Letters Received From Mrs. Henry D. Moeller

Summary: This is the single letter between Mrs. Henry D. Moeller and Robert, her grandson. In this letter, Robert’s grandmother tells Robert of three Thanksgiving celebrations in 1946, 1954 and 1961 respectively. The first two Thanksgivings were celebrated at her house and brought the entire family together to a festive celebration, even though in 1946 Robert’s mother “had left us the first of September, three weeks before your sixth birthday” (letter from December 10, 1961). In 1961, however, she did not receive an official invitation from Hank and Edith, who instead had Robert call her to invite her to the Thanksgiving dinner. Feeling slighted by Hank and Edith, she refused to attend. She was grateful to Hank for his financial support and promised to return all the money she had borrowed from him: “Never let it be said that your mother’s mother was a ‘dead beat’, a dependent, a mill stone around any one’s neck, or any of a dozen or more derogatory things that could be said.”