Ella McKinnon to Annie Carlisle June 5 1904

Mapleton Minn

June 5, 1904

My dear Couisn

I have promised myself that I would write to you for several weeks but when Sunday came I would be so tired I could not get interested enough in any thing to sit still long enough to get a letter written & if I did was to write to Ray my oldest Boy he is not at home and has not been since Christmas Myrtle was too but she came home at Easter time.

I suppose you have not heard of Emmit’s death it was

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quite sudden the Dr told Hermon that he would only give him six months to live and said that he (Emmit) had “Locomotion Ataxia” or creeping paralysis but it was only about one month after when I goy word he was gone he died the 23^rd of April being in bed only about one week so he did not have long to suffer at the last he left $3,000 life insurance in the Woodsmans Lodge so he has left his family provided for there is his wife & 2 girls the oldest one is married and has a home of her own it will be a year in August since she was married

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so that now there is only Hermon Elizabeth & I left of all of us & we cannot ____ which one will be called next nor ____ _____ and they were all young yet Emmit was 54 last fall Jen was 44 & I think Deette was 40 and Myrtle was only 30 and you know Father & Mother were not very old when they passed away a little over 70.

We have a very cold spring not very wet but every thing is backward my garden is doing well now though if it is cold we had lots of rain lately but today it is cold again we may have a frost again

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crops look well now

This is the last of our school the children or a pert of them have gone this afternoon to the Baccalaureate sermon and tomorrow night the graduating class have their Program & receive their Diplomas there is 6 or 7 I forget which

Well I guess I have told you all I know for this time

Give my love to Aunt Sarah Ann if she is their and tell her I will try & write to her soon.

With love to all I remain your cousin

E. L. McKinnon

Ella's oldest child, Donald Ray was 23 years old at the time of this letter and staying with Ella's sister, Elizabeth, in Poynette, Columbia Co, WI. Elizabeth was a widow, however I do not know when her husband, Ephraim Belden, died; on the 1900 census she is listed as married but it is just here and her daughter, Effie, in the household. She may have moved to Wisconsin to be closer to her sister Deette or she may have moved there after Deette's death in 1898 to help with her children. Then again she may have had other reasons, I am just guessing. I don't know if Ray went to help Elizabeth out or to look for work. Ella doesn't say where Myrtle has been.

Emmit's death has obviously upset Ella, three of her siblings have died quite young. But who was Jen (Jan?). Was there another sibling? I believe she must be referring to Martha who died in 1893 at the age of 40.

I wish Ella had given more information on Emmit's daughters. Eva May Hall was born 10 March 1877 and Lulu Belle Hall 20 January 1880. Beyond this I have no information on either.

I wonder if Ella's son, John Albion McKinnon, was one of those graduating? He was born 14 April 1886 so he would have been 18 in June 1904.

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner



McKinnon, Ella Hall (Mapleton, Minnesota) to “My dear Cousin” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 5 June 1904. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1903-1904, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Ella McKinnon to Annie Carlisle, March 8, 1903

Mapleton Minn

March 8^th 1903

My dear Cousin

I know it is not proper to write with a lead pencil but I can get along so much better with it that I thought I would use it this time

I meant to have answered your letter right away but I had so much to do there for a while that I did not get much time and then Annie I must own up that I forgot all about it, it is so long since we have

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written until lately that I am afraid that I do neglect to write more than I ought to but I do dislike to write to tell the truth but I know if I do not do some writing I will not get any letters. I don’t hear from Hermon’s or Emmit’s very often have not had a letter from them since I was there but Ray is down there this winter so I hear through him how they all are

Well Annie do you like to be call Grandma does it make you feel old or not. I think you are getting too far ahead of me you had better stop a while now

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We have had quite a cold winter with a good deal of snow but it is about all gone now it is more like ice than any thing else with dirt on top. the dust would blow with the snow and when it thaws it mud then the ice cannot melt very fast it keeps every thing nasty so long to

