Letter, Lady Bird Taylor to Lyndon Johnson, 11/8/1934 or 11/9/1934?

Title:

Letter, Lady Bird Taylor to Lyndon Johnson, 11/8/1934 or 11/9/1934?

Description:

Lady Bird writes on stationery from the New Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans saying she showed her father her ring when she returned from Austin, and they talked. Her father and other family and friends think she should wait before marrying.

Contributor:

Johnson, Lady Bird, 1912-2007; Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973

Collection:

Personal Papers of Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson

Collection Description:

Go to List of Holdings

Series:

Courtship Letters

Subject:

Pre-Presidential; Johnson family; Lady Bird Johnson personal; LBJ personal

Rights:

Public domain

Specific Item Type:

Correspondence

Type:

Text

Format:

Paper

Identifier:

pp-ctjandlbj-letters-ctj-11-9-34

Date:

1934-11-08; 1934-11-09

Date Note:

Precise date uncertain: extrapolated here by LBJ Library archives staff

Time Period:

Pre-Presidential (Before Nov. 22, 1963)

Transcript:

[Written on The New Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans stationery]

[November 8 or 9, 1934 ?]
My own dearest –
I wish I could put all the warmth and love into those words I feel. It was good to hear your voice--its so strong and re-assuring and vital, darling.
When I got home I showed Dad my ring and last night we had a long talk about us. He was very sorry you left so soon--but I told him how it was. He was afraid you found our house too rough and
[2]
inconvenient--which it is, what with no nice bath room and no attractive furnishings (--all that was our plan for me to do this winter.)
Dad said he would have liked to talk to you some more. He thinks you are fine, Lyndon. He said, “He looks perfect physically and that counts a lot, honey.” (Fancy his having thought of that!) And he thinks you are going far, and that you love me, and that you’ll be good to me. But even
[3]
he is a little grave about it being so soon.
Darling, darling the reason I talk and act the way I do is because everybody is so constantly urging me to “wait two or three months,” “wait-wait,” “two months isn’t long enough to have known the man you’re to marry,” “if he loves you he’ll wait for you”--and so on until my head aches. By all these “everybody” I mean
[4]
Dorris and Cousin Trenna Mae and Aunt Effie (I’ve already talked to her by phone) and all the people who’ve known me since I was born and loved me so much. O my dearest, please don’t blame them--they can’t help it. It Its only because they love me and they want to be very deliberate about it. Do you hate me for being not entirely un-moved by them? Don’t – Lyndon, please.