Here are three letters from my mother, Juanita Fay Austian Neighbors, to my brother Keith Austian Neighbors
Letter from Juanita to her son Keith Sept 13, 1956. This was about 2 months before her death.
Sep 13 1956 Transcription of a letter from Juanita Fay Austian Neighbors to her son, Keith Austian Neighbors and his wife, Josephine. Notes are included at the end of the letter.
Sept 13, 1956
Dear Keith and Jo
While I rest this a.m. I’ll try and write you a letter.
I haven't been feeling very good but have felt better the last few days. The Dr gave me medicine for my nerves and it makes me feel dopey and kinda dizzy. I hadn’t been sleeping at all good but am sleeping fine now. (1)
(2) The kids all started to school on Monday and were glad to start I think. This has been a very dull summer this year with nothing much to do. They made enough cutting grapes to buy most of their school clothes & John M. made about $150 besides working for Mr Neilson, so he will have expense money for a long time.
(3)Dean has the same teacher and is glad, because he liked her so well last year.
Carol is in the 8th and has a good teacher too. She will probably have to work harder this year as they say the County test at the end of the year will be harder.
(4) She likes school. They have a cafeteria this year and she helps in there at noon. the 8th grade girls take turns helping & get free lunch.
(5)John M decided to drop agriculture & is taking up American History & another subject he hasn’t decided on yet in place of it. He also takes algebra, English & science.
(6) Dean and I visited with Jean night before last while daddy attended a Cotton meeting of some kind. Sharon had a cold & was in an ill humor. Ronnie is sure growing fast.
(7) The kids were all here a few nights ago & we ate ice cream and showed the movies that Daddy took in Okla last spring. George has had a couple of heart attacks lately, but they said they thought he would be alrite now if they can keep him in bed a month or so.
I expect it is about mail time. Hope you are feeling fine. Glad you like your school.
Bye for now
Lots of love
Mother
Notes: (1) the letter was written Sep 13, 1956. My mother passed away Nov 27, 1956 just over two months later. The envelope post mark indicates that the letter was mailed from Caruthers, CA. Our address was 13526 S Elm Ave, Caruthers CA. This location is about 15 miles south of Fresno, in rural Fresno county. Elm ave was, at that time, CA highway 41 but the new freeway 41 has been constructed 0.3 miles east of where this house once stood at the corner of Elm and Caruthers avenues. I believe we rented the house.
(2) John M Neighbors attended Caruthers High school and, I think, was a sophomore in September 1956. Carol and I attended Alvina Elementary school. I was in the 3rd grade and Carol was in the 8th Grade. I don’t specifically remember picking grapes to buy school clothes that summer but I think we did that most every year.
(3) The teacher she mentions was Mrs. Long. At some point early in the school year, my Mother walked the 3 or 4 mile round trip to my school to meet my teacher (Mother didn’t drive, never had a license that I know of). Mrs. Long was very kind to me upon my Mother’s death. A couple of years later, she was the music teacher at another school, (American Union) that I attended in the 5th grade.
(4) Carol and I had transferred to Alvina in the middle of the previous year. There was a cafeteria but it was a brand new school and the cafeteria kitchen was not yet set up for hot meals. We had to bring our lunches that first year.
(5) I remember John being in Future Farmers of America. He raised a pig for slaughter while we lived in this house. The pig's name was Porky and he was delicious.
(6) My sister, Jean and her family (husband Walt Westfall, Daughter Sharon and son Ron) lived in Fresno at the time. Dad had traveled to Oklahoma in the Spring of 1956 to attend his parent’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration. I don’t recall seeing the video Mom refers to.
(7) The “kids” she is referring to are my Brother David and family who lived a few miles away, Sister Jean and her family in Fresno and possibly brother JIm and family who may have still lived in the area in 1956. We often made homemade ice cream in a hand cranked machine. I was often the “weight” who sat on top of the machine while my brother turned the crank.
~Dean Neighbors, May 10, 2022 Denver, Colorado
Transcription of a letter from my Mother, Juanita Fay Austian Neighbors to my brother, Keith Austian Neighbors and his wife Josephine dated Feb 1, 1953. Notes are included at the end of this document.
Sun afternoon
Feb 1, 1953
Dear Keith & Jo,
(1) We got your letter yesterday and also two from Jimmie that he wrote while at sea. We were glad to hear all about the baby and sure wish we could see him. Glad he is a fat healthy baby.. Keith you were an awfully fat baby. You weighed 10 or 10 ½ lbs I forget which. You also had quite a lot of dark hair but your eyes were blue for several months before they turned brown.