I expect to begin house cleaning this week if it keeps as it is now. I want to clean the upstairs at least when the winters are so cold one cannot do much

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in the way of cleaning so it gets terrible dusty if nothing more than that and our chamber is pretty cold when it is cold if I want to scrub the water would freeze as soon as put on the floor

Deette’s oldest boy you know is out here and was married New Years Day! They were here to day he has got a nice woman I think, I like her ever so much they are keeping house have been for four weeks now they live about 5 miles from us we have always known her folks but not her until lately

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Well I guess it is my bed time so I will have to stop if I can find time I will write a little more in the morning. I must try and write to your mother soon but it is hard work to write when you do not know any one here for me to write about but I try to do my best so if any letters are not very interesting don’t blame me

We have been well all winter with the exception of colds and no very hard ones at that our family are healthy that is a good

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thing and hey are healthy too it is not very often they miss their meals. I tell them I get tired of cooking but I would rather do that than to see them sick as a good many are.

Remember me to Joseph when you see him but perhaps he does not remember me but I can him not so very well but still I remember him

Give my best Respects to all and keep your share yourself

Good night

From Your Cousin,

Ella

I don't know why so many family members used their middle name instead of their first name. In Annie's case her name was the same as her mother's so it made it easier to distinguish who you was who. Annie's husband was Isaac Ashley Carlisle and he generally was called Ashley. There are many others and in this letter we have Donald Ray McKinnon. I wish Ella had said why he was staying the winter in Illinois. Was he working, learning a trade of just helping out?Annie's first grandchild was Clara Frances Carlisle, born 31 August 1902, the daughter of her eldest son, Francis Ashley Carlisle and his wife Mary Frances Carlisle.Can you imagine sleep in a room so cold that water would freeze? I whine if we turn the thermostat down to the upper 50's!Deette's son, Earl R Bullen, married Edith Myrtle Taylor. Now I know when and where!For more see:Carlisle - Wisner LettersFamily of William WisnerDescendants of Maryetta WisnerDescendants of Sarah Ann WisnerMcKinnon, Ella Hall (Mapleton, Minnesota) to “My dear Cousin” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 3 March 1903. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1903-1904, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Annie Carlisle to Ella McKinnon July 12 1901

Buchanan Mich

July 12^th 1901

Dear Cousin Ella

I seems quite like old times to be writing a letter to you. now if you are wondering who I am just guess. Mother sent me yesterday a letter she had received from Elizabeth. she writes that you would be glad to hear from Annie and sends me your address.

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I have often thought of you and wondered how you were getting along but had lost your address and could not remember the name of the post ofice.

I do not know which of wrote last but I guess we were both busy and just neglected to write.

And so you have four boys and four girls, you are ahead of me as we only have two boys and one girl. Our oldest went to the late war, when they returned from Cuba, his company was discharged, he soon married and is now

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living in Kentucky. his wife visited us this summer. our other two are school children yet. one 16 and one 14. Joseph has five children, two married and three at home. Mother makes me a long visit every summer and stays with Joseph in the winter. her health is good for one of her years 84. she reads and sews and seems to enjoy herself. Father died two years ago last February we miss him so much I was very sorry to hear of Deettes death. I did not know of Marthas until last

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summer. Uncle Wirt wrote us, it is so sad so many of your family gone. I expect Mother here in a few days, she usually comes earlier but this spring she went back to her old home and for a visit and has just got back to Joseph.

My husbands Mother makes her home with us and just now his sister and her son are visiting us so we have quite a family. Now Ella I would like to hear about yourself and husband and children and any of the family. do you live on a farm we live just in the edge of town. I must close now hoping to hear from you soon.

Your Cousin,

Mrs A Carlisle

Box221 Buchanan, Mich

If this was mailed to Ella I have no idea how it ended up in Annie's papers. Ella will respond so either this letter was sent or perhaps it was misplaced and Annie wrote another.

