To: Sophronia Troupe – Fostoria, OH
From: Rebecca J. Hartman – Somerset, OH
No envelope
Mar 20, 1870
Miss Sophrona,
Your kind and most welcome letter has been relieved and read with much pleasure. After read with, with tears now how many persons. You had no “J” in my name and Peter Hartman’s girl got the letter and let most every person read it.
I was glad to hear of your welfare and to hear that you was enjoying yourself so much. No, don’t go enjoying yourself in school. If Mattie Smith goes, for most every person can enjoy themselves, if they are in her company atleast – I could.
I tell you this is an awful rainy day. It rained ever since I got up this morning. Not just fast, but so that a person can say it rained.
I was at preaching this forenoon. Mr. Hayman preached. Had a very good sermon. We will have our big meeting in four weeks from today. That is our Easter preaching, will commence Friday night. From that til Sunday night.
I wish you would be here then and go with me, for there hant no person round here cares enough of me to go with me.
I must also tell you about the great (exhibition?) that was at our school house Friday night. There were not very many there that spoke, but the funniest bearer that I ever heard spoke. There were five boys, that had painted themselves black and had white clothes on. They looked awful. The band was there. We had all the (unreadable) we wished for.
Our school closed yesterday. The school house was full of visitors. I am glad that it is out for I do (unreadable) going to school.
Tomorrow I will have my quilt in the frame. I expect tolerable much help. For the people all knows that I am too little to quilt – much myself.
I must also tell you that (Isacc’s?) school is out, it closed last Friday. He had a large school. He had 72 scholars enrolled. I think he will teach the same school this summer, he taught this winter.
I suppose that Mahala Hartman will teach our school this summer. I think her to be a tolerable good teacher. I don’t think I would like that trade.
I must bring my letter to a close for I bet I have fifty mistakes already and then I think I must close – hoping to hear from you soon. Give my love to my Sisters if you see them.
Rebecca J. Hartman
To: Sophronia Troupe
From: Noah Daniel – Thornville, Perry Co., Ohio
No envelope
May 24, 1870
Dear Cousin,
I take this present opportunity to you that I am well at present and hoping that when these few lines come to hand, they may find you in the same state of health and happiness.
Well Sophronia, I have been waiting a good while for a letter from you. I could not think what the matter might be til today. I found out I went to the post office and got a letter and opened it. There I had the same letter that I had wrote to you on the 27th of Febraury. It had been to the dead letter office and came back. And I don’t wonder that you did not write. I did not direct my letter right and so it did not come to you.
Well, we are all well at present and Israel’s are too as far as I know. I have not seen any of them lately. I have been grunting around the biggest part of last winter. I had the yellow (joundis ?) and about the time I got over that, I sprained my ankle so that I layed around for a while. And some times now if I make a miss step, I go down on the ground and hurt my ankle over again. But I soon get over it again. I have lots of fun here now and I would have lots more if you was here. I would like to be with you again. I get lessons here by myself. Some times I would like to come out there this spring, but I can’t. But I want to come out this fall if I can.
I want you to write to me and tell me how you are getting along and so forth and so on.
Well, I must close for this time. Write soon. Excuse me for not writing sooner. So good bye for this time. Yours truly, Noah Daniel
Write soon as you can.
Good Bye to you my friend.
To: unknown
From: Noah Daniel – Thornville, Perry Co., OH
No envelope
Dec. 6th, 1870
Dear Cousin,
It is with pleasure that I seat myself to inform you that I am well at present and hoping that you are in the same state of health. And now I will tell you I am getting fine. I have a chance to go to a singing at school every week and I wish you was here to go with me. I don’t think I can come out there this winter. I have bought a sawing machine and I have so much work to do that I can not come.
Now I may come next spring. I gladly received your letter. I would like to see you again and talk about old times for us. We can not be together now. I will send you something that looks like me, only it is better looking than I am and I want you send me your photograph just as soon as you can. For I would to see it so.
Well, Levi Troupe is in here now and I think he will stay here this winter.
I was going to send you my picture long ago and I could not get them taken before I got to Newark. Excuse my bad writing. I will not write any more now for this time, and so no more at present.
Write soon. So good bye from yours truly affection friend.
From your friend, Noah Daniel