Letter addressed to:
Miss Minnie Stilwell, Ripon Wisconsin
Postmark: Sheboygan
Wis Nov
2 1883
Sheboygan,
Nov. 1st, 1883
Thursday eve.
My darling Min, -
I have been
sitting here by the cozy coal fire for about an hour all alone trying to do
some of my Tehantanquan (word very hard to read) reading, but since here my
mind it is elsewhere and the reading is not as interesting as it ought to be so
I have just laid it aside and I know I can enjoy a little visit with you.
Your letter
was received about three weeks ago – does it seem possible that it can be that
long – time flies so quickly.
Well Minnie
we are all moved and settled and we have changed so and look so nice you would
hardly know us.
Every
room, even the kitchen, has new paper and paint and a coat of white wash. Our parlor is furnished all most entirely
new. Papa got three elegant new chairs –
two are crimson brocade plush trimmed with green brocade and the other is a patent
rocked of old gold and black raw silk trimmed with scarlet silk plush I have those with one of my upholstered
chairs and the (unreadable) in the parlor and my (unreadable) stand is in one
corner of the room. We finally got
carpet for the “alcove” and in there I have my little stand of shells and a
rocker and an upholstered chair. I hung
my chart (?) and a bracket in there. We
got three new pictures, two are very handsome and with the picture I gave Papa
and the paintings of grandpa and grandma Hawes my walls look very pretty. The paper in that room is awfully
pretty. I hung all my pictures in there
with gilt and so the hangings are invisible.
Do you
remember the old fashioned book shelves in the parlor? Well I have covered the mantle with heavy
green flannel and finished the edge with a silk striped fringe four inches deep
and on the shelves below I have my books they look awfully nice. On the mantle I have Papa’s and Mama’s
pictures with my placque and vases.
I heat that
room with my wood stove and I have got it blackened so nicely that you can see
your face in it. For curtains I have buff Holland trimmed with
a fringe on the bottom, they look neat and pretty – Papa bronzed the gas
chandeliers all over so they look as nice as new and how I wish some evening
when we have the gas lit – don’t that sound big – you could step
in and see how cozy we look. I guess you
can get a small idea how the parlor looks even if I am dreadful at
describing. Our sitting room is to be
our living room this winger as we have the coal stove in this room and it is a
very cozy room. I have my piano here, my
music holder, Papa’s easy chair my cane rocker and two, three more chairs and a
little work stand in the center of the room.
The fire place mantle has been painted a jet black and I have put a number
of little nick nacks on there. It gives
the room a very pretty look. We can’t
use the fire place because it is not safe.
Do you
remember our little group of bird pictures
Well we have those hung in this room with new frames and this makes them
look like new
My dining
room is a sweet little room. The paper
is just as pretty as can be. I have the
table, chairs and lounge in there and my fruit pictures and lamberguise (?)
bracket on the wall and Dot occupies this room.
Papa’s bedroom opens out of there you remember and is a splendid large
room. The carpet and paper in there is
very pretty and there is a nice large closet out of this room. The kitchen and pantry are very convenient
and Mary’s room is off the kitchen.
My room is
the front room up stairs. I have things
fixed about the same as I had them at the other house but they look very
different after all. The back room up
stairs we shall furnish I guess in the spring for a spare room but this winter
I put a rag carpet in there and that extra bed I had.
I forgot to
tell you that I put the carpet I had in my sitting room at the other house down
in the dining room and the one I had in the dining room I put in my room and
managed to get enough good out of very old carpet to put in the little hall up
stairs. We have a pretty new stairs
carpet.
Min you
would never know us for we look so different.
Papa has let me have my own way in every thing.
O, I forgot
to tell what a nice large cellar we have.
It is a splendid clean cellar with a nice floor. We have our coal bin down there.
I am just
as happy as I can be but I hardly dare say so for fear something may
happen. I have thought of Mama so much
of late and how much she would have enjoyed fixing up. O, I often think, Why was she taken
from us but God knows best and we must be submissive.
How I wish
you could visit me now and see how fine we look.
Cousin Sara
is at the falls this week and I guess I shall go up tomorrow.
She is
going to visit Aunt Nellie the last of this month and the first of next and she
and Aunt Nellie both are very anxious I should visit Fond du Lac while she is
there so would it make much difference to you folks if I should come and make
you a little visit then and not be there at the wedding proper. I may not go to Fond du
Lac at all, I can’t tell so far a head and if I don’t
will then come to the wedding but if I do will it make much difference to
you. I can’t stay longer than a week
anyway for I want to visit Fond du Lac
and Wanasha and don’t feel that I can be longer than two weeks from home.
I haven’t
gotten one new thing for winter yet and don’t know that I shall get either.
Albert has
been here nearly every evening the past week – Isn’t that dreadful? But I rather enjoy it – don’t tell. Mr. S. and Minnie drove down and took tea
with me night before last.
Aunt Josie
is moved and settled too. They look very
nice in their new quarters. Do you know
Minnie that my thoughts come so much faster than I can make my pen go that I
have made dreadful work writing. Please
don’t show it to anyone. You may read it
out loud but goodness don’t show it.
One of the
girls stayed all night we me last night and we never went to sleep till long
after midnight so I’m just a little
sleepy. I am crocheting me some red
trimming for the bottom of a red petticoat that I am going to make me
soon. Well dear I hope you can read this
dreadful crazy scrawl and don’t scold because it is hard to read.
Papa has
just come and as it is late must bid you good night. I’ve enjoyed my little visit very much as you
have let me do all the talking. I hope I
can come again soon. Lots of love to
all, Nettie and Belle included. Write
soon deary. With a kiss,
Yours,
Fannie
Jennie Ulead has been away from home four weeks. They expect her back next week. I miss her.
****************************************************
While she doesn't sign her last name, this is most likely Fannie Hanchett. Her mother, Jennie (Bent) Hanchett died in August 1882. The "Grandpa and Grandma Hawes" she mentions would be on her side; Jennie Bent's mother was Mary Jane Hawes.
The wedding she mentions possibly attending was probably that of Edith Stilwell to Judson Kellogg which took place 16 January 1884. Edith was Mary Elva's sister.
I have not researched all of Fannie's family and so do not know who all the other people are she mentions.
