Love Letters from a Century-old Pandemic

I've had a box of old "love" letters to my grandfather, Andrew Gorzelancyk, (pronounced Gorza-lan-sick) stashed in the back of a closet, for many, many years. My mother inherited them from the old farmhouse on our property in Southwest Washington state. They were passed on to me and to be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. They're interspersed with documents such as old house papers, tax liens, booklets on how to raise healthy poultry, and more farming know-how. 

During this current Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic, along with so many other Americans, and the rest of the world, for that matter, there's plenty of down time, as everyone tries to come out on top of this incredibly serious worldwide event. As a long-planned but never-orchestrated project, I decided to start sifting through the one hundred or so letters dating back to 1917 and 1918. 
I found some oddly-familiar correlations between our current world health crisis in 2020 and the Spanish "Influenza" of 1918. 

I wanted to share a transcription of one of the letters from a "lady friend" of grandpa's. Her name was Miss Gladys L. Gray of Seattle, Washington. I have no idea who she was. In fact, when I first looked at these letters, I just assumed all were penned by my grandmother Edith, years before they were married. After sifting through them, I found out that there were several lovely, young ladies writing to that tall, dark, brown-eyed soldier quarantined in Camp Lewis, Washington.  Even though he was not on the frontlines of WWI, ironically, he was not fighting the Spanish Flu. Instead, he was quarantined due to a severe bout of pneumonia. Apparently, my grandpa somehow managed to keep these letters under wraps and out of my grandmother's sight all those years. Who would have thought?

(Please note:  The following letter is transcribed as accurately as possible with spelling and grammar "as-is" in an effort to capture the writer's tone and content authenticity)

111- 21 Ave North,
Seattle, Wash
Oct. 29, 1918

My dear Andrew –

I received your long looked for letter this morning. Really I laughed until I cried when I found out the reason for the long delayed letter.

Well I thought perhaps that you had gone home, then I thought perhaps that you had gone to France, or perhaps you was ill. Then I had almost come to the conclusion that you did not care to write to me any more. But now I have found out the truth and I am very happy.

Well what do you think of this terrible epidemic of “Spanish Influenza”? I think that it is simply terrible. My two older sisters, Betti and Floy have been terribly low with the flu. They have been in bed for 3 ½ weeks. Both of them feel pretty good now. But they are suffering with the headache caused by the extreme high fevers. Of course one day they both are able to sit up, then the next day they are back in bed again.

Andrew, my father is now home again, he has been gone quite a while he first went to California, he then returned to Seattle for 1 day. I did not even get to see him, and left immediately for Alaska as he works for the secret service. Upon their return from Alaska, they brought a number of soldiers. He had a very interesting and exciting time both places.

Well today everyone in Seattle was dolled up in “Flu” masks. The girls all at the office had to wear those masks yesterday. Everyone on the streets, cars, stores and everywhere had on masks. Seattle’s people look like President Ibilson’s harem.

What are you going to do, Halloween? I don’t suppose there will be much doings, on the account of the quarantine, and all of our soldiers and sailors being under quarantine.

Just as soon as this quarantine is over you must come over and spend the day with us. We will certainly love to have you come.

Today was my day off, but I stayed at home all day. Because the health department asked everyone to keep in the house. So I obeyed them. I am very obedient and not.

Today was a beautiful day. The sun has been very bright and bright today and we have enjoyed it very much.

Mother is washing the dishes, she told me that I could not help tonight because I got dinner and supper both today.

My poor daddy has been very ill today, he has been out of his head today. The doctor said he has the influenza, papa has been guarding at the City Emergency hospital where they keep the “Flu” patients so he has caught the disease. Papa has not been ill in quite a while but when he does get ill he always get unconscious though. Well not really clear out of his head, but he just lies and not speak a word. He is just burning up with fever. Mother is a hospital trained nurse so she has brought the 2 girls through the “Flu” wonderfully well and I am sure she will bring daddy through.

Well Andrew I must close for now as it is getting late now because I have to go to work tomorrow. My sisters tease me all the time. They always say, “oh Gladys is getting it, goody good.” But the “Flu” is too slow to catch me. Tee-hee. 

Now don’t you dare to take this “Flu” because it does not belong to you.

Your Ever Welcome Friend,

Gladys L. Gray

Author: Vivianne Hall

My writing aspirations began as a newspaper journalist while in high school in rural Washington State, I quickly decided to put a face to my writing by majoring in radio and television news at Washington State University. (Go Cougs!!) My electronic reporting continued as a reporter on the tropical Pacific island of Guam for several years, followed by more decades than one would like to count on the U.S. Mainland in radio, then primarily print work. For more than five years, I wrote the occasional feature piece for the Jupiter Courier Newsweekly, covering the Jupiter-Tequesta and Northern Palm Beach County (Florida) region. Unfortunately, the paper "folded," as they say, and I find myself now turning into somewhat of a wordsmith when it comes to proofreading, editing and content/collateral creating. I have edited a 300+ page romance-thriller and a "how-to" manual which have both published in 2020-2021. View all posts by Vivianne Hall