My First Pen Pal

Written by: Norma Byrne, NJ

Each of us has a different story as to how and why we starting writing letters to folks we don't even know. For me, I think I inherited a pen pal gene. You see, my grandparents were pen pallers. My very existence is because two people corresponded thru the mail.

The year was 1911. My grandmother's family lived in Keyport, NJ. My 18 yr. old grandfather was from Connecticut. In those days before automobiles and highways, that was quite a distance to travel. That summer my grandfather went to visit his cousin, who also lived in Keyport, NJ. This cousin introduced my grandfather to her best friend. They spent just a few hours together that afternoon. But, they hit it off instantly, and before he left to go back to the farm in CT, they exchanged addresses and promised to write. And write they did.

They exchanged letters every week, and later on as they become closer, their letters came almost daily. A year later, in 1912, my grandfather proposed - in a letter. In a letter, my grandmother accepted. And in many letters following, all the arrangements were made for their new life together.

In May of 1913, two years after their introduction, they finally met face to face for the second time - at the altar. They were happily married for 65 years.

So you see, you really can get to know someone quite well through letters. When I was very young, I lived next door to my grandparents, but when I was 9 years old, my grandpa retired and they moved away to Florida. Although I didn't get to see them in person much after that, he wrote to me often. So, I suppose you could say that my first pen pal was my grandpa.