1919 2 8 Beatrice Rose to Florence Rose

I will change some spelling and some grammar as I transcribe.  The location is Kingston, Ulster County, New York.

'Beatrice' May Rose Camp wrote this letter when she was 12-years old to her sister 'Florence' Alice Rose Lawler.  'Olive' Letha Rose Schnack was their sister and 'Clifton' Rose, their brother.  'Papa' was their father, Elbert Rose.  'Bessie' Woolheater Winfield was the girls' cousin and 'Marjorie' was Bessie's daughter.  'Minnie' Rose Springer was Elbert's sister; as was  'Aunt Addie', Ada Rose Woolheater, who was the mother of Bessie.  'Ella' Baker More is the girls' maternal aunt.  I believe the 'they' referred to in the letter is Harriet More Burgett and Alice Clayton More who have traveled cross-country to California.

Please leave a comment should you wish to share a thought about this letter.

72 Clinton Ave.
Kingston, N.Y.
Feb. 8, 1919

Sat. morning

Dear Florence,

Did you ask me any questions?  I can't find your letter anywhere so I think that it must have been in the waste paper basket and was thrown out.

Well, I got a letter from Clifton today and he sent me his percents.  I will send it to you and let you see it.  And you know that George Moore is home and Lizzie Krum and Mildred White is home, too.

Olive sent him a 10¢ tablet, 5¢ pencil, an eraser that we had, 1¢ pen and a pen holder that we

had and a penny pad that Olive got just for fun.  He said he was very glad to get it.

He said he thought that we might have the influenza.  There are five people up there that have it.  Almost every house has got a sign on it for diphtheria.  There are 97 cases of influenza and over a hundred cases of diphtheria.

I passed everything but geography but I got promoted just the same.  You know that you can miss three subjects and pass just the same down here.  Can you up there?  Did Clifton tell you that he could dance?

Sat. afternoon, half past three

Well, I have been so busy today.  This morning, I started this letter and then Bessie came home and wanted me to help her.  And, I have been busy ever since.

Bessie and Marjorie came Sunday afternoon.  Marjorie is four years old.  She is just as cute as she can be.  And, sometimes when she gets cross, Bessie will whip her and it almost makes me cry.  She will look so pitiful toward me and then her mother.

You know the bedroom we

slept in?  We are in the other room now sleeping.  And, Bessie & Marjorie sleep in the other room.  And, we put our clothes in a drawer in the dresser out in the hall.  And, what we couldn't get in there, we put in the trunk.

We got a letter from Minnie Tuesday.

Florence, do you remember telling Aunt Lib when you were up there, about what we told you that Mrs. Elmendorf said, "About that, we would have another boss now".   Well, that made her mad and she wouldn't come back again.  She said, "I won't go down there again while

they live there with that old devil".  Minnie Donovan said that Augusta began teaching school Monday.

Oh say, I found your letter this morning while I was working.  It was in my trunk.

Yes, I forgive you for not answering my letter in so long a time because you wrote me such a long one when you did write.  And, I knew that you were having examinations so I forgive you.

Obed Cure and Fred Blodget were over to Carter's the week before last after Papa and they went out on a, I don't know what you

call it.

Yes, we went to the movies.  I have been almost every Saturday.  But, today I couldn't go.  But, if Olive had wanted to, I could have gone because Olive went downstairs and dusted for Mrs. Elmendorf.  And, she gave her 10¢.  Wasn't that nice?

Yes, I will do that if you want me to about writing every week; and, you can write whenever you have time, but let it be often.  Will you?

Say, why don't they write to us?  They said they would.  We can't write to them

because they don't know how long they will be in on place.  And, anyway, you didn't say what place they were at.

The weather has been fine here for a long time but today it has been trying to snow.  Not very much, though.  We have only had one snow storm this winter and there isn't a bit of frost on the ground.

I have tried to get Papa to get you some money but he won't.  He is as tight as he can be.  He won't ever send Clifton some.

Clifton is going to join the Boy Scouts, too.

Oh!  Say, you didn't say

anything about Aunt Ella's letter or whether you got the dye or not.  We sent it a long time ago.

Well!  I will go and get a pail of coal for Aunt Addie and then I will finish this.

I have got it.

I have got to write to Clifton and Minnie.  Minnie's letter came Tuesday morning and yours came Friday and Clifton's came today.  And, I have to write to Aunt Ella, too.

Well, I can't think of anymore to say this time.  I think it's long enough.

With Love
Your Sisters
Beatrice and Olive

1918 10 22 Beatrice Rose to Florence Rose

I will change some spellings and some grammar as I transcribe.

The location is Delaware County, New York.  This letter was written by Beatrice Rose Camp, when she was 12-years old, to her sister Florence Rose Lawler.  'Olive' Letha Rose Schnack is their sister.  Their 'Papa' is Elbert Rose.  Their maternal 'Grandma' was Alice Estelle Clayton More.  'Aunt Lin' is Elbert's sister, Malinda Rose Townsend.  'Helen' and 'Bertha' are Malinda's daughters.  At the time of this writing, I don't know who 'Uncle Billy' is.  Elbert has a brother William but is referred to as Uncle Will by the girls in other letters.  Please add a comment if you can shed some light on an identification. 

