(We are back from our wanderings. As is customary, I thought I’d keep up with posts while we were gallivanting about, and as is also customary, I did not.)
As I said in a recent post, I have a vast repository of letters written by various members of my mother’s family going all the way back to the early 1900’s. My mom (bless her amazing heart) typed them all up so that they are easy to read. She assembled them in books and titled them accordingly. The one I’m looking at now is titled “Another World. 1900 – 1919. The Age of Innocence.” I thought you, my loyal readers, might enjoy a few snippets of letters from my great-grandmother Nettie to her daughter, my Grandma Lois when she was away at her first year of college. She tended to write in long run-on sentences which adds to the charm. I mean, if the apostle Paul can do it, why can’t we?
September 26, 1910.
My Dear Lois,
Well I have just returned from Aunt Alices she is still sick in bed and has suffered terribly this last week. Annie [one of Lois’s sisters] was down and staid with her one day and I went one day and then Rosie brought Myrtie to stay with her and she has been there since Thursday after noon she went home for one night and came back to-day. I think Aunt Alice looked better to-day and she told me to thank you for the card you sent her and tell you that she would write to you as soon as she is able.
…Aunt Amelia’s folks are looking for a horse again as Willie thinks of being Married in about two weeks and Alma and Will want Ada [Lois’s little sister] for their flower girl. I have not told Ada yet for I thought it would only set her to asking questions but I think that means that I shall have to make Adas white dress that I got the Embroidery for I got quite a pretty Pattern for it yesterday. Ada has just run in and says tell Lois I haven’t time to write to her to-day but I will write some other time.
…Papa says tell Lois I will write to her during the week. He is getting along fine with the Lloyd job – guess he will nearly finish this week.
Good night. With love from Mama
How do you like that casual mention of Will and Alma thinking of being married in two weeks, and Nettie not panicking about having to make a dress for it (and embroider it!) in that amount of time? How lovely for Lois to get these letters with updates from home and promises of letters to come.
The photo below was taken in 1910, the same year as the correspondence. I’ve done some labeling and hope you can read it. It’s the only photo I have with Lois and Nettie in it.
In another letter, Nettie tells Lois how bad she feels that she was unable to contribute a baked good for a box of food that went to Lois from family and friends. She tells Lois,
…that is all I know about your box. but could not send anything I had to bake for I have not had wood to bake anything with for when we were out of wood we could not get any at the yard so I had to nearly scratch the earth for what I have had to get my meals with. So I thought I would let you know Who to thank as it was not your Mother much as she would like to have been one of them, My Dear girl. But she sends a whole lot of love as you may be sure she always will for I have missed my Lois so to-day.
Imagine having to scrabble for wood in order to do your cooking. I am not nearly thankful enough for the appliances that make my life easier.
Sadly, Nettie died just four years later at the age of 46, a couple years before Lois got married. Her obituary states “She bore all her suffering without a word of complaint and expressed herself ready to go and meet her Savior when the death angel called.” That is what we call a good death.
I am looking forward to meeting Nettie in glory.
I’ll probably scrabble for wood to burn this post in the morning.
Lynniebeemuseoday 