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Sorry, I haven't yet recorded the document.
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I believe the letter was in this envelope but I doubt that it was mailed in this envelope.
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Will is in Texas, attending to some mineral rights that he owns. His daughter Kay once said that she had had dreams of them making millions from oil, but of course that didn't happen.
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April 1, 1934
Dear Eva,
Many happy returns of the day! Merry Easter! and April Fool! The last may apply to my trip out here. They have been drilling a well near our land. It showed some gas and distillate and finally struck salt water. They may try to plug it back and make a gas and distillate well of it, but it is doubtful. I had leased our tract [crossed out: at a low figure] a year and a half ago at a low rate before the excitement and sold a part of our royalty before things cooled off. This will make a good enough showing to encourage further drilling whether it finally makes a commercial well or not and then I will try to sell more royalty since holding it all for a well to come in on the tract is too big a gamble.
We are having hot weather here I think it is hot as mid-summer in the North, at least it feels that way with my winter suit. Atlanta has had a cold winter and I know you have had one.
Went to a lecture by Mr. Haroh Friday evening. It was a very good one. Went by street car and came back in a new Buick with an oil man and his wife.
Was interrupted. Had to go to the KTRH studio to hear Ernest Huchinson. I don't like to miss his programs. Last Sunday I was amused to hear it announced that he would play the seldom heard Concerto in B Minor (1) by Mendelssohn. It was the one Margaret and Billy worked on last year (perhaps Kathleen also.) I think I heard it 3 or 4 times in succession one evening with the Boys High Orchestra. I suppose the children told you about it.
I think Houston could be a nice place to live if it were not so hot. They don't seem to have much of a depression here. It looks like prosperity after Atlanta. It is the oil money. They have nice wide streets and the traffic is handled much better. Of course it is much easier to handle on wide streets. I think the motorists seem to be more considerate of pedestrians.
I saw Uncle Jim's friend John Sullivan. ("The Irishman") He was looking well and seemed to be getting along fairly well, but he didn't think much of farming in that neighborhood, or part of the country. There is really very much better land in other parts of Texas and I think there is plenty of it not cultivated.
I have been wondering how to get this to you since I don't know your address. I think I will send it to Alma and ask her to forward it.
I hope you have a very happy birthday and many more of them.
With lots of love,
Will
Dear Eva,
Many happy returns of the day! Merry Easter! and April Fool! The last may apply to my trip out here. They have been drilling a well near our land. It showed some gas and distillate and finally struck salt water. They may try to plug it back and make a gas and distillate well of it, but it is doubtful. I had leased our tract [crossed out: at a low figure] a year and a half ago at a low rate before the excitement and sold a part of our royalty before things cooled off. This will make a good enough showing to encourage further drilling whether it finally makes a commercial well or not and then I will try to sell more royalty since holding it all for a well to come in on the tract is too big a gamble.
We are having hot weather here I think it is hot as mid-summer in the North, at least it feels that way with my winter suit. Atlanta has had a cold winter and I know you have had one.
Went to a lecture by Mr. Haroh Friday evening. It was a very good one. Went by street car and came back in a new Buick with an oil man and his wife.
Was interrupted. Had to go to the KTRH studio to hear Ernest Huchinson. I don't like to miss his programs. Last Sunday I was amused to hear it announced that he would play the seldom heard Concerto in B Minor (1) by Mendelssohn. It was the one Margaret and Billy worked on last year (perhaps Kathleen also.) I think I heard it 3 or 4 times in succession one evening with the Boys High Orchestra. I suppose the children told you about it.
I think Houston could be a nice place to live if it were not so hot. They don't seem to have much of a depression here. It looks like prosperity after Atlanta. It is the oil money. They have nice wide streets and the traffic is handled much better. Of course it is much easier to handle on wide streets. I think the motorists seem to be more considerate of pedestrians.
I saw Uncle Jim's friend John Sullivan. ("The Irishman") He was looking well and seemed to be getting along fairly well, but he didn't think much of farming in that neighborhood, or part of the country. There is really very much better land in other parts of Texas and I think there is plenty of it not cultivated.
I have been wondering how to get this to you since I don't know your address. I think I will send it to Alma and ask her to forward it.
I hope you have a very happy birthday and many more of them.
With lots of love,
Will
audio---images---comment---transcript---~NOTES~---links---site navigation
1.
Many happy returns of the day!
Eva turned 49 on April 3, 1934.
2.
They have been drilling a well near our land.
I believe there are two sets of mineral rights in Texas still in our family. One originally belonged to Will, and the other belonged to Kathleen's father, William J. Farmer. Since WJ had died the year before, Will might be currently dealing with either set, but I figure this was probably the one that he himself originally bought.
