Tamerson L Carlisle, Feb 28, 1899

Tamerson wrote a long letter to Anna, chatting about all the things that were important to a twelve year old.

• Mrs. Vorhees had been combing out her hair.
• She confirmed my guess that her friend was Edna Kean and mentions another friend, Paul Plimpton. Kean's may move to Chicago next year.
  
• She had her picture taken at school and would like to buy it, only 15¢.
• Daniel does not feel well enough to write.
• Tamerson had had an eye infection, "they felt like they were burning up and the water was in them all the time. The kids noticed them because they were swolen so bad and would ask me what was the matter."
• She'd like Libbie to bring Earl to visit.

I'm not certain exactly what this part of the letter means:

Mamma you know the invitations we got last year to Mrs. Estes'es house and had sacks to put our birthday offerings in, well I have got another invitation and would like to go but have not got the money, write and tell me whether I can go.

And this account of her classroom was very interesting!

In school Fred Provan sets back by Mary and me and he brings looking glasses to school and passes them around and he looks in one and Mary in another and they can see each other.

Today teacher wanted to keep Fred P. still so she put her pencil between his teeth and told him to keep it there so he bit it and made teeth marks the whole length of it.

Yesterday he whispered and teacher tied her handkerchief around his mouth and he pulled it off and put it down inside of his collar and then he asked teacher if she said he could have it. After he had got his things on teacher said for him to come there and when he did she could hardly get it.

She closed the letter with:

P. S. My under close are all dirty what will I do? I have not a clean thing but my unionsuit.

For more see:
Camfield Family Letters
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Michael Camfield


Carlisle, Tamerson Louisa (Buchanan, MI) to “Dear Mother”
[Anna Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 28 February 1898 [1899] Digital Images 1-8.
Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]
Snowville, New York. 2009.
[Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1898,
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]