her salesman husband Aleck Henderson (1874-1957)
were living in Moline in western Illinois; her father and sisters were back
in Chicago. The final letter of these three is the last she wrote; three
days later the “pesky ear” infection led to a stroke that claimed her life.
[12 November 1919]
Dear Folks -
I realize that I’m a peach of a letter writer these days, but somehow I
just keep on finding things to do, and don’t get at writing. Its
marvelous how many more things you can think of to do around your
own place than in a rented one.
This is our first real winter day. I was surprised when I got up this
morning to find frost on the windows and the milk frozen.
Elinor is home to-day, supposedly with a sick stomach, but I’m still
trying to figure out whether she really was sick, or only didnt like to
get up in the cold. Anyhow, I’ve kept her in bed all day, and she’s
thoroughly tired of it, so I think she will be quite recovered in the
morning.
The coat arrived O.K. and has already been put into use. I put a
broad band of it on the bottom of Elinor’s coat, also on the sleeves
and collar, and it looks real nice. I’m going to make the muff as
soon as I can get down-town to get a foundation.
As usual, there is no news. I’m sure I say that in every letter. I
washed to-day, but hung my clothes inside in the basement. I
woke the other night and heard a noise outside of one of the
parlour windows, which is right under my bed-room window. I
lay and listened and the noise kept right on, so I decided someone
was trying to break in at the window. It was a bright moon-light
night, so I got up and poked my head out of the window, and
what did I see but three cows which had broken loose from
somewhere and were parading around the house. I sure did feel
stung, after thinking I was going to see a perfectly good burglar.
Now, not having anything else to say, I shall quit. Tell Auntie I’ll
write her sure next week. Haven’t had a letter from the family all
week, but don’t blame you.
Love from us all to you all.
[13 Jan 1920]
Dear Folks -
Having received three letters from the family since I wrote last, I
decided I had better get a wiggle on me and write or I’d never get
caught up. Just a minute ago I got Papa’s letter enclosing a m.o. from
Auntie. She is the limit for wanting to give away everything she’s got.
However, as I just recently got my Doctor bill for the last six months,
I’ll apply it on that, and it will make a nice little hole in it.
Sorry to hear from Emma’s letter that her tummy wasn’t
behaving and hope it is better by this time. You ought to
be nice and stop drinking coffee, the way I have, one cup a
day being my limit. Can you believe it?
In the meantime, I’m having a gay time with the Doctors. The
ear Doc has given me up for a bad job. He says my ear is in
good order, and I ought to be able to hear, but I’m not in proper
shape. So he has sent me back to the regular Doc, who says
there is an infection way back of my ear, caused by some fool
germ in there. He’s got to find out what the germ is, so he’s
sending me over to the hospital this afternoon for a blood test, and
then when he gets a report on it, perhaps he’ll know what’s the
matter with me. He says I’m an ‘unusual case’ and he’s very much
interested in me. I hope for his sake that his interest isn’t very expensive.
If it isn’t any trouble to send I shall be very glad to get the magazines
to read, as I get plenty of time to read evenings when Aleck is away,
and they’ve got such a dinky little library here thatyou never can get
any books that you want. I get the Pictorial my self, but not the others.
By the way, if you get a package one of these days from here, don’t
think it’s a belated Christmas present I’m sending. It’s only Aleck’s
good coat, which he wants so that he can go and see somebody or
other on his way back thorugh Chicago. Please take it out and hang
it up. And make him take both of his coats home with him, even if you
have to grow them out of the window after him. I haven’t written him
about those lovely germs in my head yet, but I will one of these days.
He’ll have a fit.
Now, I think I’ve written about enough, also I’ve got to get lunch.
Will write again towards the end of the week.
Lots of love from us all to you all.
[24 Jan 1920]
Dear Folks -
Just a few minutes ago I got Papa’s letter containing the money
order for the blankets, also got Aleck’s coat. Sorry you had to
bother so much with the coat, and that Alice had to chase around
looking for it. I had just sent it off a few hours before Aleck came
home on Thursday. He is glad to get it back, however, as the job
at the store gave out the other day, and he wants his good coat to
wear while he is looking for something else here. In the meantime,
he’s got what I suppose is a light attack of the grip, as he was quite
feverish yesterday, but is feeling better to-day, but I’m making him
stay in bed to-day.
Glad you liked your blankets all right. I didn’t see them, as Aleck
sent them off direct from the store. He will be over that way on
Monday, and will try to get you two more. The cameras that he
had mentioned were all gone by the time he got back here.
After carrying the little ring around in his pockets for two or three
days, he remembered it and gave it to Elinor. She was very much
tickled with it and wears it to school every day, and is very proud
of herself. It just fits her little finger, but one of these days I will get
it fixed.
Also got the package of goods Emma sent the other day. Thanks.
It will come in very handy making things for the youngsters. I
finally finished the wool dress I made for Elinor, and she has been
wearing it to school this week. She looks as if she had just come
over, but she thinks its just swell herself, so I should worry. It saves
wash anyhow. I think I’ll make her another dress out of one of the
gray Emma sent. Elinor also passed into 5th grade the other day, so
she thinks that is another reason for being proud of herself.
Hope Emma didn’t get the grip, and that her cold is better by this time.
I kept Elinor home from school two days this week, as she had a
cold, but it didn’t develop into anything and she is all right now.
I am cleaning house, but stopped right in the middle of it to write
this letter. I think I’m awfully nice.
Will write again soon. Love from us all,
Ellen
ELLEN IDA BORING HENDERSON
born 18 December 1887 Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
married Alexander Henderson 1908
died 27 January 1920 Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois
ANCESTORS: Thanks to excellent Swedish records, we know all
eight of her great-grandparents and 14 of her 16 great-great
grandparents, and some lines back into the 1600s.
COUSINS: None. She was one of six sisters born to August
Philip Boring (ne Andersson) and Sanda Natalia Stenberg. None
of the others married or had children.
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