Mary Frances Carlisle, 26 Nov 1910

Five weeks after Raymond's birth, Mamie finally had time to write again to her mother-in-law, Anna Carlisle. This time it was quite a long letter and full of woe.

Raymond had been born with a cleft lip and pallet and had trouble nursing. When he was only a day old he was taken to the hospital and his lip was repaired. It was anticipated that he would need at least five more surgeries. His health was not all that the Carlisle's had to worry about.

Aside from all the suffereing it will cause him it will cost so much we do not see how we can do it at all. It must be done right away in order that his speech will be alright so the only way I know is to just shut my eyes + plunge in. We have not been able to anywhere meet our bills so I guess a few more dont matter. The surgeon here is fine. He says he does what is necessary whether he expects pay or not.

If this wasn't enough stress for the family, Mamie then tells of how she was taken ill before the birth and told that she should be prepared for the baby not to live. She was relieved that he lived but overwhelmed by the care he needed. Things had taken a toll on Frank as well.

All of this would have been enough for any family to deal with but there was more trouble for the family.

last Sun. Frances discovered the house was on fire when she started up stairs to the bath room. Frank was cooking breakfast while I was feeding baby. I called him + he nearly got __ in the attic. It is a regular fire trap any way. He finally found the wire __ + kicked it out. There were three fire dept's here so they soon put it out. Noone can see what started it as it was away from the chimneys and fire of any kind. It burned thro the rear wall of house + made conciderable mess but no real damage. There wasn't a thing burned up + no one hurt so we think we were very fortunate. There was the usual excitement + one of the neighbors fainted away but no serious trouble. Several of the ladies staid + cleaned up for me. All the things in attic I had out away were wet + I have _____ drying upstairs. It will take some time to get everything done.

How can a fire burn through the wall of the house and yet cause no real damage! I'm sure Mamie was trying to minimize the situation.

The rest of the letter is chatty news about the three older children and the odd jobs that Frank has been picking up to supplement his salary as a Baptist preacher.

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

Carlisle, Mary Frances (Fort Wayne, IN) to “Dear Mother”
[Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle] Letter. 26 November 1910. Digital Images 1-8.
Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]
Snowville, New York. 2010.
[Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1910-1911,
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Mary Frances Carlisle, 19 October 1910

The next letter is actually a very short note from Mamie, in Fort Wayne, IN, announcing the birth of a baby boy on October 17th.

Baby weighed six lbs. + is real plump + nice. Alfully good, too. Trust you are all well. Will write more when I am stronger.

She says that the woman she was counting on to help "had Failed" her and that she was looking for someone else to come in and help.

This was Frank and Mamie's fourth child, Raymond.

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

Carlisle, Mary Frances (Fort Wayne, IN) to “Dear Mother”
[Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle] Letter. 16 September 1910. Digital Images 1-2.
Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]
Snowville, New York. 2010.
[Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1910-1911,
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Francis Ashley Carlisle, 15 Sept 1910

Fort Wayne, Ind
Sept. 15th. 1910

Dear Mother And All,

Your letter of a few days ago recieved but have been so buisy that have not found time to write before.

The bill of lading did not say what road the things would come on to Fort Wayne and if you can find out it will save me much time going to the various freight houses in the city to look it up.

I enclose a check for two dollars which will cover the $1.25 expense you mentioned and pay to have the automobile hauled back to the old saw mill as it still belongs to Dr. Garland. I have not the means at present to have it repaired. You might ask the Dr. if he has any other place for it. That is left over is Fathers.

I enclose a letter to Arlin which I would be glad to have you give to his mother to mail to him as I do not know his address.

We are all well but I am working so hard that I have time for little else.

We recieved the paper you sent with the announcement of Tamersons marriage in it. Let us hear from you as soon as convinient.

As Ever,
Frank

824 Huestis Ave.
Ft. Wayne Ind.

P.S. Lillie brought the baby home a week ago last Saturday as Tom has bought a farm near Allegan and the have moved on it. She is as fat as a pig and looks nice and we are tickled to have her home that the extra work does not seem to count.
F.C.

Lillian M Carlisle was Frank's sister-in-law and she was married to Thomas O. Ghrist. I have in my notes that they had a daughter but I have no name or birth date. I assume that when Frank says, "She is fat as a pig and looks nice" that he is talking about the baby and not Lillian! Tom and Lillian had two older sons, Glenn H Ghrist who was born in 1894 and John C Ghrist who was born in 1902. By the 1920 census Lillian and Tom had seperated. Glenn was married and living with his wife and children. Lillian and John were living together in Chicago. I have yet to find Tom on the 1920 census. So did the baby mentioned in the letter die young or was she living with Tom?

Arlin may have referred to Arlin B. Clark who was living in Buchanan, MI at the time of the 1900 census.


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

Carlisle, Francis Ashley (Fort Wayne, IN) to “Dear Mother And All”
[Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle] Letter. 16 September 1910. Digital Image.
Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]
Snowville, New York. 2010.
[Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1910-1911,
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Tamerson Carlisle Binns 9 Aug 1910

The next letter was written by Tamerson to her mother, Anna. Two days earlier, on 7 August 1910, Tamerson Louisa Carlisle had married Harry Phineas Binns in Buchanan, Michigan just as her brother Frank had predicted. The very first letters that I shared in the Camfield series were written by Harry's aunt, Sarah Binns Stawseight and she mentioned Harry as a child in the second.

Tamerson and Harry had traveled on their Honeymoon to Chicago and surprised her cousin, Fred Camfield, who invited them to stay the night. Fred treated them to a movie. (No mention is made of Fred's wife Libbie.) On the way back from the theatre Tamerson ran into a bit of trouble:

On the way to the car afterward something flew into my eye and I am still going one eyed. It was too late to have it out then so I left it until this morning and it is so Jewish here that it was after 10 before we could find a Dr. here we had to go several blocks + I was nearly wild with the pain. He cocaned my eyes and removed a small black speck from under the upper lid. I've been lying down most of the time since + my head aches fearfully. It keeps H. busy putting ice compress on my eye. Think it will be much better to-morrow. Hope is.

She also talks of shopping and she "rode on the moving stairway."

Mentioned is meeting another Buchanan resident, Mr. Richards.



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



Binns, Tamerson Carlisle (Chicago, IL) to “Dear Mother”
[Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle] Letter. 9 August 1910. Digital Images 1-5.
Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]
Snowville, New York. 2010.
[Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1910-1911,
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]