Fleischmanns, NY
Oct. 22, 1918

Dear Florence,

I received your letter this forenoon as I sent you one yesterday in Grandma's letter.  If you remember in the starting of your letter, you said you were wondering what I was doing.  It was half past five when we got our dishes done and as we didn't have anything to do but listen to Papa and the boy that is here talk also, we wrote to Grandma.  I did and Olive put in a letter to you.  You remember that at home we had some games; but, here we haven't anything to do but sit around wishing for some games to play.  After we get our work done, there is always about 3 hours before bedtime, and in the daytime it has been so cold and stormy that we couldn't

play outdoors until today.  It is considerably warm.  Olive is outdoors playing ball, being as that is all we can play.  Mrs. Clansey (that is the name of the woman who lives here) gave us (8) eight marbles.

I like to stay here better every day.  I didn't like it very good first long when I was so homesick, though.

Didn't Grandma tell you that school was closed and we don't know when it will open?

Well Florence, I can't tell you just yet where to write to Papa because he hasn't gone anywhere yet.  He is staying just at present at Uncle Billy's.  I don't know when he will go to Kingston because he is kind of afraid of the influenza.  And, he doesn't want to take us to Kingston  either.

We heard that Oneonta was full of it.

Is that so?

You telling me to take care of myself made me laugh because we have not been off of the yard since school closed.  And every time we go out, someone hollers, "Put on your sweater and cap now, girls".  It is always Helen or Aunt Lin and I thank them for it, too.  So, if we get it you can't say that we have caught it from anyone, can you?  And almost every night we burn a good lot of sulpher.

I will tell Papa all you have asked me to.

I am very sorry I can't give you Papa's address.

Will close.
Your sister,
Beatrice

P.S.
Yes, I would like to come up there and live with you.

Aunt Lin and Helen expect to go to Richfield to see Bertha in about 9 months.

1918 10 21 Olive Rose to Florence Rose

I will correct some spelling and some grammar as I transcribe.

My grandmother, Olive Letha Rose Schnack, wrote this letter when she was 10 years old to her sister, Florence Rose Lawler.  The locations are in Ulster County and Delaware County in New York.  'Papa' is their father, Elbert Rose.  Their maternal 'Grandma' is Alice Estelle Clayton More.  'Aunt Lin' is Elbert's sister, Malinda Rose Townsend and 'Helen' is her daughter.


Fleischmanns, NY
Oct. 21, 1918

Dear Florence,

I suppose Grandma told you that there wasn't any school because of the epidemic.  There are quite a few cases of the influenza in this place.  Papa came over here yesterday; he stayed all night and went away this morning.

Elizabeth Cure has the influenza and pneumonia set in.  She is very sick.

They brought Rhoda Tarbridge home dead from Kingston.  She had the influenza.  The undertakers didn't have enough caskets to bury the dead in down in Kingston.  So they sent up to Phoenicia

for a casket to bring Rhoda home in.

We have to get all new books.  That is if we get any because of the school being closed till the 28th of this month.  Papa thinks that we won't have to get any.  We won't be here over 2 more weeks at the least.  Our teacher is a German.  Her name is Miss Shafer.  The first day we went to school, a little fellow got a whipping.  They had a Fourth Liberty Bond rally.  They raised $22000.00.  Oct the 13, we didn't see it though.  Is the Normal closed?  R.S.V.P.

Monday A.M.
Helen and Aunt Lin are washing.  Will have to close.

As ever, your sister,
Olive Letha

1918 10 12 Alice More to Florence Rose

I will correct some spelling and some grammar as I transcribe.

Pine Hill and Kingston are in Ulster County, New York.  Roxbury is in Delaware County, New York. The letter is written by Alice Estelle Clayton More to her granddaughter Florence Rose.  The 'Father' and 'Dad' and 'he' referred to is Elbert Rose, father of Florence Rose.  Lin is Elbert's sister Malinda Rose Townsend.  The Helen on page 3 might be Lin's daughter and Arthur might be Elbert's brother.  Adda is Elbert's sister, Ada Rose Woolheater.  Hattie is Harriet More Burgett, a daughter of Alice's.  Seward is Hattie's husband.

Pine Hill
Oct 12, 1918

Dear Florence,

I have been waiting to see what your father was going to do.  He went over to Lin's to get her to take the girls. He came back from there feeling pretty good.  He said she was glad to do it for him.  That was Friday.  Saturday, she came over to get dad to

not break up his family; to stay on the farm.  I see where the shoe pinched.  She had lots of reasons why she didn't see how she could take them.  Your Dad is bent on going to Kingston.  You can't talk him out of it.

 Well, Lin stayed all night and today Dad took her home and the girls.  I felt awful sorry to see the little girls go

 bag and baggage.  Lin says they can stay till she gets her sewing done and the Influenza is subdued.  Then, she and Helen will go to Arthur's and then to Bertha's.  Then, the girls will go to Aunt Ada's in Kingston.  I think that is awful for those poor little girls to be toted around.  And, Dad will get a job in Kingston.  It is awful lonesome tonight without them.  Well, I

have lots of work to do.  Wish you were here to help me pack.  Then you could take some things back with you.  I have packed all the best bedding in trunks and have burned all the paper rags and all the girls trunk.  He is going to pack every thing in the room where we slept.  I have the parlor and the bedroom all straight.  He is going to draw writings Monday and wants to let Obed

move in the fifteenth.  I don't see how I can get it all done.

Well, I must get to bed.  You must let Hattie see this.

He hasn't sold the bull.  I haven't seen _____ and the cider apples are still on the ground.  I wish Seward would come down and let you come, too.

Hastily,  Grandma

PS
He will have to put the date the 20th before he lets them in.  I think I will go to Roxbury before I come up.