Sepia Saturday 681. Second in a new series about letters written by my dad’s brother Frederic Mason Charboneau while in the US Army during WWII.
My dad Norm’s brother Frederic Mason Charboneau wrote home weekly while serving in the US Army during World War II (1942-45) – mainly to his mother Mary (Owen) Charboneau back in Otter Lake, Oneida Co., N.Y.
One of Uncle Fred’s letters was written in 1943, a year after he enlisted — and he did what many of us do in January: he put the wrong year. Nevertheless, it was filled with queries about friends and family — and news about who was sending him letters and packages — so it seemed like a good letter to start with.
Somewhere in North Africa, January 12, 1942 [actually 1943]: Dear Mom, Well tomorrow morning makes it exactly one year since I stood out in front of the Remsen School and said goodbye to you and my civilian life. It doesn’t seem that long to me, probably because I have been on the move seeing new sights and traveling in strange country. Received your V letter dated December 1 yesterday.
I am glad Dad, Viv and Owen got a deer. Who shot it anyway, you didn’t say in your letter.
Well so far, I have received the following packages: one from Jean Bastow, two from Hubert and Doris, one from Franny, one from Marion Oley and one from Owen. Then I got the two boxes of candy from Loft’s that you sent (you can send some more of that) and the package from New York with the jams and spreads, and also the box of cookies that you sent the latter part of October. There are packages still coming in by the bag full so we will be celebrating Christmas all the way through the month of January.
Who’s who in Uncle Fred’s letters
Unpacking Uncle Fred’s letters will be a major focus of this blog series. He was six years older than my dad Norm, and they had three older brothers — all of whom lived in or near their Otter Lake hometown.
Uncle Fred’s observations on Otter Lake, the family and their local social network will also apply to my dad’s childhood. This letter gives just a hint. So let’s get started with the preliminary cast of characters that Uncle Fred mentions in this first letter.
- Mom. Mary “Molly” (Owen) Charboneau, my paternal grandmother and Hostess at the Otter Lake Hotel.
- Dad. William Ray Charboneau, my paternal grandfather and operator of the Otter Lake Hotel.
- Viv. Vivian Norton, who owned/operated a store/post office across the road from the Otter Lake Hotel.
- Owen. The oldest of the five Charboneau brothers, Owen Albert Charboneau.
- Jean Bastow. She was a regular correspondent of Uncle Fred’s. In 1947, after the war, they got married.
- Hubert and Doris. Hube Charboneau was the middle Charboneau brother. Doris (Chandler) Charboneau was his wife.
- Franny. William Francis Charboneau was the second oldest Charboneau brother.
- Marion Oley. She was a neighbor and, at 18, the same age as my dad Norman James Charboneau (the youngest Charboneau brother).
One more relative joins the group
Closing his letter, Uncle Fred made a request and asked my grandmother about one of his Owen cousins — so she joins the cast of characters, too.
Remember me to everybody…Your loving son, Fred P.S. Send me some airmail stamps the next time you write. Is my name on the service role in Boonville? How many names are there altogether? I got a letter from Cleo Owen which one of my cousins is she?
- Cleo Owen. She was a daughter of Mary (Owen) Charboneau’s brother Joseph Owen and wife Alma (Mask) Owen (and I am so grateful that I got to meet her at an Owen family reunion in 2011).
In summary, quite a gathering in just one of Uncle Fred’s letters — and one I will write more about in this series. Meanwhile, I can’t help but wonder what else Uncle Fred’s correspondence has in store!
Up next, background on Uncle Fred’s civilian and early military life. Please stop back! Meanwhile, please visit the other intrepid bloggers over at Sepia Saturday.
© 2023 Molly Charboneau. All rights reserved.
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I remember Lofts candy! I think a white box with a long red ribbon down one side. A wonderful read. Great writing. Whether we know Uncle Fred or not, you keep us interested and engaged. Thanks Molly!
I know how moving it is to see an ancestor’s actual handwriting and get a first hand experienc e of the times he or she was living in. After my parents’ deaths, I found a package of letters still in their envelopes, written between my parents 1944-45. My father was in France working in codes and ciphers, attached to American troops under General Bradley. Dad wrote from France, Luxembourg and finally Germany where he was as the war came to an end in Europe. It was lovely to me to see him asking my mother to send him a photograph of “baby”. – me!
I remember sending some “care packages” to men in the military. I usually packed some chocolate chip cookies as well as I could, but I bet they were all crumbs by the time they arrived. Wonderful to hear about all the packaged that Uncle Fred received…a good thing for men about to fight for our country.
Whether you know who’s who among people mentioned or not, letters nearly always manage to bring a “personal touch” with their details!
They certainly do, Monica, as your post card series illustrates. Uncle Fred’s appreciation for all the goodies he received for the holidays shines through amid the list of who sent them.
I love reading such historical letters. Your lucky to have such documents of family history.
Thanks so much Susan. I am grateful that my family members saved these letters and they made their way to me.
I always enjoy the little details in wartime letters. A soldier’s delight in jams, cookies, and candies doesn’t exist or is something taken for granted in the 21st century, but in this war sweets were clearly a prized luxury for servicemen to far from home. I bet Loft’s did a pretty good business during the war, assuming they got around sugar rationing.
I have a question about Uncle Fred’s dates. When he writes on January 12, 1942 that it was one year since he left home, that means he enlisted in January 1941, which was 12 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor and America joining the war. Is that correct? His location “somewhere in North Africa” is also curious, as the US Army did not have large numbers of troops in French Morocco and Algeria until the invasion of Operation Torch began in November 1942. Even advance units did not start arriving until May 1942.
I ask because I was surprised that when Fred notes he received a letter from December 1, he made no mention of America’s entry in the war or asked how it was affecting his friends and family.
Good catch, Mike, and thanks for the heads up, which allowed me to adjust the post. Uncle Fred actually dated his letter “January 12, 1942,” but I believe he did what many of us do in January: he wrote the wrong year. Based on your observations and his other letters, the correct date must be “January 12, 1943.” I was so wrapped up in the list of family members he mentioned that I neglected to fact check the date (which I will be sure to do from now on 🙂
How wonderful the way the family all sent packages of one sort or another. It seems Uncle Fred was particularly thankful for all the sweets. Then again, who could blame him. I’m looking forward to reading more of Fred’s letters! 🙂
I was surprised to read in Uncle Fred’s letters how much was sent to soldiers serving abroad. That must have been quite the postal challenge — but much appreciated by the troops, as he indicated.