Comfort’s Wheel Chair Club, Mildred A Carden, Vence Leroy Holt, and Helen M. Wysong

Usually I have a little advertisement on Sundays that I post, and this is still an advertisement of sorts, but it’s a little different.

Comfort Magazine was published by WH Gannett from 1888 until 1942 in Augusta, Maine.  According to a few websites, the magazine started as a way to sell his patented nerve tonic called Oxien.  However, the magazine became hugely popular because he had offers for goods and services at great prices in exchange for the readers, who were mainly rural women, signing up more subscriptions…things like teapots and rings were pretty much the norm.

I was flipping through the February 1931 issue of Comfort Magazine looking for a great advert to share today, but  I found something more interesting than a regular old advertisement for Black Leaf 40 (nicotine insecticide that was banned some time in the 1990s).  Comfort Magazine had a wheelchair club.  In the words of the publisher:

For the information of our many new subscribers, let me explain that for each $75.00 worth of subscriptions to COMFORT, at 25 cents a year, two years for 50¢ or 4 years for $1.00, sent in either singly or in clubs by persons who direct that they are to be credited to COMFORT’S WHEEL CHAIR CLUB instead of claiming the premium to which they would be entitled, I give a FIRST-CLASS INVALID WHEEL CHAIR to some needy crippled shut-in and pay for the freight, too.  It is a large and expensive premium for me to give for that number of subscriptions, but I am always glad to do my part a little faster each month than you do yours.

Sincerely yours,

W.H. GANNETT

Publisher of COMFORT

For the February 1931 issue is the following:

Two Wheel Chairs in December

1011 Is COMFORT’S Total To Date

Two children are the lucky ones this month and the wheel chairs will be sent to them as soon as it is possible to do so.  They are: Mildred Carden, 11 years, Henrysville, Route 1, Tenn., and Vence Leroy Holt, 13 years, Denning, Ark.

These children will, I feel sure, get a lot of pleasure out of their chairs and will be able to get a little of the sunshine of life.  Mildred Carden has been crippled nearly all of her life.  She had some kind of paralysis somewhat like infantile paralysis.  Most of the trouble seems to be in her hips.  She has pretty good use of her hands, legs and feet.

Vence Leroy Holt has been crippled all of his life and was in the hospital for four month.  He has the use of his legs above the knees.

OF COURSE I looked them up. 

Mildred A Carden was born October 6, 1919 in Lawrence County, Tennessee to parents Elzie B Carden and Stella Mae Laney.  She never married.  She died on October 10 1971.  She is buried in a triple plot between her parents in Garden of Memories Memorial Park, Salinas, Monterey County, California.

Vence Leroy Holt is a little harder to track.  His father was either John or James J Holt and his mother’s first name was Buena.  His siblings were Esther Holt, Carl Holt, Ida Holt, Irene Holt, Estelle (Gussie?) Holt and John Holt.

Now, besides the little blurb about Mildred and Vence Leroy, was a photo that was sent in:  Dear Mr. Gannett:

I am sending you a picture of Helen to publish in the COMFORT Magazine, and I hope to see it soon.  Thanking you again for the chair, as it is such a great help in caring for Helen.

Yours truly,

Mrs. Goldie Tobin

Helen Marguerite Wysong was born August 12, 1912 (though I am also seeing 1913) in Montgomery County, Ohio to parents Vernon Roscoe Wysong and Goldie E Christman/Chrissman.  Her father died in 1920 and her mother remarried to John Tobin.  Helen married Robert Charles Orndorff sometime prior to 1947, when they appeared in the October 16, 1947 issue of the Billings Gazette (Billings, Montana-found on Ancestry).

Crippled Parents have Healthy Child

Robert Vern Orndorff, 7 weeks old, will be the only one in the family who will not need (a) wheelchair when he is old enough to walk.  His father, Robert Orndorff, suffers form (sic) sleeping sickness, while his mother is paralyzed from the waist down by (a) childhood injury.  The Orndorffs support themselves by making jewelry in their Dayton, Ohio home.

Helen passed away on July 24, 1976 in Dayton, Ohio.  She, sadly, outlived her husband who passed in 1951 and her son who passed in 1970.

I am now wondering how many more Comfort Magazine issue I own. 

Comments

[Melissa H Orndorff]

thank you for posting this.. this is my Grandparents holding my father.. this is a priceless photo..

[Stephanie]

You are most welcome! I wish I could have found a better photo :)