FATHER: Johannes H. Jox
MOTHER: Augusta Wille
Born: August 10, 1859
Kirchhayn, Wisconsin
(Washington County)
Married: Frederick Berg
July 10, 1879
Logansport, Indiana
Died: July 26, 1935
Tampa, Florida
| AUGUSTA WILHELMINA CATHERINE JOX |
FATHER: Johannes H. Jox Born: August 10, 1859 Died: July 26, 1935 |
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Her Children: |
Born 14 Nov 1880 24 Dec 1882 11 Mar 1885 29 Mar 1887 4 Mar 1889 20 Nov 1891 9 Sep 1893 12 Mar 1900 |
Died |
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TAMPA IN THE EARLY TWENTIES, A GRANDMOTHER'S VIEW
by Walter H. Berg, Jr
I was just a few months beyond two years of age when my grandmother Berg passed away, yet I have this vague memory of her towering above me, as broad as she was tall. Actually, she was only about five feet in height and not quite that wide. And in those days, broad was not that unfashionable. She was the daughter of a stern Lutheran minister, born in Wisconsin. She spent her earlier life in Indiana and Illinois. She moved to Tampa in 1920 to live with her children while her husband continued in a meagerly paid professorship in a small college in North Carolina, coming to Tampa only for visits.
A few years ago, while cleaning an attic in Seminole Heights, my Aunt Madge came across scores of letters written by my grandmother to her son, Albert. Little did Albert know that saving those letters would provide her descendants a window into that time of my grandmother's life when she revelled in her good fortune of being in Tampa, yet agonized over the problems facing her family. If she knew that seventy-five years later those letters would be read and published, she would probably come roaring back from the grave to put a stop to it. But the letters shed so much light on what it was like for ordinary people to live in Tampa in the Twenties, that I risk her wrath.
My grandmother was born Augusta Wilhelmina Catherine Jox on the 10th of August, 1859. By 1920 when she moved to Tampa, she had given birth to eight children, six of whom reached maturity. She never stopped grieving for the two that died as infants. Her husband Fred, my grandfather, was also a Lutheran minister - austere, uncompromising, dedicated to his work. Augusta's native language was German, but she spoke and wrote English fluently.
Augusta immersed herself in the lives and problems of her children. There was Theo, Lydia, Madge, Walter, Albert, and Martin. They were all grown by 1920, Martin being the youngest, born in 1900. Madge, Walter and Martin were in Tampa. Lydia and Albert would eventually come too. All the children except Theo are buried with their parents in the same cemetery plot at Myrtle Hill Cemetery. Listen to Augusta's words:
Sep 1920 - "I have a very easy life here in Florida. This place is so easy to take care of. I never have to exert myself, since washing and ironing is done. And my kitchen isn't hot at all, I can bake and hardly feel there is a fire in the oven. Never did I dream I'd ever have a stove like that. It's certainly a treasure. Do you remember how hot our kitchen in Beardstown (Illinois) used to be when the oven was going? And just think __ our gas bill last month was only one dollar ... and all you have to do when you want hot water is turn on the faucet."
Augusta was a excellent cook. She cooked in the German tradition. Sauerbraten, kartoffelklase, pfeffernuese, stollen, strudel, sauerkraut, to name a few of her specialties. I know, because she taught my Florida cracker mother how to do it, and I loved it all.
4 Sep 1920 - "It is still very hot here. Suppose Asheville is getting cool already. Our house seems quite empty after the crowd we had last week. Martin went away this morning and Papa left to go to Asheville. But I'll soon have plenty to occupy my mind. In a few weeks we'll have to move again. The rent has been raised to $70 for the next year. I like this place, but it's not worth $70!"
17 Sep 1921 - "Darling, what can I do for you to help you out of that trance. It's not your true self. I'll not sleep unless you and your poor sister are reconciled and the same good pals as before. You must never forsake your sister ..."
Albert and Lydia had gone into business together in Asheville, North Carolina. Called the Strawberry Hill Sanitarium, it was like a nursing home catering to tuberculosis patients. Lydia fell in love with one of the patients, married and went home with him to Cuba, leaving Albert "holding the bag" in Asheville. With the business failing, it was only natural that Albert had hard feelings toward his sister. That was very much on Augusta's mind.
