Dear Bess: November 29, 1913
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Dear Bess/ Dear Harry podcast for November 29, 2021, a service of Harry S Truman National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service. Today’s letter from Harry S Truman to Miss Bess Wallace is from this date in 1913. In this letter, we hear the names of some of the hired help from the Truman Farm. This is sort of rare, because in these pre-Social Security days, it was rare for employment records be kept, and we have no good list of the non-family employees who worked on the Farm. And Truman writes about his sister, Mary Jane, and a beau she was waiting for. Mary Jane Truman was born on the family farm in 1889, and was the last of the Truman siblings to survive, dying in 1978. Mary Jane Truman was a beautiful woman in every possible way. And as we enter into the holiday season, it’s fascinating to hear of Mr. Truman musing about what he can get Miss Wallace that is worthy of her and the holiday.
Grandview Nov. 29, 1913
Dear Bess:
I got your letter this morning. I was sure glad to get it. I suppose you are on your way to the City of the Platte. (Which really means Buenos Ayres.) You must not forget to mail me a card from that burg, so that Miss Duvall will speedily discover her mistake. I have made up my mind to stay home on Sunday in order to help with the evening work. It will be the first Sunday that the men leave and you know my staying at home will look grand to daddy until he sees your card from Platte City.
The Noland girls have never said anything sassy to me about you. They are well aware that they'd better hadn't I guess. They always talk to me as if they were of the same opinion that I am regarding you.
The hired men are paid off. They beat me badly when I paid them. Wornall hadn't had a settlement since July. He had over forty dollars coming. The other fellow got thirty dollars. Just think what a lot of Christmas presents that would have bought. I wish I knew what you want for Christmas. My brain refuses the task of thinking up something really worthwhile and within my financial ability. Were I a Jawn D. [Rockefeller], there'd be no trouble whatever. There's autos and jewelry and most anything in a millionaire's line, but there are so few things an ordinary person can get that are really worthwhile. Maybe I'll have an inspiration of some kind before midnight, December 24. You may get anything from a needle to a threshing machine. I could use a threshing machine in my own business. It might be good policy to give you one. It is said that a man to be absolutely ornery must own one and a fiddle. I haven't reached either yet.
Mary's in an awful stew. Her Pleasant Hill beau has written that he'll be here one day this week. Today is all that's left, and she's got someone else for tonight I think. Then there are three extra people and I bought her the wrong kind of cheese for the sandwiches. I guess she'll be a wreck by Sunday evening. I told her I am going to stay home tomorrow evening and she said she knew I'd stay till 4:00 P.M. Won't she be surprised. You might send me about an eight- or ten-page note for this and I'll try and send you a good letter Wednesday.
Most sincerely, Harry
In this Dear Bess letter, we hear about paying farmhands, Mary Jane Truman's social life, and Harry Truman wishing he had the ability to buy a fancy Christmas present for Miss Wallace.
A digital copy of the original is here: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/truman-papers/correspondence-harry-s-truman-bess-wallace-1910-1919/november-29-1913