LeFevre Letter
Some things to read while
you wait for the letter to load (4 large graphics, should take
around 2-3 minutes- but worth the wait):
This letter was written on
November 9, 1918. Although the date is not indicated in the letter,
it, and the identity of the author, can be deduced from the events
described.
First of all, "grandma,"
as the letter is signed, makes mention of "our" birthday.
The only people in the LeFevre family to share birthdays were
Josephine Knapp LeFevre and her granddaughter Katherine, on November
7. Katherine is one of the names mentioned in the letter. The
other name mentioned, Mary, also fits in as the name of Katherine's
little sister. Katherine's other grandmother had died before her
birth and had lived in the city, so the author could only have
been Josephine.
In order to date the letter,
we must delve into history. First of all, it had to have been
written before Mary Margaret LeFevre's death in January of 1919.
From the frequent mentions of soldiers and war, it is clear then
that the letter must have been written during the First World
War. Josephine mentions a large celebration and then states that
"the news" that had caused the celebration was not true.
She says the fake news came on the shared birthday mentioned above.
On November 7, 1918, there was a "false armistice" when
it was announced that the war had ended, but it really had not.
Thus the letter can be dated to November 7-11 (the date of the
real armistice) in 1918. The only "Saturday Eve" (as
the letter is headed) in that period was the 9th of November.
Interestingly enough, the real armistice happened on Monday, November
11, and in the letter, Josephine speculates that it might just
happen on that day.
[George
and Jo LeFevre]