Scott Hill Farm Letters,   1948

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Letter from Walter C. Scott to Ruth Fontaine Scott, March

Letter from Walter C. Scott to Ruth Fontaine Scott, birth of Jesse

Letterhead:
Clinton County
Soil Conservation District
Albany, Kentucky

Supervisors
George Guffey
Chairman
W.L. Agee
Secty. & Treas.
W.E. Martin
Ass't. Secty. & Treas.
P.A. Beaty
Member
Frank Perdue
Member

March 11, 1948
Dear Ma:

We made another trip to the farm last week-end.  Took $55. worth of alfalfa seed for front field.  Also wanted to see Chuck a little more.  A month ago I only saw him for a few minutes.

Well, we have decided to keep the car for 6 months or a year longer and pay off the Bank by July 1.  have $400 in the bank now and believe we can raise 300 plus interest of $21 by July 1.  Of course in the mean time there will be a refrigerator $200m a screen porch $75., and a B...(baby) may be a girl. $150. or somewhere in that neighborhood.  Anyway, we can't get the darn truck when we want it so we can let them wait.

Don't know just when we can get to Washington, but probably can this fall.  I just hope and hope for a transfer closer to the farm.  If I don't get closer soon, Chuck will have the farm looking like a renter had owned it for 100 years.  He won't pick up anything he don't have to have at the time.  His only gun was laying out in the rain the last time we were there.  I could soon get him straightened out is I were there every week end.

Well, Granny finally talked to me the other day about Aunt Mago and Uncle John coming down home.  She don't think they ought to and though she did not say it, she don't aim to help them get to Meade.  She reminds me of Aunt Annie.  Given a woman is not supposed to be nice to another woman even if she is her own daughter!

Tell J.V. I "shore" will appreciate a gift like that one she has for me and I "shore" will be up there this fall after it.  I may get to trade for a pickup this fall but right now I can't stand the pressure and have just stopped the planning for a while.

The car is in good shape now and looks like a new one.  It makes a fair truck, as I have hauled a 350 Lb bull in it a year ago and have hauled stoves, 100 lb. gas bottle for stove, roll-a-way bed etc. in it.

In order to make the trip easy the last time we stayed in E'town Friday night, went to farm Saturday and stayed in E'town Saturday night.  Luxuries like visiting all night are too hard on "us". (me too).  We even came back about 40 miles out of our way and saw Bowling Green.  Stopped by the Bus station and brought a Clinton County girl back with us.  She had already bought her ticket but cashed it in and came back with us.

I must write Jack how much fun we have with the shepherd pup.

We have our lettuce bed sowed but that is all the gardening we have done. The weather is bad again today after having plowing weather for about a week.

Lots of Love,
Walter & Delean

Letter from Walter C. Scott to Ruth Fontaine Scott, birth of Jesse

Maple Hill Hospital
Dr. Erwin Asriel, Prop.
Albany, Ky.
May 3, 1948
6:30 A.M.

Dear Ma:

Am already at the hospital and brought some work with me.  Seems like when I wake up and think about that boy and Delean I can't stay home long.

Of course you want to hear all the details about the boy!  Well, he was an awfully big homely red-faced "scrapper" Saturday, but has improved 400% by now.   He has light brown hair which may turn red and big eyes which seem blue, and the biggest mouth.  He has Delean's upper lip and chin but otherwise seems to be a Scott.   The amazing part to me is that when you start reaching under his feet you only touch his knees.  He is the biggest bran new baby I ever saw.  Has hands and feet like Delean's and mine.

Well, Delean does everything just right, so after I had finished my weeks work (and month) she started early Saturday morning 2 A.M. May 1 for the big event - (not the Derby either). By 8 O'clock we were ready to to to the Hospital and did go but the doctor was not in so we came back home and returned at 10.  Saw the Doctor and got set up house keeping at the hospital.  I stayed with her until Doctor & nurse took over the job at 12:45.  However they were taking their own sweet time and leaving me as mid-wife so when things got beyond me I went down and told them "I wanted a damn doctor or nurse one" and the whole hospital went into high gear.  I hated to show my temper but I was scared.

Hope you like the name Jesse Brown Scott.  We did not fancy naming a boy one thing and calling him everything else so that let "Walter" out.  Delean had a brother Jesse who died of blood poisnoning at 24.  I have a sister Jessie and an uncle Jesse and of course the fill-in name Brown made it all come out right.

Jesse never cries until he is mad or hungry and seems to enjoy sleeping very much.   He does not get mad unless you aggravate him and does not get hungry much so he hardly ever cries.  I think he was almost in the notion of biting Dr. Barnes soon after his arrival when the Dr. was pulling his legs just to see if he would cry.

A girl friend of Delean's is coming to stay about 3 or 4 days to look after the baby when Delean  goes home.   Hope she can go home about Wed. (Delean took gas and the Dr. made a slight incision on one side to help the boys arrival and prevent a tear like Mary had with her first.)  Delean is doing fine but the Hospital is too noisy the forepart of the night for sleep.

For instance, Sat. night was too much celebration.  Last night, a storm (twister) hit one corner of the county and killed one person, 2 or 3 not expected to live.  3 doctors worked over 15 or 20 people here as hard as they could during the fore part of the night.  I think the whole family will be glad to get home where a big wind can't do much but whistle.

Well, I've told all I know and must get to work.  Let us know of the reaction from various corners of the U.S.

Lots of love,

Walter & Delean