Jesse Joe's Letter

This week, I thought I would go back to revisit my first post and highlight the relationship between my grandparents. A few years ago, I was at my grandmother's house looking for writing samples to add to my family tree. I love seeing how different people write, and seeing signatures in particular. My grandmother showed me recipe cards her mother had written. She showed me letters between my great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. Then, she gave me a letter my grandfather had written her while he was away on duty for the Coast Guard.

He started writing on 13th of July 1987, and he writes a little bit at a time so that it ends 23 July 1987. He is traveling across the Atlantic Ocean during the trip headed towards Thule, Greenland (which he writes as Tule Greendland.) All spelling is as he wrote it, except that he writes in mostly all capital letters, and I capitalized as I saw necessary instead.

Photograph of letter and envelope, taken 2017

It was written on standard yellow notepaper. (I say "standard" because I always remember it being at the house growing up, but it is larger than your typical 8.5"x11" paper. It's even longer than A4 paper.) It is written in pencil (except for the LOVE YOU DEAN at the top of the first page which is written in a pen or marker), and it's four pages single-sided.

LOVE YOU DEAN 

13 July 87 

Hey Dean, 

Well today is Monday evening, just a few lines to let you know how things are going. We are off New York about hundred miles or so, it has cool off nice now--when we departed Norfolk it was really hot. In my forward engine-room it was 127*F--the sea's have be flat, and a little foggy. Hope your operation will go ok for you. So far the engines are running fine. it was good to hear your voice Sat. befor we departed. How is David do-ing now? Throught I write you a little each day if I have time, and let you know what going on. Well untill later, miss you. 

It's now Thu. 16th. All this week it been really foggey. This morning is the first time it's been clear no fog. We are about 1 1/2 days behine our schedule due to operating slow in fog. Other than the fog the weather and sea's have been good. The temp is cooling off 50 and 60*F now. Well today you go to the doctor, I hope and pray everything will go well for you. Miss you alot Dean, I be so glad when you and I retire so we can be together and do all the thing we want to do together. How is the house floor support job coming along? So far all the engines and propulsion system's are operating good, no real problem's. I am go-ing to try to loose some weight this patrol if I can. I would sure like to get down to about 180 lbs. instead of 195 to 200 lbs. range. Sure wish I were back home, so I could do all the things I want to do. But I just have to wait. Well Dean, I write you more later on. Miss you and love you. 

Well, it's Saterday now, this morning the first iceberg was slicated. The sea's are picking up and it is raining. We got about 1,200 miles of open water untill we get to greed-land. My engines are operating good. Well that about all that is happening out hear. I hope and pray this letter will fine you doing ok. Sure wish I was back home instead of being out hear. There so much I want to do around the house, and be with you. I miss you alot's. As Brittany spend the night with you in our big bed? I bet she will be walking when I get back in Sept. We should be back sometime the first week of Sept. and are scheduled to go yard's for three month's Oct. and should be finish in the yards befor X-mas. Don't know where the yards will be, or what the ship will do after the yard's. Boy sure hope I can get the Gentian out of Ft. Macon Mar. 89. That would wipe my 30 years up. I sure going start putting the wheels in motion to get the Gential after the Northwind, I should be able to get it. How is David doing? I hope he got over his cold. Sure glad he got that state road job. Well Dean, don't know what all to say at this time, other than I love you and miss you. I write you tomorrow on Sunday. 

Hey Dean, it's Sunday evening, we are back operating in the fog real slow, it's raining out and it's getting colder in the 30's now and the rain is turning to ice on the deck's. Nice and warm in the engine-rooms. We are now schedule to get to Tule, next Sunday the 26th. There are alreadly two icebreaker up there from Canada. Really don't know why we are still going. If the Coast Guard alreadly got two icebreaker, other than to show the U.S. flag and say the North-wind made it to Tule Greedland. I hope it's asn't been too hot, like it was befor we departed on patrol. If I could send you some of this cold wether I would. Don't know what all to write about, other than to let you know I am thinking about you, and wish I was there with you. Sure do miss you a lots. I bet you have been staying busy around the house, cutting class, going to Jacksonville seeing my mama, taking your mama shoping, going to work in Morehead, ect. Try and take it easy some, and maybe take a weekend off and go see Frank and Fay, you need to get away some. Well Dean I close for now and write you more later on the week before we get to Tule, so you have a long letter from me. Miss you. 

Hello again, it's now Wednesday 22nd. We are operating real slow due to heave for and ice berg's. The temp. is in 30's & 40's. It now staying daylight almost 24 hrs aday. I been busy standing underway watches and doing paper work. The time seems to be going by petty fast. I know I be glad to get back home and see you. Then I got to drive my new truck some, sure have nice truck when I get that body put on. I miss you alots and think about us alots. Dean I love you. Well almost at end of this page, so I say buy for now. Write you a little more later. 

