letters from Frank Elmer Jacobs

The following is a transcription of the old letters from Frank E Jacobs to Louella . Iwill scan the hand written sheets to you tomorrow from work.





Jan. 30,’28



961- 4 St San Diego California



Dear Louella,

I have been having a terrible experience . Got here all right Thursday and got served with Divorce papers Friday . Mainly on grounds of non support and desertion.



I guess she thought I would lay down take it like I have always done . Came near doing it but had a talk with Grandma Sunday and she did not want her interest turned over to Grace . Gracie and Lola were begging me to take them to Texas with me.

When I went up there Sunday I passed around back . Lola saw mw and says Here is Dad.

And your beloved mother tore out and down the street without her jacket or pocket book and raced away .I took the girls up to the park and stayed about one o’clock . Had been trying to get to talk to her Sat.A.M. appointment at her lawyers office but she did not show up. He said she was sick in bed . That was Saturday. I think she is ashamed to meet me. I was numb from the shock and have not gotten over it yet. But I am getting my fighting spirit back . Grandma says Crofts are not backing her—



The real cause is greed and to be a big personage among these old hens out here. Also she had gotten tired of waiting for me to die off . Was ashamed of her rustic husband and peeved that I would not come to heel.

When I was kicked out in a strange place dazed with grief I went into a store(Worth’s) and established credit with the document that she served me with . Bought one good suit of clothes and hat paid with a check without other identification .

The Union South Dakota wrote a piece just from her complaint saying as how I did not let them live up to their station in (no. 31)

I will now give you an outline of that working partnership . Some of the facts I don’t think she knows herself.

In the fall of 1900, Caton Hoblit and I pooled our interest. We were not incorporated or anything like that . He had represented to me that he owed no man anything on his personal property. The land stood in Mr. Hoblit’s name ¾ less purchase price . On one ¼ and I think $700 the homestead Also he owed his brother Jim $700 on a note . Now these two items could be the same . I could find out by looking up the records> Well, I just took his word for it.

















Well, Come time to renew the notes about the first of the year I get some shock when asked to sign about $4,000 worth of mortgage notes . Well, I signed them and never told your mother how I was taken in. And I have not told her unto this day but if this trial goes all the way through she is liable to find out. Now this deal was not one tenth as raw as this last one I had handed me .Seems we live and don’t learn . Well time passed as it always does . Also times were good and we paid the notes and the mortgagesall but $2,500and a piece of land of mine. And went to Texas for our health.

Now this health crack is not meant to be a joke . Hoblit was bedridden all the winter of ‘8-‘9. And I was in bad shape, not with change of life but with change of teeth.







Well, we arrived with $23,000 which was a fair sum for clodhoppers.

Paid $15,000 down on the ranch with the mention of paying the balance out of Dakota rents.

Bought a place in town for Hoblits. Grace swore she would not live on the same ranch as her father . His mind was failing and he was at the “my monry “ stage and had it bad. I have never seen but one case as bad and that is one I am working on now.

This bring us to 1911 . Crops a total failure in S.D.

Drought in Texas in ‘10 and fore part of ’11. For income I borrow $3,500 on my individual land for living expenses, seed, and taxes, also interest.

In 1912 ,about broke even in Dakota.

That is the year she took you and Duane up there went to look after business and visit her dear friend Mrs. Jackson . Was followed home by a letter that they(the Jackson’s) were

giving up the place. I did get a change of venue on that visit for she quit nagging me to go back to S.D. and commenced on Arkansaw__________________________________

1913:

Mr.Hoblit dies much to the sorrow of his drudge of a wife and the relief of his beloved daughter.

In his last conscious moment ,he turned his eyes to me and the look of trust, confidence and gratitude settled all scores. And he died as peacefully as he had lived turbulently.



As soon as he was under ground I was ordered to probate the estate.

I consulted C—Walsh And he said it was not necessary as we could convey it by all three signing and save expenses.

After this ,I paid off indebtedness to the tune of over $20,000.

And they come in with claim of $10,000 back rents and so forth.

And on that Olk. land wanted me to clear it and make her a present of it. Although I have $5,000. of it in that Dakota mortgage.



However ,I will have to provide for Lola, Gracie to the tune of $50. a month each if I settle in court or out. If I win this round and get it out of this court I can bring suit in Texas and fight it out on my own ground----but I think it will be settled this week by agreement.

Well, however it comes out ,my conscious will be clear . The only crime I have committed has been letting her have her own way. I should have had a settlement in ’22 when she left me. At that time she told me that she did not want to live with me any

longer.

I think she will regret this move as long as she lives.



F.E.Jacobs

















A remnant of a letter written regarding the same conflict:

Starts on page

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….of the outfit and make her some more money. Her right arm of action is desertion but it won’t hold water because Calif. gives the husband the right to say where that home shall be. She also claims non support but I can prove that she had access to the funds of the firm. And used them in excess of $2,000 a year.

You see I had not protected myself. She could have claimed half of that partnership and half of the balance as community interest and did claim that I had used $16,000 of her mother’s and her property but her mother not being a party to the suit ,it don’t fit.





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Also did not want the boys to have college education that common school education was plenty for ranch life which I wanted them to follow instead of being lounge lizards.

I’ll bet she was furious when she read it. She offered to meet me at her lawyers last week and try to come to a property settlement But I had a nervous headache and also got over the desire to meet with her . The other buzzing along the drive (Sat) and I shivered like I had the Augue. It seems that Never would be plenty soon to meet her.