Letter From Mother, Bettsville, Ohio
To Kate Benefiel, Columbus, Ohio
May 31, 1906
Transcribed by Stephen J. Hartzell



 

This letter gives a good accounting of the issues of everyday life.
Mother's ramblings reflect much on other people's conditions & life in general.


(written on 2 different size sheets of paper)

Thu May 31 1906

Katsy,

I got a tablet yesterday & mislaid it.

Thank god that every thing is as well as it is. We thought that the garden was all froze day before yesterday morning but it came out all right, nothing harmed. We have a good garden too & D was here yesterday. He said that Bettsville beat Bascom all (illegible). I told him to sell out & come to Bettsville. He had the deed of Kit's place, she sold it to Ab Shoemaker, sent to me, I wrote to him & he started a (illegible) but got in the buggy with Sherger that married Anne Hammer. Sarge & lives at the old George Michaels place, he came to get Jerome to Dr. A's house for him. Mahlers moves home from Melmore today. Miss (illegible) came to help clean house when Emma & Jerome came. She is a smart & good child.

Old Mrs. John Yutz was buried yesterday & she only died the morn before. I guess they was anxious to get shed of the poor old woman. She was sort of daffy, ain't it strange, as much trouble as poor old mother had she had her mind the last minute. I miss her so, this summer we used to go pretty often but mother is not there any more. Val gave me 4 black hens, now we have 9 hens & they lay good, only one is sitting. Val wants to come to Bettsville & I wish she would. It would be such company for me & it seems I never can get the use of myself & yet I have so much to be thankful for. I got a letter from Ed Zenders when he sent the deed. He gets 125 dollars a month, has 3 children, he says he will come back to see the old place. It rained a shower last night.

I found the tablet I got yesterday, it was laying under a book. It looks like rain again. Jerome has gone to the grain house after more tomatoe plants. He put out a lot yesterday & they did not wilt at all, looks good. Mahlers wont have a good day to move. Frank hired a livery rig to bring the piano. Your Pa says he will go out to Lou's this afternoon. Jennie phoned to Mrs. Adams that lives in the Frances house that she wanted me to make some button holes. Bill Green has been working at the stone crusher. Ever since his Toledo raid he may do better, there is room.

Uncle Val wants for us to go to Columbus on an excursion some Sunday, but I don't know yet what Sunday. It is my calculations to stay a couple of weeks when I go to Columbus. I never seen much of the world & I am getting old. As John Angeses first wife says, what I don't see soon I will never see. She has such poor nerves, she shakes all the time. I wonder how she sleeps but her & her last man Bigham does lots of work. John Anges can't help himself at all, just sits in a chair. I wonder if he don't wish he hadn't killed the n___r (racial slurr). Perry Ruses wife can't help herself & still has children, Net Shoemaker, you know her.

I ain't been to Billie's grave this year. I guess Emma & Jerome is tending to it. We put 7 gerraniums on mother's grave last Friday. Val left money for flowers for her grave. I wish you could see her tomb stone. There is nothing so terrible in death for those that reaches Heaven, & I hope we will all get there. I am reading christian science Health & Key to the Bible, it is Val's book, I like it.

(The letter ends here. If there were more pages, they are missing.)