Archive 2008 - 2019

Letters Home to Bullard Farm

by Martha DeWolf
8/28/2010

 Hovey is almost eighteen, Charlie is his brother-in-law married to his sister Ellie. It is not clear what Ellie's ailment is.   Hovey's cousin Jenny and her daughter Jennie (Minor) live nearby.  His cousin Dwight is twenty and determined, it seems, to corrupt Hovey.  Fannie is Hovey's older sister and my great-grandmother. 

Cambridge

February 22nd 1874

Dear Mother,

I reached Cambridge with whole corpus last Wednesday.  In fact I left nothing behind me except a measure for a pair of boots at South Framingham and a few apples with Albert.  I saw Charlie at the store and he says Ellie is going to be cured.  The doctor who is attempting it is one that I recommended to Charlie, a Mr. Tyler who is a lecturer in Harvard Medical School.   

Wednesday evening I went up to Jennies.  I may have felt a little homesick for they declared that I looked as glum as a skinned catfish.  I didn’t say much and they all set to work at trying to worm a confession out of me.  Every one advanced some theory to explain my blueness.  They seemed best satisfied with one proposed by Jennie Minor namely that I had been cut out by somebody or that a certain young lady had slighted me.  I left them to conjecture as best they might and went out to take a walk with Dwight.   

We sauntered down to Cambridgeport and as we passed the Hall we saw that an entertainment of some kind was in progress.  Dwight proposed going in and I consented.  We found that it was a minstrel troupe.  For an hour or more it was a terrible bore; I devoutly wished myself back in [my] room grinding.  We waited vainly hoping that the entertainment might grow better. The last piece was quite good and I felt satisfied in thinking that I had obtained a little enjoyment even at it expense of two hours steady boring.   

I gave Fannie that $10 and advice.  She pocketed the one and turned up her nose at the other.  So, I infer that both did her good.  I saw Nellie at the stable the other day, she looks first rates, her hide shines, as it never did before.  Dwight only rides her horseback, he has no harness yet.   

Fannie wanted me to weigh her yesterday.  I took her down to the grocery store and found she weighed 132 ½.  She wouldn’t believe me and declared I was fooling her.  She went alone to another store and had someone weigh her.  This time she weighed 133 ½.  She still believes there is a fraud somewhere.   

That little Hill boy came around to my room this morning.  He stays in Ware’s room when he goes home.  He (Fred Hill) asked me to go to church with him and I went.  Tell Hattie I had the doubtful pleasure of sitting beside Miss Helen Hill at church service and had she not fortunately gone to the Sunday School, I should probably have been obliged to go home with her.   

One of the buttons to my overcoat is lost.  If you or Mr. Sanderson has one like them, I wish it could be sent down.  Enclosed find car ticket.  Your affectionate son,

J. Hovey Bullard