Sarah Ann Camfield, 29 Oct 1884

letter no 2 Noble Centre Oct 29th 1884

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love to all write soon

wel I will begin again weare gathering Apples there is a small crop and no sale hardly Mr Bogardus has gone to Coldwater with a load he was here and Father got him to go down with aload he knew better where to sel them Father hates to take any thing to market the worst of anything I believe we sold 4 head of Cattle last week for 85 dollars and 4 hogs for 44 dollars and 50 cts now I have 8 hundred laid up for the payment on the farm we have to pay 1 thousand the first of march I dont know the rent on this place is not half paid yet we have stock enough if we can sel it for what it is worth but there seems to be nothing

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doing in that line there dont seem to be much business any way that is not much buying and selling you would think there was something doing if you could see how they are building up Bronson since the fire
we went to Burr Oak two weeks ago last sunday we went to Geries the Irishman the old woman and man both are looking better than they used to they was so pleased to see us she the old woman hugged me almost in to she shook Father all most to pieces she said give me both hands to shake I thought she was going to kiss him he said she squeezed his hands til they was sore for 2 days
Old Boyles wife has left him the Plants have gone to Decota except Will and his family

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Billy Davison and all Will lives north of Burr Oak he put in apiece of corn there by geries this summer Rob and Morrice has bought twenty acres of the plant farm astrip on the north side rite through to the Boil rad so they have 30 acres there in one piece and you know Rob had 40 so now they have 70 acres I guess hey are doing first rate the girls was all at home the one that married that Simpson had only been home from cansas 2 weeks they had been gone 2 year Emma Grave has gone back to the asylum they say there is no hope for her
O I must tel you we saw Old Harvey and his wife and daughter but he did not have on his smock or he had it poked in side

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now Franky Grandma wants to know how you are getting along then she wants you to give three times three cheers for Blain and Logan loud enough so we can hearit

S A Camfield

PS Mr Seaver family are in Burr Oak yet Julia is teaching in the Brick school house in that town and Bev is clerking in the hardware and the rest go to school they live across the creek some where they say they dress terrible fine but he dont work I guess they must have got Aunt lucys money

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am alone yet have had no girl for more than a month

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We have not heard from South bend since june I think I am hinders to write to morrow if nothing


Gerie the Irishman may have referred to Jerry Donahue, born about 1814, Ireland. The reason that I am not sure is that he would have been only three years older than Sarah. Jerry's wife, Maragaret, would have been younger than Sarah, Margaret having been born about 1830, Ireland.

The Boyle's, Plant's and Seaver's have been mentioned in earlier letters, as had Emma Graves. I'm not sure how Billy Davison fits in. Rob, Morrice and Harvey are mysteries.

Three cheers for Blain and and Logan refers to a political song of the time. The sheet music can be found here. Also see: Lives of Blaine and Logan (1884)


For more see:
Camfield Family Letters
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Michael Camfield
Henry Bogardus, Shirt-tail Cousin


Camfield, Sarah Ann Wisner. (Noble Center, MI) “letter no 2” [Anna Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 29 October 1884. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1884 - 1886, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Sarah Ann Camfield, 17 Oct 1884

letter no1 Noble Center Oct 17 1884


Wel I have been going to write you every day since we bought our farm but have put it off til now which was 4 weeks last tuesday we bought a 74 acre farm in Indiana three and one half mile east of Orland is 5 miles south of here so we will be 5 miles south and 3 ½ east of here I cannot describe it you wil have to come and see it we are to pay 18 hundred dollars for it it looks like a big job for a couple of old folks but if our life and health is spared we hope to be able to do it it is in Stueben CO Millgrove township Fawn River is the south line of the farm there is some marsh down by the river good mowing marsh and a good for fish they say

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I forgot to say we are as well as common we are alone I have had no girl fore more than 3 weeks am geting pretty wel tired out am afraid I shall have to get one again but do not want to Mr B has been here most all this week went home yesterday they have both been to Maine again since I wrote to you she had got back they brought a Niece of hers back to live with them she is about 16 years old and is an Orphan
I suppose you have of the big fire we had in Bronson burned most all of the business part but they are building at agreat rate mostly wood buiding burned now they are putig up brick

write soon S A Camfield



A farm of their own!

I believe that two letters were posted in one envelope and that is why they were numbered.

For more see:
Camfield Family Letters
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Michael Camfield
Henry Bogardus, Shirt-tail Cousin


Camfield, Sarah Ann Wisner. (Noble Center, MI) “letter no1” [Anna Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 17 October 1884. Digital Images 1-2. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1884 - 1886, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Sarah Ann Camfield, 19 June 1884

Noble Center June 19 1884

Wel Anna I do not know what you think of me for not writing before but I have had so much to do and see to when I had alittle time I would not feel as id I could write and put it off until abetter time I have been to Bronson this this forenoon with a tub of butter I got one shilling apound it 10cts in rolls eggs are 12cts per dozen we sheared sheep last friday have not sold the wool yet wont get only about 27 or 28 cts per pound it ranges from 25 to 28 cts per pound I have two boarders this week they are fiscing up the old barn south of us 1 day we had 4 and 1 . 3 besides ourselves and a hiredman Mrs B has not got home yet

