Saturday, April 13, 2013

Letters

Transcribed below
Go!  Do it now!  Get your pen out and write a letter by hand, to either your daughter, son, mother, father, grandparent or cousin.

Write about your family, describe your house, garden, hobbies, work, community, the economy, your beliefs, feelings, views or anything else that comes to mind.   Make it clear to the recipient that the letter is to be retained with important papers and NEVER destroyed.

Or maybe you would prefer to imagine that you are writing to a descendant, who will read the letter in 100 years time.  Tell them about your family and life now.  What do you think they would like to know about in 100 years time?

You may not think the contents of your letter are interesting now, but in 100 years time your descendants will think it is GOLD.

Unfortunately there wont be many letters around in 100 years time, with email now being the preferred method of communication.  We are losing a valuable family history resource.  In addition to the contents of the letter, the handwriting also offers an insight into the writer.

Our family were prolific letter writers, who thankfully retained letters, so I have copies of letters from many different sources.  Additionally,  my grandmother and I wrote to each other regularly.  In most letters, I would ask my grandmother a question or two about family history and memories.  I kept all her replies, which have contained very valuable information, not available elsewhere.

I love all the letters that I have but there is one that is very special (the first page is pictured above and transcribed below).  I was visiting my cousin and looking through the family bible and came across several letters that had been stored in the bible for over 100 years. No one (alive) knew that they were there! You can imagine my emotion as I read the letter and realised that my Great Great Grandmother was writing to tell family about the death of my Great Great Grandfather in 1892.  It seems that the letter was addressed to family in Scotland but never mailed, instead being placed in the family bible.

"I take my pen in hand to write these few lines to you with a heart full of sadness for I have lost your Brother and my all.  Oh my Dear sisters you might think like I used to, that I could feel what others feel when they were separated but I could not tell you the blank that falls one’s life for we lived a very happy life together and the blow came very hard to bear. 
My Dear Sisters, my poor husband has been failing for the past eight months but he did not think he was bad enough to get a doctor’s advice but I took it upon myself to get the doctor up to him for he said “I can eat and drink well and at my time in life it is better to be thin than fat”, but I did not feel satisfied but the doctor could do nothing for it.  Was the miner’s chronic bronchitis and Pleurisy that was the matter with him.  The doctor gave me no hope of him ever being strong again but that he might live for years or go any time but that he would never work again but the pain was very severe from Wednesday till Friday and he told me that it was all over with him but I tried to do as the doctor told me, to keep his spirits up.  You will know how hard it was for me.  He took everything I gave him and I thought he was going to rally but the cough was gone and I heard him ask the doctor to give him something to ease the cough and he told him that it would be worse for him so I sent for the doctor again and he told him there was no hope for him.  He told him that he knew from the first but told my mother and them to keep it from me.  He said when my mother asked him if he knew who to look to for strength, he said yes mother but don’t let Polly know.  
If it was not for the happiness of knowing that he went home safely and that he went so quiet as a child.  I was with him to the last and he knew us all dear sister and the last drink my mother gave him, she asked him “Do you know me Dan?” and he nodded his head and that was a couple of seconds before his last.  He died on the 11 June just at twelve O’clock.  I send you this so that you will see that I am trying to be the same as when he was here, for he used to say write the same as when I am here.  He did not like writing.  When we got our likeness taken he said they will see that we are both failing.  I wanted him to write but he was waiting till he heard from you, but we will have to leave the all wise maker will be done.  We will never see each other, but we can help each to bare the trials and bye & bye meet each other on the other side.
Dear Sisters I have 7 children now.  The last two are boys, baby is 6 months.  I have to struggles to keep them as we have had no crops for some time.  I think I will draw to a close with love to you all from us all.  I remain your loving sister.    M A Scott " 


To finish, a big Thank You to Wendy at Jollett Etc whose comment on a prior Post inspired this topic.

