The letters I read to help me in my research were strictly from Mil. There were letters from Mrs. Annie Puriefoy, Otis’s mother, and an Easter card she sent him, which I thought was sweet; however, they did not offer anything helpful. While I did not have the privilege of reading Otis’s letters to Mil, it wasn’t hard to see their story unfold.

Thus far, we know Otis is away in the army and Mil is someone very special to him. Not only did he keep all her letters, he obviously cared enough to keep them even after he arrived home, hence their recent discovery here in Glassboro.

As I continued working through the letters, I finally found her full name and address in a letter dated September 26, 1956. Mrs. Mildred Edwards, Blackwood Road, Franklinville, NJ. Prior to seeing her full name on this letter, I was unsure what her proper name was, as Mil could be a nick name for Mildred, Millicent, as well as Amelia or Emilia. As for coincidences, Mildred happens to be my name as well.

Before reading the letters, I did come across an “Application for Federal Employment” among the other items in the box, completed by a Mildred, but it had no relevance at the time. After discovering her full  name and address in this letter, I refer back to the application and uncover some additional information.  It was dated January 28, 1957; however, her name is recorded as Miss Mildred Aaron, but the address is the same. Her current employer is William & Grillo in Glassboro and her occupation is listed as a sewing machine operator. Additionally, under “Special Qualifications and Skills,” she can operate a Mimeograph, Typewriter, Adding Machine, Dictaphone, and can type 35 – 40 words per minute. 

Now, I have worked in an office for many years, and I have never heard of a “Mimeograph,” so of course I Googled it, and this is how it is described:
 

 
It’s a copier!  Who knew? See you can learn something new every day! Based on the application, it appears she is now most likely a widower or a divorcee. If Aaron is her maiden name, this may help me with my search. I read on and as I did, I found that Mil’s husband was in the hospital for an operation, but there are complications, and his health worsened. In later letters, she would talk about his passing.  So she is, in fact, a widow. 

As I continue reading, it’s clear she loves Otis. But, make no mistake, men of that era are not much different from todays. They, too, hate to write.  Peppered among these letters, I find her mentioning time and again that he neglects to write to her as frequently as she writes to him, which was every day.  However, I do have sympathy for him; after all, he is in the Army.

While I have no intentions of revealing the contents of the letters as they are personal, I have shared various quotes that highlight the atmosphere of the time and provide a better understanding of who they were. Here are two different openings and closings from Mil which I found to be sweet and phrased so eloquently.

 “It gives me the greatest of pleasure to write to you tonight as I am thinking of you.”

“Hi Doll:  How’s every little thing with you.”  


I found that “Doll” was her pet name for him. As she closes her letter, she would tell him:

“I continue saying a prayer for you” or “Well Doll, be good and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do”

“Yours Forever” or “Forever Yours”

Names start to appear, perhaps a sister, brother, or they may be just friends. Finally, she mentioned the “children are fine” but does not call them by name.  As I continue, Mil writes “Vernon has just had his school picture taken and he would like for you to have one.” Obviously, this must be her son. I now have my first viable lead “Vernon Edwards.”  I go through a few more and would learn Mil also has a daughter, her name is Denise (nicknamed “Niecie”) and she has just had a birthday party at Aunt Honey’s house in Philadelphia. This information does help however, when little girls grow up and get married, they often take their husband’s name.  I decide to push on to find one more name. Fortunately, my instincts serve me well. 
 

It’s November and unfortunately, Mil has not heard from him in a week. As she writes, I could feel her concern growing as she doesn’t know where he is or if anything has happened to him. I suppose this concern is compounded because he had previously spoken, or written to her, and mentions experiencing some sort of harassment, perhaps from fellow enlisted men. In her reply to him she says “not to allow those boys to get him down” and “don’t do anything that would get him in trouble.”

