September 29, 1916 - I can hardly wait for tomorrow to arrive

Here is the letter Joe sent Helen as she prepares to go out to Connecticut to meet his mother for the first time. He wants to make sure she gets the royal treatment on the train.

September 29,1916.
My darling:

I am enclosing ticket that you will use on your trip tomorrow, I tried, in the few seconds at my command last night to get a Parlor reservation, but it was too close to train time, and I didn't think I had time enough. So I think it would be best if you got one at the station yourself, and I am enclosing the wherewith, I am not certain whether on the fast train you are to take, the cost is the usual thirty five cents or a special rate that applies on some trains of one dollar, but give you the benefit of the doubt.

When I told my mother that you were to go back alone you should have been present to have heard what was said, I may stand in with your mother, but it looks to me that at this end, you have beaten me to it; for she simply said that this would never do, but that I should take you back to the City. She was willing to have me go down to get you also, but the former proposition rather agitated her.

That train will arrive here at 4:35, as I understand it, and I'll be at the depot to see you arrive.
I'11 probably write you later in the day, but have a num­ber of things to clear away at present.

The train ran in on time last night, and I had a real chance of getting some sleep.
I can hardly wait for tomorrow to arrive,especially the matinee session of the day. And to think that you will actually be here Sunday too.

Well,girlie,I hope that you have entirely recovered from that little blue spell that you had, The atmosphere was well charged yet it has passed away again,and by the morrow everything will be lovely.
Your,Joe

N.B. If you call at Grand Central Station at the Pullman window of New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Co. and give your name together with about 35 cents, you'll get the Pullman seat I've reserved for you from this end.

The next letter will be October 2.

August 29,1914 - Helen's Family Summer Photos

Here is a wonderful collection of photographs that we have of Helen and her family at the end of the Summer of 1914.  Most of the photos have Helen and Florrie but I think Lillie was a little young to hang out with her older sisters. According to Helen's date book Abe came out to Far Rockaway on August 29th. Just in time for the photos. Perhaps her mother Bertha was the photographer because she does not appear in any of the photographs.

 Here is a group photo where I marked the people that I can identify.

From left to right: Helen (age 20), Netty, Lillie (age 14) and Florrie (age 19).

Netty Matier was a friend of Helen's that she met while at Barnard. Since Netty was French and they spoke French together. They also shared their love of music and the piano. Netty eventually married and became Netty Munk and taught piano to all of Helen's children. She would travel out of New York City by train to give them lessons. I will soon follow up with a photograph that I took of her in the late 1970s in her New York apartment. Netty and Helen remained friends until her death in 1984 at the age of 93.

Florrie and Helen

Helen, Abe (age 15) and Florrie

Helen, John Rosenstein (their father) and Florrie

Fun beach snapshot of friends.with Florrie and Helen at the top.

Hanging out on the beach with friends. Florrie is in the center and Helen is on the far right.

I noticed that on the umbrella that they were under a store had sponsored the advertising. So I did a little research and discovered that the store was called Casperfield and Cleveland. It was a jewelry store located in lower Manhattan. Below is an article that I found from the New York Times archives that gave proof to the store's existence.

So this ends the summer of 1914 and soon Helen and her siblings will be back at school in NYC.

The next letter will be on September 16.