📄 Letter, Ransom Tone to F.J. Tone, July 5 1939
This letter is a photocopy of the original. Other letters from Ransom can be found in 📄 Frank Jerome Tone letters to Western relatives, 1936.
Ransom seems to have been married to Florence Tone (not Florence May Tone). She wrote a follow-up to this letter .
Junction City, Ore.
July 5, '39Mr. Frank J. Tone
Niagara Falls, N.Y.Dear Cousin:
Sorry for the delay, will have the photograph J.M.T. for you in a few days. Surely your tracing and recoding of the family has been interesting and inspiring to many of our prople, as it has to us. From all I can make out our branch of the tree hasn't been outstanding. They say gandfather was dosowned and left home never to return because of his marriage to Nancy Coleman - truly a high type lady, judging from his photograph. She died when father was twelve. I remember grandfather as a very unhappy man. He bought and sold and raised cattle and sheep in S. Dak. near Pierre. At his request father took him, after his death in 1900, back to Neshkoro [?] or Wautoma [?] Wis. where he was buried beside Nancy, his first wife. Aunt Mary was also taken back by my brother, Elsa [?] and buried in the family plot at Neshkoro or Wautoma.
My father and brothers have always contracted in construction work- mostly concrete, brick and stone. All are or were very proficient in their work. As for me, nothing has brought me renown, not even my extraordinary sage-brush lock and venture [unreadable]. I browsed at several schools, taking no degrees, teaching between and after. In the business world my scratchings have as yet left no mark. My war record is pretty thin. I was just called, Medical Corps, when it was over. My brother Myron E. served eighteen months in the heavy artillery over seas, Pvt. 1st class, Co. A 51st Inf, 5th Div. USA, and Bat B-72-C-A-C & 35 Art. Brig, 1st Army AET. He enlisted at age seventeen.
My youngsters are proud to be even so remotely related to Franchot. You should be very proud of him. And from what I have seen in the Rotarian and several other papers I know he is justly proud of his father, too.
Aunt Mary J. T.'s death occurred in Feb. 1910. I have been looking over some of her letters and gifts to me. On the bottom of a wooden mortar is the legend "This mortar was a wedding present to Betsy Swift who married James Manahan Tone March 3, 1822". I wish I know which Elizabeth Tone first owned the pewter pan, and where the home made scales, "stilyards" [?] came from. They are very old, and my folks insist they belonged with the rest of the John Tone articles. But I do not remember that Aunt Mary said it was so. Some one, I don't know who, sent me the eight pgs I am passing on to you. You needent preserve nor return them. I thought they might help.
July 10, '39
Sending you today: 1 small roll papers 3 pictures (in one cover). "Hi" Tone? We don't know where to place him. They say "Not Jehile". Two pictures of J. Manahan T. My father is the exact image of grandfather J.M.T. except he is much less severe looking. Take picture from frame, hold against light to detect wonderfully good humored and kindly feature.
Yours very sincerely. R M Tone
(over)
Compare this with what you have:
Grand father, J. Alfred - Stockman
My father and his brothers Charles and Jim and all of their boys - builders, masons, and steel workers, except Ray Tone, son of James, who has been a life time employee of Standard Oil Co. and myself.
All of grandfather's other sons - ranchers so far as I know and all are in Canada.
Deceased: Uncle Chas. A. 1938, his daughter Nora 1911?, his wife Frances 1918?
My brothers E.A. 1929, Roy 1938, Arthur 1889.If you want a more complete record of the Canada folks and there is time, send us a copy of the record like the one you have already sent us. I think I could use it to good advantage. Or perhaps better still, send it direct to Uncle Will New Norway, Alberta Canada
Notes:
- J.M.T. is probably James Manahan Tone (1793-1873).