‘Make Up Your Minds About How Long Vince Was Home’

March 19, 2012 Leave a Comment

My grandfather (Babe's father) worked for the New York Central Railroad; Babe mentions it in this letter.

Dated Jan. 24, 1944; postmarked Jan. 26.

Dear Folks,

I am well, happy and safe and I hope you all are the same.

I received a few letters from you all yesterday. One was dated Dec. 29; the other Dec. 30; and another Jan. 6 I also received a Christmas card from Mr. Morgan, dated Dec. 21; a letter from Uncle Martin dated Nov. 21; and one from the Bullard Co., a Christmas card from the gang.

That just about winds up the news roundup of the week.

Why don’t you all make up your minds about how long Vince was home? One of you says 24 hours, the other says two and a half days, and the other says three days. Read more of this post

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About Babe’s Cousin Gevena: ‘Ma, That Kid Has Brains’

March 14, 2012 Leave a Comment

Dated Jan. 15, 1944; postmarked Jan. 17.

Dear Folks,

I am well, happy and safe and I hope you all are the same.

I received your letter written the same day that Vince left from his two-day leave. He sure sounds good and I wish I had a picture of him.

I received a letter from Gevena today also and I was never as surprised in my life. Ma, that kid has brains. I would never have expected a letter like that from her. Read more of this post

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The ‘Bullard Events’ Company Newsletter Notes Babe’s Death

January 2, 2012 Leave a Comment

Close-up from the front of "Bullard Events"

A few days ago, I noted that Babe had worked at The Bullard Company before he was enlisted in the army. That post noted that the Fairfield (County, Conn.) Museum and History Center had sent me some information about “Vito” Mauro’s death in the company’s newsletter.

Well, Elizabeth Rose, library director for the Fairfield Museum, sent me a photocopy of the newsletter last week, so I thought I’d share that page, from Sept. 13, 1945 (four months after Babe was killed) even though there’s really no new information. Read more of this post

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Correction on Vito Mauro; New Info about Babe Post-High School

December 20, 2011 Leave a Comment

Issued by The Bullard Company to my grandfather.

It seems I made a mistake in my last post about Vito Mauro — which is really the beauty of doing this blog. I’m learning more about my own family in the process of blogging Babe’s letters.

In the course of finding the mistake, I have also learned a little more about Babe’s life almost immediately after he graduated from high school in June 1942.

As I mentioned in the earlier post about The Bullard Company, my grandfather Frank Mauro received a certificate of condolence from The Bullard Company. It commemorated the death of a member of the Bullard family, Vito Mauro. I couldn’t figure out who Vito was, and I assumed it was one of my great-grandfathers.

But it turns out the only “Vito” in my family tree is Vito Martinelli, my maternal grandmother’s father. Or, put another way, Babe’s grandfather on his mother’s side. Read more of this post

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The Bullard Company, Where It Appears Babe’s Grandfather Worked

December 19, 2011 Leave a Comment

Note: Read here for a post that corrects some of the information in the post below.

Using Google Maps, you can chart a route from Mount Kisco, N.Y., to Bridgeport, Conn., by road or by rail. Google says it would take about an hour to drive the 41 miles between the two communities. The first was Babe’s home. The second is the former headquarters for The Bullard Company, which made heavy machine tools such as lathes.

It appears from my records and letters that Babe’s grandfather Vito Mauro worked at Bullard. I’ve reached out to the Fairfield (County) Museum and History Center to see if they have any information that would confirm that.

Honestly, I don’t know enough about Vito, who would have been my great-grandfather. I don’t know where he lived and there’s nobody left who would know. Maybe he lived in Bridgeport. I can’t believe he worked there and drove from Mount Kisco. If it would take an hour to drive to Bridgeport today, it seems like it would have taken longer than that in 1943, but maybe that wasn’t a problem during World War II, when it was all hands on deck to support the war effort. Read more of this post

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