Elizabeth Belden was Ella’s older sister and and there will be letters from her later.

Even though I have been referring to my genealogy file often as I transcribe these letters the news of the deaths of DeEtte and Martha were a sad surprise for me. Previously I had no information about Martha's date of death. A quick check of the rootsweb mailing list archives for Lake County, Illinois gave me dates of 1853-1893 and burial in Hillside Cemetery. I have no idea why she died but besides her husband she left behind a very young son, Wirt Hall Fairman, Sr who was born 23 September 1891. I need to do some more research on Martha's line. I did have a death date for DeEtte, 3 June 1898. She had given birth to twins, Agnes and Angus Bullen on 20 May 1898 so she most likely died of complications after the birth. Photos of Deette's headstone and that of her husband, William Kelsey Bullen were found on the WI GenWeb page for Columbia County. My thanks to the volunteers, Larry & Linda Kopet, who put them there for me to find.

DEETTE L
WIFE OF
WK BULLEN
DIED
JUNE 3, 1898
© Larry and Linda Kopet 2008
used with permission

WILLIAM
KELSEY
BULLEN
1855
1928
© Larry and Linda Kopet 2008
used with permission

Annie's father, Michael (Mikel) Camfield died 18 February 1899 in Batavia, MI. Annie was there at the time of his death. It was after he died that Sarah Ann moved in with her son Joseph in South Bend, IN. Annie and Ashley Carlisle lived in the Carlisle home at 803 Main St, Buchanan, MI. Ashley's step-mother, Hannah L. Glover Carlisle lived with them (or they with her, depending on perspective) when she was not traveling, which she did extensively.


For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner


Carlisle, Sarah Ann Camfield “Annie” (Buchanan, Michigan) to “Dear Cousin Ella” [Ella Hall McKinnon]. Letter. 12 July 1901. Digital Images 1-2. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1901, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan]

Missing Years

I have been skimming through the digital images of the letters trying to pull out the ones related to the Wisner - Hall line. As I find them I label them, resize them and place them in a folder to be transcribed. After I transcribe them I do a little research based on any new to me information and then add my comments. For the most part I am reading them for the first time as I transcribe them.

Between 1881 and 1887 I found no letters from Annie's cousins. I don't know when or why the correspondence stopped. I assume that there were some letters that were not saved and perhaps I missed one or two in trying to pull out these particular letters which are mixed in with other correspondence in the file. Certainly there should have been news of the deaths of William & Elizabeth Wisner in 1877. There is only one letter for 1887 and then another 13 year gap when Ella and Annie resume their correspondence. In the missing years there were many births and deaths. Did their lives just get too busy or was there some sort of falling out between the families?

To my surprise there is a letter written by Annie and others written by her cousins to her mother Sarah Ann Wisner Camfield. I believe the letters to Sarah Ann were saved after she moved in with Annie. I have been having a great deal of frustration with blogger the last several days. Several images have disappeared and sometimes line breaks are ignored. If you see anything that looks wrong or notice something that appears to be missing please let me know and be patient if I mess up my feed by republishing.

With summer vacation here I have been working to get a little bit ahead so I can get some fun stuff done around the house - like weeding and painting ;-)

Here is a map showing some of the locations mentioned in the letters. Clicking on any of the markers will give you the name of the town and who was living there.

View Larger Map

Ella McKinnon to Annie Carlisle March 30, 1881

Mapleton March 30^st 1881

My Dear Cousin Anna,

I owed you a letter and kept thinking all winter I would write to you but when I got to writing would forget you entirely. I had to write down home any way and there was about all the place I did write & to Deette.

I was real pleased to hear from you and should not have blamed you one bit if you had never written again because I neglect to answer your letters so much. When I got yours I was sick or at least had been and was not out of bed yet. My boy was about a week old then he is five weeks old today. a nice boy but pretty cross. I have got my boiler on to do some washing to day but here I sit holding him and trying to write to you so don’t

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look at the writing read what you can and guess at the rest.

