1943-12-16 - Janet Neville Letter

Description:
This letter, sent from Jane Diane Law, is unique due to a few characteristics. First, the letterhead is specific to a farm, Glen Echo Farm, in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Second, Ms. Law signed her letter with her nickname, "Stinky." Finally, the letter references two invitations (the reason for this letter being one of them), a phone call, and a young man.



History:
Janet Neville appears to have been living at 400 South Church Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Thanks to the magic of the Google Street View, we can see the house that stands there now.

We found a few references to a "Glen Echo Farm" in West Chester, but nothing regarding the Law family.

Transcription:

[start header]
Glen Echo Farm
West Chester
Pennsylvania
[end header]
Dec. 16, 1943
Dear janet
I accept with pleasure the invitation sent to me By you and for you.
[“Back” crossed out] But I cordially want to inform you that Miss Cissy Carson will be then visiting me so I wanted to know if [“st” crossed out] it would be alright if I brought her along to [sic].
Say please forgive the missspelled [sic] words, as you know I just graduated out of the 2nd grade.
over
Love, “Stinky”
Guess what I just got a phonecall [sic] from Delmore Farney. Thrill Thrill!!!!!!!!???! He said he would accept my invitation

Photos:






References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1943-10-29 - Janet Neville Letter

Description:
The first of several letters originating in foreign countries, this particular letter started in England. Specifically, Somerset. It was written by one Elisabeth Wilbraham of Standerwick Court, Frome, Somerset. While no specific information could be found on Elisabeth, the Wilbraham family appears to be present in England for many centuries.





History:
Unknown at this time. Beyond the small number of references we found to the Wilbraham family, no other information could be derived from the letter.

With that in mind, we were able to determine a few things from the content of the letter itself.

• Elisabeth appears to be an American in England.
• Janet and Del could be dating.
• Elisabeth likes to use postscripts.
  

Transcription:

Oct 29th 1943
Standerwick Court
Frome
Somerset
also
Wychwood School
Banbury Rd
Oxford
Dear Janet
Thank you very much for your letter it is the first one I have received from [“the” is crossed out] the U.S.A. We arrived a little over a week ago. I was quite sorry to leave Portugal as we were having such a wonderful time. We used to swim practically every-day, it was usually so hot that we had to stay in the hotel from about eleven to three in the afternoon. We spent two days in Ireland which wasn’t much. Then something very extraordinary happened which I will tell you about when I next see you which will be very very soon I hope. The food isn’t so bad really, but you can get practically no clothes. I am going to school in a few days, it’s an awful looking school and the girls look pretty bad too, but it is very close to John’s school, Ma and Pa can visit us both at once. I forgot to tell you Lisbon is an amazing looking place, it has palm trees up the middle of the streets, and you always see women going around with enormous things on
[page 2]
their heads, also you see hundreds of donkeys laden with junk, can you imagine seeing all this in New York or Washington. I can speak Portuguese now, I bet that is a language old Mrs Shumway can’t speak.
You must write and tell me all the latest news about Dolly and Billy, how are things going? Also about you and Del.
Please be sure to give me Ann Robb’s address also please give her my love, and tell her to hurry up and write.
I am having a thrilling time, sowing [sic] tapes [“tags” is crossed out] on all my things before I go to school.
I am quite sure this letter makes no sense as I am not concentrating at all, which is very unusual for me, as you know.
Please give my best to all at school, and also to the green team. Much much much
love
from
Liz
P.S.
Ask Robb if she knows Mrs Miller as Mrs Miller know [sic] her. Thank you.
PP. S.
Please send me your picture. Thank you.
[written 90 degrees up the side]
PPP.S.
Give my love to your “Wannie” and Ma and Pa.
PPPP.S.
Next time write me a longer letter.

Photos:










References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1943-10-16 - Janet Neville Program

Description:
The mini-epic of Miss Janet Neville's life continues. Here we see a program from a school play. Saint Joan by Bernard Shaw to be precise. The play, in honor of the "New Girls," was performed on October 16th, 1943. It was a Saturday evening. Janet played a Court Page. Also of note was the play was performed at the Shipley School. A name we will see in the future.

History:
Saint Joan was written by George Bernard Shaw in 1923. You can see a trailer for the National Theatre's version here, a version we are quite sure differs from the version Ms. Neville was in.

We researched each member of the cast and crew and could find only one reference to a scholarship in the name of Catherine Bohlen, the Director of the play.

Photos:




References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1943-09-23 - Janet Neville Letter

Apologies for not being as active as normal. It appears a time dilation device was left on by a researcher in G Department without our knowledge. You would think being able to speed up or slow down the space-time continuum would have given them ample time to distribute the memo, but alas we just received it late last week. We appreciate your patience while we endure our red tape. - UFO Team Captain

Description:
Janet Neville will be the focus of our attention for pretty much the rest of the summer. A UFO Team member stumbled upon a large collection of letters and used his per diem money to purchase them. While the accounting department was not happy, the rest of the UFO Team was ecstatic.

To start our Janet Neville adventure, we have this letter from Delmer S. Fahney [spelling may not be correct]. "Del" writes from the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

History:
The UFO Team is still early in the research stage of Miss Janet Neville, but we hope to learn more about her as we proceed. If you know Ms. Neville or can provide us more information about the topics discussed, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Transcription:

Thursday
Dear Janet,
I arrived here at hill [sic] yesterday and all is
well so far. How are you doing at your school? I will still say that I should
have given you a flower, the last time I saw you. I’m really sorry I didn’t. Jan
how is my favorite piece In the Blue of Evening? Va[unreadable]t “and” I almost
forgot to mention how are your pet chickens. Give my regards to your family + do
write
[begin reverse of page]
and tell me how you are doing. Will see
you soon
Always Del

Photos:










References:
- The Hill School Web Site, Retrieved on July 20th, 2008 from http://www.thehill.org/.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1900-10-12 - Thorp Envelope

Description:
This envelope started out in the Philippines in the hands of a soldier. It is addressed to Mrs. Mary E. Thorp of Americus, Indiana. The return address simply says "Soldiers Mail."

History:
For those that are not aware, there was a Philippine-American War from 1899 to 1913 and it appears that envelope held a letter form a soldier serving in that war. To what extent the soldier served or what relation Mary Thorp was, we have not been able to find out.

Photos:




References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1900-07-21 - Hollcraft Pension

Description:
This is one of the more interesting articles of ephemera in the UFO collection. When we first ran across it in the antique shop, we were very excited to get it back to the lab for research.

History:
Guy Hollcraft had grey eyes, brown hair, a ruddy complexion, and stood six foot and a half an inch. Amazing what a little research can get you. We found Mr. Hollcraft in several areas. In 1880, he lived with his parents and family in Tippecanoe Township, Indiana. In 1898, he was discharged from the Army (specifically, the 2nd Infantry, Company H). Guy married Ida M. Galey in 1899 (Ida was sister to Alexander Galey from previous posts).





In 1900, Guy lived in Hammond City, Indiana with his wife Ida and a brother Charles (presumably Guy's brother). This particular census is almost a month before the pension postcard in our collection. In 1930, Alexander Galey and Guy Hollcraft show up living in the same house Wayne Township, Indiana.



Photos:




References:
- Census records obtained from Ancestry.com.
- Marriage Record obtained from Indiana Marriage Collection via Ancestry.com.
- United States Army Register of Enlistments obtained from Ancestry.com.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.