Correspondence, 1951-1953

Franklin Brannan wrote almost daily to one or more of his relatives. Most of the correspondence in the collection is between Gertrude Harrison and himself. She writes to him as "Babe" and he writes to her as "Gock". Franklin's mother was married at the time to George Schier but Franklin addresses all his letters to "Mrs. Ethel Mae Brannan" and she writes her return address as "Mrs. Schier". From the handwriting, it appears that Gertrude Harrison may... have written not only her letters to Franklin but also those of Ethel Mae and "Shorty".

Franklin's letters detail mainly his daily routines outside of work; his meals, the weather, going to the movies (although he never gives the titles of any he saw) or drinking with his buddies, time spent with his girlfriend, and the Koreans who work with him. Since other soldiers are having their teeth "framed in gold", he has a Korean dentist cap two of his teeth and is pleased with the work. He thinks highly of the Koreans who work for the Army, writing that they work harder than the G.I.'s and earn just 50 cents a month. He visits their homes and enjoys their company. The parents of his girlfriend, Meoka, were killed by the North Koreans and she has very few possessions; he asks and receives from Gock clothing and presents for her.

Franklin's Baltimore family and others write with news about their health, vacations to the New Jersey shore, the weather, his Baltimore girlfriend, Bessie, items purchased and sent to Franklin, and his friends who are also in the military. One in particular, Kenneth L. Johnson, is an Army deserter and his whereabouts are of concern to them. They also want to know about the Korean homes, what Meoka looks like and if she speaks English and how Franklin and she communicate. Shortly before Franklin is due to return home his mother dies. From his relatives he learns that his mother and he own the house on Riverside Avenue in Baltimore and not George Schier. In his last letter, to Gock, dated July 20, 1953, he writes that he has been told he will leave on a ship "to the East" on July 5.