(2) Jimmie said in his letter that you were still somewhat fat. He said he had gained a few pounds. He needs some fat on his big bones.
I asked Carol if she would like to see the baby and she said ‘Yes but I’d rather see Keith”.
John was glad the baby is a boy. He said he would like to see all of you.
Deanie kept looking at the announcement card and saying “Michael Keith” over and over.
(3) We were over to Violet’s a week ago tomorrow & got some oranges. They say they are so cheap the growers can’t afford to pick them.
We have been having nice warm weather with some morning fog.
(4) Guess we will get started to farming next week & will probably be moving soon. I’ll let you know what the new address is after we move.
(5) The kids are all out playing. Deanie plays so hard on weekends, it nearly makes him sick. Thru the week he mostly stays in the house with me.
There is lots of flu in the east & south of the U.S. & spreading this way. Have heard of some around here. We have all been unusually well so far this winter.
(6) I’d better close I guess & write to my Dad & Mother. She doesn’t seem to get much better.
Write soon
WIth love, Mother
Keith’s son, Michael Keith Neighbors, is the baby she is referring to. Michael was born in the territory (not yet state) of Hawaii.
“Jimmie” was my brother James M. Neighbors who was in the US Navy at the time aboard USS Jason (AR-8). From what mother says, it sounds like Jim may have visited Keith recently. Keith was also in the Navy and stationed in Hawaii when Michael Keith was born. I’m assuming (guessing) that the USS Jason made a port visit to Pearl Harbor at some point and the two brothers got together. According to Wikepedia, the USS Jason was on an extended deployment from San Diego to the western pacific Ocean from 22 July 1950 to 6 Nov 1953. It’s entirely possible that they made a port visit to Pearl Harbor during this time.
My mothers younger sister, Violet, and her family lived in the tiny community of Orange Cove, CA at this time. Not far from where we lived in Conejo, CA.
At the time my Mother wrote this letter we lived in Conejo, CA. The move she refers to was to a house on South chestnut Ave in Rural Fresno country near the community of Monmouth, CA.
I DID like playing outside at this house. Lots of chickens to chase and plenty of room to run. Honestly, I was 4, I don’t really remember much.
My maternal grandmother, Armina Hunt Austian passed away 3 years later, 7 months before Juanita..
~Dean Neighbors, Mar 10, 2022, Denver, Colorado
Transcription of a letter dated Dec 13, 1954 from my Mother, Juanita Fay Austian Neighbors to my brother, Keith A. Neighbors and his wife Josephine dated December 13, 1954. Notes are included at the end of this document.
Dec 13, 1954
Dear Keith & Jo
Will try to write a few lines this morning.
We are all feeling ok.
Have had a lot of rain and fog since we came back from okla. Still have a little cotton in the field. We will have just a fair crop. 15 bales on 9.8 acres. We got a 15 acre allotment this coming year so guess we will try it again. We are milking 11 cows now. (1) Most of them strippers.
(2) Guess I told you that Jimmie is working with David now. They are halting cotton. He works most of the time.
We are looking for Jean and Walter home the 18th. (3) He will be out in July. Sharon is the best baby I ever saw. Jean sure takes good care of her.
(4) Wish you all could be home for Christmas.
I sent you a pkg about the 1st. It will probably be late getting there. Don’t know what makes me so slow any more. Guess it is old age creeping up on me. Daddy hasn’t felt good this winter. His back bothers him a lot. I’ve felt fine tho. Have gained some weight.
Thanks a lot for the Christmas gifts you sent. We don’t have our tree up yet.
I’ll close for now and will try to write sooner next time.
Love to you all
Mother.
I believe a “strripper” is a milk cow that has to be milked by hand usually because she is prone to mastitis. The milk has to be “stripped” out by hand to remove all of the bacteria from the teat canal, rather than using a machine to milk. We were living on a place near the corner of South East Ave and Conejo ave in rural Fresno County. 15-20 miles south of the city of Fresno just east of state Hwy 41.
My oldest brother David was working for Harry McKenzie trucking company and, apparently, so was my brother Jim, not long out of the Navy.
Walter was getting out of the Marine Corp in July. Sharon is Walt and Jean’s daughter Sharon Ann Westfall..
I’m not sure where Keith was stationed at this date. Possibly still in Hawaii?
~ Dean Neighbors, 10 May 2022, Denver, Colorado.
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