Transcription:
Dear Leroy -- Feb. 25, 1942
This is your mother's birthday - a day always sacred to me.
"How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood, when fond recollection presents them to view. - The orchard, the meadow, the deep tangled wild wood, and every loved object my young life knew."
And always, your mother and I sharing the same joys and sorrows. So the day is full of memories of her and of thoughts of her sons and good wishes for them and theirs. God bless thee and keep thee thro' the years. - Aunt Ruth
The words written in quotation marks are the first part of a poem by Samuel Woodward (1784-1842) titled "The Old Oaken Bucket".
Leroy's mother, Marguerite "Maggie" Vivian Scaife Zeigler, was born on 25 Feb 1872 and died of tuberculosis on 2 Oct 1909 at the young age of 37 years. Maggie and John P. Zeigler had three sons, Roland Scaife, John P., Jr., and Leroy Trice. John P. Zeigler, Jr. was the middle son and he died of tuberculosis on 28 Jul 1909 at the age of 7 just nine weeks before his mother.
Ruth and Maggie grew up in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana in a large family of 10 children. Their mother died at the age of 39 from complications 10 days after giving birth to their baby brother, Adam. Maggie was three and Ruth was six years old at the time - they were the youngest siblings. Their father did not remarry for another 10 years which meant, in those times, the sisters were probably raised by their older siblings.
I hope the art of writing notes to loved ones to share sweet memories is not a thing of the past. How sad it would be to never see your mother's, father's, siblings, and especially your children's handwriting or be able to read their thoughts full of joys, dreams, and sorrows - all of which are a part of life.
