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We ought to write oftenerThere are only four letters from 1874. The first letter was written from Stephen Goodrich to his sister Augusta, and her husband Rev. James Griffing. The second letter was written by Carrie Winans, who lived on a farm near Topeka with her husband Henry K. Winans. The third letter was written by James to his wife Augusta while attending the Annual Methodist Kansas Conference in Atchison. The fourth letter was written to James from his older sister Clarissa [Griffing] Giddings, wife of Rev. Charles W. Giddings. In her letter, Clarissa refers to the recent death of their younger brother Osmyn Griffing, and gives all the news about her own children. Owego
[New York] My Dear Brother, It has been a long time since I received your letter, and I intended to answer it right away, but May [1] was taken sick and has been sick ever since and with two baby's on my hand I had not much time or inclination to write. May is better now and is so she can ride out. The rest of us are all well. I wish you could see Nellie [2]. She is fat and rosey and full of life, and very quick to learn. The other one we call Mary Francis [3] after her Grand Mother and Frank Platt. We will call her Frankie.
Frankie
& Nellie Goodrich About that business of James', it is the wish of all of us that it might be settled up but we do not wish to cramp you in order to have it done. If you could sign of your share in the wood lot to us and turn over that note you hold against Sarah and myself and what I am oweing on that old ac[coun]t, and then give your note for the balance, I think it might be done without cramping you. Is that note against Mr. Home -- I believe that is his name -- good? And would you be willing to assume it towards your share? I find that you have made a mistake of one hundred dollars in the amount of money that you sent here. You say at one time you sent $310.00 when it was only $210.00 and lent the other hundred to a man whom you had promised some money to. Now I wish you would reckon up what is there and what the interest will be up to February 1st, 1874. We four have had $88.36 a piece. and there is a note of two hundred dollars and some interest to be divided up. I have not got the note but think the interest will be about $25.00 after taking out the taxes on the land. I took out $160.00 of that you sent me and divided the rest. They were willing I should for my expenses in bringing in the body of [brother] James [Goodrich] and taxes on his land here which I had paid. Now you can reckon it all up and see how much it is and how much it will be for each one and if you will do so, write and let me know. I think $1000.00 would be a fair valuation for the wood lot now and do not think that we could sell for more than that now. I did bargain to sell it some time ago for $1100.00, but Gurd [Horton] [4] backed out so I could not sell it and land has come down in value since then. May joynes with me in sending love. I will send you a picture of Nellie taken when she was a year old. From your brother, Stephen Goodrich
Stephen
Goodrich, ca. 1875
[Near
Topeka, Kansas] [Dear Augusta,] Would it not be possible for you to let the boys keep house and you and [your daughter] Mary come and stay with us while Brother Griffing is at Conference [in Atchison]? Do try to come, but don’t overwork to get ready. You speak of [your daughter] Mary’s deafness. It is sad. [My daughter] Carrie too is quite deaf in one ear and I think it was caused by scarlet fever. It increases and every winter, a slight cold produces gathering in the ear and catarrh connected with it. I think it is a settled disease. It may be inherited but I never noticed it until after she had scarlet fever. [My husband] Harry [Winans] hears from brothers and mother often. He had a letter from Ephe yesterday. They are well and living at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Ephe has quit preaching for the present at least and is teaching in the [Iowa Wesleyan] College. His daughters are very sweet according to his accounts, but if they have only ordinary ability, he will make good scholars of them because he takes great pains with them and gives them a good chance to make the most of themselves. They cannot feel in after years that their father did not care whether they knew anything or not. Harry’s mother is now at Hamilton with Ed’s folks, I suppose. Has good health and expects to come to Topeka on a visit this month. I do not know how long she means to stay nor where. She visited around among all the children a short time in a place and then went to Marengo [Illinois] near Chicago and stayed with a niece of hers this winter. Write soon and tell me if you will come during Conference. If you do not have time to write, come along just as you are and I shall be ready for you. Our love to you all. Your friend,
Atchison
[Kansas] Dear Cutie [Augusta], I sit down to write to you and the children. I arrived last evening safe and sound. Quite a number of the preachers were on the train. Brother Lawrence and some of his boys [were on the train too]. I am stopping at a Brother Reasoner’s, a relative of a student once there at school. Brother Hibbard, preacher from Centralia, is my chum. Brother Taylor & [William] Knipe are stopping with a family in another part of the house. The preachers seem to be in good spirits. The Bishop has not come in yet. Your lunch. – oh how poor it was, but I got along. Will write more. Afternoon. The morning session was very pleasant. Bishop [Edward Gayer] Andrews [5] made a good impression. The [Kansas] Conference appears small with all the South part away. [6] I do hope you will all keep well & that [our son] Johnnie will do his errands aright & take good care of things. I hope that he & [his brother] Willie are hauling straw today to feed out with the remaining hay so that the hay will last as long as possible. It is very pleasant here today and the grass begins to grow finely in some of the yards and the spring move forward. – James
Table
Rock [Nebraska] Dear Brother [James] & Sister [Augusta], I thought when I received yours in answer to the one I wrote you with regard to [our brother] Osmyn’s death that I would not be so slow in correspondence as I had been formerly. It seems as though those of us that were left ought to be more closely united. If we cannot visit each other, we ought to write oftener and yet I find myself quite unfitted even for this. My finger joints are so swollen and sore that I cannot hold the pen and I find I am making bad work with a pencil. We are all in tolerable health. [My husband,] Mr. Giddings is better than he was through the winter and does a good deal of work. I always enjoy the best health in winter. I melt down as soon as the warm weather comes on. [Our daughter] Fanny [Norris] and [her] family are well excepting Clarra who has had every appearance of consumption. For the past week, she has been gaining and appears much better. [Our daughter] Lydia [Holmes] is living on her farm and [her husband] Mr. Holmes [is] in Kansas City. She thinks the expenses of living are much less here than there and she can be improving her home, which so soon would run down if rented. [Our daughter] Sarah [Smith] and [her] family started for Colorado May 1st. They intended to pass through Manhattan [Kansas] when they started but found it was out of course. They passed through Junction City [Kansas]. We had a letter from Sarah a few days ago saying they were 120 miles from Pueblo [Colorado]. They have gone for the benefit of Mr. Smith’s health. He was anxious to reach Pueblo by the sitting of the [Methodist] Conference, which takes place sometime in June. It seems to us like a foolish or rash undertaking. We can but feel very anxious about them. I think now how mother felt when we left for Nebraska. So it is that families scatter – one goes here and another there.
[Our daughter] Mary and her husband [John H. Causey] are living with us this summer. I have not heard from [our brother Osmyn’s wife,] Sarah Griffing for several weeks. She is expecting to be [delivering a baby] soon if she has not already. I wish she would let me have the third little girl. She is a sweet child and was her father’s pet. The next is a boy. I know not how Sarah will be able to care of another. She must have her hands full now and I would be glad to help her. She continues to keep the restaurant, which with two three boarders, ekes out their living. I wish you would write to her. She needs our sympathy. I have not heard from [our relatives in] Owego [New York] in some time. [Our sister] Mary [Horton] wrote me that Ann Griffing, [our brother] John’s widow, buried her daughter [Mary I. Griffing] the first of January. I think she was residing in Brooklyn, New York. If you ever think of making us another visit, we would be glad to see you. We are to have a camp meeting at this place commencing the 18th of August. Can you come? Love to the children. We want to see them too. Don’t get out of patience with me. I hope to be able to foot that bill yet. How is Augusta’s health? Would not a little journey do her good? Your affectionate sister,
[1] Stephen Goodrich's wife was Mary E. Stiles, born 4 January, 1853. They were married 10 October 1871. Apparently Stephen called his wife, "May." [2] Stephen and Mary Goodrich's eldest child, whom they called "Nellie," was Helen Louisa Goodrich, born 12 July 1872. [3] Stephen and Mary Goodrich's second eldest child, whom they called "Frankie," was Mary Francis Goodrich, born 23 November 1873. [4] "Gurd" was Gurdon Horton, husband of Stephen's sister, Mary Clarissa Goodrich. [5] ANDREWS, Edward Gayer, M. E. Bishop, born in New Hartford, New York, 7 August 1825. He was graduated in 1847 at the Wesleyan University at Middletown, Connecticut, and, entering the Methodist ministry the following year, became in 1855 a teacher in Cazenovia, New York, seminary, of which he was chosen president in 1855. In 1850 he was ordained an elder, and in 1864 became a preacher in the New York east conference. Dr. Andrews was elected a bishop in 1872. [6] In 1874, the Kansas Conference of the Methodist church split into a Northern Conference and a Southern Conference. |
