Deciphering old letters Wednesday, May 15 2013 

Genealogy , acairfearann 12:54

Reading difficult handwriting is an interesting example of how the mind works. We have a wonderful ability to fill in gaps and decipher unreadable pieces, as long as there is some context. It has some similarity with certain word games, combining Scrabble and Fill-in-the-blank. One rapidly becomes aware of whether or not one has mastered a hand, however, when confronted with a proper name. Context and familiarity can help: if the place name or last name is an expected one, chances are better that it will be deciphered. On the other hand, if it is a place name or last name (those are especially bad) which is entirely unfamiliar, one’s actual ability is quickly revealed. Sometimes, a last name is doomed to obscurity. I have a passage here: ‘we moved Mrs. P????’s piano’ from a letter I am working on. Well, Mrs. P. doesn’t show up again in the letter, and the involved letters ‘i,e,l,b,r’ are blurred. An educated guess can be made: ‘Pollbiers’ but, frankly that doesn’t ‘feel’ right. So, a question mark is left, and one moves on. Maybe, at some point it will be made clear, either by increased familiarity or by a better example. Still it is likely that she will remain as ‘Mrs. P.’ Personally, I have a sneaking suspicion that the difficulty in deciphering odd last names is part of the explanation behind the old style of saying, ‘Mrs. B.’ or ‘Mr. M.’ along, of course, with space and labour saving.

 

Letters Friday, Apr 26 2013 

Historical Events , , acairfearann 10:02

A short vignette from a letter by Martha Kilbourne to Helen, dated 1873. Martha, or Mattie, was one of Helen’s close friends, she was 16 when she wrote this letter.
“Lizzie is in Great Barrington and will stay there until school commences. It is so very warm she does not dare to go down to Conn. She is boarding in a splendid old farm house. It has two very large rooms on the first floor, her room is over 20 feet square, is furnished in the modern style and very richly. Her parlor is richly furnished it has pale green with rose buds embroidered on it (note: she means the furniture in the room, not the room!). It has two sofas, one sleepy hollow chair, four easy chairs, a large table, inlaid cabinet, piano, and a beautiful case for music. She has a balcony running by both rooms.”
It is clear from the description, since the parlor is unlikely to have been much larger than Lizzie’s other room, that excessive amounts of furniture are typical in upper middle class houses of this time period. The sheer number of chairs! (the original transcription, I should add, suggests there are another 11 chairs…but I have my doubts about the transcription)* A piano would almost be a required item for Lizzie, or any girl in that class, during the summer in order to keep up with her lessons.
Esperanza’s excess of furniture was clearly not a unique situation…

* the eleven is the only number that is typed as a number and not as a word, and there are several other longer numbers in the letter which are typed as words. This discrepancy rings alarm bells.

 

Historical Perspectives Sunday, Apr 14 2013 

Historical Events and Projects , acairfearann 12:15

I am poking at the project of working through the Ellsworth letters (mostly Emily Webster Ellsworth, Oliver Ellsworth, and Caroline Cleveland Smith with dates between 1820-1860)* I say poking, because the transcription is going to be daunting and it is an open question as to how many people are actually interested. Still, on my first letter I think there is some promise.

This is from July 1847 from Roswell C. Smith to his daughter Caroline (later the wife of Oliver, who was the grandson of the chief justice Oliver and son of William Wolcott Ellsworth). It is a curious letter in many respects, but it is also an interesting glimpse into a very new technology: railroads. Caroline was travelling from New Haven to Hartford by the railroad, rather than the stage. We would look at this letter and wonder why her father is making such a fuss (she was grown and living independently) until we remember that the railroad is the first Mechanical form of travel. A horse or a stage coach, though potentially quite dangerous, will attempt to react and avoid someone stepping out in front of them; they may not succed, but a reaction will occur. A rail car (or an automobile or a plane or an industrial engine or a power tool or…) cannot and will not. We, theoretically, understand that there are many mechanical devices which will continue on their path regardless of a person being in the way.* However, in 1847 many people unless they worked in some of the factories would have little or no experience with this. Looked at that way, the paragraph makes a bit more sense, in my opinion.

