1966 Letter from Blanche

Last month, distant cousin Gladys sent me a trove of photos, postcards and letters from the Lamon side of the family. Below is a letter written in July 1966 by my great-grandmother, Blanche Lamon O'Brien, to her cousin, James P. (Mike) Lamon. It is a touching letter, referencing my Gumpy, my grandmother, Blanche O'Brien, and my parents before they were married. At the beginning of the letter she writes about receiving notice of the death of a distant cousin of theirs in Idaho, Joseph Harvey Eugene Lamon. He was a son of Lewis Putnam Lamon, Blanche's uncle. Lewis was a son of David D. Lamon, my 3rd-great-grandfather. This information helps connect up distant branches on the Lamon tree.

At the bottom of page 1, she shifts into writing about the weather and mentioning her visit to Florida the previous winter. At the top of page 2 she continues describing the Indiana summer heat. She also mentions Hurricane Alma, which hit the US in June 1966. She then returns back to giving an update on her family. She mentions son Harry O'Brien Jr and her granddaughter, who was married in June 1965. She also mentions Harry's son Mike, racing speed boats, and her youngest son Lowell, who had bought her old house in Broad Rippe on the White River. Then she mentions my Gumpy and 2nd wife Jeanne (my Nana), and how they were vacationing in Canada. At the end of page two, she turns to writing about my Dad.

Blanche writes about how my Dad handled the early death of his mom, Blanche's daughter, and how he was then dating my Mom. This was two years before they got married. It is a heartfelt letter and we're lucky this survived to be shared 51 years later. Thank you for sending this to me Gladys.