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When my cousin Barbara sent me a thumb drive with a treasure trove of Stokey pictures and documents, this was the very first document I looked at. And it was quite a surprise to me: Aunt Eva was so pleasant! And funny!
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Canton, Ohio
June 5, 1898
Dearest Will,
Last year at this time we were saying and I suppose you were two [sic] “one more year” now we say “one more week”. Mamma said this morning she was going to write to Fred so that put me in the notion of it so I wrote him a real long letter then this afternoon she said she was going to write to you so that put me in the notion of writing to you so now I am going to write a real long letter to you. Well Will do you know how many days till June. It seemed when you went away that two years would never pass but to look back it has been a pretty short time. Mamma says it seems like six months since Fred went it is just thirty-nine days, she says it seems like thirty-nine months since you went. Have you forgotten all your music do you think I hope not for I want you to play some of your pieces when you come home for you will have to do all the playing for you when you get home for I have played so long for them they are tired of me and my playing. I have only six pieces and I have forgotten three of them altogether my last piece of sheet music was “Rank in File” when I play it we all think of you, you must not think that is the only time we think of you for we are always thinking about “the dear boys”. When ever mamma is expecting a letter from your or Fred she always says “the dear boy”. Do you know I can’t imagine you any way but as you were here wherever I want to see you with my mind’s eye I can always see you just going into the parlor from the sitting room blowing you nose you old fashioned way and laughing so heartily. Oh I wish I could see you now doing that. I rather see that than five dollars walking in the door as papa is saying all day today about kitty Nimrod the mighty hunter. Kitty went away Wednesday and he has not been home since then and none of us have seen him anywhere, we all wanted him to live till you came home at least, but he had not been very well and then he went away and has not come back. Oh I hope he will for we want you to see him. I suppose you want to see him or had you forgotten all about him. Oh did you ever here [sic] about McKinley well perhaps Alma told you but she is not here to tell me she did so I will tell you make sure Well last summer Florence Bidwell was down in the country visiting her cousin and her cousin had birds she raised birds and she gave Florence seven of them to bring up with her and she gave them to all the girls around she gave me one and I named it McKinley and this spring it commenced to lay eggs so I had to change its name but we had a good deal of fun about McKinley laying eggs it layed seven and broke all of the and then I put a nest in for it and then it sat on it a long time and then layed another egg and it sat on that three weeks trying to hatch the one egg but it did not succeed and then at last it threw the egg out of the nest and broke it so it broke all eight eggs and then I took its nest out of the cage and it seemed to be so glad that I did it I guess three weeks of such living was enough and plenty to, for it. And Raymond Bidwell had one and he named his Billie and it commenced to lay but only layed one it was not [??] so many a mine was. Now remember I want you to answer this before you get home for I like to get letters. Write soon I won’t say write often for I guess you won’t write many more letters.
From your loving sister
Eva Christine Stokey
June 5, 1898
Dearest Will,
Last year at this time we were saying and I suppose you were two [sic] “one more year” now we say “one more week”. Mamma said this morning she was going to write to Fred so that put me in the notion of it so I wrote him a real long letter then this afternoon she said she was going to write to you so that put me in the notion of writing to you so now I am going to write a real long letter to you. Well Will do you know how many days till June. It seemed when you went away that two years would never pass but to look back it has been a pretty short time. Mamma says it seems like six months since Fred went it is just thirty-nine days, she says it seems like thirty-nine months since you went. Have you forgotten all your music do you think I hope not for I want you to play some of your pieces when you come home for you will have to do all the playing for you when you get home for I have played so long for them they are tired of me and my playing. I have only six pieces and I have forgotten three of them altogether my last piece of sheet music was “Rank in File” when I play it we all think of you, you must not think that is the only time we think of you for we are always thinking about “the dear boys”. When ever mamma is expecting a letter from your or Fred she always says “the dear boy”. Do you know I can’t imagine you any way but as you were here wherever I want to see you with my mind’s eye I can always see you just going into the parlor from the sitting room blowing you nose you old fashioned way and laughing so heartily. Oh I wish I could see you now doing that. I rather see that than five dollars walking in the door as papa is saying all day today about kitty Nimrod the mighty hunter. Kitty went away Wednesday and he has not been home since then and none of us have seen him anywhere, we all wanted him to live till you came home at least, but he had not been very well and then he went away and has not come back. Oh I hope he will for we want you to see him. I suppose you want to see him or had you forgotten all about him. Oh did you ever here [sic] about McKinley well perhaps Alma told you but she is not here to tell me she did so I will tell you make sure Well last summer Florence Bidwell was down in the country visiting her cousin and her cousin had birds she raised birds and she gave Florence seven of them to bring up with her and she gave them to all the girls around she gave me one and I named it McKinley and this spring it commenced to lay eggs so I had to change its name but we had a good deal of fun about McKinley laying eggs it layed seven and broke all of the and then I put a nest in for it and then it sat on it a long time and then layed another egg and it sat on that three weeks trying to hatch the one egg but it did not succeed and then at last it threw the egg out of the nest and broke it so it broke all eight eggs and then I took its nest out of the cage and it seemed to be so glad that I did it I guess three weeks of such living was enough and plenty to, for it. And Raymond Bidwell had one and he named his Billie and it commenced to lay but only layed one it was not [??] so many a mine was. Now remember I want you to answer this before you get home for I like to get letters. Write soon I won’t say write often for I guess you won’t write many more letters.
From your loving sister
Eva Christine Stokey
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1.
Mamma said this morning she was going to write to Fred
Fred was in the Army for the Spanish American War, though at this point he probably hadn't even left Ohio yet see:
1899 RECORD OF FRED'S SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR SERVICE
2.
I rather see that than five dollars walking in the door as papa is saying all day today about kitty Nimrod the night hunter.
So Papa Charles was a cat-lover.
3.
Well last summer Florence Bidwell was down in the country visiting her cousin and...
Florence Bidwell is on the Ohio folks page on this website.
Mamma said this morning she was going to write to Fred
Fred was in the Army for the Spanish American War, though at this point he probably hadn't even left Ohio yet see:
1899 RECORD OF FRED'S SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR SERVICE
2.
I rather see that than five dollars walking in the door as papa is saying all day today about kitty Nimrod the night hunter.
So Papa Charles was a cat-lover.
3.
Well last summer Florence Bidwell was down in the country visiting her cousin and...
Florence Bidwell is on the Ohio folks page on this website.
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LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT PAGES IN THIS WEBSITE
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- WILL: DOCUMENTS ----- Incoming
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- FRED: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- EVA: DOCUMENTS ----- Outgoing
- MAMA MARGARET: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- PAPA CHARLES: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- NON-FAMILY: OHIO FOLKS ----- Bidwells
RELATED DOCUMENTS/PAGES:
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