My grandparents Plucker (John and Christina) sent their
eldest child, Anna, off to Chicago with her new husband, Peter Poppens. The
distance was very far – only traveled by train – and these letters sound like
Anna is quite homesick.
Anna sent a letter to her mother on October 28, 1917.
It says:
“You just
want to [get?] up mother. Get strong so you can make a trip with me or you [two]
together. I just know you can stand it.”
“Mother, I
wish you would write me all about how you are feeling. Don’t use to (sic) many
pills, if you have trouble with that just use the syringe, but know (sic)
pills. Not even for headache, if possible to get out of it.” [It sounds
very much like Christina was dependent upon those “hipos” as she called them. It
may be confirmation that Christina (Grandma) Plucker was quite a hypochondriac.] [Or if Eleanor's right, she had arthritis][Or if Cindee can blame her celiac disease on Christina.....]
*******************************
This is a picture of what was found in the attic of the old farm house, when current owners Larry and Nancy Parsons were adding insulation. I googled it (Cindee) and saw that it is a medicine for menstral cramps. Could THIS have belonged to Christina??? Mystery continues.
The question
as to how Wilbur Plucker died is corroborated again by his sister, Anna:
Anna Poppens (as told to her daughter, Eleanor)
“always said that Wilbur fell off a horse, as is stated in his obituary.”
The
following letter dated November 6, 1918 from Anna Poppens to Christina Plucker
includes information about the flu epidemic in 1918: (Anna was living in
Chicago and had only been married about one year at the time she wrote this
letter.
“Dear Folks
and all. I should have written before this, but just kept putting it off. I’m
feeling pretty strong again now, and it seems like I can’t eat enough now. You
don’t care to eat during the “Flu” period. Pete [her husband] was pretty
well until Sunday night. He got a terrible pain in the left side of his chest,
and we think it’s his heart that is weak from the “Flu.” He felt real well
today, so he went to school and when he got back he was all in, and this
afternoon he didn’t feel near as well, had a headache and his chest hurt him so
badly, but his headache and chest pain are gone again tonight, so we hope he
will soon get over this. It’s terrible – the “Flu” gets a person down in no
time. And you don’t get a warning either – you just have it all of a sudden.
Where Pete got this from again we don’t know, because his temperature was down
four days before he went out of the hospital, so you see it wasn’t because he
got out too soon.
 |
| This picture of Anna was taken in 1917. She was 23 years old. Perhaps it was just prior to her wedding. |
[Peter and Anna Poppens were married on September 25,
1917 and moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Peter went to medical school. By
1920, they moved to Princeton, Illinois, where they lived out the rest of their
married life. Peter died in 1945; Anna died in 1988.]
“I’m glad you
got your teeth pulled but I don’t see how you could stand it without taking
anything. Tell me all about how you feel otherwise. I’m so anxious to know. It
seems like I have to hear from you every day. Of all things take good care of
yourself all of you. I hope you don’t go out very much, because I’m so afraid
you might get exposed. It’s pretty bad in Parker now they write from Pete’s
home. The way the paper writes here now it’s going down in Chicago now. I
think that rain was very good. They think these bugs are in dust mostly.
“I will send
your shoes some day soon. I was going to bring a box today but had to forget
again like always. I suppose you miss them very much now.
“Well next
week is Daddies birthday [John Poppe
Plucker was born on November 11, 1869] and I don’t know what else to give
him as a great hug and congratulate him. I told Pete, I feel as tho I want to
pick corn, now that I can’t. It must be dreadful lonesome in the corn field.
“I suppose
girlie [Lydia] thinks she is some
girl to help Daddie pick corn. I suppose the schools are all closed yet, well
it’s just as good because the “Flu” sure is no joke. Pete’s heart is still
going too fast, but he has no temperature. But he will have to rest I’m afraid.
I have been very much worried since Sunday, but I hope God’s hand will help us
thru this trouble. I don’t see why it is that Pete had to get so weak.
“My dear
folks, don’t worry too much about the war because everybody thinks it’s going
to stop soon, which we all hope. We don’t think they care [to] fight very much
longer. They just have to give up, and they are still losing on the west front
I see in the paper. Well, I’m getting tired so will finish in the morning.
[As the
Allied forces broke the German lines, Prince
Maximilian of Baden was
appointed as Chancellor
of Germany in October in
order to negotiate an armistice. Because of his opposition to the peace
feelers, Ludendorff was forced to step aside and he fled to Sweden. Fighting was still continuing, but the
German armies were in retreat when the German Revolution put a new government in power. An armistice was quickly signed, that stopped all fighting on the Western Front on ARMISTICE
DAY (11 NOVEMBER 1918).] (From
Wikipedia)
“Well this is
afternoon, and Pete is so much better, but he gets very tired yet. He is home
all day, we think he better be careful for a while yet.
“Well the
whistles have been blowing for two hrs. and the papers say the war is ended. I
hope it’s all true. It sure makes a person feel good to think it’s over with.
“I will send
your shoes today. I have a box now and I know you want them badly.
“Mother, I
hope you will take good care of yourself, because it pays to be careful right
now. Do tell me all about how you feel, I’m real anxious to know. Don’t worry
about us, because I think we will both be well soon.
‘I washed
this morning, and I sure had a lot of dirty things. I’m afraid I can’t send the
shoes because it’s raining, and it’s better for me to stay in, so I will mail
this letter so you will get it Sat. It’s too bad about Uncle Wessels, but what
can we do? I should have given Miss Doyle the right address, but I didn’t
think.
“Well, I must
close now and what a blessing it is to think the war is over.
“With Love,
Your daughter, Anna”
And that is
the way it was, in 1918 in the Poppens and Plucker families. These letters were
sent to me by Eleanor Skoog (Anna’s youngest daughter) to help to fill out the
memories of the Plucker family.
Jean E. Plucker
Straatmeyer
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