McLEAN COUNTY HISTORY & GENEALOGY NEWS
By Euleen Rickard
In December Jonesboro, Georgia resident Pamela Daniell emailed the following: I live in Jonesboro, GA but try to return to McLean County often. Do you have a copy of a letter written by Gertrude Wetzel who was living in Rumsey, to her daughter Jean who was staying with friends during the flood? I have a copy and would be glad to share it with you.
After a quick reply to let her know that we would be pleased to have a copy of the letter she wrote: In 1937 my grandparents Roy and Gertrude Wetzel lived in Rumsey and this letter was written by Gertrude to her oldest daughter Jean, who had gone to the Howards to spend the weekend.” The water rose so quickly “it became a long visit.”
Tuesday, Feb 2, 1937
Dear Jean,
We were just tickled to death to get your letter. Rumsey hasn’t received any mail since you left. So therefore I haven’t heard from Maurice. Jean, you don’t have any idea how things are here. We are in the Logans upstairs. There are only four upstairs high enough to live in, in town. Lots of houses here are floating. Our house with all our furniture in it is floating. All we saved is what we brought up here. That is our oil stove, my white bedstead and mattress, most of our chairs, rockers, some few dishes and that little table that sat in the backyard. But both dressers, kitchen cabinet, washing machine, davenport, bookcase and little tables, rugs and lots of other things are all under water, also our mirrors. All of your clothes, only what you have with you. All our little keepsakes including all pictures as well as Luciann’s flowers. Just think of the little notions I had in machine drawers that I always wanted to keep. My big picture is still on the wall. But you know I never did like it anyway. But still I think we can save lot of it. It will take lots of paint and enamel. The bridge is all O.K. Mr Fherril is not dead. He is much better. John Whobrey is better. They have emergency hospital in Masonic Hall at Calhoun. Hallie is in bed with pneumonia. Nell and Isabelle are staying over at the school house. Logan stays here with us. Hallie staying with Mary Francis over there. Felix Millers home is over in the slew. Jack Oakley house is over in river. Margaret and Bobs stores have turned over side ways. Jess’s store is a complete wreck. His home has turned up on end. The water is over boot top deep in Omer’s upstairs. Got in Madden house upstairs. Hatchers and Maclemore;s houses are standing up on end. It is over top of most houses. Our barber shop is lying down on side. Every body lost their furniture. You see they all had it scaffold up high and then the water came so fast and they couldn’t get no boats in house, of course, so they lost it all. Jess’s, Mike, Bob Gilbert and every body else lost their pianos. I wrote a long letter yesterday to Maurice and Wilda. Roy thinks our house will settle back down on pillars as he has it tied good. We certainly do appreciate the kindness Mr. and Mrs. Howard have given you and do hope to repay them in some way. It was awfully nice and good in them to take you and I know you are enjoying yourself with them. Be careful about the ice. I wish you had taken more clothes with you, as the rest are lost. Lydia Alma is with Mr. and Mrs. Wetzel. The back water did not get close to Mauds house. It happened to be on high ground. We brought plenty groceries with us so don’t worry about us in that way. The only thing I worry about now is storms on this water. But I am sure that if we keep our health we can reestablish our home and get by. Maurices radio is floating in water. We haven’t had electric lights for more than a week and the head man for the company said it would be several weeks before we could have it again. When we will get mail at Rumsey if you write in the next few days just address it to Calhoun. They are handling their mail up on hill. Oh yes, Roy rode our dinky boat through the Courthouse. The water got in every house on Main street, all but Brenners home. They landed a big steam boat barge at Courthouse door. We have one of King’s big boats. Cost us 25 cents a day rent. Well, I must close. Give my love to Mr. and Mrs. Howard and Mary Evelyn and oodles for you. So by by,
Mother
P.S. The Rones house is crumbling down.
Thanks to Pamela for sharing this poignant letter describing Rumsey and the effect the flood had on the Wetzel family and others. If you have newspaper clippings, letters or memories that you have written or could write about the 1937 flood, or any of the floods of the Green River, please send them to The McLean County History & Genealogy Museum, 540 Main St., P.O. Box 34, Callhoun, KY 42327