I had awful sore nipples they are just beginning to get better now. I had to see the doctor for them it is now over four weeks since they began to be sore the baby was only 4 or 5 days old he had a lot of hair but it is all falling out the top of his head is almost bare but the new hair seems to be started so he will soon have more. he has dark blue eyes and they have always been real strong. at the very first he opened them like a child a month old and is real strong will nearly raise him self up on his feet now if he gets a little spunky at least and he has lots of spunk to he weighs now about 8 pounds. I think he weighed about 6 in the first place and Jake says I have lost at least 20 lbs since I was sick. I weighed 140 just a few weeks before

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Well Anna this is the 4^th of April and I am holding baby again so thought I would try and finish this if I could and begin a letter to Mother if I did not write the whole of one. It is a wonder to me that I ever got your letter. our address is Mapleton, Blue Earth Co. Minn. our town is Beauford but the Post-Office is at the village in the town of Mapleton only about a mile from us and the railroad is only a few rods from the house.

I love my prairie home. Anna is has always been home to me ever since I came here. it is in the second tier of counties north of Iowa.

Well Anna don’t you think I have done well. we have 160 Acres of land and all our own and are not very much in debt. I believe as we are just at present $100.00 is all we owe that is not very much and we expect by the beginning of another winter

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to have that all paid and some besides.

We have had a cold hard winter and now the snow is not half gone we shall have a late spring and the crops will be late.

Our nearest neighbor has a little boy born the night of the 31^st of March and when dressed it weighed 4 ½ pounds. I have not got mine named yet but think I will call it Frank Albert that suits Jake as well as any thing I can find your little boys name is Frank is it not?

Well I will have to stop I guess for this time and try and keep up our correspondence a little better in future.

With love to all I remain as ever your Cousin

E L McKinnon

Mapleton

Blue Earth Co. Minn.

I can't imagine waiting five or more weeks to name a child. The records of one of Ella's descendants show that she named her son Donald Ray McKinnon and that he was born 23 February 1881. I wonder why she changed her mind. Donald was the name of Jacob McKinnon's grandfather (Jacob - John - Donald) and I hope that the decision was made to honor him. I've noticed in this letter and others that babies were referred to as it rather than he or she and it bothers me, however I assume it was customary for the times.

A rod is 16.5'. I wonder how many rods in "a few." Looking at a map, Beauford is due north of Mapleton but I didn't find any railroad marked on the current map.

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner


McKinnon, Ella Hall (Mapleton, Minnestota) to “My Dear Cousin Anna” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 30 March 1881. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1881, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan]

DeEtte Bullen to Annie Carlisle Sept. 19, 1880

Poynette Wis Sept 19^th 1880

My dear Cousin,

I am almost ashamed to write after waiting so long but will try to do my best we are well and hope you are enjoying good health. isent it strange every one think they have got the very best husband Ella and you both thinks you have the best and I would not trade with either of you.

Libbie has lost her little and only child little Hermia I shall

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miss her so much when I go down there she was my pet and she thought no one quite equal to her Auntie De as she called me she died of scarlet fever she would have been four years old tomorrow if she had lived. Emmitt has another girl they have named it Lulu Belle

We went to the state fair this fall at Madison and saw General Grant and son but I did not see that he looked any different from common men that people need go so near crazy over him.

Will is writing to Jen he has not written to any of them only Myrtle

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and they think he might write once in awhile so he has finely got it started but he is a rather poor hand to write he will get out of it if he can.

