Ida Grove, Iowa October 7, 1943  
 
 
Mrs. Ethel Nichols, Supt.
Children's Division
Des Moines, Iowa                  Re: Larry Peterson  # 8465
 
 
Dear Mrs. Nichols:
 
 Your letter came today in reference to the recent death of Mrs. R. H. Potter, in whose home Larry Peterson is placed.
 
I had just called there two days ago and found out the situation. However since I made other calls further north and just got home this afternoon, I had not yet had the opportunity to report this to you.
 
I waited around and looked in the stores several times where Mr. Potter trades, hoping that he would be back from his trip into the city, and that I might talk with him. However he did not come before I went on.
I did talk with the child and with the teacher.
 
This is a poor looking farm--trash everywhere.  However when I visited with Mr. and Mrs. Potter last Spring, they seemed delighted with the little boy and very much concerned over his welfare.
 
I question whether Mr. Potter will be able to cook the right foods
and give the right training to the boy, but perhaps we should delay judgment a short time until we see what arraignments he is making as
to the home.
 
  Yours sincerely, Georgia E. Todd Agent Mrs. Ben Todd.  

        Ida Grove, Iowa
        October 25, 1943
 
 
 

Mrs. Ethel Nichols, Supt.
Children's Division
Des Moines, Iowa                  Re: Larry Peterson  # 8465
 
 
Dear Mrs. Nichols:
 
 We drove over to Sioux City this morning to see whether Mr.
Potter had made arraignments for a housekeeper so that Larry
Peterson would have better care that a man might be able to give
him.
 
Mr. Potter said he had been trying to get a woman 62 years of age
and he thought that she was going to come.  He seems to want to
keep the boy, and said it would break the boy's heart if he
couldn't stay.  He said he loves to play with the dog and the
goats.  With the exception of Reading, he seems to be doing well
in school.  the teacher has sent some books home with him, and he
is reading aloud at home, hoping in this manner to improve.
 
Mr. Potter says he expects to cook a hot meal for the boy once a
day, at least.  If he gets a housekeeper he can go back to work
in the packing plant, but at the present is not doing this work,
since it means that he would leave at 5:30 in the morning, and
the boy would not be going to school yet.
 
Since his plans are still not definite, and he is trying to
adjust them, we request him to let us know when they are
complete.
 
 
 
       Yours sincerely,        Georgia E. Todd Agent        Mrs. Ben Todd.

[ NOTE by the author, Larry Eugene:   This letter had been written on the 25th of October,  a little over a month after my foster mother's death, eighteen days after the last letter Mrs. Todd wrote to Mrs. Nichols.  It tells that on the previous day, October 24th, Mrs. Todd had seen my foster father.  This is the first record of Mrs. Todd seeing my foster father since my foster mother died.  The 24th of October of '43 was on a Sunday so I would most likely would have been home at the time of the visit, though there is no mention in her letter of seeing me and I certainly don't remember her visit.  During these few weeks, all of these letters are flying back and forth, I don't believe I am missing any of them in my file for each letter seems to flow into the next one.  But I do want to point out the frequency of the letters, not very often.  It is like everyone, including my dad was waiting for time to solve all of the problems.  The State was only waiting for a time so they could convince themselves they did all they could and it was my dad's fault he lost me.  Did they really do all they could?  Sort of interesting don't you think? ]
 

        Ida Grove, Iowa
        November 4, 1943
 
Mr. Ross H. Potter
50th and N. Rustin St.
Sioux City, Iowa
 
 
My dear Mr. Potter:
 
  Have you made any further arrangements in reference to
care for your home? we are wondering if it is not going to be
rather difficult to find and keep anyone who would take the
proper care of such a small boy as you have in your home.
 
We sympathize deeply with you in the loss of your wife, and know
that this will mean many changes in your life.  Doubtless you
have become attached to Larry since he has been in your home.
But I am sure you will understand that a boy of his age does need
the care of a woman.  There are so any things which it would be
impossible for you to do for him, since you have your outside
work to do.  Then a growing child needs nutritious food,
including vegetables and fruits:  he needs care as to personal
habits, mending of clothing, and many other items which are
constantly arising.
 
No doubt it would be much easier for you to plan your job at the
packing plant if you did not have the boy to consider.
 
Unless you have made very definite plans which could be approved
by the State Board, it seems to me that the best solutions of
your problem would be to return the boy to Davenport.  He might
then at some future time have the opportunity of being place
again in a normal environment--with both father and mother.  Let
me know your decision after thinking this over, please.

