Happy Valentines Day to Everyone!!

Valentines Day was a pretty big deal when I was in the primary grades in the old Maple Hill Grade School. My memory has probably faded a bit, but it seemed that we took a part of each day for a couple of weeks to work on making valentines and room decorations during class time. There was lots of construction paper, paper lace, paste and other materials needed to appropriately impress our teachers and friends that true love abounded!

I remember Valentine Parties at school, during which we would decorate a large box and place our valentines for others to be delivered during the party. Our mothers would bring punch, cakes and cookies and we’d have a great time playing games.

I wanted to share a hand-made Valentine that my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark made for my Great Grandfather, Leander (Deacon) Jones, in 1929–84 years ago. Its not so fancy, and I really don’t know why Mom would have made it for Grandpa Jones. At that time, they were not related. Deacon Jones was my father’s grandfather and I’m sure at the age of 8, my mother didn’t have the slightest idea Mr. Jones would one day be her Grandfather-In-Law.

Lee Jones was the town marshal of Maple Hill in 1929, so perhaps she gave it to him in appreciation for keeping everyone safe—I don’t know and there’s no indication in written form.

It appears to be a heart cut from a brown paper bag or from brown butcher paper. The little design appears to have been cut from wall-paper or from some black and white illustration. It was pasted on with wheat paste.

The inscription simply says: “To Mr. Jones from Lucille Corbin.” At some later time, my Mother had written “hand delivered in 1929” on the back of the Valentine.

I have another Valentine that was sent from my cousin, Charles Mitchell, to his then girlfriend, Bonnie Lou Thomas in Byers, Oklahoma. Charlie had been bailing hay the previous summer for his brother-in-law in Byers, and had met Bonnie. They were later married and lived the remainder of their lives in Maple Hill. I love the Ketchup bottle and tomato! How romantic!!

The third Valentine was sent to my maternal Great Aunt, Edna Corbin, in 1908, when her parents ran a railroaders hotel in Freeport, Harper County, Kansas. This Valentine was sent by George Stein, who was a signal maintainer obtaining his room and board at the Corbin Hotel. He simply says, “How about saving one of those for me?” I never asked Aunt Edna if she did—and I hope he hadn’t gotten his signals mixed up!

The last Valentine card was mailed by Bill Pickie, who was a former elementary classmate of my paternal Grandmother’s, Mable Rachel Jones. They both attended the Copp School southeast of Paxico, through the sixth grade. My Grandmother was then helping her parents operate the Paxico Central Office. The back of the card says, “How about painting up and puckering up for me?” I know my grandmother was “sweet” on Bill for a time, but in the end, a Snokomo boy, Jim Pete Clark won out and became her Valentine for life!

Strangely, I’ve saved Valentines belonging to others, but I have none of my own. Perhaps I didn’t get any. I hope that everyone reading this will take time to tell someone you love them—that’s what Valentine’s Day is all about. Cheers!!