~AUDIO~---images---comment---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
Sorry, I haven't yet recorded this document.
audio---~IMAGES~---comment---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
Page 1Image #1 of eight for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Page 2Image #2 of eight for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Page 3Image #3 of eight for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Page 4Image #4 of eight for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Page 5Image #5 of eight for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Page 6Image #6 of eight for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Page 7Image #7 of eight for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Page 8Image #8 of eight for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
audio---images---~COMMENT~---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
Eva learned to drive in the summer of 1933, so now Alma and Eva are on a road trip together, visiting Provines relatives in western Pennsylvania, with plans to go on to visit Canton.
Eva put in some nice details about Alma.
Eva put in some nice details about Alma.
audio---images---comment---~TRANSCRIPT~---notes---links---site navigation
795 Addison Street
Washington, Pa.
August 10th, 1934
Dear Kathleen,
I am sorry that this birthday letter will be late with its greetings. I hope you have had a Happy Birthday.
Alma and I arrived here yesterday evening and were glad to get here before dark because Alma who was here last year didn’t remember how to find the way. We were surprised to find Margaret and her family here. You may remember they called at your home in Cincinnati once when Mother was there. I had seen Paul her husband once when he stopped in Cincinnati once while I was there. But I had never seen Margaret and of course had not seen her three children. The daughter Helen is an attractive girl of nineteen. John is seventeen and Jimmie is eleven. He is an entertaining youth who plays the piano every few minutes. He never stays at the piano long but he goes to it often and plays fairly well for a youngster. He says he wants to be a professional musician. John is going to be a farmer like his father. They are a nice family.
Laura is going to drive here on Thursday but I don’t know how long she will stay. It is very hot here and I have no energy so you will have to excuse a stupid letter. I neglected to say that Aunt Rebecca is well and I love to talk to her for she seems so much like Grandma now.
Alma may have written you that we were hoping to rent the cottage for August so that our trip would be paid for and we were very glad to get a good tenant. It is a young couple by the name of Pettigil [???]. The husband is taking the invertebrate course so they want the cottage for five weeks.
We had quite a scramble to get out on such short notice. They rented it the night of the 31st and wanted to come in the next day. We were out and the cottage all clean by five o’clock.
We took the kitten down to Miss Rhodehouse [???] to keep during our absence [???].
We drove down to Hyannis and stayed there all night and went on to South Hadley the next day. We stayed there until Monday and then started out. We spent the first night in a hotel [???] near Primpton [???] on a lake. It was so chilly that when the maid said she would bring a pitcher of ice water it didn’t sound a bit tempting. But oh! how different it is now.
The next night we stayed at a house for tourists at Camp Hill which is across the river from Harrisburg.
I had written Mrs. Marshall who is at her brother’s in Shippensburg that we would be going through there and would stop and see them and their garden when we arrived there about 9:30 a.m. (we planned it so we would call early so they wouldn’t feel we had come for lunch) Mrs. Marshall was off doing the marketing and the maid said the arrangements were all made for us to be there for lunch.
Alma got right out into the garden and by the time Mrs. [???] got home was there [???illegible???] busy weeding. Alma says the best way to see what is in a garden is to weed it - especially a rock garden. So she was having a wonderful time discovering what was hidden among the rocks.
When “brother 2nd [???]” came home he found us in the weeding and said he never had such a satisfactory guest as Alma. He wanted us to stay and [???illegible???] Sis Marshall could take us to see Miss [???name illegible???]’s garden in Edenville in the afternoon. We decided we would stay when we were assured that we would not be interfering with Mrs. Marshall’s painting. We stopped to pick up Miss Blood [???], a friend of Mr. Rusier’s [???] and the four of us had a good time finding our way. It was out in the country and we went on many narrow country roads and they either would have no signposts on the crossroads or the signs would have fallen down! But we reached the garden and were expecting to go through it after announcing to Miss Four [???] that we were there. For she is an old lady and there are so many people coming to see her garden all the time that she just lets them go through alone. But she took us herself and when she found that Alma had been in India she had a wonderful time for she had just come back from there last year and keen about talking about it to a sympathetic listener. We had dinner at an old country Inn and then drove back to Shippensburg where we spent the night. Yesterday morning when we started it was cloudy and looked as though we might have rain but it had been threatening for so long that we could scarcely believe our eyes when began to pour. We had rain most of the time as we came over the mountains but in spite of it we had some lovely views.
