Letter #1

Letter #1

This particular letter was written eight months prior to any of the others. Henry is in his second year of teaching at Clinton Elementary School. At this time, October, 1917, he and Violet are sweethearts (he is five years older). Violet lived in Bountiful, and Henry’s family lived close by. He had attended Bountiful High School, and then in 1914 went to the University of Utah on scholarship. While teaching in Clinton, he boarded with a family nearby during the week, but always came home to Bountiful on the weekends. So they knew each other well. My father tells me that when Henry’s older brother, Irvin, became engaged to Violet’s older sister, Mary, he asked Henry to keep an eye on Mary when he left for a mission. It was the perfect opportunity to become more closely acquainted with her lovely little sister, Violet.
October 13, 1917
Dear Violet,
Did you not tell me that you would not write again until I did? So you see I have given in to you again. Everything has passed so far very well, only I have been worrying a great deal about something, which I will tell to you later. I just feel like I had committed some great sin. Well leaving all worry aside, I am going to the party tonight, with the other teachers and the pupils of the 7th and 8th grades. I will tell you all about it later. They have put the program off at Sunset until one week from Friday. So you can be sure and come up then, for the folks up here are anxious to see your smiling face again. Miss Shepherd thinks she has never met you yet, so you will have one new one to meet. I am going to Layton Friday to help Irvin with his beets. I will try and be home by Sunday night. It is now 6:00 o’clock. I have only about one half hour to prepare for the party.
7:30 a.m.: I have just gotten up; you know how a person feels after being out. I got in at 11:30 p.m., so you see I obeyed rules. The girls of 7th grade caught me and raised me up in the air and then let me fall. I lit over before I knew it. We made our fire in the center of a large sand hill, so if you fell over, it would not hurt you. I fell over my share and got my hair full of sand. I had the chance to take Gladys home last night (now don’t get worried, for I just went to the gate). Well it is nearly school time. I must be at school early this morning; we are going to have a teacher’s meeting. Well, be good, and have patience. Excuse poor writing and spelling.
Yours as ever,
Henry D. Call
Sunset, Utah

FYI: These are two of the desks from Clinton Elementary, where ‘Mr. Call’ taught for two years and later became principal for the next 34 years... I wonder how many times he taught students sitting in these same desks. Grandpa told me that when he retired and the school was updated, he was given many of these (now) antique desks. He gave me these two and I LOVE them. They’re in my classroom right now at Mt. Ogden Jr. High.
Many may remember if you went out behind the grandparent’s house, next to the chicken coop, there was a granary. Lots of interesting relics of the past were stored there, and as kids we would chase the chickens, check for eggs, try ( but never could) catch the wild kittens, then snoop around in that granary (remember Deborah’s painting of it?). Among the piles of trash and treasures were several sets of these desks: