My dear Cousin,
I will try and answer your very welcome letter but if my writing is poor please do not blame me for my fingers are sore. I caught a mouse the other day and he bit me twice and it is pretty sore now, I can scarcely hold my pen.
Grandpa is abed all of the time now again. Grandma is quite
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smart now. She told me to tell you she wished you much joy and I join with her there and I hope you have a long and happy life before you. I am not married yet and I guess I will not be this fall unless my Iowa Farmer comes home after me he will sometime I guess. I have promised to go out there and keep house for him when he wants me and I hope he will not wait long for I am growing impatient to go into a home of my own. I almost envy you the happiness of housekeeping all alone by your self.
And you never told me what my new cousins other name is but I suppose he is my cousin all the same
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and Annie please send me Mr Carlisle photo and when I get my husband’s picture I will send his to you. I would rather have yours and his taken together.
Grandma wanted me to ask you if Mr McKnight’s folks were there with yours. She said that your mother said they were coming to live with you in that house or at least she understood that they were,
If I had a piece of my new dress that I made this fall handy so that I could I would send you a piece but I can tell you what it is. It is plain blue
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What was your wedding dress you never told me any thing about it.
Deette has got to be Auntie if she is not Grandma yet.
Good night ever your cos Ella
page 4, portion written upside down
Deette is pretty well now.
Annie Culver is dead she died the 7th of October. I do not hardly understand exactly what her disease was they called it consumption at first but the Doctor said her lungs were not affected it was in her stomach. Consumption of the stomach I guess
top of page 1, upside down
It will seem natural to direct to Buchanan again but not so to write to Mrs Carlisle.
Ever your Cousin, Ella
Sarah Ann Camfield married Isaac Ashley Carlisle on October 2, 1876 in Berrien Co., MI.I have no idea who the McKnight's were.
Ella and Deette's older sister, Elizabeth F. Hall, married Ephraim Belding on December 18, 1875. They had a daughter, Hermia D. Belding. In my file I have her birth date as January 27, 1876, from an unverified source. September 1876 makes more sense.
For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Hall, Ella L (
2 comments:
She caught a mouse with her hands?!! I always used a broom for that job--
I've just returned from a family wedding where there were cousins by the dozens in the wedding party--this discussion of "Mrs. Carlisle" and wedding dress colors is sweet, too.
I can't imagine catching a mouse with me hands either! I think they could have used a cat.
I was very surprised that Annie omitted telling her cousins her new husband's name. I would have thought that her letter would have been full of all the details but apparently not.
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