November 30th, and Mil mentions that she’s worried that he will be sent overseas as there is some kind of conflict occurring in Egypt and wishes she would hear from him. Curious, I did a little research and found that in July of 1956, Israel has attacked Egypt. Apparently, Israel would join with French and British forces, creating a serious Cold War problem in the Middle East. The cause of the attack was due to the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian leader General Gamal Abdel Nasser. I suppose this is just a reminder of how long the unrest has been dragging on in the Middle East and continues today.
 
As I take the next letter from the box, I notice his address in Georgia has been crossed out with blue ink and below it, someone has written a new address. He is now located at 9400 HQ, Ft. Monmouth, NJ, Due Date: 3 December 56 and at the top, it notes MP Co.

I assume Mil finally receives word that he has been sent to Ft. Monmouth, as her next letter is addressed accordingly.  December 5th, she writes she’s aware he has completed basic training but fails to understand why she still has not received any letters!  As a woman, I do find my heart goes out to her in not hearing from him and  knowing if he is ok. Separation from someone you love is a difficult thing.

As always, Mil forgives him for his lack of correspondence and she continues writing to him. I now find her having second thoughts about marriage, a subject which has come up before and one she is now reconsidering.

I also discover that although Otis was stationed in Georgia for his basic training, Mil had taken a trip(s) to visit with him while there. Additionally, he received military leave, as I would find two different letters of approval from his Sergeant, and they arrange to visit each other in Philadelphia, as they both have family there.

My research continues into 1957, and I learn more about her family life, her struggles, and her pursuit for some semblance of a normal life. Knowing that Otis has completed basic training and is now stationed closer to home, may have allowed them to see one another more often.  Mil would inquire if he would be coming home for the weekend, I assume to his parent’s house and notes it would be easier for her if he would “come this way” so they could see each other.

Although I am captivated by these letters and their story as it is unfolding, I decide to skip ahead to November as the holiday season may bring additional names or information that may help me in my search. Again, this proves to be a wise decision. 

November 13th, Mil gives me the final name I am looking for.  She writes “I had such a busy day . . . .  lots of washing due to Mr. Michael,” November 15th, “Received Michael’s birth certificate today” and November 18th, “Took Mike to the clinic today, he weighs 6 pounds, 12 oz.” Subsequent letters through the month of December continues making reference to “Michael” and Mil writing that he is doing well and growing bigger every day. Eureka! Finally, I have my final lead and Otis and Mil have a son, Michael Puriefoy.

Once again, I turned to the internet in hopes of something on Vernon Edwards or Michael Puriefoy. Unfortunately,  I had no luck researching Vernon, but I do find information on a Michael Puriefoy who had resided in Sicklerville, NJ but has since relocated.  Thwarted again!

As I sit staring at my computer screen it occurs to me the one social media application, I initially was so reluctant to even sign up on, may actually be of some help, Facebook.  I log onto my page, type Michael Puriefoy, NJ in the search bar, and hit enter. Two hits appear and I double clicked on the first one. Unfortunately, as Michael and I were not “Friends”, I can’t really see any information about him. However, he appears to be the right age from his profile picture, and I am able to see that Michael last updated it in 2016.  Time for Plan B. Although I couldn’t leave a post on his wall, I can use Facebook Messenger to try and contact him. The only question was does he use it regularly as he didn’t seem very active on Facebook.

I formulate my next move and realize I can access his Friends list. I start scrolling through all 126 of them, hoping to find another Puriefoy, no luck. It’s almost noon on a Sunday and I am desperate to make some headway before I return to work on Monday. I pick three people from the list whose pages are active and send each a message.  The first is Mrs. Carol Dickerson - “Mrs. Dickerson I found you listed in Michael Puriefoy’s friends list I am trying to confirm if Michael is the son of Mildred and Otis Puriefoy. I found letters dated 1956 through 1958 in the basement of a building in Glassboro that belong to Otis. I would like to return those letters to his family.” Then I sent the same message to the other two people and I waited.