Letter home from a local boy in the Navy
Schjervheims Hear From Their Son in the Navy just after Pearl Harbor
Schjervheims Hear From Their Son in the Navy
Below we publish a letter received by Mr and Mrs Osmund Schjervheim from their son Arvid who left here November 14th for Minneapolis where he signed up to join the U. S. Naval forces. Arvid is with Uncle Sam's naval forces at the Great Lakes station and is employed handling clothes in the commissary department. He writes as follows:
December 16, 1941
Received your letter and the Promoter couple days ago, was certainly glad to get them. Well, everything here is about the same as usual, the only difference is the fact that we are running thru between 4 and 5 hundred recruits a day where we used to run thru about the same amount in one week. Our crew has been almost tripled. Lately we have been working from 8 o'clock to 6, and last week we also worked all day Sunday.
They are making a few more restrictions around here and I wouldn't be surprised if we have to send home our civilian clothes. The Ships Company, that's us, and all the officers have to wear identification pictures.
Last Sunday I saw Paul Huff again and got a chance to talk with him quite a bit. He was telling me all about the boys in Chicago. Paul is still in Boat training and their company is getting a 9 day leave after they come back, however, they most likely will be sent out to sea.
We are so busy now that we can't find time to do much letter writing. I have many letters to answer, but I don't know when I'll get around to it. Last Saturday we issued clothes worth $43,000 wholesale, so you know we have good business. ($43,000 in 1941 is about $900,000 in 2023.)
Will have to close now with best regards to you all. - Arvid
An interesting thing from this letter is that I discovered that Arvid Schjervheim’s Norwegian immigrant family were farmers next to my Danish immigrant grandparents just north of Stanley.
My parents and grandparents certainly would have known this family. Arvid was working on the family farm in 1940 according to the census of that year.
Arvid survived the war, married in 1954, had 3 kids and lived after the war in Illinois. His grave stone has D.D.S which I presume to mean he was a dentist.
Arvid Johan Schjervheim - Ancestry page
Annette,
Thanks for adding to the story. When I started reading through all the Promoter and Stanley Sun papers, I realized there were 100’s of stories buried in the microfilms that would be of interest especially to the children/grandkids of the people living in Stanley and Mountrail County. It’s curious the route the story of your father took to find you ...3rd cousin to sister to you. It’s marvelous how connected the world is today compared to my childhood in Stanley in the 50’s.
I’ve only read up to mid-1942 so I predict there will be many more letters from the men who served. I plan to read and post all of them. Isn’t it a wonderful thing for us today that they took the time to write and that the recipients shared them with the local papers. With luck maybe we’ll see more letters from your dad.
I have a ton of photos taken in and around my grandparents homestead which was very near where the Schjervheims were also farming. Many of them are unknown to me but could well be some of your people. Would be happy to share a link.
Jerry
SHS 1961
I responded with "Reply." Not sure if it will show up.
My sisters and I used to visit our grandparents in Stanley, ND during summer vacation.
Yes, interested in the link to your photos.