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22 comments:

  1. I love writing letters. I also echo the same thought as yours as may be in few years from letters would be an archaic word.

    POETICBug

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    1. I also wonder about the deterioration in spelling with computers.

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  2. My mother has a few letters from her grandparents, and I saved all the ones my grandmother wrote to me. We just don't seem to write them anymore, do we.

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    1. Unfortunately I tend to type letters rather than write them by hand. I am quicker at typing than writing and errors can be corrected quickly! That said, I am going to follow my own advice and write a letter to my mother this weekend.

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  3. What a great post and great word for L.
    I've written long rambling letters for most of my life and have no idea if anyone's kept any but like most I've turned to email. I used to write in cards i'd handpainted, you've inspired me to do that again.
    Because I moved so often letters got lost along the way. I have kept handwritten postcards and the sympathy letters from when my parents died.

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    1. Lynne, I am glad that my post inspired you and I do hope that you recommence writing in your hand painted cards, which show your personality and are more likely to be retained than letters.
      Sharon

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  4. Oh how I envy your collection of letters. My grandmother used to write to her husband's family in Poland, but never saved any of the letters. And I am sure my mother's parents must have written many letters while they were separated. My kids tease me when they see an old card they gave me sitting out on a table, but it brings back so many memories of their youth.

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    1. The letters that your grandparents wrote to each other during their separation would have been very emotional.

      I am very lucky that my mothers side of the family kept so many things. I wasn't so lucky on my fathers side though.

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  5. What a heartbreaking letter. You're right about letters being rare nowdays. I've kept a lot of mine from when I was young in a special folder on my life. I used to write weekly letters to all my family when I moved away. That's why I've started a daily blog on another site than the one I'm using for A - Z.
    Francene.
    A - Z Challenge
    http://francene-wordstitcher.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you for dropping by Francene.

      Yes a very heart felt letter. "I have lost your brother and my all" gets me everytime.

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  6. What a great post, very inspiring. I just found an old shoebox the other day of letters that my mother, father and one grandmother have written to me over the years--mostly during college. I cherish them all. I keep a lot of things with my son's handwriting on them--cards and such--same for my husband. I love the handwritten note, and am glad to have a number of girlfriends who still believe in them too! I love getting a letter in the post!

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    1. I am very glad to hear that you kept the letters. It can be very interesting to go back through them.

      Yes I like getting letters in the post but unfortunately I get alot more bills than letters!

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  7. Very nice post, I think it's nice to see something hand written. My handwriting isn't so nice though. Following on GFC and also Blogging A to Z.

    http://www.AMomsPointOfView.com

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    1. Thank you Kimmy.

      My handwriting can be messy if I am in a hurry but as long as it is readable. A messy letter is better than no letter!

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  8. Great post Sharon. What a wonderful letter to have.

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    1. Thanks Kerryn. I have a few other good ones too but this is my favourite as it is so heartfelt and was tells about the death of my great great grandfather.

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  9. I wish people still sent hand written notes! Alas, the digital age is slowly conquering paper. New follower here. I'm stopping by from the "A to Z" challenge and I look forward to visiting again.

    Sylvia
    http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thank you Sylvia.

      The digital age would be ok if people would add interesting things to their Facebook timeline. In 50 years we don't want to be reading what people ate for breakfast. lol.

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  10. I truly love this idea! I have a Family Book that sits on our kitchen table and we update it at night after dinner. It's our history and it's pretty funny! Little kids and what they want to remember is hysterical.
    A to Z buddy
    Peanut Butter and Whine

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    1. That is a fantastic idea Connie. My kids said some very funny things when they were little and I should have written them down as now I forget alot of them!

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  11. I was just talking with someone the other day about real letters and how much we miss getting them. I never thought about it from a historical perspective though. It's wonderful that you have so many from your family.

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    1. Since my grandmother died, I have unfortunately received very many letters but will try to get the tradition started again among family members.

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