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Poor Will, doing his best at Christmastime while he grieves for his wife. But he's taking a real interest in his tiny daughter Maggie.
And Maggie comes across as a vivid personality right from the start.
And Maggie comes across as a vivid personality right from the start.
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San Francisco Cal. December 25, 1912.
Dear Eva,
I have been very busy lately and have felt very little like celebrating Christmas and as a result I didn’t buy any presents except a few boxes of candy. All but one of them were for your niece’s nurses at the hospital. I forgot that I got your niece a hood-shawl that is said to be very pretty. Of course she can’t wear it yet. I had better tell you how she is doing or you will skip through this letter until you find out. Miss O’Laughlin the head nurse said this morning that she was doing “wonderfully well.” She weighed 4 lbs 7 oz this morning and doesn’t look like the same baby. She is getting so that she cries much more and they seem to be pleased with that. I nearly collapsed Sunday when Miss O’Laughlin asked her to bring up her clothes, that she thought she would dress her up. I brought them up and they dressed her up Monday. It surprised everybody because they generally wait until they are larger. Miss O’Laughlin said they generally waited until they weighed 5 lbs but that Margaret exercised so well when she was out of her jacket that she thought it might help her to be in clothes so that she could move about. It seems to have been all right as she keeps nice and warm, her hands and feet as well as her body. Miss Siegel said that Margaret was more surprised than anyone else when she found herself put to bed and not wrapped up so that she wouldn’t move. We were all expecting that she would have to make 6 ½ lbs as that was the weight set for “Baby Penkovitch” to make before he could get into clothes.
The wet nurse agreed to come up from San José for only two weeks and her time will be up Sunday. I haven’t seen the doctor for several days on account of being away, but he said when the nurse came that if the milk agreed with Margaret that it would be best to send her back to San José with the nurse if the nurse wouldn’t stay here. I have arranged to send her back with the nurse, unless I can fix it up so that the nurse’s husband can get his job position back if he comes up here for a while. If I do that I or he will have to find work up here for a few months and I would have to rent a furnished house or flat for them. In either case I will have to have a nurse with Margaret to see that she is properly cared for. Miss O’Laughlin thought Margaret should be kept with the wet nurse as long as her milk lasted. She thought that would be two or three months. I rather think I will let Margaret go down to San José for a while and then try to get the wet nurse and her husband to come up here when Mother comes out.
I received Mother’s second letter this morning and was glad to hear that you were doing so well. I was also glad to hear that you were doing so well in the school.
It is getting along towards time for Christmas dinner so I will close.
With worlds of love to all,
Will.
P.S. San José is about 50 miles south of S.F. There are lots of trains every day, about 15 each way I suppose.
Dear Eva,
I have been very busy lately and have felt very little like celebrating Christmas and as a result I didn’t buy any presents except a few boxes of candy. All but one of them were for your niece’s nurses at the hospital. I forgot that I got your niece a hood-shawl that is said to be very pretty. Of course she can’t wear it yet. I had better tell you how she is doing or you will skip through this letter until you find out. Miss O’Laughlin the head nurse said this morning that she was doing “wonderfully well.” She weighed 4 lbs 7 oz this morning and doesn’t look like the same baby. She is getting so that she cries much more and they seem to be pleased with that. I nearly collapsed Sunday when Miss O’Laughlin asked her to bring up her clothes, that she thought she would dress her up. I brought them up and they dressed her up Monday. It surprised everybody because they generally wait until they are larger. Miss O’Laughlin said they generally waited until they weighed 5 lbs but that Margaret exercised so well when she was out of her jacket that she thought it might help her to be in clothes so that she could move about. It seems to have been all right as she keeps nice and warm, her hands and feet as well as her body. Miss Siegel said that Margaret was more surprised than anyone else when she found herself put to bed and not wrapped up so that she wouldn’t move. We were all expecting that she would have to make 6 ½ lbs as that was the weight set for “Baby Penkovitch” to make before he could get into clothes.
The wet nurse agreed to come up from San José for only two weeks and her time will be up Sunday. I haven’t seen the doctor for several days on account of being away, but he said when the nurse came that if the milk agreed with Margaret that it would be best to send her back to San José with the nurse if the nurse wouldn’t stay here. I have arranged to send her back with the nurse, unless I can fix it up so that the nurse’s husband can get his job position back if he comes up here for a while. If I do that I or he will have to find work up here for a few months and I would have to rent a furnished house or flat for them. In either case I will have to have a nurse with Margaret to see that she is properly cared for. Miss O’Laughlin thought Margaret should be kept with the wet nurse as long as her milk lasted. She thought that would be two or three months. I rather think I will let Margaret go down to San José for a while and then try to get the wet nurse and her husband to come up here when Mother comes out.
I received Mother’s second letter this morning and was glad to hear that you were doing so well. I was also glad to hear that you were doing so well in the school.
It is getting along towards time for Christmas dinner so I will close.
With worlds of love to all,
Will.
P.S. San José is about 50 miles south of S.F. There are lots of trains every day, about 15 each way I suppose.
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1.
I forgot that I got your niece a hood-shawl that is said to be very pretty.
I think this must be the hood shawl that Mama Margaret was talking about in the following letter:
1913-03-06 LETTER FROM MAMA MARGARET TO EVA
She has a beautiful hood shawl that Will bought I think for Christmas. It is white woolen goods - very fine - lined with white silk and beautifully embroidered in white and pale blue silk.
2.
She is getting so that she cries much more and they seem to be pleased with that.
I'm not a doctor, but I figure this means that Maggie's lungs weren't fully developed at birth, and that if things had gone correctly, Maggie would have been a December baby.
3.
Miss Siegel said that Margaret was more surprised than anyone else when she found herself put to bed and not wrapped up so that she wouldn’t move.
Below is a picture of Maggie at five days old with Miss Siegel. The photo wasn't sent with this letter, but it's nice to put a face to a name, and I like the way Miss Siegel smiles at Maggie.
I forgot that I got your niece a hood-shawl that is said to be very pretty.
I think this must be the hood shawl that Mama Margaret was talking about in the following letter:
1913-03-06 LETTER FROM MAMA MARGARET TO EVA
She has a beautiful hood shawl that Will bought I think for Christmas. It is white woolen goods - very fine - lined with white silk and beautifully embroidered in white and pale blue silk.
2.
She is getting so that she cries much more and they seem to be pleased with that.
I'm not a doctor, but I figure this means that Maggie's lungs weren't fully developed at birth, and that if things had gone correctly, Maggie would have been a December baby.
3.
Miss Siegel said that Margaret was more surprised than anyone else when she found herself put to bed and not wrapped up so that she wouldn’t move.
Below is a picture of Maggie at five days old with Miss Siegel. The photo wasn't sent with this letter, but it's nice to put a face to a name, and I like the way Miss Siegel smiles at Maggie.
Maggie on Nov. 12, 1912. She is 5 days old, and weighs 3lb. 5.5oz. The nurse is Miss Siegel.
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