CLINTON WOMAN KNITS FOR 4TH WAR -- Mrs. Christine Lorenzen, 92, of Clinton, knits for the boys in the service just as she did in the Civil war, the Spanish-American war, and World War I. She says personal deprivation of civilians aren't comparable to those in Civil war days. "We had no coffee at all," she says, "and sometimes little to eat but cornmeal."
She was born in 1852 and knitted for Civil war soldiers -- she was then nine -- with trigger fingers to facilitate handling of guns Now she knits for the Red Cross and the squares made by those gnarled but deft hands are covering the great grandchildren of those men who fount in earlier conflicts.
During World War I Mrs. Lorenzen knitted mufflers, sweaters and mittens for the American Red Cross. She has had nine children, five of whom are now living, 14 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
Source: The DesMoines Register, March 15, 1944 (photo included)
Ninety-two-year-old, Mrs. Christine Lorenzen of Clinton, Iowa, is an old hand at knitting for the boys, having first made mittens for Civil War soldiers, and other apparel for vets of the Spanish-American and World War I conflicts. Now, Mrs. Lorenzen knits for the Red Cross for World War II’s heroes. |
Source: Akron Register-Tribune, March 30, 1944
