Letter 18920404

1892 (April 4)

April 4, 1892 Dunkirk, Indiana
Jay County
Dear cousin,
It is with pleasure that I take pen in hand to answer your most kind and welcome letter. We are all well at present and hope these lines may find you enjoying the blessings of health. I was very much surprised and pleased to hear from you. I was busily engaged sewing or I would have answered your letter sooner.
Father & mother, Hattie & myself were visiting my sister, Mrs. Jennie Green, yesterday. They live about two miles from here on father’s farm. It commenced raining soon after we got there and rained all day. When we came home in the evening the water raised so high in our yard that it floated great heavy boards into the yard. We never saw the water higher here than it was yesterday. A large portion of father’s farm was under water yesterday and it is quite rainy today again.
I am expecting a letter from F. O., your brother. I am always glad to here from him. He always writes such good letters.
Hattie & myself went to sabbath school last Sabbath and it rained on us all the way home. Hattie is not staying at home now. She works for my brother George. She don’t get much time to write but she will answer your letter by & by. Cousin if you have any of your potoes I would like you to send me one if you can. I want to have a picture of all my good looking cousins. I would send you one of my potoes if I had any that I could send. But I will send you one when I get any more.
We are living in a thriving city. A few years ago Dunkirk was not worth speaking about. All you would hear about Dunkirk was somebody fighting & drinking whiskey. Dunkirk has its share of saloons yet and we don’t need any of them. I don’t believe in the whiskey traffic of any thing of the kind. Dunkirk has 4 glass factories and contemplates 2 more and a few other factorys. They are building all the time. Carpenters have about all they can do. All day long we hear the sound of hammers and saws. We have 3 churches. The Methodist Episcopal church stands first in rank then the Missionary Baptist & Methodist Protestant. I belong to the Methodist Episcopal church. I have been a member of the church for more than ten years.
When your dear father was here to visit us he gave me great encouragement to be faithful and I often think of him. We all thought a great deal of your father. I have a letter he wrote me while he was visiting in Ohio.
Well cousin it is almost supper time and I will have to quit writing. I hope you will not get tired of reading this letter. I could write more if I had time but perhaps you don’t like to read long letters. Sometimes I write 2 full sheets to F. O. I will write that kind to you when we get better acquainted if you like to read long letters. Don’t be afraid you write too long letters to me. I like big long letters.
I close hoping to hear from you soon again. From your cousin,
Martha L. Maitlen. Good by.

This letter was mailed to Elmer’s Chicago address but was forwarded to him in Dunkirk, Indiana.