Went to thrift stores with mom this morning. Found a Singer 500A in cabinet for 20.00 so of course it came home with me. I was cleaning her up and noticed a drawer under the cabinet that was stuck shut. Got it open and found old thread, needles, newspaper patterns, AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE SADDEST THING, there were two letters, one from May 1968 and one from April 1968. The first letter started " Dear Mom and Dad, I guess you will be surprised to find out I'm in Viet Nam, if Amelia hasn't already told you." I felt so bad for this mother that kept her son's letters in her sewing machine.

Wow! I bet those letters would be precious to his family. I wonder if you could locate them somehow? (ancesters.com / google / facebook / peoplesearch.com)

beautiful machine...and the history you've found. That is kinda sad.

OMG! Why does Amelia know but not mom? Mom should know first even if Amelia is his wife! Is there a name? Can you track him down? I'm a history snoop, so I'd never be able to let this rest without more investigating.

It makes you wonder if he came back. It's a beautiful machine.

beautiful machine and yes history on those letters

I thought the same thing when I read them, maybe I could find his family. There was a small envelope that looks like it came with a card that was empty, I did google earth on the address and there is still a house there. I am going to search the name on the envelope. There was also some sewing labels that said Handmade by Ruth, so the machines name is now Ruth.

Oh what a story. I'd be spending every minute on finding the owner of the letters. lol That's how obsessed I get.

Please let us know about what you find. This is so sad...my brother went to Viet Nam, other to Korea, but Mom and all of us knew it well before. I hate to think that he never returned and this is all his Mom had left for her memories. She could possibly still be alive now, or else his wife or kids.

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What town in what state? If you could release that much and find someone from this forum who lives there, perhaps we/they/she/he could help a lot. Then you could PM them with details.

I found a book in my late husband's stuff, "Made in America" and was pictures and details of houses, giving addresses and history of that house. One was in Modesto, CA and I'm going to Google that address and hunt it up next time I go there for something. I don't want the book myself, so....