“It will be rather difficult for you to pick out your baggage, get it carried up to the City Hotel etc. but you will know more after the trial. Recollect not to stand outside or in front of the cars at any time, one man, Mr. Stockport, who married Miss Benjamin of Norwich, Foster’s wife’s mother’s daughter, lost his life instantly by so doing. Keep in the cars till they stop. In Hartford the baggage is taken off a few rods behind where the cars stop, before it comes to the depot, it goes over a little bridge near ?, then backs some ways into the Hartford depot. Always remem. to stay inside of the cars till they stop. I may give Burgess some directions, as I shall probably be there the day before you arrive as I shall learn by your letter.”

*That is what the box says…whether the list is accurate…no one knows.
*I say theoretically, Youtube gives us hours of proof that we seem to be incapable of figuring out physics.

 

84 Canal Street, New Orleans Saturday, Apr 13 2013 

Historic Photos and Historical Events , , acairfearann 14:09

I have periodically mentioned the New Orleans connection. Morris Smith’s other headquarters were located in New Orleans from the late 1840’s through the 1890’s. Subsidiary stores were in Tennessee and Kentucky. Hartford seems to have been the only New England store.*
Morris never owned a house in New Orleans, when the girls joined him down there they took rooms; but otherwise he stayed either with his partners or at the office itself.
This is the only known picture of Morris’ store, the date is unknown:
IMG_8963

It Does Not look like that anymore!

*I have yet to do any research on the company, which is a pity as the little I know is fascinating. For all I know there is loads of information somewhere, but not here.

 

From the Guestbook Thursday, Mar 28 2013 

Historical Events acairfearann 09:47

IMG_9442

July 1876.  The caption reads: “Mrs. Carleton, Miss Nellie Yale, Miss Nellie Bunce, Miss Lottie Smith, and Mr. Morris Smith ‘get in’ uncommon good spirits!”

Once again the dancing bird is the author’s signature.  Perhaps one of the Carletons. Mrs. Carleton was the wife of Julie’s publisher George W. Carleton, and they often came out for weekends. Nellie Yale is Helen Ellsworth, Nellie Bunce was one of her friends, Lottie is Carlotta Smith (Helen’s older sister), Morris is Julie’s husband and the father of Helen and Carlotta.  Judging by the bottle, I suspect dancing was involved. Music (Carlotta was a pianist) and theater (Helen’s love) were also likely to have been part of the entertainment.

 

E-books and books Sunday, Mar 24 2013 

Uncategorized , acairfearann 12:00

a minor thought thereon…

I’ve mentioned before that Esperanza has a large library, between 12-16,000 volumes.  Many of those books have inscriptions in them, as it might be: ‘To Carlotta, Christmas 1889’ or ‘with love, WWE’, or simply a name or date.  When I look through my own books there is a combination of visual and tactile memory at play. I remember that this or that book was given to me by a certain person at a certain time.  The connection, the memory of the relationship, continues to be recollected.  It is not simply a book, it is that Particular copy of that book.

Now, I don’t have any e-books so I am not truly qualified to say.  But it does seem to me that, because the e-books lack a physical presence, the memory of a relationship is less likely to last.  We can’t relate to a file on a computer in the same way that we can an actual object.  It is, in my view, part of the tangle between the virtual and the real.  The virtual reality can slide away without leaving a palimpset, no traces which will modify either the present or the future.  It is substantially harder to do that in the real world.

Or am I wrong?

 

Picturesque Travels Monday, Mar 18 2013 

Historical Events , , acairfearann 10:21

From , a letter by Edward Beecher Hooker, in Hartford, to Helen Yale Ellsworth, travelling in Europe, 1873:

“Miss Nellie Stanley gave a little party last Wednesday night. I drove over, with Sam, in the carriage carrying Belle Spence, Hattie Coit, and Bob Andrews. We had barely started, when in briskly going over a crosswalk, the carriage bounced and a spring broke. Luckily it was not the main leaf spring, but a minor one, so we went on though the carriage rattled and tipped considerably. It was lovely moonlight. Arrived at Miss Stanley’s about eight. The evening was passed in dancing and conversation, not forgetting the refreshments, oysters, coffee, cake, nuts, candy, and grapes. I danced the Boston, but did not find anyone with whom I could dance quite as easily as Lucy and you.

