OK, Gang, I just talked myself into revealing what my Aunt Rhea (1906-1990) wrote in a letter that was sent to our Housman family back in 1988. For the longest time (over 25 years?) we had a Round Robin letter going-- a letter that was sent on from one family member to the next which included the letters that the other family members had written in reply. Aunt Rhea knew of my intense research of our Housman family history and I guess she felt that it was about time that all of us needed to learn something about her/our grandmother (my great-grandmother), born 1852, died 1935. Note, the reference to where they lived was in Dauphin Co., PA. This is what I typed up regarding Aunt Rhea's letter. vee Letter written by Rhea (Housman) Britsch which she had enclosed in the Housman Round Robin letter in December 1988. She was 82 years old and her vision had become very poor. She had dictated it to her sister-in-law, Shirley Housman, wife of Ben Housman, Sr. Rhea died in 1990. Letter transcribed by Vee, the daughter of Rhea's brother Charles W. Housman. Dec. 14, 1988 Dear Round Robiners, I have not written in the Round Robin for a long time but now there is something I want from Vee. Vee, you talked about a history of Grandmother Housman. I would like to have a copy of whatever material you have about her and her family. Whatever it costs, send me the bill. I wish each of you would have known your Grandmother Housman, known to everybody who knew her as Mother. My own mother whom I loved dearly said of her, "I never knew what a real mother was until I had a mother-in-law!" Our grandfather came from Germany when he was 16 without knowing a bit of English. Yet he and Grandmother Housman reared a family, none of whom ever spoke a word of German, and the last of which, Uncle Bill, was an attorney. I don't believe Grandfather ever worked anywhere but the Bethlehem Steel Co. I believe someone from the Steel Co. met the boat in Philadelphia and offered him a job and he worked there until he retired, which meant 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Yet they lived on a farm which is now in the area between Steelton and Highspire known as Cumblers Heights. Uncle Charlie sold milk throughout Steelton. I don't know when they found time to farm. I do know by the time that Mom and Pap were married, they owned their own home on Second Street in Steelton and the farm on which I grew up. Only since I am much older do I realize that they must have been a very remarkable couple. I do know that Grandfather Housman had a love for hi-brow music and they had a Victorola upon which Caruso and other very fine musicians were featured. Grandfather never really learned to speak English well. He always spoke with an accent. But Grandmother was able to create a kind of life that I wish all of you could have known her. I'm glad that a little bit of her is in me and I hope a little bit of her is in you because I feel that Pop as he was known by, earned the money by hard work and she created the good life. One other thing you might like to know about her; Glenn told me when she found out that he had not been baptized, the next time they went to Steelton, she took him to the Pastor of the Lutheran Church and had him baptized. Don't you wish you had known her? Love to you all, Rhea (dictated to and written by Shirley