Sarah Ann Camfield, Dec 29, 1899

Dec 29 1899

Dear Children and grand Children

I will try to write once more to let you know that I have not forgotten you we are all well as usual and trying to be happy as we can I have every thing I kneed to be comfortable I have my bed here in the front room and agood coal fire in the other room night and day Joseph sleeps on the couch by the stove so I am not alone we have plenty to eat and why not be happy and content and I am

Now I will tell you about my Christmas presents in the first place Joseph and Roza gave me anice Bible nice large print so I can read it good then Mrs Brady gave me anice handkerchief then Mrs Arnold gave me one then you sent me one or they all said it was for me so I took possesion of it then Mrs Bell Marsh sent me anice black apron with abiad hem on the bottom and avine worked with white silk at the top of the hem

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and Ben sent me a one pound box of candy and Ruby gave me a little red box all trimmed with little sea shells I think it verry of her it only cost one penny you would not think it possible to see it it is large enough to hold two handkerchiefs now I just got a letter from Libby since I commenced this they are well

now I must tell you about our Christmas tree we got alimb of a flower bush called fire in the bush about two weeks ag and put it in acan of warm water and and changed it the same as you would to keep flours fresh and now it 22 beautif flowers and 11 buds not opened yet the lind is twenty inches long no __ nothing but the limb

O forgot in my otherletter to tell you there that I got anice little monument put up at Fathers Grave before I came away so now when you see it is dark marble with white letters x think of it you can think it is marked with his name in large white letters and the date of his birth and death on it S A Camfield

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I wish you a happy new year

write when you can it seems like seeing you to get aletter


I find it cute that Sarah Ann refers to her granddaughter as Mrs. Bell Marsh. Bell = Mabel and her husband, Ben, worked as a candy maker.

I've done a search and can't find the "fire in a bush" that was the family's Christmas tree. Does anyone have any ideas what it was?

Michael's stone must have been replaced. Below is a picture of the stone that I took last year. It isn't marble and the carving is not colored. Sarah has a matching stone so perhaps Michael's stone was replaced at that time.

Michael Camfield 1819 - 1899
Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Branch County, MI

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



Camfield, Sarah Ann (South Bend, IN) to “Dear Children and grand Children”
[Anna Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 29 December 1899. Digital Images 1-2.
Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]
Snowville, New York. 2009.
[Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, Apr - Dec 1899,
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]