This letter was written by Hilma Sandin in Anvil Location, MI, to her oldest son Clarence Sandin (Pono's father) in August of 1915. Dad cherished this letter all of his life, since it was the only surviving artifact of his mother's. She died just three years later in the flu epidemic.
Clarence was 18 1/2 years old and working away from home. I think he was working for Standard Oil at this time delivering gasoline and fuel oil. "Pa" who was having a "catfit" was Clarence's father Charlie Sandin. "Mamie Tillner" became Clarence's wife two years after this. "Albert and Lydia" were John Albert Anderson and Lydia Swanson Anderson from Bessemer, MI, Hilma's brother and sister-in-law. "Grandma" was Louisa Anderson, Hilma's mother, who also lived in Bessemer. "Esther and Charles" were Charles Godfrey Anderson and his wife, Hilma's brother and sister-in-law. I have never had a good handle on Charles, but Clarence may have been working for or with him in Hibbing, MN or at least staying with them there. The Hibbing directory for 1915 indicates that Charles G. Anderson lived at 705 2nd Ave., the address on the envelope, and that he was a grocery merchant!
You may want to reread this explanation after you read the letter.
This is the envelope. As you can see, it was postmarked from Ramsay, MI, just down the hill from Anvil, on August 11, 1915. Some over-exuberant stamp collector (probably Pono) snatched the stamp long ago.
