Nov 16 1981 - H Turn

I realized it had been a month since I posted any letters - so I am posting as many as I can today. I have added some that I had already copied. I would love to post the photo of the letters, but I am unable to scan and post on the blog. I will see about taking photos of the letters so you can see what I'm having to go through on handwriting. I hope you are getting something from these letters, as I know I am. 

Nov. 16, 1981

H. Turn
2310 Rio Grande

San Angels, TX 76901

Dear Mable,

Thank you for those kind words about the book. I met a lot of great people while gathering all of the data. So I really reaped the most benefit.

Thank you for sending order for Maurice, and please thank him for ordering, for me. Orders are coming in now that more people have heard about the book or have seen one. But it was the ones like you who ordered “sight unseen” who made the book possible.

There were 300 oks printed and I mailed out a little over 200 the first mailing. I think it is possible that I may run out of books. Of course I would hate that, you know how that goes. But I could print more, but would need at least 150 standing orders before the printer would mess with it.

What rattles me is, everyone writes such nice letters and no one tells me about the errors! I’m sure they’re just being kind. People call by phone all the time – Of course that is exciting, too. (And people wonder why anyon would mess with doing something like this. ha They should just try it and see how mnay nice people they have in their “family.”)

I mailed the book to Maurice today as I had to go to P.O. and mail other orders that came in today. Since it takes so long for BOOKRATE mail to get to where it’s going, I like to get them right on out.

I really missed out on a large group of people by not doing the contacting for material myself. I’m speaking of the Mathesons. But if Wilda had not gathered that data, we would be still waiting for a book while I completed that part. She’s really a super person to have working on ones side in doing something.

I thought maybe the Rooks book would put a damper on this one because so many people are also in that Rooks book. But doesn’t seem to bother a thing. And I am glad that Rooks book did finally get delivered. I know it was in the “making” fr an awfully long time even after going to the printer. Wilda put in a lot of time, and Raymond, gathering stories for that book.

I didn’t realize how mear Thanksgiving is until our Daughter and fam. said they’d come for Thanksgiving and I looked at the calendar. Ha

Both guest rooms are piled high with boxes of books, mailing cartons and all the files etc that accumulated while “doing” the book. I just moed everything out of the den when I took the book to the publisher last April and haven’t gone through everything and thrown out the million pieces of paper. Now I’ll need to get going and clear away the “mess.” I can remember how thrilled I was when each “piece of paper” was received in the mail in the form of data for the book. ha

I had no room to save the letters but kept only pages with data. The trash man will think I’m fixing to move when he sees Friday’s pick up. ha

I think it will be nice for a change to be able to see the floor and top of furniture. Be like a new house. ha And Wayne tolerated the the whole thing – 3 years of it.

You wrote a very interesting letter. I wish the record of dates and places you had lived had gotten into the book. You know how it is when someone in years to come will wonder about these people like we wondered about the “ancestors” and had to find out about some of them in researching old courthouse records. ha

And we will be ancestors someday. ha

I must stop rattling and get started on this house. I don’t really know where to start.

Hope you have a nice holiday Season and a really great 1982.

I’ll probably never know it’s come and gone as I usually can’t keep up with the way time flies these days. But enjoy hearing from you.

Love, Helen