My appointment will be Blue Valley

Only three letters survive from 1873. The first letter is addressed to Augusta from her sister Sarah Goodrich. Sarah never married and lived on her parents homestead near Goodrich Settlement. At the time this letter was written, she was raising her brother Ralph's daughter, a toddler named Jennie.

The second letter was written to James Griffing from an acquaintance working in a Methodist mission near Boston. The third letter was written by James to his wife Augusta while attending the Annual Kansas Conference in Ottawa, Kansas.

Owego [New York]
February 26, 1873

Dear Sister Augusta,

It has been nearly two weeks since I have had a letter from you. Perhaps there is one at the [Post] Office now, as we have not sent today. There is going to be a concert at the Methodist Church [in Owego] tonight – something that is going to be pretty good, I think. [Our brother] Steve asked me a few days ago if I wanted to go & I said yes, if I could. But I have not heard any more about it. Their girl has gone home & [Steve’s wife] Mary [Stiles] is doing her work alone & sometimes she has her sister come over & take care of the baby for her. And if they do, I can leave Jennie there. But if she takes the baby over to her mothers, I cannot go.

[Our sister] Mary [Horton] & [her baby] Fred were up here and spent the day yesterday. [Mary’s daughter] Fanny is very much engaged in her school this winter & had rather go to school than visit.

I am out of paper of all kinds & shall have to ask you to excuse this half sheet. It has been such awful cold weather. I could not bear to go over to town but shall have to this week. I never realized before how bad the winds out on the plains could be till Sunday night. I think I never saw it so cold before. The wind blew so awful cold & I kept a good fire going all night, but everything froze up solid. [Even] water close by the stove froze. Of course the remnant of my poor afflicted plants were killed stone dead…

You say you are getting almost tired of cold weather. I think I am entirely so. Cold weather commenced so early in the fall that it has seemed a long winter. Mrs. Orcutt & one of her sons have died with the small pox. Martha Smith, the girl that worked for Steve last spring had it. I hope it will not spend any more. The [inoculation] scab has not come off from Jennie’s arm yet. I would write to [your daughter] Mary but have no paper, but will soon. I am afraid one of those tuberoses is hurt, if it is not killed. I keep them in a paper in my rustic matchbox close by the stove. It was fearfully cold. The brick steam gristmill opened by Wheeler Bristol close by his Foundry was burned last Friday morning. I do not know anything what [James’ brother-in-law] Grove Pike is going to do. I have not seen them in a long time. Love to all. Ever your affectionate sister, -- Sarah [Goodrich]

Charlestown, Massachusetts
March 17, 1873

Dear Brother [James],

I should of answered your letter before this but have been preaching day & night almost, ever since in the Dear name of the Master. Last night we had a precious season in our Mission Hall. Go gave us 24 souls. Praise his Dear name forever. I feel like singing “The morning light is breaking, etc.” We have a little Mission only a few months old over 60 are in the class book, 170 in Sabbath school, and about the same number in the Temperance band. Every meeting we have souls forward for prayers. Brother Brounell, the former missionary of the Northern Mission is missionary here. We are working together “2 by 2.” We go visiting from house to house & holding meetings nightly. We have been wonderfully blessed. It was a Pentecostal Season last night. I hope this will find you well & family. Give my regards to all my acquaintances. Should be happy to hear from you all anytime. Did you receive a Report of the N. E. Mission? I believe it was sent to you. If it was not, I will see that it is. Yours in Christ, -- J. H. Fourie

Ottawa [Kansas]
Saturday, [March] 29, 1873

My Own Dearest [Augusta],

I have just come from dinner and shall like it the best if Brother Rice will only bring me a letter today right from home saying you are all well. I keep well and Conference is passing along very pleasantly indeed. I think it likely that my appointment the present year will be Blue Valley. I just saw sister Oakley. I think they will go into the Southern Kansas Conference somewhere. I am sorry. Dr. Horne & wife are both here. I have seen the Doctor but not his wife. I am stopping at a Brother Jordan’s, no connection however of the Tecumseh Jordan’s – a Methodist family and a first rate place to stop.

I have been kept right busy collecting the Missionary reports and the amount reaches about the same as last year – near $3000. Brother Wake has not reached here yet & I presume will not come. I had money enough to pay all my collections. Met my book accounts and have some left. Conference will soon commence and I must meet a committee.

P.M. o’clock. We have just had an hours recess to go over to the public school building. It is a most splendid edifice just completed. We are again back in the Conference & Brother Lawrence & McQuistion have just read their district reports full of interesting incidents.

Sabbath morning. I was real disappointed in not getting a letter from home yesterday. It seemed as if I must find a letter when I got here at Conference and I have watched every mail. Last night during the Missionary meeting a telegram came for Brother J. C. Dana. I hope it was not such a telegram as came to me once [carrying the news of our daughter Sadie’s death].

There is a chance for me to obtain McClintock’s & Strong’s Encyclopedia [of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature] at quite a discount. I wish I could council you with regard to it. I think there will be about six volumes. They will be furnished to preachers at 40 percent discount, making a five-dollar sell to them for three dollars. I guess I will do nothing about it until I return home.

I don’t think there will be a great many changes among the preachers on the Manhattan District. I hope the children will be good and try to do just right. Papa will be so glad to see them all again. I think now that conference will close Monday P.M. or early Tuesday. Always yours, -- J. S. Griffing