Hello again it's Tue 23th, we are schedule to get to Tule tomorrow evening or Saturday morning, and turn right around and escort a ship back out to sea. Then back to Tule and do it again. Hope we get mail call each time in Tule. Well Death as it now stand's will should be back in Wilmington Labor Day weekend sometime. But it don't look like we will have bery much time in our homeport, for we are schedule to be in the yard by 21st of Sept. and we won't know where the yard period will be untill first part of Sept. What little time we do have in our homeport should be maximum liberty time off. I talked to the EO today about taking 3 wk's off in October during the yard period, for I wanted to build another building. He said it should not be any problem taking leave in the yard's. So maybe Jr. and I can get started and have the foundation all done before the ship depart's for the yard's. Dean I sure will be glad when I can retire and stay home, and then when we want to go somewhere, we can do it together. Only 3 1/2 more year's. You think we can make it untill then? Looking forward of getting to Tule for mail call, and sending this letter. I hope everyone is doing ok, and thing's are going good for you. I know you have a lot on you. Dean take care of your-self, for I don't want anything to happen to you. Well Dean I close this letter for it's 4 pages long. And start another letter. Write when you have time, for as always getting mail from you makes my day brighter. 

Love always

Jesse

Jesse J. Findley and Clara R. Findley

With today being Valentine's Day, I figured I would take this opportunity to share the love story of my favorite couple, my grandparents, Jesse and Clara Findley. I grew up with my grandparents, and they served as my role models for how a married relationship is supposed to be.

Me and my grandparents. I seem to be about five years old here.
Provided by Ryanne Cardenas.

I realized, though, even though my grandfather had once told me the story of how he met my grandmother, I had never asked my grandmother her side of the story. (The "story" I got from my grandfather consisting of only two sentences: "I met her at a grocery store. I was working there.")

Here's the more in-depth story I got out of my granny:

Jesse and Clara first met at Banner's Grocery Store, which was located in Duval County, Florida. Jesse was working as a bag boy and shelf stocker at the time. Clara, who was from North Carolina, was in town for the summer with her Mom and Aunt. Some of Clara's family, who were local to the area, were familiar with the bag boy at the local store. They got the two of them together on a fishing trip, and that was when the two "really got to know each other."

They saw each other several times over the summer. Clara told me about one time they went skating together. She said she didn't know what they were planning to do together, so she wore a skirt. When she realized what was on the agenda, she said, Jesse's family took her to Sears and bought her slacks to wear.

Clara left at the end of the summer to go back home. (Something about all of this makes me think of the song"Summer Lovin'" from Grease.) Jesse and Clara stayed in touch though. They called each other frequently.

Then, at the age of 16, Jesse approached his parents, Jesse Lee and Rosemary Findley, and requested they allow him to drop out of school and join the Coast Guard. They agreed and signed the required forms so he could enlist early.

This is a photo I took of a plaque hanging in my grandmother's living room.

This is a photo of Jesse Joe as a young man in the Coast Guard.
It is the youngest photo I have of him in uniform. Provided by Thomas Cardenas.

His first tour of duty was at New London, Connecticut. Contact with Jesse was slim at this point in his military career. After that tour ended, Jesse went back to his home in Florida. Clara visited him on occasion after he made it back home. Jesse's second tour, however, was in Alaska, and he was on a ship for 18 months. She said he wrote to her regularly. She thinks she still has some of the letters in her possession. I hope to get scans of these letters for future posts when I visit her next.

Jesse posing with the Block Island sign. Photo provided by Thomas Cardenas.

Clara said the two of them officially started "going steady" in 1959 or 1960. That would have made them both about 17. I asked when they got engaged, but she said she couldn't remember. I asked if she remembered how Jesse proposed, and she said, "Yeah. He gave me a ring." I feel like she's probably leaving a few of the details out, but it's rather hard to get personal information out of her, so I didn't push it.

She did tell me an interesting story about her engagement ring which I didn't know. She said her engagement ring had a 3/4 carat blue diamond that was (or perhaps is) 75 years old. I love antique jewelry, so this caught my attention. She told me I had seen her ring before, but I told her I couldn't remember it, and I definitely knew I hadn't heard the following story about her ring before.

When she told me the age of the diamond in her ring, I asked her if there was a story behind the stone since she made sure to mention the age of it. She said the stone was from Jesse's dad's dad's "Sunday ring." The ring had been passed down through the generations, first to Jesse's dad, and then finally to Jesse. She told me Jesse's dad never really wore the ring. Jesse, on the other hand, wore it from time to time. Then, when it came time to propose to Clara, Jesse decided to take the blue diamond out of the ring and put it in her engagement ring.

I love that story! I told her I want to see the ring again next time I visit her, especially now that I have heard this wonderful background information.

Nancy, Clara, David, and Jesse Findley. Seems to be taken about 1968.
Photo provided by Thomas Cardenas.

At the time of my grandfather's death, my grandparents had been married 37 years. They went through a lot together. Jesse spent 30 years in the Coast Guard, and Clara served as a devoted "Coast Guard wife." They moved several times during his time in the military. They even made it back to Alaska together.

This is a photo I took of a plaque hanging in Clara's living room.
It states she was the President of the Fort Macon Coast Guard Wives Club in 1978.
(They misspelled her last name.)

Getting to witness their relationship during the last decade and a half of my grandfather's life, I really got a chance to see what a loving and supportive marriage looks like. I'd be happy if my marriage ends up even half as great as theirs was.

Sources:

• Clara R. Findley, self
• Jesse J. Findley, self
• Photos taken by me are from June 2014
• Other photos were provided by Thomas and Ryanne Cardenas