My Dear Archie

Archibald James

22 Swinburne Street  Derby  June 24, 1927


My Dear Archie


I feel I must write today to wish you many happy returns of your birthday.  How the time does fly.  It does not seem possible that you can be forty years, over twenty two since I have seen you and I begin to be afraid I never shall now.  I do wish you could have managed to get home once again, if only for a short time.  It is such a long time since I have heard from you and only a short note from Hazel since Christmas.  I am staying at Derby on a short visit to Winnie just now.  Her husband has had influenza badly so we have been to the sea for a fortnight, to a place called Sutton in Lincolnshire.
Ronald is nearly six now and is getting a big boy.  Betty is a dear little girl and will soon be a year.  Chris and his wife and children are staying at Margate for a month, but we are not having a good summer for holidays as it is very cold for June and we are having a lot of rain after a spell of dry weather.  Bert and George's family are all growing up.  Berts youngest boy is twenty and George's fifteen, but Percy has another little boy born in April.  His name is Peter.  Stanley the other one is three.  Altogether I have fourteen grandchildren.  Nine boys and four girls.  Fifteen if poor Joe had not been killed in the war.  I do wish you would write to me sometimes.  You and your family seem such strangers to me.  I know so little about you and what you are doing and I so often am thinking about you.  So do my dear boy try and spare a few minutes for your Mother sometimes.


Winnie sends her love and best wishes.  Also give my fond love to Rosetta and Hazel and fondest to yourself from your affectionate


Mother

Esther Pope 1854-1948

Esther Pope was born October 19, 1854 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England.  She was the daughter of William Pope and Sarah Forsdick Pope.  Sarah's  father, William was a Sexton at the local church, but unfortunately she never knew her father as he passed away when he was just 36 years old leaving his wife Sarah to raise their five young children.  Three boys and two girls, the oldest child was seven and Esther, the youngest, was nine months.   However, Sarah, Esther's mother, seemed to have been a survivor.  She took over her husbands duties to become the new church Sexton.  She remarried 1862 to George Kimpton, a master tailor and neighbor, and together they had three daughters.
Esther met Frederick James and they married in March of 1872 at the Parish Church St James Hampstead Road in Watford.  They had seven children, 6 boys and one girl.

Letter from home January 3, 1927

My Dear Archie & Rosetta,
I cannot tell you how pleased I was and surprised to receive the parcel you sent to me, it was a very kind thought & I thank you very much for the pretty flowers & also Hazel for the (unreadable) and buttonhole. Winnie has your address & will write to thank you herself for the presents you sent to her and the children.  She had come from Derby with the children to spend Christmas and was here when the parcel arrived. Ronald was very pleased with the aeroplane, I wish you could see him, he is a nice little boy and I am sure Hazel would like to hear him sing.  He sings lots of songs and carols and he is word and note perfect, everyone says it is marvelous in such a young child to have such a memory.  Of course owing to poor Jen's death we had a quiet Christmas, but where there are children, one cannot be very quiet.  On Christmas day we went to spend the day with Chris and his family and with his two and Ronald and Betty there was plenty of noise.  On boxing day they came here.  Also Percy, his wife and Stanley their little boy.  I have not had such a large party for a very long time, but we wanted to cheer poor Harry up all we could.  It is the first Christmas he has spent at home since he has been married as they always went to Jen's people, but he felt he would rather be at home this time.   He has been staying with me since she died but I think he will go back to his own home when the weather is better.  He seems to think he will keep it on.  I am glad to have him as although I have let my rooms again, the people are not coming in until next month and I should be alone if he were not here.  I had Bert's Fred, or "Jack" as you would remember him, up on Friday and stayed until Saturday to see the New Year in with me.  He has been out of a berth for some months, as the firm he was with had to close down owing to the strikes, but he is going to another today and I hope will get on alright.  He is in the Lumber Trade.  Edie and Harry came up with him and spent the evening.  They are all grown up now.  Harry is in the Solicitor's office with his father and Charlie is in the goods trades where George is boss.  They all are nice boys, but Charlie is a bit of a crank and lives in a caravan by himself in a field out Crotley Way.  He writes a lot, but I don't know what about and says he must be quiet.  George's family are growing up now, Billy is nearly 21 & is at Dentistry work and Winnie is at Euston.  Frank, the youngest, is near Hazels age between fourteen & fifteen, he is still at school.  They always spend Christmas with the Clarks, who have a big public near Regent (unreadable).  I had a Christmas Card from Mr & Mrs Harry King, but could not send them one as I do not know their address.  If you know where they are I should be glad if you would send it.  I hope your parcel reached you safely and that the pudding was good.  Chris says if I am not able to do some things now, I can still make a pudding.  Well it is getting dark, so must close with fondest love to you all and wishing you all good things in the New Year, 
from your loving Mother.  
E James.. 
You must excuse writing as I do not see very well.

Coming out of the Closet

I remember years ago Christopher Lowell said something to the effect...' don't hide your stuff in the closet... be proud of your art, your crafts, your projects for they are your accomplishments. Bring it out and hang it on the wall and enjoy it'. That's how I feel about my genealogy research. I finally decided my family tree has been in the closet long enough. It's time to take my family research out of the closet!