LETTERS FROM THE PAST

This blog is to honor those who have come before us. These are family letters that I have had for years and wanted to be able to share them with family. It's an interesting way of knowing how life was in the past.

Myron F Taylor with 3 of his buddies in 1952. Over the last 20 years I've been working on our family letters. Letters that have been passed down. Including letters from my parents to my great-grandmother. Every letter was saved by my great grandmother and grandmother. I hope someday to either print them or give them to a museum. I am copying the letters–not being able to photocopy all of them. Each letter is in script. I know today very few can read them. I hope you enjoy them.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Uncle Geo 1950


Luray, Kan.
Feb. 25-1950.
Dear Archie:

Got your letter a few days ago. Was just thinking that I owed you a letter. Wm and I were down to Topeka last week to see Nettie. She is getting weaker all the time, so poor and just suffers terrible. Think its just a question of time.

Joe didn’t work that week and don’t think he worked this week either. I haven’t had a card from him since we were there. Will call tonight and find out her condition.

Well we have had an open winter here, got plenty cold several times but only one snow of about five inches. Had a nice inch rain about two weeks ago and looks like the wheat is OK. It is starting to green up a little now. It has been wonderful winter on stock, several fellows just run their cattle on grass and cake. Gee the cattle market is sure high. Cows from two hundred to two fifty and little steer calves as high as thirty cents per pound. Don’t think I will have the nerve to buy any. If  we should have a dry season they will get cheaper next fall.

 They say Ralph is buying cattle again. Heard he had a couple more wells but don’t know where they are. Teds Smiths well was dry and the one on Lawrence Hauser was dry.

Emil Hackerott had a sale the other day. He had to get off the Jim Hogan place, Emil is moving on to a big ranch near Woodston Bet he holds the job about a week Ha. Tommy Hogan is moving on Jims old place, so Arnold told me.

Sure glad to hear that Shirley is doing so well in school The only thing that I can figure out where she gets all this smartness is from her great Uncle Geo. Of course she may get a little of it from her Mom and Dad. Tell her I got her nice letter and will answer it some of these days.

March the 9th is Lucilles birthday and she is coming home for a few days. Think she gets kind of homesick some times. She wants us to come out and get her but I don’t want to leave o account of Nettie. I hate to answer the phone as I expect to here of her death anytime.

Got a letter from Cliffs wife the other day and she said it got 18 below there at Portland and has been the worst winter they ever saw. Think Natoma is going to start the grade school next month. Think the way my land taxes raised that I will pay for one room anyway. Yes Harry down there is sure a smart boy, I think he has the mentality of a ten year old. But I suppose as long as he keeps dishing it out he will be elected. Well I hope I will be seeing you soon.

As ever Uncle Geo.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Rosa Moorhead White Dec 12, 1875


At home. Dec 12th/75

Dear Husband.

Yours came last night but I had not got any papers for two weeks now, don’t you get them or were you going to wait to bring them when you come. Should think they were quite busy from the way you speak of their wanting the work so you cannot come until Sat morn, do they want you to go back as you spoke of a while ago? Your Father says when you come home he is going to have you go up there to work in his place while he gets his mood up. I told him I could’nt spare you a day if you are going back to D- soon, he says you could’nt get board at Dearths they have others since you come away but you could board yourself & I told you would not do that but we would all move up there.

Frank Bullock came home Friday night do not know how long he will stay – Ella has not gone yet but expects to go Tuesday. Ann has gone up to Chitilies to stay until Wednesday & then she is going over on the prairies with Mike to pick corn. Guess she will get sick of that if we do not have pleasanter weather than for the last few days, the sun did not shine for more than a week until today it has been warmer but tonight the wind flows cold & it is freezing. I think it has been very fortunate for one that the weather has not been very cold all the time, only 13 days more & I guess I will have some one to help me – I don’t know who will go to meet you but I guess there will be some one to go, if they were half as glad to have you come there will be enough to go. Julius has not finished picking corn yet. Will has gone to help this week, Billie Paul & Warnen & Uncle Charlies have all gone up there too.

I can’t think of any thing to write this eve but maybe l will write some more tomorrow. I sent one letter to Grand Ridge by your Father & maybe I will end this. I dreamed of you being so sick last night hope you are well, write me a long letter jet I am so lonesome. Good night pleasant dreams, from Rosa.

Uncle Geo Dec 22 1946


Luray, Kan.

Dec. 22-1946.

