Skip to main content

A letter from a cousin

My 3x great grandfather Chrispin Pierson Van Horn corresponded often with someone named Ramsey. Some letters identify Ramsey as a friend and some as a cousin. Some include his last name as Dudbridge, to whom Chrispin would be related. 

In 1900 Ramsey lived in Hartsville, Bucks County, according to postmarks on various letters. Chrispin lived in Mortonville, Chester County at that time. 

Below is one letter dated 12 April 1900:

Dear Friend, 

News of the (?) was received and was glad to hear that you stood your trip allright and that you are in good health, hoping you will still continue the same. 

Auntie refunds the money to you because you need the money worst than she does and as for the (?) mess, that is free gratis. It is no more than right. 

We do miss you so much. The table looks queer without you and the violin. It seems as if we had moved into another house. 

The boys have been very busy the last week. They have got two and a half acres of spring rye in and if it hadn’t rained today they would of put their oats in and then the potatoes. I wish they were planted. 

I have been making garden this last week. We have our onions some lettuce and radishes and 4 rows of peas planted so I guess this rain is going to start the seeds to grow. That is if it does not rain too hard. 

Mother has not come home yet. I got a letter from her yesterday and she said she was well and having a nice time. She was sorry to know you had gone before she came back. And if she knew you was at the Broad Street Depot she would of come ober to see you off.  

Now I must close as it is feeding chickens time and Carr is hollowing for me. We are all well. Charlies boil is getting better. Good Bye. 

I remain
Your True Friend
Ramsey 

A second post today will further explore who Ramsey was and how exactly he was related.
 
Note: The letter had been written in pencil and the handwriting light enough that I could not get a good image. The envelope above is the one used with this letter. It was postmarked Breadyville. The stamp is a two cent Washington stamp, carmine. It was part of the Ordinary Issue of 1894.

 

Amanuensis Monday is a genealogy prompt of GeneaBloggers in which the writings - letters, diaries, etc., - of those passed are featured.  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Coatesville's First Serial Killer

Young Alexander Meyer was a disturbed and angry young man with some major issues. He had failed sixth and seventh grade, and instead of having to repeat eighth grade again, he finally gave up on school. At age 16 he quit Downingtown Junior High. Meyer is not a relative, nor are his victims (that I am aware). I stumbled upon young Alex while reading Tortured Minds: Pennsylvania's Most Bizarre - But Forgotten - Murders by Tammy Mal. On 11 February 1937 Alexander Thweatt Meyer killed young Helen Moyer as she walked home from school in Coatesville along Modena Road. She was not his first. The jury was out only three minutes after hearing Dr. Michael Margolis' testimony on the death of Helen Moyer. The jury determined Meyer had murdered Moyer and should be held for first degree murder. The jury also condemned the parole system which had released Meyer back into the public, after having served just 14 months in Huntingdon Reformatory, for the murder of two other girls - Anna Blasc

Thaddeus Stevens at the Lancaster Convention Center

Within the Lancaster Convention Center (Lancaster, PA) is a small section dedicated to Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith. The section is known as the Stevens & Smith Historic Site. It is scheduled for development this year. At the moment one can only get a glimpse of it through the Convention Center or by peeking in from the outside. Here at Queen and Vine Streets in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, Thaddeus Stevens had his law office. Stevens was an abolitionist. An abolitionist is a person who favors the abolition of a practice or institution, especially capital punishment or (formerly) slavery. Stevens was born 4 April 1792 to Joshua Stevens and Sarah (Sally) Morrill in Danville Vermont. One of four children, he attended Vermont University from 1810 to 1812 when the War prompted its closure. He then went to Dartmouth, where he graduated in 1814. He then studied law and found himself set up in Gettysburg, PA in 1816. He practiced law there until 1828 when he found hi

Living History Offers Opportunity to Step Back in Time

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to work the fields on a plantation during the Revolutionary War? Or stroll through an 18th century village? Or fight in battle during the Civil War?  Living history  offers an interactive perspective which incorporates  historical  activities and dress providing a sense of stepping back in time. So, how can YOU step back in time? Rock Ford volunteer Nancy Bradley in the Study of the mansion Rock Ford Plantation, in Lancaster County, PA, will be hosting a Volunteer Tour Guide Recruitment Event on Sunday, 22 March. They need tour guides for its upcoming tour season.  Built circa 1794, Rock Ford was the home of Edward Hand and his family. Hand, an Irish immigrant and physician, served as Adjutant General to George Washington during the Revolutionary War.   Volunteer tour guides at Rock Ford bring the past to life for museum visitors. A tour guide can be any person aged 18 years and up. No experience is necessary, and trainin