Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Title
Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Creator
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958
Identifier
WWP23071
Date
1919 October 13
Description
Letter from Jon Bouman to his family.
Source
Gift of William C. and Evelina Suhler
Subject
Correspondence
Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920)
Contributor
Rachel Dark
Denise Montgomery
Language
English
Provenance
Evelina Suhler is the granddaughter of Jon Anthony Bouman and inherited the family collection of his letters from the years of World War I. She and her husband gave the letters to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum in 2013.
Text
13 Place de la Bourse
Paris, Oct. 13/19
Dearest;
Roberts is sailing from New York on the 16th, so I hear today, so that he will be back here before the end of the month, and then matters should be promptly settled. I lunched today with George Denny, who has just arrived from New York and is on his way to Spain to organize a news service there for us. He tells me that the New York office and Collins in London are very anxious to transfer me to London, as Jones is getting quite unreliable and muddles his business badly – it appears it is drink. Poor chap. I am sorry, he lost his only son in the war, and that of course didn’t cure his failing, the existence of which I had not suspected.
Fred Grundy’s wife left him some time ago, leaving the children behind, and Fred is living, as we know, out somewhere in Essex with his offspring; my informant could not tell me what had become of “May McCamley;” she has disappeared. Reason for separation also not definitely stated. Quite likely faults on both sides, so that’s another matrimonial venture gone wrong, which is after all not a bit surprising. Ought not to have been, although I confess, I was much struck by the news!
Denny’s wife is in San Francisco and he says he doesn’t like the separation and sympathized with me. Separation is separation but it would seem a lot worse if you were in San Francisco 6000 miles away! But he has no children.
Yesterday, Sunday, I helped to inaugurate Moroney’s motorcar. The weather was perfect, and we had a little 15 mile spin, with grandma and the babies in the car; the old lady was frightfully nervous and was glad when we were safe back home. The car had been repaired and just on the last 100 yards, bang went one hind wheel! And we were just able to crawl home. No other damage.
About Minnie Bacon’s Paris plans, I think she would be more comfortable in a hotel (for a holiday period) than in apartments. It hardly seems worth while to take the latter except of course when she goes there for an indefinite time after the boys leave school. It is generally possible to arrange pension terms at the hotels, and this simplifies matters a great deal compared with apartments. As for speaking French, of course that is always possible, although in the big modern caravanserais any English person or anyone who looks English is apt to be addressed in English. Even in the smaller hotels much English is spoken now which did not use to be the case. It is of course the result of the American and British invasion. I suppose price is of no account and Mrs. Bacon would require a standard accommodation which means a certain outlay. For instance I pay 12 francs a day for my room alone (2nd floor) whereas the most expensive room in the Hotel Q. Voltaire wasn’t dearer than 5 in prewar times. Meals, six francs each. And no running water in any of the rooms, but clean and well kept. There are several such hotels of the smaller kind; generally well heated though. You know I rarely have meals at my hotel. I think they are poor; in the country, at Isle Adam last Friday, I had a meal for 6 francs at a local hotel which was 100% better than I would get at the Q. Voltaire. Probably I can give her some tips when I get to London, and I certainly know a good address (English firm) to go to for furnished apartments if such be desired at any time. I have an idea however that Mrs. Bacon would prefer the up to date comforts of one of the first class hotels such as the Mirabeau, the Continental or the Regina.
I hope Bill is sticking in; after all, his sisters had the same handicap, and he must “make good.”
With much love to “all-of-yez”,
Thine ever,
Jack.
Paris, Oct. 13/19
Dearest;
Roberts is sailing from New York on the 16th, so I hear today, so that he will be back here before the end of the month, and then matters should be promptly settled. I lunched today with George Denny, who has just arrived from New York and is on his way to Spain to organize a news service there for us. He tells me that the New York office and Collins in London are very anxious to transfer me to London, as Jones is getting quite unreliable and muddles his business badly – it appears it is drink. Poor chap. I am sorry, he lost his only son in the war, and that of course didn’t cure his failing, the existence of which I had not suspected.
Fred Grundy’s wife left him some time ago, leaving the children behind, and Fred is living, as we know, out somewhere in Essex with his offspring; my informant could not tell me what had become of “May McCamley;” she has disappeared. Reason for separation also not definitely stated. Quite likely faults on both sides, so that’s another matrimonial venture gone wrong, which is after all not a bit surprising. Ought not to have been, although I confess, I was much struck by the news!
Denny’s wife is in San Francisco and he says he doesn’t like the separation and sympathized with me. Separation is separation but it would seem a lot worse if you were in San Francisco 6000 miles away! But he has no children.
Yesterday, Sunday, I helped to inaugurate Moroney’s motorcar. The weather was perfect, and we had a little 15 mile spin, with grandma and the babies in the car; the old lady was frightfully nervous and was glad when we were safe back home. The car had been repaired and just on the last 100 yards, bang went one hind wheel! And we were just able to crawl home. No other damage.
About Minnie Bacon’s Paris plans, I think she would be more comfortable in a hotel (for a holiday period) than in apartments. It hardly seems worth while to take the latter except of course when she goes there for an indefinite time after the boys leave school. It is generally possible to arrange pension terms at the hotels, and this simplifies matters a great deal compared with apartments. As for speaking French, of course that is always possible, although in the big modern caravanserais any English person or anyone who looks English is apt to be addressed in English. Even in the smaller hotels much English is spoken now which did not use to be the case. It is of course the result of the American and British invasion. I suppose price is of no account and Mrs. Bacon would require a standard accommodation which means a certain outlay. For instance I pay 12 francs a day for my room alone (2nd floor) whereas the most expensive room in the Hotel Q. Voltaire wasn’t dearer than 5 in prewar times. Meals, six francs each. And no running water in any of the rooms, but clean and well kept. There are several such hotels of the smaller kind; generally well heated though. You know I rarely have meals at my hotel. I think they are poor; in the country, at Isle Adam last Friday, I had a meal for 6 francs at a local hotel which was 100% better than I would get at the Q. Voltaire. Probably I can give her some tips when I get to London, and I certainly know a good address (English firm) to go to for furnished apartments if such be desired at any time. I have an idea however that Mrs. Bacon would prefer the up to date comforts of one of the first class hotels such as the Mirabeau, the Continental or the Regina.
I hope Bill is sticking in; after all, his sisters had the same handicap, and he must “make good.”
With much love to “all-of-yez”,
Thine ever,
Jack.
Original Format
Letter
To
Bouman Family
Collection
Citation
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958, “Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family,” 1919 October 13, WWP23071, Jon Anthony Bouman Collection, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.