Dear Archie and All;

Violet says That I owe you a letter, Maybe I do. I know I am not very good about answering letters.

Well we have had a grand fall, lots of rain n September and October, then just fine weather ever since. Wheat looks fine and lots of pasture for the cattle. Havent had any snow yet, wich is OK with me. I sold out the last of my cattle a year ago and haven’t bought any since, thought they would be cheaper last spring Well they were higher, then they were higher this fall again and I didn’t have any feed, now I am sure going to buy some next spring and then I suppose they will drop in price.

I took Lucille and a bunch of girls to Alton Friday night to a basket ball game and heard over there that Marshall Wineland had died, they didn’t know when the funeral was to be, I should have found out and gone to it. That leaves only Art that is alive. You know Clint died just a few weeks after Fred did and George died in July. So many of the old timers are passing away. There is only one of the Pfortmillers boys left and that is George.

We went out to Calif. the first of Aug. and stayed until Sept first with Helen and Dale. Dale and Doyl McGuire (Violets) Cousin have a body and fender shop that operate together. Calif. is a great place for climate but ther to many people for me.

I went out to Utah in October during hunting season. Had a nice time, got a buck and had a nice visit with Geo. And Clifford. Clifford was married again, you know and he sure has a fine wife. He is forman on a big ranch and his boy is foreman of a big out fit over Clifford. That’s young George, he married a Niece of a BIG SHOT in Utah and young George is settling pretty. He has three kids and expecting more, that’s the Morman way.

The other Geo. S three boys, the oldest one in high school My how they grow up. Bob White at Studley has ten kids, and two or three grandchildren. Now he is keeping up the family name.

Bess was at Cliffords most of the summer and liked it fine but went back this winter to Silverton where Harold is. She seems to feel better than she has for years.

If we would have had another month or so to spare when we were in Calif. we would have gone p the coast. Uncle Philos family live in northern part, then there were you folks and Cliffs and a lot of Violets relation and some old friends and I think we might have made it through the winter pretty cheap, but Lucille had to get back to school..

Cliffs kids are all married and got kids I guess, they live right close to Portland I think Cottage Grove is the town, I haven’t seen him for about seventeen years, his wife was here to see her mother a few years ago.

My grandson will be twelve years old on Xmas day, he is a big husky kid and of course we think he is  dandy.

Wm has me beat though, he has five grandsons and expecting two more right away. Don’t know if Howard is ever going to do any good or not. His wife divorced him while he was over seas. He says he is married again but I cant always believe him. He lives in C now. He works for the Sante Fe bus and truck lines.

How is that young lady Shirley? And how is Mable? Bet you folks will soon be having prospective soninlaws hanging around.

Natoma is growing right along, not fast but gradually, lots of houses have been moved in. I have been thinking that I would move in Fathers big house and have it fixed up to rent as it is impossible to find anything to live in there and rent is pretty high. No one has lived in the house since Ruth moved out and the farm land is all rented, I keep the grass.

Kittle bought her a house in town, Bernice is in the central at Covert, Eunice in the central at Woodston and Ruth works at the Central at Osborne and Wm and Katie at Natoma, so it looks like the White family have a monopoly on the Telephone business.

I sure miss Fred, he was always my older brother and my best friend and he was always so good to write, just cant seem to realize that he is gone. Bess said that you wold have come if you had known it in time, don’t know why some of us didnt call you but I was so dazed that I couldnt think of anything. Fred certainly has a nice bunch of kids they all thought so much of him and they were all good to him and they are all so good to Bess too, she bosses them around just the same as she always did. Harold did so much for Fred, of course he was in a better position to help than any of the rest. He got Fred the job in the mine, it paid good and he didnt have to do anything to speak of, no hard work and Fred was just as regular s a clock and never missed a shift, think he was the happiest he had been for years felt so independent and putting money in the bank every month.

Thought you wrote about two years ago that you were coming back to Kan for a visit. Well what are you waiting on? You are not getting any younger. I expect it is school just like us.

Well must lose, wishing you folks a merry Xmas.

Lots of love to all.

Uncle Geo.
PS Violet says Cliff lives at Garden Grove.  

Warrena Bowlby 1/14/79


Warrena Bowlby,
Rooks Co. Home,
Plainville,
Kansas 67663

Dear Mable and Family:                                                         1/13/79

Thanks for the pretty handkerchief. Didn’t your mother used to make all that tatting for various things? Grandma Shuey used to tat a lot, mother never made very much of it. Also thanks for the card. The girls who work here had a little party for me, cake and coffee.

