To: Sophronia Troupe – Fostoria, Ohio
From: Maria Beuchat – Kendallville, IN
No envelope
Dear Friend, July 5, 1876
It is with pleasure that I seat myself to let you know that I am well and hope those few lines may find you the same. I received your kind and welcome letter a few days ago and was glad to hear from you. I thought I wouldn’t write til after the fourth.
I was to Kendallville yesterday and had a pretty good time. I saw a great many of our old friends. Hank Reams goes with Seeny Hutchins {Sarah Delcena Hutchins}. The rest of the girls has been there except Manerva Melbern put those strangers to me. You ask me when I had seen Manerva? Last I saw her yesterday, she says she is coming to see me soon. Eliza {Lydia Ann Eliza Hutchins} and Seany {Sarah Delcena Hutchins} is coming to see me a week from next Saturday evening. They are agoing to stay til Sunday evening. I wish that you could be here too.
Well, you are piecing and quilting quilts and weaving carpet. But I’m canning currants and cherries so I think we will soon be ready to keep house. If we can find Brothers. If you can find two good looking boys, bring them out here with you. I hope you will come here soon. When you get to Kendallville, if you don’t find any one there for you, come here and see me, three miles a half north town.
Well, Frona {Sophronia Troupe}, I haven’t heard from poor little Simon since you went away and don’t know whether Mary Hankey does or not.
You wanted to know if I got a hat this summer. I did.
Well Fronia, {Sophronia Troupe} I commenced this letter a few weeks ago but I did not finish it right away and laid it in my trunk and dropped the key in too and it locked itself so I couldn’t get it open til now. I broke the lock.
Well there is a big show in Kendallville tomorrow. I wish you could be here to go with me.
You ask me if there was any boys here. Yes, we have one now through harvest. We had two. One was a school teacher. They are both good looking boys.
Well there is a Fair in Waterloo this Fall. I wish that you could come here and go with me. We could go on the train. It won’t cost us very much.
There is a good many getting married here. But I don’t think you know them.
Well, I must bring my letter to a close for this time. Please excuse my poor writing. Please write soon.
From Maria Beuchat to Sophronia Troupe
My pen is poor, my ink is pale, my love to you, never shall fail.
To: Sophronia Troupe – Fostoria, Ohio
From: Lydia Story – South Milford, IN
Envelope – yes
Dear Niece and Friend, July 16, 1876
I set down to write you a few lines to let you know that we are all well at present. Hoping these few lines may find you all enjoying good health.
Well Sophronia, {Sophronia Troupe} I received your letter a few days ago and I was very glad to hear from you all. Now I will tell you what the folks are working at. The most of them are a harvesting. Henry {Henry Hutchins} is about half done. Louisa {Louisa Shipe Hutchins} cooks over at my house so I have lots of company day time. But I stay alone nights ever since Andy {Andrew Jackson Foster} come back from Ohio. Ida {Ida Bower Hanes} stayed with me nights a while but they don’t let her come over to stay. I don’t know why.
Julia Fisher works at Andy’s {Andrew Jackson Foster} yet. They went down to Fishers today after preaching.
Well Fronia, {Sophronia Troupe} Tena {Tena Stahl Foster} needs a rapper pattern. It agrees well with her out here. She is getting as fat as Mary Bupp (sp?) but I hant seen Mary Bupp since I come home this last time.
Well I was over to Roscoe’s {Roscoe Gustavis Hutchins} today after meeting. They had lots of company and little Dan was there. Cena {Sarah Delcena Hutchins} works at Collin’s and Pat Kimmel works at Actons. Fred Liverence had Gusta plow to meeting on a buggy. The talk is that they will get married this fall. Mrs. Liverence has a cancer in her breast. I hant heard how she is for a couple weeks.
Well Frona, {Sophronia Troupe} you ought to be out here to pick huckle berries. They are plenty.
Mrs. Emerick and two of her girls went one day and picked four pails full.
Well the girls went down to Stone’s Corners to Sunday School and meeting this afternoon.
Well Fronia, {Sophronia Troupe} I wish you was out here to stay with me. I was down to old Hanas’s last Sunday. Old Mrs. Hanas told me there would be a sale at George Hanas’s after harvest. She thinks the place will be sold to pay the debts. Then the children will be put out. I think I can get one of them little girls. I heard that old Hana’s was a going to take the two oldest. Jake and Rosa Molream wants one. So they can find places for them.
Well Fronia, {Sophronia Troupe} I will send you a patch of my new dresses. The (unreadable) was five cents a yard and the other was eight cents.
Well Ella {Ella Story} has two double teeth. She can climb up on a chair and up on the first step of the ladder.
How is Shefelbarger or is he dried up or had he got a woman? If he has I don’t think Israel {Israel Troupe} done his duty and there he has another sin to answer for.
Lydia Story to Sophronia Troupe
Write soon for I like to hear from home. Excuse my poor writing.
To: Sophronia Troupe – Fostoria, Ohio
From: Amos Troupe – Dimondale, MI
Envelope – yes
Dear Sister, July 30, 1876
Your letter was received a few days since and was glad to hear from you. And in return, I would say it found us all well, and happy as a lark.
There is considerable excitement here at meeting. They have meeting from five to twelve times a week. These is a (unreadable) (unreadable) Reverend paying his attentions to Lizzie {Sarah Elizabeth Troupe}. She was Baptized last Sunday. “B” {Rebecca Troupe} was agoing to leave last Monday. I guess she would have, if it wouldn’t have been for Abe’s wife, she persuaded her to stay.
We have the wheat all in the barn, ready to thrash as soon as the oats will do. Pop {John Troupe} is agoing to get a horse team pretty soon. There will be about 40 acres of wheat sowed on the place this fall. I don’t know whether I shall stay here this winter or not. I got that twenty five cents of silver. I forgot all about it until I got out here. If Pop {John Troupe} comes out there I will send it out with him and if he don’t come. I will send it by mail.
Pop {John Troupe} don’t belong to Church any more. They are too loud for him. They have prayer meetings about every night. I don’t think I shall stay at home longer than after seeding. It made Pop {John Troupe} consicerable out when Lizzie {Sarah Elizabeth Troupe} was Baptized. I don’t think that there is a (unreadable) religion about her.
The preacher talked about two hours to me yesterday and then give me up on bad medicine, and said his advice to me would be to seek the Savior while he may be found and he didn’t have any more to say to me.
I must close for this time.
Write soon, yours
Amos Troupe
Dimondale, Michigan