It is surprising how Topeka has grown

The following three letters were written in 1879, 1880, and 1881. The first was written to Augusta from her sister Sarah Goodrich. The second letter was written to their children while James and Augusta attended the Annual Methodist Kansas Conference in Topeka. The third letter was written from John Griffing to his brother Will. John was living with his wife Lizzie on the Griffing homestead east of Topeka at the time this letter was written. Will was attending the Kansas State Agricultural College and was very much involved in his archaeological pursuits.

I received your letter of December 29th yesterday. I was thinking you were paying me off with compound interest, but I heard the trains were stopped by snowstorms west & concluded a letter was on the way somewhere. You write that you hope we have not had such a spell of cold weather as you have been having. I think very probably we have had the continuation of yours. It has been real cold since before Christmas, but last Thursday it began to be colder & that night was terrible. The wind was from the west or northwest, which is always the coldest here. It takes the front & side of my house & I feel it more. My plants all froze. Water froze hard close up to the stove. The fire did not seem to warm the room one bit & I burnt more than as much again coal too. The cellar froze up solid & everything in it. I did not have many vegetables put into the cellar this fall & am thankful now I had no more. I think the cellar’s being wet made it freeze so.

Steve’s folks set up & kept fires going night & day & put hot coals in their cellar, but it froze hard. The thermometer did not go very much below zero & we have had worse winds I think. But it never was so cold in the house before. We had to stay in the kitchen for two days & it froze harder in the sitting room by the stove than it did in the front bedroom & that is a north room you know. I am sorry for my plants. They were looking so well. One calla bud was almost out & some geraniums were in blossom. The night blooming cactus was killed. It had grown to be a very large plant.

Mrs. Stiles & Fred have been snowbound & could not get home. Fred was in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Mrs. Stiles in Rochester. They have had deep snowstorms in the western part of the state & the trains have been snowbound before. But it did not reach here. We have had a little snow – enough for sleighing. I began to take [our brother Ralph’s daughter] Jennie to school again yesterday. It is so much more comfortable to go in the sleigh & I bundle up & do not get cold. Mary is going over to the Society this afternoon & will bring her home. I shall not take her when the weather is bad & they want her to stay over to town as often as she will. Nellie has had four white aprons made for her to wear to school. [Ralph’s wife] Dora sent her money to have it done.

I went up to Aunt Lucy’s yesterday morning. I had not seen them since vacation & it seemed quite a while. They had not heard from Anna since Christmas & as usual that had been overloaded with presents. They think of going to housekeeping after awhile. Her health is poor. Lucy thinks it is foolish for them to do so.

I wonder if I have ever written you that [Samuel Griffing’s daughter] Ella Griffing is here spending the winter? She came in the fall. She had a bad cough when she came but I believe she is better. They adopted a little girl.

Anna Eliza Parks’ house was burned last Thursday night. She was away from home when it took fire. I am afraid it will be a great loss to her. How sad it is about George Platt. What are the other boys’ names? I have forgotten some of them.

How long is [your son] John’s vacation? I wish I cold have sent you all something for Christmas but somehow I do not have the way to do it now. I have made over my _____ sacque. I got one quarter yard of new & pieced it down & put three rows of braid on the bottom. It looks real nice. Is not just the style, but I don’t care. What do you wear this winter? And what has [your daughter] Mary [to wear]?

Mr. George Holenback died last week & Mr. McCallum died in Brooklyn the week before. It is not two years since he & his wife went to living together again. You know they have been separated for some years.

There was an oyster supper at Hiram Goodrich’s last night for the benefit of the _______ Society. It had been advertised in all the papers & there was a jam. Steve & [his wife] Mary went & Jennie & staid over there all night. Try and write every week & I will [too]. Love to all. Ever your affectionate sister, -- Sarah [Goodrich]

We are at the house of Brother Curtis and glad to have a warm comfortable place as it is so cold this evening. We think of you often. The Conference will not probably close its business until late on Monday or early Tuesday.

It is surprising how Topeka has grown. A menagerie of wild animals is being wintered on the fair grounds. I saw two black bears as I came by last night.

We keep well. We think you will do the best you can in taking care of things & hope to find everything right side up when we return. I know Mrs. Pound will have a bother with the chickens this cold weather.

Have spent 2 nights at [your brother] John’s & Lizzie’s. They are well. John is uncertain about teaching but will try it I guess if the way opens. We have received a postal [card] & a letter from you & hope to hear again Monday. Your father, -- J. S. Griffing

It is a cold Sunday morning but we feel well. Went to go hear the Bishop [Randolph Sinks Foster] [1] this morning. He is to preach at the Opera house, as no church is large enough to hold the crowd. I think of you all often, but do not worry, only when I think of Mrs. [Eliza] Pound’s having to put stockings on the chickens or else try to keep them warm some other way. Hope the stock & pigs are comfortable.