10 Oct 1921 - "... just received your letter ... is that going to mean new trouble to you? What would it mean if you would lock up the place? Would you lose furniture and all? Our new place is real attractive, porches all around it. We moved Tuesday ... I never see the boys from early morning to late at night, so you may have to wait till they get time ... It is so pleasant to sit on the porches at night ... there is plenty of porch, even if Lenchen and her shrimp occupy one to themselves. O, if I could only release Lenchen of her nightmare. How can she love a shrimp like that!"
15 Oct 1921 - "... O, if I think back of my life full of disappointments, grief and sorrow from all corners ... Walter always leaves here to get to work by 7 and its most always after 7, nearly 8, when he gets home ... and Martin surely gets a taste of work now too! He leaves here before 8 and gets home close to midnight. Saturday night it was 2 o'clock ... he didn't even come home for lunch ... just lives on sandwiches all day long ... no shenanigans with him any more ... Do you remember how Theo, when he worked for Armour, had to work many nights till midnight ... and Lenchen (Madge), well she never finds time for anything any more, but what she wills herself. She found plenty of time to carry a dozen plates to the Woman's Club, but she can't to save her soul find time to bring them home."
Madge was short for Magdalene, the diminutive of which in German was Lenchen. She was the first of the family to move to Florida, and it was her glowing letters of how much she liked it that attracted the rest. All references to Madge in these letters are to Lenchen. It was obvious that Augusta didn't like her daughter's boyfriend.
22 Oct 1921 - "Had a letter from Lyddi ... she is well and seems to like it there (Cuba) ... well, it looks like we must move again. This place was sold a few days ago ... We are surely up against it now ... Poor Walter, he just worries something awful ... if only we had a little money, he could build. Walter was so discouraged the other day. He is not well, has a terrible cold, gets such awful pain in his eyes sometimes, that he has to dope himself with aspirin all the time. He gets no rest, even on Sunday any more ... Yes, and Martin too, thinks he'll be laid off next week. They told him it was very uncertain whether they could keep him on or not ... Martin never comes home before midnight ... trouble, trouble, trouble ... but the Lord will see us out ..."
The hurricane of 1921 was one of Tampa's worst disasters. Torrential rains and high tides enhanced by the following winds of the storm flooded the city. My Dad often told of how waves reached the second stories of some of the beautiful homes along the bayshore. Davis island, little more than a mangrove thicket at the time, disappeared beneath the waves.
30 Oct 1921 - "... that was some storm ... I never want to see a worse one. At times I thought the house would go ... it rocked back and forth. The storm howled and screeched as if Satan took his imps out ... Grand Central and Beach Place were under water ... the shipyards were all under water, and many homes ruined, one house was torn away, and not a piece of clothing left ... I don't think there was a roof in Tampa that withstood this rain. Our place leaked too, but it could have been worse ... Walter says that all the oranges on his lot in Seminole are on the ground. I didn't expect anything else ..."
14 Nov 1921 - "... and how is the outlook at the sanatarium? How many patients have you? Nothing good to report? I'm almost afraid to ask ... You don't ever mention Strawberry Hill conditions. How is everything? Getting more patients? Did Dr. Stevens cause any trouble for you? No outlook at all to shake the place? Poor Boy! ... Heard from Lyddi last week, just a few lines ... says she's up and about again, but always has so much headache ... had a nice Thanksgiving ... after dinner Walter and I went to Seminole. It's just grand out there. Papa spent Thanksgiving at Theodore's."
Dec 1921 - "... We all join in wishing you a Merry Christmas ..."
28 Dec 1921 - "... a thousand thanks for the gifts ... I see from Walter's letter that your place is for sale again. I do hope that you rid yourself of it very soon ... Sometimes the clouds seem awful dark over our heads ... I know one ought to look beyond the clouds, but I guess I'm just too nearsighted and weak. I would like to see you all prosperous and happy ... it's a very carnal wish and the Lord knows best ... Charlotte writes they had a big blizzard in Logansport ... she hates to think of going back ... Papa will leave for Greensboro next Sunday ... We had a Christmas cable from Lyddi. That's all ... don't know a thing about her ... I'm afraid she's sick ..."
