The Mueller-Harder Family

[Probably February, 1934]
[The Cole’s house, Interbay, Florida]

Jan with her grandmother (Rachel Cole Cooper) and grandfather (Frank Lafayette Cooper).

[10 October, 1933]
[Salem, Oregon]

Dear Grandmother and Grandfather:

Are you behaving with the dignity proper to such elevated stations? We got Mother’s letter yesterday and were properly thrilled and excited — as was the whole Blind School. We didn’t expect it quite so soon. They are all right, are they? I’m glad it’s all over, but I spose you, Mother, will go right on working too hard just the same. I wish you didn’t have to! Will Jean be well and strong now after while? I do hope so. If they lived by themselves she’d have to be, I spose. I hope you’ll let me know what I can make or buy to send her for the baby — I do so want to do something and haven’t known what to do at all.

Before I forget it — our address is 775 Bellevue St., I thought I’d told you. We like our little house more and more, though it’s still in an awful mess. Housebreaking two animals at once when you have to leave them alone all day and trying to get settled at the same time, doesn’t leave one much time to fool around. We got rash and bought a new lamp and a rug the other day. That is, we turned in the old green table lamp on a new bridge lamp, very simple and quite good-looking and not expensive, and then we just out and out bought a rug. It’s deep green with a little rust in it, and we think it’s awfully good looking. We are slowly getting our rust curtains finished, and we have a corner now, with the couch with my gray and green Chinese couch cover — you remember the scratchy one — and the little table Lew got from the Deaf school with the lamp Jean and Kenny gave us on it, and the green rug on the floor and the tall lamp nearby. There’s a window by the couch and it will have the rust hangings, and the little book-rack is across the room, and altogether it looks cheerful and nice. We bought a new baby-ben, too, the old one had finally given out. It’s copper and has two tones to alarm in and really looks quite imposing.

We’ve been fixing the kitchen a bit — Lew put up a shelf and some hooks and we hung all our brand-new aluminum pans up in a row. Lew insists on using them for a zylophone, and they look like a million dollars. Things at the school are about the same. I told the new matron you were jealous of her, Mother. She comes to me to ask about what we did about so many things, neither Mr. nor Mrs. really knows much about any of ’em. The Drys seem really trying to be as nice as they can be, and we try hard not to get into any situations. We’re fixed so that we read to different groups the same weeks and Mr. Dry said we might as well take our suppers up there that week, so it’s really as nice as they could make it.

We’ll send you a draft right away. Meant to get down to buy it any number of times and will really get it off to you soon. We corralled your napkin ring, and told Miss Hadyn we wanted the blotter and the recipe book. She’d found the book and we’ll get it one day. Effie is much the same — so happy because her Carl seems really a changed boy. He’s so different you’d hardly know him and we’re all so pleased, though we’re still holding our breath.

I really haven’t much to say — I just wrote a note to Jean, and this is just to tell you our address and to tell you to write oftener. We really get kinda worried when we don’t hear from you for too long. How’s Grandma? Tell me about her, Mother. You just say a little bit now and again that makes me wonder and not understand. How’s Evvie behaving or don’t you see anything of her?

Dad, do you ever see that Spaulding man? He doesn’t need any new teachers, I take it? We can hardly write him again, I spose, we acknowledged his acknowledgement and that seems like about all that one could do. Do you like being a grandpa? Why couldn’t you have had a grandson? Aren’t you about fed up on ladies? You wait till Lew and I start — in about 1946 — and we’ll have six boys, all at once! How goes the Shrine job? All right? We are hoping hard not to have to come back to this one this next year, but so far haven’t any prospects of anything else. If you ever get any inklings of anything that seems at all worth even writing to, why be sure and let us know. To get out into the public school field is what Lew needs and wants, of course, so that when he has his Master’s he’ll have some public school experience to help him into a small college job. There’s no hope of Rollins, is there? I had some work under a Rollins man this summer, but he’d never even heard of Tampa University.

I must cease. My love to you all, and our address is 775 Bellevue St. Don’t forget it — we like to get mail in our nice white mailbox.

Betty

[Between 1911 and 1915]

A new car, perhaps? Clearly the Coles are pleased with their fancy machine. I don’t yet know exactly when the Coles and Coopers left Black River Falls, Wisconsin, for Florida — but obviously this is Florida.

Left to right, Frank Lafayette Cooper (?), Ella Bowman Cole, Francis Wayland Cole, and Rachel Cole Cooper (?). Not sure of the dog’s name. The date could be anywhere from 1911 to 1915. The back of the photograph is labeled by Jean Cooper Disbrow:

early, undeveloped
7 miles out of Tampa, Fla.
1912 — — —

Left to right, Rachel Cole Cooper (?), Francis Wayland Cole, Frank Lafayette Cooper (?), and Ella Bowman Cole. The date could be anywhere from 1911 to 1915. The back of the photograph is labeled by Jean Cooper Disbrow:

Interbay — 1914 — — — — ?