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does not seem much prospect of her coming very soon Mr B spends his time between us and Coldwater he had been her two weeks and went back last monday he wil be here next week again
we have lots of rain we talk of comencin haying next week our corn is looking very wel the cut worm hurt it badly we planted twice some dragged and marke and planted the whole over ours was not so bad as that we had green peas for dinner yesterday the corn in the garden begins to show the tassel I went to the first potatoe hill I came to and dug in the side and got a potatoe to day cut it intwo and measured it measured one ince and one half across a little over

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we have not heard from Joseph and Rozy but once since you went home Fred sent a letter and she wrote a little in it that is all I am going to write to them again
do you here from Illinois any more
I suppose Frank is going to school every day how does he like it the girl I had after you went away has got a baby she was to be married sunday and wednesday it came so she is not married yet I have the same one I had when I wrote you last she is onl excuse for a girl that about all I get along somehow I hardly know how we get the meals and wash dishes

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after a fashion Father has no man by the month he has aman by the day we have both the colts so we drive them before the buggy Nelly the little bay one he talked of breaking when you was here plows works in the corn or goes before he buggy or any thing where she is wanted to we are pretty well Father seems very well he gets up alittle after 4 in the morning and works til sundown and dont act as tired as he did several years ago I am feeling wel if I dont work to hard but I have to do that every day I have had a hard time with toothache and neuraligy in my head and face but have got over that S A Camf

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Frank Grand pa has got 10 little white pig would you like to see them




There were no letters from Illinois during this time period.

For more see:
Camfield Family Letters
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Michael Camfield
Henry Bogardus, Shirt-tail Cousin
Hall Family Letters



Camfield, Sarah Ann Wisner. (Noble Center, MI) “Wel Anna” [Anna Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 19 June 1884. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1884 - 1886, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Sarah Ann Camfield, 15 April 1884

Noble Center Apr 15 1884

wel I ought to have written to you be fore but I have been so unwell and have had to work so I did not feel like writing we have a hired Man most amonth and have had three different girles since you went away the third one is hre now she is 14 years old her name is Oia Peterson I pay her 10 shillings per week she does verry well but cannot go ahead with any thing Mrs Bogardus sister is very sick and she went to Maine 6 weeks ago and he has ben here two weeks and went home most three weeks ago we expected him back last week he has not come yet we have not heard from him we have 10 little lambs

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and 6 Calves I have worn my new dress you made me twice I have made my pillow cases with the trimming on and had them on my bed last week have had them made five weeks but thought them to nice to get dirty I think them nice indeed I think your apron must be very pretty
17 Mr B came back last knight the feverfew you brought from south bend did not show any signs of growing until the 20 of march and it has not grown much yet My Cally Lilly is in blow Father is driving Nelly before a sulky to learn her to go single so we drive her before the buggy she goes splendid he says

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I have not been as wel two weeks as I had been I think it is because I have had to work more I have not had a Doctor my Doctor has moved to lansing so I dont know what I shall do I dont want any one here we have not had only 1 letter from Rozy since you was here and she only wrote alittle in Freds he wrote to us Frankey are you well and going to school with Milly Case

Mrs S A Camfield



I loved this letter because it mentions flowers. So many of the letters are farm reports that I had decided that there was no time for a flower garden. Calla lilies are not hardy enough to over winter in Michigan so Sarah must have dug up the bulbs and stored them over the winter. She got her feverfew as a pass-a-long from the family in South Bend, IN. I got mine from my sister :-) I grow it as an ornamental but I'm betting that Sarah wanted it to make medicinal tea. I have a very nice close-up of every flower in my garden - except the feverfew. I'll fix that next year but meanwhile excuse my flamingo.

I haven't found any information on "Oia" Peterson. There were a couple of Peterson families listed on the 1880 census in Branch Co, MI. The only one that comes close in age was Birdie Peterson and I really have no idea if this is her or not. In four years anither family could have moved nearby.

I didn't find anything foe Milly Case but there were several case families in Buchanan, MI.

For more see:
Camfield Family Letters
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Michael Camfield
Henry Bogardus, Shirt-tail Cousin



Camfield, Sarah Ann Wisner. (Noble Center, MI) “well I ought to have written” [Anna Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 15 April 1884. Digital Images 1-3. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1884 - 1886, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Sarah Ann Camfield, 21 Feb 1884

Noble Center Feb 21 1884

Dear Children
I suppose you are at home by this time so I will write as promised we are as well as when you left I think I am gain a little my girl went away tuesday noon and I have done the work since I have another engaged is to come sunday Frank grandma found your card and sent it in the letter the logs are not sawed yet one dead sheep this morning.

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This is not signed. My guess is that she started the letter and sent it unfinished to make sure that Frank got his card.

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



Camfield, Sarah Ann Wisner. (Noble Center, MI) to “Dear Children” [Anna Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 21 February 1884. Digital Image. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1884 - 1886, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]