The Powers-Thompson Co. has finished paving 6th street, and Wednesday morning commenced work on Indiana street, at Cleveland avenue. It is probable that South Main street and Garfield will not be done until quite late this summer.
A copy of this letter was found in the Chester family file at the Hobart Historical Society Museum, Hobart, IN. The letter writer appears to be Harriet Lovisa Hanks Chester (1836-1878), the second wife of Henry W. Chester of Ainsworth, IN. Harriet and Henry were married in 1866. The date on the letter appears to be Sunday, April __th,1 1872 and was written to her friend,2 Alice. Harriet refers to the ages of her children which would correlate the year 1872 with the information on the family in the 1870 census and her son Charles' birthday in November of 1871. It is difficult to read in some places due to damage, but I have done my best to transcribe it. It is a very soulful, poignant expression of the feelings of a young woman, wife and mother in rural Indiana in the 19th century. She would have been in her mid 30's when this was written and would have two more children before her death in 1878. I believe that the "Lucy" she refers to was her sister, Lucy M. Hanks Spencer (1850, 1860, 1870 Federal Censuses). They were about 2 or three years apart in age. Lucy married Orsemus H. Spencer in Lake Co., IN in 1867, and by 1880 he is remarried and living in Kansas. I believe she was his second wife, as in the 1870 census they are listed along with two sons, ages 13 and 11, which were most likely his children by a previous marriage. So Lucy most likely died between 1870 and when this letter was written. As of this date I do not know who "georgy" was.
Harriet Chester Letter 1872 by AinsworthIN
_______________________Sunday, April __th, 1872
Dear Alice
I received your letter(?) dated Feb.(?) __ and most heartily thank(?) you for writing, why did you __________ I did not want(? wait?) to hear(? bear?) ______ ______ I have thought of you often and wondered if you ever thought of me I have not written to my friends as often as I should, but it has not been want of affection but of health, and it makes me hurt(?) every time I __________ I am sorry you have been sick ______ ______ family(?) gone(?) _______ you are lonely to to bad your family are all broken up have your Mother and Losica(?) forsaken you all together I wish I could see you Alice I could give you some advice that might be useful
Now it is June 2(?) and you(?) … [page 2] to write if I want to, now Alice I have got more to do then a woman had ought to have with my health we milk five cows and henry has to do all the churning and all the heavy work I can not lift my babe and I have not lifted a pail of water in most two years, henry has bought me a sewing machine it was 85 dollars but I cant stand it to sew more than an hour at a time, if I could have had it when I was well I would enjoyed it so much for I think a great deal of it and I like to have all things orderly and sewing done up in season
Now it is June 30 and I will try to finish this but it is hard work to write for I have such a hard pain in my right side with evry breath I draw Samuel Fullers(?) family live in the house with us they have been here since March Janes(?) has three chrildren her health is not [page 3] rearl good her youngest is a boy 18 months old and my youngest is a boy 7 months old and just as smart and pretty as georgy3 was we think there never was another such a boy the girls are five and three and very near of a size I have been making them some white lace hats I trimed them in pink flowers and green grapes and corn collord riban and I have made me one of white tarlton and black edging, we are having verry warm weather now so warm I can't write decent and it has been verry dry but yesterday we had two nice showers and it looks like rain now, Jame(?) has gone to meeting I could not go for I cannot ride in enny but the easiest wagon there is, and ours is to hobart getting repaird henry is verry patient with me more so then I should think one as stout and healthy as he is could be father and mother chester lived with us awhile after they sold their farm but now they have built a house just in [page 4] the next yard so we three familys make quite a setelment of our own I wanted to see Jane for a long time before she came for I have felt verry lonely since dear lucys death and I want to see you alice and I hope that you have learned in your short life that afflictions though they seem severe in mercy oft are sent. I hope that you have chosen the good way the only way to get to heaven, never let the troubles of this brief life worry you but ever sing we'll stand the storm it wont be long we'll anchor by and by,4 now alice I _____ set(?) the day for more then one year ___ write to your father I do want to hear from him so bad and pa too and I have waited so long now that I don’t know where to write now do write and tell me and I will write if not more then one line(?), you are single(?) come and see me …[The rest of the line is illegible. The letter resumes at the top of page 4, written upside-down] … all inquiring friends dont fail to write this from your affectionate Aunt(?)Harriet L. Chester
____ ____ ____ ____ [four illegible words, circled]
Henry W. Chester