8 Jan 1922 - "I'm waiting so anxiously about your affair. I surely hope you can sell. Yes, I heard from Lyddi. I'd send you the letter but Papa was so anxious to hear from her, I sent him the letter. Not good news ... she seems to be all in, poor child ... Ossorio had hemorrhaged all day Christmas day and is in a very weak condition ... the doctor says its only a question of time ... and the old mother too is so childish and nervous ... business conditions there are getting worse and worse. They are expecting the final crash very soon. She is putting her feelers out about some occupation in Tampa. I believe she is tired of Cuba. Please forget your grievance with her and write the poor girl a few words ... don't be hard with her ... if you can't bridge over those troubles and ease her burdens on that line, then honey, cut me out too ... forget your mama as you do her ... I get so discouraged ... my ideas of right and wrong are sneered at ... I'm told again and again that I am 50 years behind times ... Lenchen's case too is still alive ... I tried to dream it away, foolish woman that I am ..."
9 Feb 1922 - "God bless my Allie boy. O, I do hope and pray that your life now will be running a little smoother once more. Bergs weren't cut out for business anyway ... please tell me what you did with the piano ... but if it's gone, we have to make the best of it ... I haven't heard any more from Lyddi. ... just stop and think ... wouldn't you be just as ashamed of your sister if she would leave a dying husband as you would be of your mother if I would doll up to make Hartman green? Lyddi did a foolish thing when she married him, but one foolishness must not beget another, one worse than the first. Lyddi is now doing the right thing and the Lord will see her out ... you don't mean from the bottom of your heart what you say ... you are all young and don't look at things as older people do. The Lord has a purpose in all his dealing with us poor sinners ... You were lucky to get a position so quick. In a business college you never have any vacation do you? I wonder if Mrs. Ruth still lives in Raleigh."
Albert finally sold Strawberry Hill, before having to declare bankruptcy, but it left him heavily in debt. He stayed in North Carolina for a while, then found a teaching job in Chicago where he remained until he retired. He moved to Tampa in the late 1950s where he died of a heart attack in 1964.
27 Feb 1922 - "Now, I want to tell you a little from Lyddi's letter ... She still has Katie ... is raising chickens and pigeons ... and also has a little pig ... She is feeling good tho ... if only the mosquitoes wouldn't be so bad ... Walter's thinking .. he might put up a small building on the back lot, facing the other street ... for 15 or 18 hundred and it would serve us very well. Later on, if he can afford it he can put up a better building ... it wouldn't throw him in such deep debt ... some of the best trees will have to come down ... are things getting any cheaper? Lenchen is about to lose her position too ... so little doing at the shipyards now ... positions are very scarce ... much unemployment ..."
8 Mar 1922 - "No, honey ... I can't make the trip to NC now ... money is too valuable and scarce ... Martin is out of work since Christmas, and Lenchen's work at the shipyards is at an end too. She has accepted ... a position as a stenographer in a law office. ... a position that one of her friends vacated ... Martin got $20 a week at the packing house, and he worked from early in the morning until 2 or 3 at night. He got to looking mighty bad, but he would have stuck with it, but they cut him down to $18 and he quit. Salaries are dwindling down to almost nothing ... and prices seem to be still holding their own. Lenchen too will be working for much less ... conditions are deplorable all over ... everything is getting ripe for the day when the Lord will throw his thunderbolt on this Babylonian confusion of capital and labor. I hate capital for it spells selfishness in the most cases, and I hate that arrogant new ... labor too. Selfishness is ruling both. I am so glad you got a position as quick as you did. Hold on to it, even if things are unpleasant at times ..."
29 Mar 1922 - "... I wonder if every mother is condemned to suffer that anguish I have been suffering from time immemorial! And the worst of it is, it benefits nobody, neither myself nor those I worry about ... but, I can't help it ... Martin has no job yet ... ... not a line from Lydia. Yes, today is Lenchen's birthday ... Walter comes home a little earlier now, so we eat a little after 7 ... waiting is my occupation ... but I ought to be ashamed to even mention that. I ought to be thankful they have work, and I am ..."