 
[ NOTE by the author:  This letter was written ten days after the previous letter was written to Mrs. Nichols, eleven days after seeing my foster dad,  so apparently I have been on Mrs. Todd's mind over the course of the last week.  I find this quick response is quite rare in this matter as to whether or not I will be staying with my dad.  From what I read here, her last letter she wrote to Mrs. Nichols had given her some ideas for I see those ideas flowing into this letter. She was thinking but hadn't quite figured out how to tell my dad I would have to go back to the orphanage.  Wouldn't it be such a great deal for HIM, and how great of a deal it would be for ME if he gave me up?  Like I said previously, I think a lot of un-professionalism was displayed in this whole matter.  ]

---

 

    Leeds, Iowa
    50th & Rustin
    Nov. 22, 1943
 
Dear Mrs. Todd:
   There has been not much further care in the home at the present time.
   But if you will let me keep the boy I will have a woman by the
first of the year.
   I have been having a neighbor girl to do up the work every day or
at least most everyday.
   I will say that the boy is fine. I will go into any house or restaurants in the country and cook.  The boy is better in school
this year than he was last.  If it does not come out all right I will give the boy up for I no [know] their [there] should be a mother in
the [home] for both of us.
 
          your truly [truely]
                    R. H. Potter
 
P.S. We was snow [snowed] in hear [here] for a weeks is why I did not write sooner.
 

[Note by the author:    This is only one of four letters I believe he wrote the entire time I as living there, three of them after the death of my foster mother.  One he had written as a list of clothing items I had after shortly going to the farm, which I haven't copied into this book but I have retyped the list he sent to Mrs. Todd which appeared in a letter she wrote.  There had been the letter to the orphanage telling of the death of my foster mother, that had been the second letter. The last and forth letter will be the last letter he wrote only days before he had to let me go.  There may have been some telephone calls between Mrs. Todd and my foster father but I doubt it for he was seldom home.  This all tells me, my dad was not communicating enough and this was hurting him.  He should have been more aggressive for the State was only looking for a reason to take me from him and by his inaction he was giving them all the reasons they needed.] 

---

State of Iowa: Board of Control of State Institutions  
 

        Ida Grove, Iowa
        Nov. 24, 1943
 
 
 
Mrs. Ethel Nichols, Supt.
Children's Division
Des Moines, Iowa                  Re: Larry Peterson  # 8465
 
 
Dear Mrs. Nichols:
 
  Enclosed is a letter from Mr. Ross Potter in whose home
Larry Peterson is placed. He is still having trouble in
finding a housekeeper.  It would be difficult enough if he
had a nice farm home, but with goats, ducks, and junk thrown
everywhere, one look at the place might dissuade anyone.
 
 
 
      Yours sincerely,
 
     Georgia E. Todd Agent
      Mrs. Ben Todd.
 
[ NOTE by the author:  Most of the time when I read the letters and such in my files I get sort of depressed for I see things there that are not too obvious to others but this letter, every time I read it I almost laugh.  "Goats, ducks."  It was a farm lady, where else would there be a better place to raise "goats and ducks?"   In these letters you will note they seem to dwell on the how trashy the farm was.  How poor it was.  They knew all that when they investigated the home on October 10, 1942 prior to my placement there, they had approved of the conditions then, why make note of it now?  I loved my foster parents, what young boy wouldn't in the siltation I was in.  I was eight years old, I needed a mom and a dad, no matter how poor or trashy their farm was.  It was in the State's hands to see I be sent to those that would give me the right things in life.  To a place where I had a chance.  As much as I hate to say it for I loved my foster parents, I had no chance of making it there, that was obvious even before I was sent there.  I can see that in my records, why couldn't they?
       From the dating of this letter, a little over two months had passed by, since the death of my foster mother, the decision had not been made yet as to taking me from my dad.  It is like, everyone was waiting on someone else to make that decision.  From what I have seen, everyone was aware of the fact I would be returned to the orphanage but no one wanted to be the first to come out with it.  I know it was difficult for everyone and I don't know what I would have done.  Though I should never have been placed with my foster parents in the first place but I was and based on hindsight, it had been a very sorry thing to have taken me from my dad and sent me back to the orphanage.  As you read on though this book I think you will fully understand my reasoning and feelings on that.  ]

 State Juvenile Records Index

 State Juvenile Records - Section Six