A couple more airplane postcards that grandpa brought home for grandma.  These all have the usual postcard markings on the back but weren’t written on.  In order, left to right and top to bottom are the Boeing B17E Flying Fortress, P-38 Interceptor, the Ryan PT-22, and the Douglas A20A Army Attack Bomber which is noted as, “The Fastest Bomber in the World.”  These were likely all collected around 1941-1945 or so, though likely closer to the 1941 date since that’s when grandpa was stationed in Texas with the US Army Air Force.  He may have brought these home to show grandma the planes he was seeing everyday while on base, even though he wasn’t a pilot, I’m sure he spent time around the field and saw/heard these all the time.

Judson Westover and Esther Youngkin were married in about 1936.  Newspaper archives showed they applied for a marriage license on 13 March 1935 in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, with a 19 year age difference between the two with Esther being 48 at the time.  Their marriage license found on the Clearfield County website is dated 14 March 1935.  This was Jud’s 2nd marriage since his first wife, Annie Flickinger, passed away in 1924, and as far as I can find, it was Esther’s first marriage.  Esther shows up in the 1930 census, living alone with status “Single” written down for her marital status.  It appears she may have stayed home to help out with her mother after her father died.

Jud passed away on 10 Feb 1951 and Esther later on 17 August 1963.  Grandma was off at nursing school at that point, but someone either sent her the funeral notice or she was able to make it home for the services since she saved the funeral card.

It doesn’t appear that the two had children together, though Judson had two children with his first wife.  Saved photos and things like funeral notices remind me every time I do genealogical work that the people who shape our lives are both biological relatives and friends and neighbors.  The whole story isn’t just a list of vital statistics on birth, marriage, and death, but little snippets like this that show who we knew and where we went.

One more bonus I found before publication date!  A photo of Esther’s brother Loy, his wife Grace Troxell, and an unnamed grandchild.

Yet another in the series of postcards collected by grandma.  This one is blank on the back except for the usual postcard markings on the back.  It’s possible grandpa brought this home himself to show her the planes he saw every day while he was stationed at Foster Field in Texas.  The bottom of the card notes this is the P-40, and the name Maggie is written on the plane.  The tail number is 9280, and there’s some sort of skull image just behind the cockpit (possibly the insignia of the squadron).  The cockpit is open, and the pilot is smiling right at us which is WILD, but makes for an incredible photo.

I *think* this is the last of the three letters I have from this French soldier.  To recap, I randomly found a letter from a French soldier sent to grandma just after the end of WWII.  I’m not sure if they were penpals set up through school or a letter writing program, but they’ve been interesting to read through!  This letter is addressed to grandma, postmarked on 28 May 1951, sent from Cabrai, France.  Two 15 franc stamps are on the envelope.  The address of the sender on the back is 6 Rue de Noyelles in Cambrai which doesn’t seem to exist at this point, or the street numbers changed because it resolves to a cemetery on Google maps.

Michel numbered his pages here – this was one sheet of paper folded in half, so it’s handy to have the numbers to identify the order that he wrote!  A transcription follows, keeping any spelling and grammar errors as written.

Cambrai, May 28, 1951
Dear Clarice,
I have leaved my last hospital there is a fortnight so as to reach my home for three months.  I am better and take again a normal activity.
I used to work about practical instruments or study the aerials realization like radar or television aerials.
Last Sunday I have visited the International Textile Exhibition in Lille where twenty four nations were represented such as: England, Germany, U.S.A., France, Japan and so on.  I have remarked horizontal and circular looms.  It was very interesting by the demonstrations given by the clerks.  One hand this exhibition was really successful chiefly if we examine the amount of commercial profits and the orders asked, the other hand this manifestation has showed the realizations of different countries and make us in knowing them best.
Yesterday the Harlem Globe Trotters matched in Lille against a French basket team and on American university teams but unhappily tonight not go there.
I am about to go and see an aerial rallye in Bondues airfield near Lille where the Letempes [??] Patrol with its vampires and Belgian, Dutch, British squadrons will evolve.
I enter into partnership with your hopes about driving liscences and I wish you good luck.  When your building will be ended up you will be happy in living inside some delicious and quiet hours, this will be with a great pleasure I shall learn it.
It seems in your last letter, you lose heart yourself about war and international events!  Be not so pessimist or as we say in France, literally.  See not the life is black.  Many people see also the danger and also they are affrighted but fear begets wisdom and prudence.  Let us remember the horrors of precedent war.
What this word reach you in good health and good wishes granted.
Yours Sincerely,
Michel

It’s always interesting to get a glimpse of the letter this one is responding to.  I think every time I’ve found any kind of letters in a collection found when someone has passed away, it’s always just the one side of the conversation, but sometimes there are responses to questions or comments on the content of the prior letter written to the sender.  If I find more, I’ll definitely update this post with links to the rest, and the Michel Lefebvre tag will lead you to all of them.