5 May 1922 - "... well, hardly anything surprises me any more ... yes, I believe one thing would surprise me ... if Martin would get a job! ... Lenchen ... suffers terribly with rheumatism in her back ... The other day she came home at noon, almost frantic with pain ... She went to bed and I rubbed and rubbed ... finally she quieted down ...Nothing from Lyddi ... O, I love Florida ... yes, honey ... we would very much appreciate the vacuum cleaner ..."
About this time the family was putting great store in the idea of a home of their own. It was something none of them had ever had before. The house was built on Frierson Avenue between Central and Nebraska. It was the home my father built and the place were I later grew up, not much by today's standards, but it was their's, and it was home. The spot in Seminole Heights where it stood is now in the median strip of I-275, two blocks south of Hillsborough Avenue. When the Interstate highway was built in 1963, the house was sold and moved to a site in Sulphur Springs. Pride of ownership shines through Augusta's words.
30 Jun 1922 - "... They haven't really started on the house ... just hauling materials now ... I think its going to be a very comfortable little place ... 5 rooms and a sleeping porch ... a closet in each bedroom, and on the sleeping porch ... built-in book cases ... built-in buffet in the dining room ... a linen closet in the bathroom ... and a nice long pantry in the kitchen ... a garage to store things at first till we find places for everything. The house will cost about $3,700 ... extra for piping it for gas and water, laying the sidewalks, etc. It's contracted to be ready to move in by August 15th ... Nobody can realize what that little bungalow means to me ... the future looks cheerful ... now if only Walter stays well ... in 4 or 5 years it will be paid off ... I look forward to the good water out there ... this city water is terrible ... we pay 10 cents per gallon for drinking water, but can't afford to cook in that ... What about the piano? It ought not arrive before the house is finished ... about 6 weeks ... use your own judgment, but don't send it too early ..."
12 Jul 1922 - "... Well, the house is making very good progress ... Tomorrow they will begin the plastering ... Walter thinks there is a real possibility the house will be ready by August 5th ... I think Walter has as good a location as there is in Seminole ... We went out to look at it Sunday ... the whole surrounding makes a good impression on you, and I'm sure that when the house is finished, it's going to be the dearest spot on the globe for me ... many people here are down with the dingus fever, a tropical fever much like yellow fever ... Walter came home feeling awful bad this evening ... probably the fever ... Martin is nursing a boil again ..."
20 Jul 1922 - "... The house is getting along just fine ... we are having a rainy season just now and that's slowing progress a bit ... Martin got a $1 a week raise and seems to be getting along fine ..."
11 Aug 1922 - "... If everything goes well we will move a week from tomorrow ... this time it is going to be a happy move ... Martin took me to the shoe store ... I got some real comfortable shoes ... he paid $8 for them. His girl was at Tallahassee to summer school ... came back last night. Martin was a changed boy while she was gone. Somehow, I don't like that girl, but he thinks ..."
Aug 1922 - "... I thank you so much for your willingness to help beautify the place ... yes, I am happy ... I think we all are ... I think this home will bring us all nearer together ... and I think it is just the thing for Walter's health ... he has something to interest him ... and he is getting some exercise ... Lenchen too likes it out here ... Papa left Friday noon for NC ... Seminole is the best spot in Tampa ... more and more people are coming here ... we have the corner lot and always have a breeze ..."
22 Aug 1922 - "... O, Allie, I can't tell you how glad I am that it's finished. I fear the strain was too much for Walter in his condition. Everybody is sick at his place, and it seems as if he shoulders most of the responsibility. And just now they are doing a rushing business and only he and the boss in the office. Of course, a few girls, but they don't amount to much ... "
Walter worked at O'Berry & Hall Co., a wholesale grocery business located on the corner of Whiting and Jefferson Streets in Tampa. He was the bookkeeper. One of those "don't amount to much" girls, Clemmie Madelyn Croft, later became Walter's wife and my mother. I don't think in this case my Dad agreed with his mother's evaluation. The "condition" that Augusta referred to was later confirmed to be tuberculosis. Eventually, he had to take a leave from work, spending several months in bed with his mother nursing him back to health. He went back to work when he recovered, and stayed with O'Berry & Hall until the mid 1950s.