Left Miss Stanley’s some after eleven. The horse had not been put under a shed and a frost had fallen so the seats were icy and cold. The bridge and causeway on the other side of the river is often dangerous on account of robbers etc. but we were not molested. I was prepared for there was a revolver and slung-shot under the front cushion ready for emergencies. If anything had happened I, with great presence of mind, probably would have shot someone in the carriage and pitched the slung-shot in the river. I really wonder what I would do if I should be attacked. I am afraid I would run or surrender all my valuables and beg for quarter. No one can tell how he would act till he has been tried. I wonder what you will do if you happen to travel in Italy and fall in with brigands. Something heroic and grand without doubt.”

I think it is a sling-shot he is talking about here.  Hartford seems to have had a plague of highway-men in the late 1800’s; at least once a robbery was fought off by the girls.  Hooker’s letters, of which there are about 3o are truly entertaining.  They have a huge amount of information about the social life, culture and education of college age men and women in Hartford at the time.  They also tend to be at once dramatic and understated.  Having finished discussing highway-men, this letter goes back to discussing literature without any histronics.

 

From the bookshelves Saturday, Mar 9 2013 

Historical Events , acairfearann 16:11

I have been remiss, no doubt, in not discussing to any degree the family bookshelf.  That is the bookshelf which holds the various books written by family members.  It does not include, for the most part, books written before Esperanza was purchased, though the top shelf is mostly given over to Roswell Smith, who wrote science textbooks in the mid 1800’s.  But much of the output of the Ellsworths, Websters, etc is not there since that comes before the house.  It isn’t a huge collection: discounting self-published work, but counting doctoral theses it comes to 78 books.  Most generations since, however, have succeeded in getting at least one book published, sometimes more.  It isn’t complete, unfortunately.

Julie’s novels are, of course, included.  As I had created a list for a presentation today, I thought it would be worthwhile to list them here.  This doesn’t include the short stories which were written earlier for various magazines and newspapers.  I don’t know of a complete list of those, tracking down that sort of publication is an absolute nightmare.  The titles give some indication of the themes, which mostly revolved around young people in a bucolic, semi-pastoral small town.

Originally Published by G.W. Carleton & Co.; New York, New York

Widow Goldsmith’s Daughter; 1870

Chris and Otho; 1870

The Widower; 1871

The Married Belle; 1872

Ten Old Maids; 1874

Courting and Farming; 1875

His Young Wife; 1876

Kiss and Be Friends; 1878

Lucy; 1880

Blossom Bud; 1883

 

On Reading Letters Thursday, Feb 28 2013 

Historical Events , , acairfearann 11:12

Reading old letters is one of those guilty pleasures, we know we aren’t the intended audience.  It is, of course, that which makes the information in the letters both more useful and more misleading.  We don’t have the full story, but the story that is there isn’t written with an eye towards our reaction.  Our offense or our delight are not being deliberately provoked by the original author.

I tend to pay less attention to the snarls of the personal relationships in the older letters, though they intrigue me greatly.  My particular delight comes from the passages which more fully describe the time and setting.  Sometimes, these passages can capture a philosophy far better than a dry bit of argument.  Below is a piece written in 1873, by William Gillette (then in Houston, Texas) to Helen Ellsworth (then in Europe).  The confidence in the Manifest Destiny philosophy is clearly in full flower here:

“Texas is extraordinary. To say it is the best part of the great United States would hardly do, out of consideration to old New England. But Texas will sometime be a wonderful place. When the Mississippi is lined with great and handsome cities every few miles of its course, and the Territories are divided into innumerable states, and cultivated like gardens; when Chicago shall have outstripped in size and splendor London or Paris, and Boston become the literary center of the world, then Texas will be one of the wonders of this mundane sphere.”

Whatever one thinks of the philosophy, how well that seems to capture the youthful confidence and passion of the time!

 

From the Guestbook Tuesday, Feb 19 2013 

Esperanza , acairfearann 14:48

The earliest guestbook, which covers the 1870’s, has a number of truly delightful sketches in it.  This one, of the author, is a very simple one.  ‘The author’ by the way remains unidentified, we simply can’t figure out who signs with a little bird as his signature, except that he (presumably he, based on this sketch) is responsible for many of the amusing caricatures.  The initials appear to be ‘del’ but that doesn’t match either.  I am sure, by process of elimination I will figure it out, when I get around to it.

IMG_9448

 

 

« Previous Page — Next Page »