Letter to Sadie (Hogg) Lux from her mother

Shelton Sept 22nd 1917

Dear Sadie

We rec your letter this morning, must say you certainly gave us a surprise. Well, as your Uncle Will used to say, Every one that comes is the smartest and I know you think so too. I hope you get along all right and that baby is good. Take good care of yourself.

Tell Minerva I said it is not many mothers can say their 11 yr old girl is a dandy bread maker, that is an honor.

I expect May will be wishing to be at home. Most mothers would have kept her at home, but then it best as you say. I had a card from May just after she went over there. I wrote her a letter. It was returned to me as unclaimed from the Hallum P.O. when it was directed as plain as could be to Hallum. I wrote her again but have not heard from her, yet.

It has rained here enough to do for awhile. Today is a clear windy day. Cleve got read(y) for the thrasher today, but they did not come for some reason. Irwin and family stopped here a few minutes yesterday evening. They had come down in afternoon to bring their cream and do some trading. They are all well and healthy looking. Baby Phyllis is as fat and good natured as ever. She is so sweet. I hope your baby will grow as fat as she is.

Lib's baby is as big as any baby of her age and more mischief in her than most. She always so good natured - she does not try to talk much - says Papa, Mama, and grandma and kitty. Pa was just talking with Lib over the phone. He told her about your 10 lb girl - she says that makes No. 40, so it does - 21 girls and 19 boys. She is coming in tomorrow. I wish you would come too.

We are planning on going to Custer Co next fall if nothing happens to prevent. It is three years since we have been there.

I will close now and get my dinner dishes done. I am canning some tomatoes for Evelyn today. I will be anxious to hear from you again.

With love to you all

from Father and Mother

Context
Letter to Sarah Inez “Sadie” (Hogg) Lux from her mother Margaret (Hall) Hogg replying to her letter announcing the birth of their youngest daughter, Martha Lux. By 1917, Alex and Margaret were no longer farming the home place north of Shelton, and had moved into the town of Shelton. Son Irwin was farming the home place, which was still owned by Alex & Margaret.
‘Minerva’ is Sadie’s 2nd oldest daughter.
‘May’ is Iva Mae Lux, Sadie’s oldest daughter. ‘Hallum’ is a town in Nebraska, about 100 miles east of Shelton. Iva Mae was 21 years old when this letter was written, and had started her teaching career, but was not yet married. In her memoirs, Iva Mae doesn’t mention teaching at Hallum. All her teaching assignments were in northern Nebraska, near her parent’s home. She did attend Grand Island Business College one summer, but Grand Island is near Shelton, and is a long way from Hallum, so there is a mystery as to why Iva Mae was living in Hallum in 1917.
‘Cleve’ is Floyd Cleveland "Cleve" Hogg, Sadie’s younger brother.
‘Irwin’ is Sadie’s youngest brother, and ‘Phyllis’ is his daughter, who was also born in 1917.
‘Lib’s baby’ could be Elva Rae, the daughter of Sadie’s younger sister Elizabeth. She was married to Mirabeau Nutter. The nickname usually used for Elizabeth was 'Lizzie", but perhaps her mother also referred to her as Libby. Elva was born in 1915, so would have been 1-2 years old when this letter was written.
‘Custer County’ probably refers to the Broken Bow area, where Mamie (Hogg) VanDyke’s family was living in 1917, Sadie’s older sister.