22 Aug 1922 - "... Yes, I know that a mother's love, a mother's wish, goes a long way with her child ... at last all obstacles in the road will be removed and a mother's wish concerning her child will conquer, I did hear from Lyddi last week ... she keeps her trunk packed ..."
3 Sep 1922 - "... Well, honey boy, accept my best wishes for your coming birthday. God bless my darling boy ... that is my daily prayer ... even our little temporal worries and anxieties are in the hands of the Lord ... he will turn and twist everything to our best. Hasn't he dealt kindly with me? Who would have thought 8 years ago when I was worse off than the man without a country ... who could have thought of this great blessing the Lord had in store for me ... I am so happy ... sometimes I feel as if it's only a sweet dream. But it is a sure enough reality. He has brought us so far .. He will see us through ... and He will lift all those heavy stones that yet are weighing us down. I say he will lift them from us and cast them away. How and when? That's not my business ... This is such a pretty comfortable little place ... I cant see how it could be more convenient for our needs. The living room has a fireplace and built-in bookshelves ... just big enough for a family library ... and my darling kitchen! I can even have a rocking chair in it ... This is the first place since I'm in Tampa, that has sufficient light ..."
10 Sep 1922 - "... how time flies. I can't realize that my helpless little babies are men and women now. God bless them all ... was thinking of you yesterday on your birthday ... No, don't think so hard of Lyddi ... I guess she suffers more than enough ... and don't you ever think that she does not love you any more ... some day everything will be straightened out again, and we will all be happy once more. I think Papa has attended to this last one too. Last year at this time I thought that I could not live through the agony that was poured over me ... but the Lord has soothed me ... and has opened Lenchen's eyes to her foolishness ... and He will set everything aright again. The time will soon come when we will all be happy again ... Martin did get the fever after all, but he is getting over it better than anyone else. Walter worked on the place this morning ... he was awful weak at first ... looked so ghostly ... saw him a few times lean against the house, but he kept on, and I believe he is feeling better already ... he needs outside exercise ... Whichever way I look at it I think this home is a Godsend ... it's going to be a blessing to us ..."
1 Oct 1922 - "... it's not grand and pretentious, but it's the darlingest home I ever saw. Now maybe other people might not think so, but to us it is ... it has such a peaceful homelike atmosphere, it seems every nook and corner in this little place breathes peace and rest. I know you are going to like it. I only wish our Allie boy could enjoy it with us ... Walter and I put in a little strawberry patch ... about 100 plants ... he says we might eat strawberries by Christmas ... Walter is picking up fine. He has such interest in the place and I can see that he is proud of our little home ... Went to church today for the first time since we live here ... Martin took me ..."
8 Oct 1922 - "... I've got everything just about the way I want it in the house ... now, I must put my attention to the outdoors ... tomorrow I am going to plant flowers ... the strawberries are not doing so well ... that scorching sun."
15 Oct 1922 - "Walter said he sent you some pictures of the house ... well, how do you like it? We sure get many compliments on it ... I'm glad people think that way, it is so encouraging for Walter, for I think he was aggravated to the utmost with the carpenters. Now, if he hears those compliments on his little place, it makes him feel more satisfied and makes him feel real proud ... I think it'll take almost a year before the yard will do full justice to our work, but in due time it's going to be a beautiful spot ..."
22 Oct 1922 - "... Honey, why don't you write to Lyddi once? I think she would get it all right, and it would mean so much to the poor girl. I want to keep my hands out of it, for it might give the appearance as if you had unloaded your complaints to me ... I never mention the trouble to her, for fear I might make a wrong step. But ... you write to her once ... try it anyway, please, please! ... Martin thinks he can get our chickens next week ... that would be another step forward ... Martin said today, this place surely looks like home ... It seems to me as if the Lord has poured his blessing over our darling home ..."
7 Nov 1922 - "... Yes, you are right ... aimless social mixing doesn't give any returns for your investment, for you invest all that's in you for the time being, and get nothing out of it. Here too, I guess people consider me too a freak, but I don't care ... Never hear a thing from Lyddi ... don't you want to write to her? I don't think your letter would be confiscated. I know it would mean so much to her. She wrote in her last letter that she was so thankful to you for all that you did for her, and she hoped that some day she could show you her appreciation. Poor child! ... not quite 7 weeks till Christmas ... will we have the piano by that time? ..."