[Handwriting becomes a hair more legible.]
I got so sleepy I had to stop and lie down. Now we have just finished a picnic supper and are about to start off for a drive to a swimming pool.
We were disappointed not to have any of you at Woods Hole this summer.
I thought that possibly Margaret would feel she could earn enough there to pay her travelling expenses.
Kathleen’s friends came to see her as soon as they saw a light at Fernbank. When I said I didn’t know whether or not she was coming they said they were going to send her a telegram to come [???two words, illegible???] She and Margaret would certainly have enjoyed the play The Penzance Players gave. It was a melodrama of the 90s called “Gold in the Hills” or “Her Dead Sister’s Secret” It was very amusing and was well given. They had a few of us from the Choral Club sing the old songs to get the audience started. I was dressed in an old black lace dress of Miss Clapp’s.
We expect to be here a week and then go to visit our Hanlin cousins down near Steubenville.
After that we go to Canton for a week probably.
Much love to all
Eva
Washington, Pa.
August 10th, 1934
Dear Kathleen,
I am sorry that this birthday letter will be late with its greetings. I hope you have had a Happy Birthday.
Alma and I arrived here yesterday evening and were glad to get here before dark because Alma who was here last year didn’t remember how to find the way. We were surprised to find Margaret and her family here. You may remember they called at your home in Cincinnati once when Mother was there. I had seen Paul her husband once when he stopped in Cincinnati once while I was there. But I had never seen Margaret and of course had not seen her three children. The daughter Helen is an attractive girl of nineteen. John is seventeen and Jimmie is eleven. He is an entertaining youth who plays the piano every few minutes. He never stays at the piano long but he goes to it often and plays fairly well for a youngster. He says he wants to be a professional musician. John is going to be a farmer like his father. They are a nice family.
Laura is going to drive here on Thursday but I don’t know how long she will stay. It is very hot here and I have no energy so you will have to excuse a stupid letter. I neglected to say that Aunt Rebecca is well and I love to talk to her for she seems so much like Grandma now.
Alma may have written you that we were hoping to rent the cottage for August so that our trip would be paid for and we were very glad to get a good tenant. It is a young couple by the name of Pettigil [???]. The husband is taking the invertebrate course so they want the cottage for five weeks.
We had quite a scramble to get out on such short notice. They rented it the night of the 31st and wanted to come in the next day. We were out and the cottage all clean by five o’clock.
We took the kitten down to Miss Rhodehouse [???] to keep during our absence [???].
We drove down to Hyannis and stayed there all night and went on to South Hadley the next day. We stayed there until Monday and then started out. We spent the first night in a hotel [???] near Primpton [???] on a lake. It was so chilly that when the maid said she would bring a pitcher of ice water it didn’t sound a bit tempting. But oh! how different it is now.
The next night we stayed at a house for tourists at Camp Hill which is across the river from Harrisburg.
I had written Mrs. Marshall who is at her brother’s in Shippensburg that we would be going through there and would stop and see them and their garden when we arrived there about 9:30 a.m. (we planned it so we would call early so they wouldn’t feel we had come for lunch) Mrs. Marshall was off doing the marketing and the maid said the arrangements were all made for us to be there for lunch.
Alma got right out into the garden and by the time Mrs. [???] got home was there [???illegible???] busy weeding. Alma says the best way to see what is in a garden is to weed it - especially a rock garden. So she was having a wonderful time discovering what was hidden among the rocks.
When “brother 2nd [???]” came home he found us in the weeding and said he never had such a satisfactory guest as Alma. He wanted us to stay and [???illegible???] Sis Marshall could take us to see Miss [???name illegible???]’s garden in Edenville in the afternoon. We decided we would stay when we were assured that we would not be interfering with Mrs. Marshall’s painting. We stopped to pick up Miss Blood [???], a friend of Mr. Rusier’s [???] and the four of us had a good time finding our way. It was out in the country and we went on many narrow country roads and they either would have no signposts on the crossroads or the signs would have fallen down! But we reached the garden and were expecting to go through it after announcing to Miss Four [???] that we were there. For she is an old lady and there are so many people coming to see her garden all the time that she just lets them go through alone. But she took us herself and when she found that Alma had been in India she had a wonderful time for she had just come back from there last year and keen about talking about it to a sympathetic listener. We had dinner at an old country Inn and then drove back to Shippensburg where we spent the night. Yesterday morning when we started it was cloudy and looked as though we might have rain but it had been threatening for so long that we could scarcely believe our eyes when began to pour. We had rain most of the time as we came over the mountains but in spite of it we had some lovely views.
