The following letter was written by Celia Blanche (Stilwell) Munn to her sisters, Mary Elva ("Minnie") and Edith ("Edie") Stilwell. Blanche was working as a seamstress in a home in Dartford, Wisconsin. Her husband, Frank Munn, was not with her.
Mentioned in the letter:
Warren = Warren Stilwell, brother of Blanche, Minnie & Edie.
Frank = Frank Munn, Blanche's husband
Miss Brayman; General & Mrs. Brayman = Blanche seems to be working as a seamstress in the Brayman home. There was a General Mason Brayman & his wife, Mary Williams, that was Governor of Idaho (1876-1880) and who is buried in Ripon, Wisconsin. It it possible that this is the same couple. If so, "Miss Brayman" is probably their daughter, Ella Sophia "Nellie" Brayman.
Mr. & Mrs. Gowdy = I find a Mr & Mrs Gowdy with the Brayman family on the 1880 census. They have a son, Mason Gowdy, who is listed as a grandson of Mary (Williams) Gowdy. From the letter, I thought the Goody's were housekeepers for the family, but the census shows that Mr. & Mrs. Gowdy were family members who cared for the house while the Braymans were in Idaho.
Miss Balash
Fannie Hanchett = could this be the Fannie that wrote other letters to Minnie? I suspect so. I was just doing a little research on Fannie Hanchett and discovered that her parents were John J. Hanchett (Mr. Hanchett in the letter) and Jennie Bent. Jennie Bent was the sister of Edward Clarence Bent who married Hannah Stilwell (sister to Minnie & Blanche). So Fannie Hanchett was the niece of Clarence and Hannah (Stilwell) Bent.
Mrs. & Miss Gother?
Han & Clarence = Hannah (Stilwell) Bent, sister of Blanche, Minnie & Edie, and her husband, Clarence Bent
Miss Craig
Mrs. Dr. Morgan
Mrs. Rufus
If I have not identified the people above, then I do not know enough about them to identify them.
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Letter to
Miss Minnie Stilwell, Ripon, Wisconsin
Postmark:
Dartford, Wisc. June 24
Sunday June 23, 1878
Dearest
Minnie & Edie,
I have just finished a letter to my
Frank. I will write a few lines to you
two “little” big “girls.” I thought
perhaps you might be wondering how I like it here, how long I am going to stay
&c. & a little information on the subject might be acceptable.
First, I like it very much, that is
the family & surroundings. I would
rather be nearer home where I can see you all once a week, but all are very
kind & pleasant here & try to make me feel at home. Miss Brayman is just as sweet & nice as
she can be & I like Mrs. Gowdy ever so much. Miss Balash very well but least of all. She has two sweet little girls, the oldest thirteen
& reminds me very much of Fannie Hanchett.
Tell Warren she inquired about him & wanted to know if he had a
girl. I don’t like Mr. Gowdy very well
though he reminds me a good deal in his ways of Mr. Hanchett. He is an offhand indifferent sort of
man. His mother & a sister of his
& both sisters of Miss Brayman are visiting here, two dear good old
ladies. Mrs. & Miss Gother [?] are
now cousins to each other. I do not
sew after six. Miss Brayman does not
seem to expect it. Told me the first
night to put my work away & not sew any more after tea. She is a real little lady. She told me she had been engaged a year &
should be a year longer. Her lover is in
Chicago. She has his picture in a pretty
gilt frame with a tiny silver bud holder on the top which we call his shrine,
as she keeps the vase filled with fresh flowers all the time. He is very handsome. She said everyone told her his engagement
would terminate distantly as all long engagements will & when I told her of
Han’s five years duration she said she felt encouraged. If you get a letter for me from Han &
Clarence with his picture send it will you.
I should like to show the picture.
Direct to Dartford, care of General Brayman. General Brayman & wife are in Idaho. Come home this fall. Mr. & Mrs. Gowdy keep the house &
look after things. I take a stroll on
the lake shore every evening nearly.
They have a boat of their own & have asked me twice to have a row
but I am too much afraid. I
declined. Miss Brayman has a little boat
of her own & she says she is going to take me out in it some evening. I shall be here all this week & part I
think all of next. I have a silk dress
to make yet for Miss B---. She was sick
the week before I came & did not get it ready. It is at Miss Craig’s yet. She wants a cambric polonaise made & a
white wrapper cut & [unreadable word] made.
Miss Gowdy wants me a day or two & Mrs. Dr. Morgan a day. I sewed fro Miss Bolash a day & a half
last week & sew for her tomorrow. So
you can see there is a fair project for two weeks more. I told Miss B— I thought Father would be too
busy to come for me or to meet me in Ripon & she said she would like to
drive out, she thought. She said she
would like to meet my father, mother, & sisters. I will let you know before we come, for I
suppose out of common politeness I shall have to ask her to stay until after
dinner. We should not get started so as
to get home much before noon. But you
would not need to fuss much you live better or as well any day than they do. Their cooking is horrid. Miss Gowdy does not understand it &
nothing is half cooked or seasoned. They
live just like farmers. Mush and beans
&c. They have a lovely strawberry
bed and we have had shortcake three times since I came, but they don’t taste
like Mother’s. Have lots of
chickens. The house is beautifully
furnished. The handsomest & the
greatest quantity of pictures I ever saw.
The halls & nearly all the rooms are full. They have a life size oil painting Mr. & Mrs.
Beagman Lincon & a friend of Miss B--.
All have elegant gilt frames.
Every room but the sewing room and kitchen look over the lake. I sew in Miss B—room most the time as the
sewing room is over the kitchen with stove pipe & is too warm. Sleep with Miss B—as the spare rooms are all
occupied by company but [unreadable word].
Get up at six & go in the sewing room to wash & dress. It has a table & dressing bureau with
looking glass, so it is very convenient, & I do not distress Miss Brayman
who gets up & dress in about five minutes for seven o’clock breakfast &
it accommodates slow fussy me successfully.
You know I must wash. I
enjoy the lake but would not want to live here long at a time. It seems too much like being buried in the
woods. There is a library in the house
which would delight your eyes Minn. I am
afraid if you were a sewing girl Miss Brayman would have to stand over you with
a switch as you would do more reading than sewing. I should like to be company myself for
awhile to explore its contents. Tell
Father I have got my plaster so he need not buy one. Mrs. Rufus (?) sent me a postal saying they
had come and Miss B—got it yesterday. I
guess I have told you all. I wish you
& Edie would write to me while I am here.
I shall be glad to get home when the time comes. They do not attend church here at all. Miss B—said they had company most every
Sunday. I would like to have Frank’s
letters but it will not be best to send them for I cannot afford to pay
postage. Write if you will & tell me
everything.
Love & kisses to all.
Blanche
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