I have a new dress to make and you don’t know how I dread it I havent got a machine and I have always been used to having one to use and it seems like an endless job to make one by hand

We have been talking all summer of going to the place they call pine hollow it is a wild rocky place and I never saw many such places the girls (Wills sisters) was going with us if we

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went but it is getting to late to go now so if you will come here next summer we will take you with us. You wasent as lucky as I was getting over the Rheumatism for I have never felt it since. you ought to see Eune Wisner she is just as fat as fat can be she weighed 147 pounds before I came from home. I only weigh 129 now. I have been well all summer but I guess I have worked hard and worked the fat off well. as my sheet is full and my head empty I will close by saying good night. I remain your Cousin Deette

Hermia D. Belden, daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Hall) Belden, died 27 July 1880 per the records of another researcher. In Ella's letter written on August 19th she made no mention of her death. Had Ella not received word of her niece's death or did she simply not think to mention it? It is very sad that Hermia died of a disease that is now treated with simple antibiotics.

Emmitt and Eva (Bangs) Hall's second daughter, Lulu Belle Hall was born 20 January 1880. I know very little about Emmitt's descendants.

I believe that Jen was Will Bullen's sister. I'm not certain who Myrtle was.

As a seamstress I feel DeEtte's pain at having to do all of her sewing by hand! Per my records DeEtte was eight months pregnant when she wrote this letter. Why was there no mention of the pregnancy? Is she making the dress to wear after the baby is born? Or are my unverified records incorrect?

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner

Bullen, DeEtte Hall (Poynette, Wisconsin) to “My dear Cousin” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 19 September 1880. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1880, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan]

Kenton J Karow 1916 - 2008

Kenton J. Karow was born 20 October 1916, the son of John Frederick Karow and Ruth Isabel Bullen and grandson of William Kelsey Bullen and DeEtte Hall. Kenton passed away on 17 June 2008. You will find his obituary here.

I offer my deepest sympathy to all of Kenton's family.

I have been researching Ella and DeEtte's descendants in hopes of sharing their letters. Sadly I discovered Kenton's obituary today.

Last week I sent a letter to one of Kenton's children, which was unintentionally poor timing on my part. I hope that they will contact me at some point in the future when the time is right for them.

Martha Hall to Annie Carlisle May 9 1880

1880

Fox Lake Ill May 9

My Dear Cousin,

It is Sunday evening and I am writing so as to post it tomorrow. I have been scuffling with Uncle Henry and my hand trembles so I can hardly write. And now Ella is gone she was married the 26^th of April to a Mr Jacob McKinnon of Beaufort Minnesota they met at Uncle Wirt’s in Eau Claire he was down almost three weeks before and we got pretty well acquainted with him we like him very he is a farmer owning 160 acres of land all paid for so in that way she has done well

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but we will be better able to tell in 10 years than now what kind of man he is he is Scotch.

We are having splendid weather now everything is quite forward. I never saw everything grow as it has done for the last week. Apple. plum. & cherry trees are just white with blossoms. It bids fair now for an abundance of fruit this year. our garden is coming up nicely this year small grain is up nicely and everyone is plowing for corn.

I am teaching at Monaville this summer so you can see I am at home. I have not a very large school either in number or size there is six in A B C’s the rest are from 8 to 16 years old. It is raining tonight

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in fact it has been trying to rain all day. we had quite a heavy shower last night but it died off this morning so that we went to church.

George & Eune seem to be doing nicely. Eune is so fat she weighs 141 pounds now three more I do and I am 6 inches the taller.

Aunt Ellen and Uncle William were down last. Susie is teaching school this summer.

Deette seems as happy as mortals usually are.

Our family seems quite small now-a-days only father, mother, Myrtle and myself.

Did Ella write you of Mr Culver’s death he died the second of April of pneumonia and Ev Culver is married so she’s

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the only one of those children (that were on a) that is left.

Well I am the only one up in the house so I guess you will have to excuse.

Martha J Hall

P.S. Write whenever you find time and I will always answer when there is no one else to do it though I do not like to write very well.

M.

What did "scuffling with Uncle Henry" mean and why did it make her tremble?