[Handwriting becomes a hair more legible.]
I got so sleepy I had to stop and lie down. Now we have just finished a picnic supper and are about to start off for a drive to a swimming pool.
We were disappointed not to have any of you at Woods Hole this summer.
I thought that possibly Margaret would feel she could earn enough there to pay her travelling expenses.
Kathleen’s friends came to see her as soon as they saw a light at Fernbank. When I said I didn’t know whether or not she was coming they said they were going to send her a telegram to come [???two words, illegible???] She and Margaret would certainly have enjoyed the play The Penzance Players gave. It was a melodrama of the 90s called “Gold in the Hills” or “Her Dead Sister’s Secret” It was very amusing and was well given. They had a few of us from the Choral Club sing the old songs to get the audience started. I was dressed in an old black lace dress of Miss Clapp’s.
We expect to be here a week and then go to visit our Hanlin cousins down near Steubenville.
After that we go to Canton for a week probably.
Much love to all
Eva
audio---images---comment---transcript---~NOTES~---links---site navigation
1.
Alma talked about planning this driving trip in another letter:And we have a later letter from Alma about the trip, but I haven't uploaded it yet.
2.
I am sorry that this birthday letter will be late with its greetings. I hope you have had a Happy Birthday.
Kathleen turned on 46 August 11, 1934.
3.
We were surprised to find Margaret and her family here.
This must be Margaret Agnes Taggart, who is also mentioned in
4.
Alma may have written you that we were hoping to rent the cottage for August so that our trip would be paid for and we were very glad to get a good tenant.
The cottage is Fernbank.
5.
She and Margaret would certainly have enjoyed the play The Penzance Players gave. It was a melodrama of the 90s called “Gold in the Hills” or “Her Dead Sister’s Secret”
Gold in the Hills, or The Dead Sister’s Secret by J. Frank Davis
I found this summary of it:
The classic American melodrama in which one dramatic situation is piled upon another. Of course, there's a tenor hero, a heroine pure as snow, a polished villain who is a murderer, kidnapper, thief and insidious tempter. A mortgage on an old farm. Plots against our Nell.
6.
Gosh what awful handwriting.
Alma talked about planning this driving trip in another letter:And we have a later letter from Alma about the trip, but I haven't uploaded it yet.
2.
I am sorry that this birthday letter will be late with its greetings. I hope you have had a Happy Birthday.
Kathleen turned on 46 August 11, 1934.
3.
We were surprised to find Margaret and her family here.
This must be Margaret Agnes Taggart, who is also mentioned in
4.
Alma may have written you that we were hoping to rent the cottage for August so that our trip would be paid for and we were very glad to get a good tenant.
The cottage is Fernbank.
5.
She and Margaret would certainly have enjoyed the play The Penzance Players gave. It was a melodrama of the 90s called “Gold in the Hills” or “Her Dead Sister’s Secret”
Gold in the Hills, or The Dead Sister’s Secret by J. Frank Davis
I found this summary of it:
The classic American melodrama in which one dramatic situation is piled upon another. Of course, there's a tenor hero, a heroine pure as snow, a polished villain who is a murderer, kidnapper, thief and insidious tempter. A mortgage on an old farm. Plots against our Nell.
6.
Gosh what awful handwriting.
audio---images---comment---transcript---notes---~LINKS~---site navigation
LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT PAGES IN THIS WEBSITE
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- LAURA: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- EVA: DOCUMENTS ----- Outgoing
- KATHLEEN: DOCUMENTS ----- Incoming
- THE NEXT GENERATION: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- PROVINESES & GRACEYS: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
RELATED DOCUMENTS/PAGES:
audio---images---comment---transcript---notes---links---~SITE NAVIGATION~
WHERE AM I?
WHAT ARE THE PREVIOUS PAGE AND THE NEXT PAGE?
WHERE CAN I FIND THIS DOCUMENT IN OTHER LISTS?
- COMPLETE DOCUMENT LIST BY DATE
- DOCUMENTS BY WHERE THEY WERE WRITTEN ----- Pennsylvania
- DOCUMENTS BY SOURCE ----- Barbara