3.
Went to a lecture by Mr. Haroh Friday evening.
Haroh doesn't look right. Oh, well.
4.
Had to go to the KTRH studio to hear Ernest Huchinson.
I think this must be Ernest Hutcheson. Wikipedia says:
Ernest Hutcheson (20 July 1871 – 9 February 1951) was an Australian pianist, composer and teacher.
and:
He became a member of the faculty at the Juilliard School, and successively Dean (1926–1937) and President (1937–1945) of the school. At Juilliard, he championed the use of radio musical broadcasts in education.
5.
It was the one Margaret and Billy worked on last year (perhaps Kathleen also.)
Kathleen must be Will's daughter Kay, not Will's wife Kathleen. It wasn't until later that Margaret, Billy, and Kathleen became Maggie, Bill, and Kay.
6.
I saw Uncle Jim's friend John Sullivan. ("The Irishman")
Uncle Jim was Mama Margaret's brother Jim Provines, who died in 1924 shortly before Mama Margaret died. He was living in Pennsylvania at the time, but he had spent some time farming in Texas. We have a couple of his letters:
1916-08-13 LETTER FROM JIM PROVINES TO MAMA MARGARET
1916-09-17 LETTER FROM JIM PROVINES TO MAMA MARGARET
Many happy returns of the day!
Eva turned 49 on April 3, 1934.
2.
They have been drilling a well near our land.
I believe there are two sets of mineral rights in Texas still in our family. One originally belonged to Will, and the other belonged to Kathleen's father, William J. Farmer. Since WJ had died the year before, Will might be currently dealing with either set, but I figure this was probably the one that he himself originally bought.
3.
Went to a lecture by Mr. Haroh Friday evening.
Haroh doesn't look right. Oh, well.
4.
Had to go to the KTRH studio to hear Ernest Huchinson.
I think this must be Ernest Hutcheson. Wikipedia says:
Ernest Hutcheson (20 July 1871 – 9 February 1951) was an Australian pianist, composer and teacher.
and:
He became a member of the faculty at the Juilliard School, and successively Dean (1926–1937) and President (1937–1945) of the school. At Juilliard, he championed the use of radio musical broadcasts in education.
5.
It was the one Margaret and Billy worked on last year (perhaps Kathleen also.)
Kathleen must be Will's daughter Kay, not Will's wife Kathleen. It wasn't until later that Margaret, Billy, and Kathleen became Maggie, Bill, and Kay.
6.
I saw Uncle Jim's friend John Sullivan. ("The Irishman")
Uncle Jim was Mama Margaret's brother Jim Provines, who died in 1924 shortly before Mama Margaret died. He was living in Pennsylvania at the time, but he had spent some time farming in Texas. We have a couple of his letters:
1916-08-13 LETTER FROM JIM PROVINES TO MAMA MARGARET
1916-09-17 LETTER FROM JIM PROVINES TO MAMA MARGARET
audio---images---comment---transcript---notes---~LINKS~---site navigation
LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT PAGES IN THIS WEBSITE
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- WILL: DOCUMENTS ----- Outgoing
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- EVA: DOCUMENTS ----- Incoming
- THE NEXT GENERATION: DOCUMENTS ----- Maggie, Billy, and Kay
- PROVINESES & GRACEYS: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
RELATED DOCUMENTS/PAGES:
- 1916-08-13 LETTER FROM JIM PROVINES TO MAMA MARGARET
- 1916-09-17 LETTER FROM JIM PROVINES TO MAMA MARGARET
GENERAL LISTS OF DOCUMENTS:
- DOCUMENTS BY DATE
- DOCUMENTS BY WHERE THEY WERE WRITTEN ----- Texas
- DOCUMENTS BY SOURCE ----- Barbara
- DOCUMENTS 1930-1939
audio---images---comment---transcript---notes---links---~SITE NAVIGATION~
- THIS PAGE IS: 1934-04-01 LETTER FROM WILL TO EVA
- THE PREVIOUS PAGE IS: 1934-01-14 LETTER FROM RUTH FARMER TO EVA
- THE NEXT PAGE IS: 1934-07-29 LETTER FROM ALMA TO KATHLEEN
- DOCUMENTS FOR THIS YEAR: 1934
- DOCUMENTS FOR THIS DECADE: 1930-1939
- COMPLETE DOCUMENT LIST BY DATE
- THIS CHAPTER IS: CHAPTER 23: DOCUMENTS LIBRARY
- THIS MODULE IS: MODULE IV: DOCUMENTS
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- HOME PAGE