We are in the clutches of an old Kansas blizzard, zero, with high winds, Bus loads of basketball teams stranded all over the state, regardless they must play ball.

Storms like this always reminds me of the time we got stranded at Parkers, I won’t say anything about the storm that was in the book, but I will say that was the first winter Archie worked for us. He held the fort at home there was no way to communicate, the phone lines were all down. Another storm hit the middle of Mar. not nearly as severe as the other, but the cows were beginning to calve, so there were quite a lost. I guess Archie thought he had just about had it. That was in 1919.

Ralph was 89 in Nov., Angie is still with him, takes good care of him, he has failed a lot of last 2 or 3 years, but does well for his age.

I feel about as usual, some days not so good, other days a let up on the worst of the hurt. My liver still gives me a lot of trouble.

I don’t really have too much news, we are getting so many here from in and around Natoma, Mrs. Tichenor, Renee Snapp Ekey, their minds are about gone, come up with some weird stories, there are 12 others here from Natoma. A Mr. Anold came in yesterday, I suppose he is the one who used to have a shoe shop there.

Xmas wasn’t much, didn’t even have a good dinner which was unusual.

Of course before Xmas people brought in junk to eat or look at, I ate the last of the candy yesterday.

Guess that’s it, thanks again for the card and hankie, Love to all,  Warrena (signed)



card from AW Hackerott Jan 1982


Dear Mable –

Just a note to tell you Aunt Laura passed away after a few ds in the hospital with a blood clot in her arm & leg.

Ralph Taylor’s funeral was 2 weeks before so it has been hard on Francis.

We will all miss her she was like a mother to me.

Love, Jr.


NOTE: postmark on letter Jan 24, 1982

Mamie Williams 1962


Lee Williams
Stockton KS
March 10, 62

Dear Bro & Sis

Hope you are fine. We are so awful Broken up over the Murder of Our only granddaughter Marcies girl.

Will send you some clippings. We flew out to Bend & were their 3 WP Kids came back & stayed I should get in tonight sue did hate C then go.

Would wrote you while I were in Bend but didn’t have you ad.

You probably read about but didn’t know their name. They haven’t found out who did or why it was done. I was in MO with Floyd when got word. He was Bad.

He is able to be up now part time. Got hurt on Job.

Frank Kirk & his wife came to Bend to C us. Geo & Hazle Kirk were over & spent wk end.

Archie I sure do like The Boys seem like you always now them & they fell right at home with me.

In thot of you Kids But have been so broke up you never know what like to give only grandkid you have up & especially the way she went. I’ve cryed enof to float ship think my heart were brock. We love her so dearly.

Well Can’t think anything But sorrow & pain. I know you don’t want hear that. Weather this winter sure been cold.

Rain all day to day. Make you more lonely & Blue. Wish you lived close life is so short. Hear today & gone tomorrow.

Write Me Kids
With all my love,

Your sis Mamie Williams


A W Hackerott Jr. 1981


Date on envelope: Feb 14, 1981

Hackerott Jr.
998 Prospect
Phillipsburg, Kans. 67661

Dear Mable –

This is Lucille’s new address.
                        2600 Prinston Blvd
                        Lawrence KS  66044

We have had as mild a winter that I ever saw for Kans. We also are very dry & the last two days it has been real windy and quite a bit of dust blowing.

I was down to Bob & Lucille’s for Xmas it sure makes a long drive for me now. A little over 300 miles & $52.00 worth of gas. From what we hear gas prices will be higher yet by the n of the year. I had the flu about 3 weeks before Xmas then I caught it again when I was down to there place. The last time I was really sick for a week & I haven’t felt good summer sun to straighten me out.

Your cousin called & told me that you had called about the earth quake. I hadn’t heard it on the news until after she called.

I called & talked to Lucille this morning she said Aunt Laura had had bladder infection but was feeling better now. Grandma Leach is with them now. Francis & Ralph was at there place for dinner one day last week. They had been down to Topeka to visit their daughter Martha.

I have been looking for a motor home but haven’t found one I like so far. All the new ones are very expensive. Maybe I couldn’t afford to go camping with it anyway. We still want to make a fishing trip to Canada or Alaska. I guess this summer or fall we will go to South or maybe N Dakota & try our luck up there.

Well must close

Love, Jr.