Have seen quite a number of preachers & wives that I know. Several have inquired about you. I did not come up from John’s until yesterday (Sunday) morning & we like to have frozen. Lizzie has a bad cold & cough. Aunt Carrie Winans has returned & we want to go & see the baby.

Pa read his piece of the early time in Kansas yesterday & it was well received. Wish I did not want to visit so much so I could go into Conference. In haste, -- [your] Mother [Augusta]

It is so cold today that we did not go to church, so I will write you a letter. We received Pa’s letter Thursday. I want to get some roots for myself & if he wants some, I can get them all at the same time. I have not had time to look around any yet, but I understand they are worth about $5 per thousand. I was going to hunt some yesterday but it was so cold I couldn’t get out. I went to Harrop’s but he wasn’t at home. I think I can get some down on the bottom.

I was down to see Stephenson yesterday about the school but they don’t want to give much for teaching the spring term so I don’t know whether to teach or not. We want to fence in part of the ravine for pasture and put in a cistern. Have you heard that Johnnie Naylor was about to go to the penitentiary? He has been behaving so lately that the Governor has “sent him up.” He is to get $500 a year, two suits, and his board. His business is to watch prisoners.

Lizzie & I were up [to Topeka] the other night & thought we would go over to the Legislature. Dave Naylor went along with us and introduced us to the Governor [John P. St. John] [2] who told us there would be a lecture on Temperance in the Senate Chamber before the Senators by Mrs. Maloy of Indiana. We went and were well paid. It was the best temperance lecture we ever listened to. It went ahead of [George Washington] Bain. It was grand! She has traveled for years for years talking temperance & antislavery & has traveled with Wendell Phillips & other bug guns, so you must know she is pretty good. It was one of the most interesting, lively, and eloquent appeals I ever heard. The legislature are [debating] at present on the temperance bills.

Our lyceum here is doing pretty well. We debate Tuesday evening, “Resolved, That Shawnee County should vote the proposed R. R. bonds.” We are to have two additional roads here through Topeka – if bonds are given – whether it would be policy or not is another question.

We did not spell Friday night on account of the weather & will probably go down Monday night and we hope to beat.

I was glad to see you are getting popular and hope to see the day when the name of “W. J. Griffing” will be one of the shining lights to which the eyes of all nations shall be directed.[3] But you mustn’t get to feeling so big that you can’t sit down once in awhile and write to your affectionate brother, -- John [Griffing]

[1] FOSTER, Randolph Sinks, M. E. bishop, was born in Williamsburg, Ohio, Feb. 22, 1820; son of Randolph Israel and Mary K. Foster. He attended Augusta College, Ky., 1835-37, and joined the itinerant ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church in the latter year. Later in the same year he was transferred from the Kentucky to the Ohio conference, and until 1850 held various pastorates in the latter state. In that year he was transferred to the New York conference and until 1857 preached in New York city and Brooklyn. He was president of Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., 1857-60, returning to the ministry in the latter year. He accepted the chair of systematic theology in Drew theological seminary, Madison, N.J., in 1868, and two years later became president of the institution, still continuing his professorship. He was elected a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1872, and subsequently traveled through Western Europe, India and South America in the interest of his denomination. In 1873 he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1876 to Boston, Mass. He was a member of the general conferences of 1864, 1868 and 1872; fraternal delegate to the British Wesleyan conference of 1868; a member of the Methodist centennial conference of 1884, and of the Methodist Ecumenical conference of 1891. He was married in 1840 to Sarah, daughter of John and Anne Miley of Butler County, Ohio. Ohio Wesleyan University conferred upon him the degree of D.D. in 1853 and that of LL.D. in 1858. He published: Objections to Calvinism as it is (1848); Christian Purity (1851, rev. ed., 1869); Ministry for the Times (1852); Theism in the Ingham Lectures (1872); Beyond the Grave (1879); Centenary Thoughts for the Pulpit and Pew of Methodism (1884); Studies in Theology; Prolegomena, The Supernatural Book, and Theism (3 vols., 1889); Philosophy of Christian Experience ( 1890 ); The Union of Episcopal Methodisms (1892); Studies in Theology (Vol. IV., 1895); God: Nature and Attributes (1898). He died in Newton Centre, Mass., May 1, 1903. The 20th Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Vol. 4, p.164

[2] John P. St. John became the Governor of Kansas on January 8, 1879 and served two terms. He left office on January 9, 1883.

[3] John Griffing is referring to the recognition that his brother Will is beginning to receive for his archaeology discoveries.