My great grandmother, Mae Arla (King) McKenzie would have been 116 years old today. In celebration of her birthday, I would like to share a letter written by her to her daughter Cora.
Several of these letters, as well as cards and photos, were given to me a couple of years ago by my aunt Betty who received them from Cora's daughter Sandi.
The letters span a time period starting in July of 1941 and ending in December of 1946.
The letter I am going to share today was written on July 10, 1941, from Mae McKenzie to her daughter Cora.
First I would like to set the scene and maybe give you some insight into what Mae's life was like in July of 1941.
Mae was born on May 25, 1903, in Superior Township, Chippewa County, Michigan to Truman Edward King and Loretta Alma Ward.
Mae married Orlie Charles McKenzie on July 1st, 1919 when she was 16 years old.
By July 10, 1941, the date of this letter, Mae and Orlie had nine children:
- Alice - age 20
- Cora - age 19
- Alexander - age 17
- Garnet - age 15
- Donna - age 13
- Neil - age 11
- Vernon - age 9
- Herbert - age 6
- Clayton - age 1 1/2
The family was living in Briley Township, Montmorency County, Michigan. Based on additional research I believe that at the time this letter was written, Orlie was not living at home, but instead was staying at a Veterans Administration Facility in Bedford Township, Calhoun County, Michigan. You can read more about this in my post "Thriller Thursday: The Tragic Death of Orlie Charles McKenzie"
The letter was written in 1941, almost two years after the start of World War II and at the tail end of the great depression. Mae was 38 years old, only a year younger then I am now and presumably raising the six children she had still living at home on her own.
Alice, her oldest daughter, had moved out of the house and had been married in 1939. Her second oldest, Cora, the daughter this letter is written too was not married yet, but appeared to be living in the small community of Alger in Moffatt Township, Arenac County, Michigan.
The letter is three pages long and is transcribed below. I attempted to stay as close to the actual text as possible, adding words only when necessary for understanding and using a (?) for unknown words.
Atlanta Michigan
July 10 1941
Dear daughter:
Received your card today and I was glad to receive. The children all went to a Sunday School picnic at Clear Lake today. Haven’t felt good all day. Don’t think I will get to Alpena as they aren’t going. they (were) working on Donna home yesterday.
I got my check from the C.C.C. camp today what do you think I got only $5.57 that makes only $35.57 to live on this month.
Alexs own check came and it is 4 dollars less then he said he would have. We soon can live with out money if it keeps on. I could have went to the picnic but didn't feel like it. Mrs. Cla…d Sherwood was here lecturing for Mr. Sherwood. Annetta Smith was here after & Donna to go join the 4-H tomorrow. Jack forth were here also. Mrs. Roberts was here last night and Ethel & Chet & Jack & Morgan was over here for supper last night.
Well Alex better make good some place as I sure didn’t get much money out of the C.C.C. from him. It would have been better if he had stayed out of there. I don’t know if Mrs. Smith will give me more then six ? month or not. Well I will close with love from all.
Your mother and all
Answer soon
Haven’t saw Alice since she was here two weeks ago.
Although simple in nature, this letter tells so much about Mae McKenzie and her family.
- The war has obviously had an impact upon the McKenzie family, especially with Orlie not working and not being at home.
- Their son, my grandfather, Alexander McKenzie was only 17 and away working for the C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corps) and sending the money back home to his family.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men. Originally for young men ages 18–25, it was eventually expanded to ages 17–28.
The CCC was designed to provide jobs for young men and to relieve families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression in the United States.
Each enrollee volunteered and, upon passing a physical exam and/or a period of conditioning, was required to serve a minimum six-month period. Enrollees worked 40 hours per week over five days.
In return they received $30 per month (equivalent to $522 in 2019) with a compulsory allotment of $22–25 (about equivalent to $435 in 2019) sent to a family dependent, as well as housing, food, clothing, and medical care.1
I am going to assume that Alex was paid weekly, which is why the check that Mae is referring to was only $5.57.
I have truly enjoyed reading the letters written by my great grandmother. They provide such a wonderful glimpse into the life of her and her family. I did have the privilege of meeting Mae McKenzie when I was a young girl, however, her letters give me a different perspective on the woman I knew.
I have several more letters that I will continue to share.
What an amazing treasure! Most of us that enjoy exploring our family history would love to have those letters. Keep sharing 🙂
Thank you Angela, I have about seven more to go through and blog about.
Wonderful to have old letters! Thank you for sharing with us.
A real glimpse into hard times. You get a real feel for her personality – making a joke of the disappointment she felt when seeing those cheques. “We soon can live with out money if it keeps on.”
Thank you Diane!
What a fabulous family treasure, as well as a genealogical resource. P.S. I love the timeline down your left sidebar!
Thank you Elizabeth! I’m glad you found the timeline useful. I have several more letters to blog about, so I figured the timeline would come in handy.