Ella Letitia Hall married Jacob McKinnon. The Illinois State Marriage Index gives the date as April 22, 1880.

George H Wisner, born March 1848 would have been a first cousin of both Martha and Annie. My best guess is that he was a son of William Abner Wisner and a wife whose identity is as yet undiscovered. George married Eunice Ann Fenlon, daughter of Thomas and Eunice Fenlon, on November 5, 1873. This is the George Wisner that sued all of the descendants of William Wisner for land owned by William.

William Abner Wisner married about 1856 for his 3rd (?) wife, Susan Ellen Barto, daughter of John C and Susan (Berry) Barto. Their first oldest child was Susan (Susie), born in 1860. In 1880 they were living in Antioch, Lake Co, IL but would soon be leaving for Kansas. (Susan Ellen Barto's sister, Julia Ann, married George E Wisner, brother of William Abner.)

I believe that the Culver's were neighbors.

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner

Hall, Martha J (Fox Lake, Illinois) to “My Dear Cousin” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 9 May 1880. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1880, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan]

DeEtte Bullen to Annie Carlisle April 18, 1880

Poynette Wis April 18^th 1880

My dear Cousin,

I will now strive to answer your letter which I received so long ago. you will see by the heading of this that I have changed my place of residence. I have also changed my name. I changed my name on the 8^th of Jan and my house the next day. I was married at the parsonage and went home for dinner and started for my new home the next morning and have not been homesick yet. I like better here

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I ever expected to any where but Lake Co. my husband is a farmer he has a farm of something over a hundred acres but I don’t know how much over for I don’t remember. he has bought some since we were married we live near a village called Poynette it is quite a place of course there is no use to tell you I think I have a good kind husband for it is not time yet for me to think any other way but he is a very steady good disposition fellow. he will be 25 years old next Nov he is not very much older than I nearly two years and a half is all.

Ella wrote to me this last week that she thought she would be up to see us the 23^rd of this

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month and when she comes she will bring me a new brother. I expect she intends living in Eau Claire this summer and going to Minnesota in the fall he owns a farm out ther but he has got it rented until fall. I hate to have her go so far from any of us but we cannot expect to always all stay together. I can get home in one day from here but she will have to take three or four days to get from there.

Will has got all his small grain in and winter wheat looks nice. his folks live about three miles from here on the prairie we live just in the edge of timber land. I don’t like the place his father lives as well as I do here

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there it is mud if it rains a bit here it is more sandy and it don’t muddy around the doors in a great while.

Now Annie don’t think I don’t want to hear from you just because I am married for I do just the same as before and I will answer them and try to do better next time. just two weeks after we were married Will had the measles his sisters and brother had them when we got here and so we stayed with his folks until he got over them he was quite sick with them then we moved and I took cold while we were moving and was sick three or four weeks so you see I have quite a good excuse for not writing before. I will close by wishing you good night. Deette

Top of page one, written upside down:

Please direct to

Mrs Will R Bullen

Poynette

Columbia Co

Wisconsin

give my love and best respects to all friends

Louise DeEtte Hall married William Kelsey Bullen. Per family records he was born November 5, 1855 in Washington Co, WI; son of Winslow and Selina (Gilmore) Bullen.

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner


Bullen, DeEtte Hall (Poynette, Wisconsin) to “My dear Cousin” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 18 April 1880. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1880, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan]

Ella Hall to Annie Carlisle April 12, 1880

Fox Lake April 12^th 1880

My dear Cousin,

I will now try and answer your letter. I was real glad to hear from you. I did not know as you would answer it seeing as it was so long since you wrote to me before I answered it but I hope I will be a better correspondent in the future. I am going back to Uncle Wirt’s in a couple of weeks I guess so if you will wait until I get settled & write again you will know where to write to me and perhaps who to for dear Cousin. I expect to change my name in the course of a week or two and if I do I will go to Minnesota in the fall but I will be in Eau Claire this summer but wait until I write again and see

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what the name is that you write to.

