Peace — November 11, 1918

Posted on November 11, 2008 by lmharnisch




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 In February 1993, I found a box of old letters at the Salvation Army store in Pasadena. The price — $148 — was based on the alleged value of the stamps, which were quite ordinary. The letters turned out to be a collection of carefully preserved notes between Earl Boekenoogen, a young serviceman, and Estella Bennett, a Pasadena nurse.

This is Estella’s Nov. 18, 1918, description of the armistice celebration in Pasadena.

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"I been sick for a week with the ‘Flu.’ " 		Boekenoogen_1918_1118_02

"I suppose you celebrated Peace Day ‘over there. ‘ "

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"Everyone had a tin pan or something to make a noise."

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"They had a big parade Monday."

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"I still have an awful cough."

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"Eliza went with Mrs. [illegible] to All Saints Church tonight. Do you remember the night we went there?"

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"It’s a puzzle to me to know what to send you for Christmas."

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"I guess it has been everyplace, but they couldn’t seem to find you. They even sent it to France."

   
   
   


 

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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2 Responses to Peace — November 11, 1918

  1. Keith Brown's avatar Keith Brown says:
    November 10, 2011 at 7:59 pm

    I was given this very paper, the November 11, 1918 edition of the Los Angeles Times by my neighbor back in the early eighties. The husband was in the army was set to go to France and his wife lost her brother in the war. I love the history that is involved in having such an item and sharing it with friends and family. I also have the Riverside Press edition as well, the couple being Riverside natives. Does the LA Times have such original copies archived, the physical paper itself? Just curious.
    Thanks, Keith Brown

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  2. Larry Harnisch's avatar Larry Harnisch says:
    November 10, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    @Keith…. No, The Times doesn’t keep old newspapers, just the microfilm.

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