22 Nov 1922 - "You are complaining about dirty Asheville ... well, I wish you could see how clean we live ... absolutely no dirt whatever. That sounds like a lie, but it's the truth ... I never dust ... Lenchen, of course, dusts on Sunday, but it doesn't need it bad, even then. It's the cleanest place I ever saw ... We had to do without so much so long, but it seems as if now, blessings are showered on our heads ... and it all began at the same time ... Lenchen's affair was taken off my shoulders, Martin got work, and good work, and Walter planned to build ... and I know whatever other troubles are still gnawing on me ... in due time I shall be relieved of them all ... "
"Lenchen's affair," as Augusta put it, ended in the death of her boyfriend. He was killed in a motorcycle accident. She never quite got over the heartbreak and never married. She continued working as a legal secretary until she retired well after her 70th birthday.
"Had a letter from Lyddi ... she is talking about a canary for me ... now I catch myself planning for 2 birds ... now isn't that absurd? If she (Lyddi) could only be with us Christmas ... Martin is a happy boy ... Mr. Jackson told him ... he had a future with him ... he thinks he is going to get another raise again very soon ..."
28 Nov 1922 - "... O, Allie boy, how can I ever thank you for that darling little bird ... love at first sight ..."
5 Dec 1922 - "... Birdie sings a great deal now ... some days more than others ... Last Sunday you ought to have seen Martin's face when Birdie was on the stage ... the children are just crazy about him, even Walter ... Walter seems to be feeling better now ... I don't think he regrets his somewhat daring undertaking ... he seems perfectly contented and satisfied, and in his quiet way, very happy ... Martin is raising a new crop of boils again. Something ought to be done for him ... but what does the average doctor know about anything .,.. I haven't any more faith in the average doctor than I have in the average preacher ... no piano yet! ..."
12 Dec 1922 - "... Piano arrived last Saturday ... I know it will give Lenchen a great deal of pleasure ... and maybe Martin too ... Last Sunday Martin sat himself by the piano in his noisy way, and hit those keys till I thought the house might fall over ... so I said, Martin, Martin, that gets on my nerves ... O, he said, you just don't appreciate good music. Saying that, he began to sing and hollered at the top of his voice ... then you ought to have heard Billy ..."
9 Jan 1923 - "... Lenchen's salary (is now) $30 a week ..."
13 Jun 1923 - "...poor Lyddi! I'm going to write her tomorrow. If I only had the money, I would send her the means to come home ... if I could only talk to her once ... she's always on my mind..."
When Lydia's husband was placed in a sanitarium in Cuba with no hope of survival, she found herself marooned in a country where she had no desire to be. At that time, if one married an alien and left the United States, their citizenship was lost, regardless of having been born here. This was the situation Lydia found herself in in 1922. It took her months to overcome the obstacles and make her way back home.
22 Jun 1923 - "... now I am going to tell you some news: Walter has a car! ... brought it home last night ... it's a Ford (Model-T) ... much easier to ride in. He paid $700 for it ... bought it from a fellow that only used it two weeks ... it cost $900 new ... He's a little shakey about it yet, but Walter will pick it up. Who would have thought it! The dear Lord has been so good to us ... Martin is working hard ... works every night ... is perfectly contented ... he is going to be married on July 27th ... he'll get the full benefit of his vacation ... they are going to spend their honeymoon at some nearby beach ... he already has the promise of the little house they are to live in. How I will miss that boy! If only Bunny is the girl she is bragged to be ... "
28 Jun 1923 - "... Walter sure is proud of his car ... I am so glad he gets some pleasure ... he has another hobby now. Every Friday night he goes to a prize fight ... "
31 Jul 1923 - "... Martin looked awful pretty ... did not blush a bit ... was real calm and white. Lenchen and I sure miss our baby. I guess they are having a glorious time at the beach now."
12 Sep 1923 - "... Martin is on the road again this week (every other week). Bunny goes with him. They seem to be only happy when they are together ... hope they will always, always stay lovers ..."
Theo was first of the children to marry, "Tillie" in 1919, but Martin, the youngest was next. He married Bernice Stark of Tampa, known to the family as "Bunny." They lived in St. Petersburg for a while before moving back to Tampa. Before long Augusta's first grandchildren arrived on the scene.
11 Dec 1923 - "... Tillie is expecting! ... she is not in too good condition ... says Theo is so good and sweet to her ... if she is down, he does all the work, cooks things for her as good as a woman ... that sure sounds good, don't it! ... let's hope and pray that the dear child will be spared for Theo ..."
24 Jan 1924 - "... I haven't heard a thing from Lyddi yet ... Lenchen and May went to St.Petersburg on the boat a week ago last Sunday ... saw Martin and Bunny ... Walter had a business trip to Orlando ..."
6 Feb 1924 - "... Tillie writes that Theo is getting along just splendid with his new business. I am so glad ... if only now Tillie gets over all right ... I do believe that Martin's foolishness is going to be his salvation ... down deep he is not as foolish as he pretends ... but that outward foolishness makes him everybody's pet ..."
Before Gandy Bridge was completed in later in 1924, the only way to get to St. Petersburg from Tampa without driving 60 miles around the bay was by passenger boat. It was such a difficult trip, one made only on special occasions.
2 Mar 1924 - "... Yesterday we went to Martin's in answer to an invitation for a birthday dinner for Walter ... It was the first time Walter was there. I think that was so nice of them to remember him that way, and he enjoyed it ... but the weather was awful raw. As we left the house the sun was out and it wasn't cold at all, and Walter took no overcoat... We were outside on the boat, for Walter needs all the fresh air he can get. As we were nearing St.Petersburg it got pretty cold, but we soon warmed up at Martin's. Then we had a feast good enough for a king ... When we left to come back ... Walter shook like a leaf ... I was awful worried ... I was afraid he was fixing for a chill again like he had some time ago ... the boat was so jammed with people, you couldn't move an inch, and Walter had to go down in the engine room to get warm. How I do wish Walter would get married and be happy like Martin is. I am old, and my time is limited, and anyway I am only a poor substitute. Martin sure is happy. You ought to see him slip Bunny's apron over his big belly, and pitch in to help her. Who would ever have thought that Martin would help in the kitchen. O, yes, and he carves the chicken too ..."
26 Mar 1924 - "... How does it feel to be a grandma? ... human words cannot express what I feel ... to be a grandmother is great, but to know Tillie is out of her misery and spared for my boy, and the baby in spite of all is sound as any other ... that feeling can't be clothed in human words ... Mrs. Meinhardt writes that Tillie and the baby are doing fine ... the baby looks just like Teddy ... that little baby is going to bring out his better self ..."
3 Apr 1924 - "... just think what they are going to name the baby ... Patricia Beatrice ... the poor little innocent! How can one call a sweet darling baby Patricia! But don't say anything about it ... maybe they'll change it yet ... maybe they'll have it christened ... but that's supposition ..."
13 May 1924 - "... coming back from St.Petersburg Sunday on the boat, the sunset was the grandest I ever saw. The whole sky was colored and it did not take much imagination to think yourself looking at the New Jerusalem. I will never forget that glorious sunset. When you come we'll take the boat trip again ..."
11 Jun 1924 - "...Lenchen wants to bob her hair ... what do you know about that! ... don't let her know I told you ..."
20 Jun 1924 - "... O, Albert ... Lenchen has her hair bobbed! How I dislike bobbed hair! I think she looks awful ..."
Jul 1924 - "... I read in the paper that some scientist said the sun was splitting in two! Wonder what next? ... Yes, if I were you, I would attend those lectures ... it won't do you any hurt to hear them ... and maybe it'll do you heaps of good. It's a new thought, that seems to gain more and more ground ... material things hardly affect me any more, even if they worry me a little ... I am planning on a month stay in NC in the fall ... I will spend the biggest part of the time with Theo ... I am just aching to see the baby."
Jul 1924 - "... if I don't write you today it might be a month before I get another chance ... just want to let you know about Walter. Poor Wallie! ... but the doctor says he has a chance ... and I'm sure going to do my part to pull him out ... He must stay in bed at least 6 months, and then some more ... dare not even sit up to eat his meals ... eats lying down ... must not read much either ... very little company ... the doctor says it is a case of years standing ... and here the poor boy had to work like a horse up to the minute the doctor put him to bed ... Walter takes it very calm, like he takes everything ... he is a good patient ... never cross ... I have a job on my hands ..."
The letters for the next six months gave Albert every detail of Walter's recuperation. During the six months he was nursed and fed by his mother he gained over 100 pounds. He lived to enjoy his own grandchildren, passing on at the age of 80. Without Augusta's love and tender care, he would not have survived that illness.
1 Feb 1925 - "... getting plenty of fresh eggs now ... eggs are still 65 to 70 cents a dozen here. Guess I got about 2 1/2 dozen last week ... at 65 cents that would be about a dollar and a half ... I don't think that feed costs over a quarter a week ..."
24 Feb 1925 - "... Walter is out in his car ... he now takes his car out every day a little ... Allie, can you imagine how I felt when for the first time that car held out at the same old place with the same old Walli again? ... words cannot describe what I felt. I just had to cry ..."
When the weather warmed Walter and Augusta made a trip to North Carolina, taking his Model-T Ford to see Theo and his new family. They stayed for several months. During that time there's a gap in the letters. Martin and Bunny had a baby boy they named Martin, Jr., born the 9th of June. Augusta couldn't wait to get home to see that new grandbaby.
9 Sep 1925 - "... We're at home ... Walter is at O'Berry's ... was in Orlando a few days to look after the business there ... he is feeling fine. We are all well and living happy together, but a little (crowded). Baby is a 'great boy,' he is no Berg though..."
9 Oct 1925 - "... Baby is getting cuter every day ... he is such a darling ..."
18 Oct 1925 - "... Do you remember six years ago today? Six long years for our poor Lyddi! Lyddi's address is: Snr. Lydia Berg de Ossorio
Limonan, Cuba (Casa de Mercedes Ortega)"
11 Aug 1926 - "... You'll never guess what a grand surprise came to me today ... Lyddi came home today! The mother died a week ago last Sunday. She nursed her to the last. She ... sold all their belongings. She doesn't have any special plans ... would like to stay in Tampa ... if she can find a settled position, ... she looks awful thin and haggard ..."
16 Sep 1926 - "... Lyddi baked you a cake but no birthday boy ... Lyddi looks much better ... she sure deserved this rest ... we are both enjoying being together again ... we talk and talk and talk ..."
9 Dec 1926 - "... So you'll only have a week at Christmas ... Papa won't have more than that either ... Tillie and baby are coming along with Papa, and maybe Theo too, but Papa wasn't sure of that. I am so anxious to see Patricia ... wonder how our two babies will carry on together ..."
28 Apr 1927 - "... I can't ... write anymore ... too tired, body and mind, to think. I believe my nerves are on strike ... not being able to hear is hard on the nerves, but not being able to speak and express your thoughts in the proper words, is still harder ... gone, all gone... I felt this blankness coming on me a long time already ... but my will power always helped me out and forced itself through that bundle of nerves ... but even that seems to be gone now ... don't ever mention it, but I believe it is Lyddi's case that is wearing me out so. O, how I hate to see her go again! ... the whip was hanging over our head so close, for the 11th of May was speedily nearing ... she hoped, of course, but there was no assurance ... but yesterday, she heard from Washington ... from the Board of Labor ... she has an extension until November 1st ... we are happy about that ... she is working fearful hard ... some time in May she will finish school ..."
Lydia was able to stay. Her invalid husband, Edelmiro Ossorio, died on the 3rd of July 1828. She found a teaching job at Plant High School and was able to re-establish her U.S. citizenship. Known affectionately as "Miss O," she taught Spanish and business courses at Plant for many years before she retired in the early 1960s.
Augusta lived to see three more grandchildren and continued to write to Albert when she could, but it became increasingly difficult as her health failed. She never stopped counting her good fortune of moving to Tampa. She died after a series of strokes on the the 26th of July 1935. The family obviously felt a tremendous loss, but her spirit remained, and through these letters Augusta's grandchildren have come to know her very well.
Documents:
Page from Augusta's Bible
Marriage Certificate