Oh how my head aches today. I am as near sick as I have been in a good while and have not done anything but sit around or lie on the lounge to day but I have just had me dinner & feel better so I will finish this now. I don’t know when I will have time again if not now for I must go to sewing this afternoon any way headache or no headache.

I went down to Herman’s yesterday afternoon and had a splendid visit they are all well now. Elizabeth’s little girl is here has been since last Thursday. Elizabeth is coming out later this week after her but will not stay long.

Well this is a nice writing is it not but I am in a hurry

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I don’t know if Martha will write any now or not. I thought I would because I want to go to town tomorrow.

Deette’s name is Bullen so if you have not heard from her yet I will send you her directions it is

Mrs W R Bullen

Poynette

Columbia Co

Wisconsin

Well I guess I have written all there is except we are all well as usual.

Write when you can if you can in two weeks after that I will not be here.

Ever your Cousin

Ella Hall

Ella announces her imminent marriage but tells Annie nothing about him! I don't believe this was her Iowa farmer. She also doesn't provide the first name of Deette's new husband but Deette will provide that in the next letter.

Uncle Wirt was her mother's brother, Marshall Wirt Wisner. Her brother, Herman Hall lived in Avon, Lake Co, IL at the time of the 1880 census. Her sister, Elizabeth Belden, lived in Waukegan, Lake Co, IL and her daughter, Hermia was four years old at the time of her visit.

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner

Hall, Ella L (Fox Lake, Illinois) to “My dear Cousin” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 12 April 1880. Digital Images 1-3. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1880, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan]

Ella Hall to Annie Carlisle February 15, 1880

Feb 15^th 1880

My dear Cousin,

I am going to write to you again if you do think I have forgotten you I speak about you often enough if I do not write but I am going to disappoint you now and let you see that I can write yet.

Have you heard from Deette yet? If not I suppose you have not heard that she is married and gone away she is at Arlington Columbia Co Wis that is her future home and her name is Mrs. W. R. Bullen. she says

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she likes it there ever so much.

You know I have been up to Uncle Wirts. and only have been home now four (4) months and want to go again. I was there two years. and like it ever so much up where he is and talk some of going back in the spring but I may not until fall. But I think if I wait until then I will not stop in Eau Claire long. but go out to Minnesota.

Uncle Wirt has just the nicest cutest little boy that ever was I think he will be three year old in June next and was sick for the most part of the first 18 months of his life.

Uncle Henry is here at our house now and likes to tease us girls just as well as he ever did. But I do not

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know as you remember him as well as we do.

We are having a real miserable winter here this winter nothing but mud. about Christmas we had a couple of weeks of quite fair sleighing but the Saturday after New Years I rained and it has not been real passable since to go anywhere afoot or in a wagon of any sort. if it was not muddy it was horrid rough so you see how I enjoy my winter at home don’t you I am right at home all the time.

There is nothing here to write about it is dull and if there is anything going on never hear of it until it is all

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over with so what is the use of hearing anything.

Well I will have to let this do for this time. Will try and do better next time.

Ever your cousin,

EL Hall

PS

I am almost ashamed to send this after waiting so long before writing to you

Ella

Lousie DeEtte Hall married William Kelsey Bullen on 3 January 1880 in Waukegan, Lake Co, Illinois.

Uncle Wirt was Marshall Wirt Wisner who lived in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He married Anna Laura Akin in 1875. Their son, Murray Wirt Wisner was born 16 July 1877.

Uncle Henry was Henry S. Wisner, a life long bachelor. I have not located him on the 1880 census; he was not listed in William Hall's household at the time of the census. I have not followed up with Uncle Henry, I need to find several census records for him. He died 26 May 1907 in Seymour, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner

Hall, Ella L (Fox Lake, Illinois) to “My dear Cousin” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 15 February 1880. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1880, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan]