Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- Family correspondence primarily addressed to Jerome Chester Ford and his wife, Minnie Belle Ford.
- Extent:
- 184 in 2 boxes
- Language:
- The records are in English .
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Ford and Connelley family correspondence consists of letters primarily addressed to Jerome Chester Ford and his wife, Minnie Belle Ford. The letters from Ford’s son, Clinton Ireton Brainerd, mostly concern his finances. In a letter dated February 28, 1938, Clinton’s wife writes "I have blamed myself a thousand times over, not that I should have been so insistant [sic] about getting out of the stock market but I have been so late in doing it...However, I am convinced of one thing that something in human nature that makes you hang on when you are apparently making money to try and make a little more is hard to overcome." The letters from Margaret Jean and Janet Anne Connelley are addressed to relatives, primarily thanking them for cards and gifts received. Note: Margaret Jean is often referred to as "Peggy." Connelley’s wife, Margaret, writes lengthy letters updating her parents on family and social life. The bulk of Connelley’s letters are written from the United States Navy Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he teaches. In one letter, Connelley admits "I suppose I will stay here at the Naval Academ about a year and somebody has be here, but I feel funny not to be at sea fighting instead of being here teaching" (March 17, 1942). There are also several letters written on the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). Connelley blissfully writes "The wind is constant and the weather is perfect- a light blanket feels good at night. The white caps on the water are so very white against the blue of the water, it really is an intoxicating sight-diamonds against sapphires" (February 22, 1939). Additonal letters found in the collection are from other relatives.
Note: In some instances, there will be multiple letters sent in one envelope.
Arranged alphabetically.
- Biographical / historical:
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Minnie Belle Ireton was married to Clinton Osborn Brainerd. Brainerd passed away in 1915. The couple had four children: Elizabeth Brainerd, Louise Brainerd, Clinton Ireton Brainerd, and Margaret J. Brainerd. Ireton remarried Jerome Chester Ford. Clinton Ireton Brainerd married Elizabeth Edwards. The couple had no children. Margaret J. Brainerd married Harold Haskell Connelley. For some reason, Connelley is referred to as "Mike." Connelley was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. The couple had two children: Margaret Jean Connelley and Janet Anne Connelley.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift from Helen Holloway, 1991
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
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1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2191