To Eulalia White, a Long Way from Home

Among the random old stuff I've collected is this little envelope with nothing in it:


(Click on image to enlarge)


No date on the postmark from Pittston, Maine, but whoever addressed it was taught to write no later than the early years of the 19th century: note the way the ss in Miss is formed.

In the 1860 Census of Ross Township, we find a 23-year-old Eulalia White in the household of Joseph Henney — or is it Kenney? It's indexed the first way, but looking at the handwriting, I think it really is Kenney. (In the same census we also find a 25-year-old Eulalie White in Pittston, Maine — maybe the same person counted twice?)

The Merrillville Eulalia is a teacher. She is presumably boarding in the Kenney household. Joseph Kenney describes himself as a merchant; some of his neighbors give occupations that would be practiced in town (clerk, shoemaker, physician) and among the farming neighbors are names that we find in the general Merrillville area on the 1874 Plat Map. From all of this I conclude that Joseph lived in the village of Merrillville, and Eulalia taught at the Merrillville school.

I cannot find Eulalia White before or after 1860. However, in the 1850 Census, in the household of David and Sophronia White of Pittston, Maine, is a 15-year-old Mary E. — was her middle name Eulalia, I wonder? In the same household is a 79-year-old Hannah Kenney — Sophronia's mother, maybe?

I cannot positively identify Joseph Kenney (or Henney) before or after 1860.

On the envelope, above the address, someone has written very lightly in pencil: "Oh my brother." This makes me wonder whether the letter brought Eulalia bad news of her family. (She did have one brother, David Jr., but I can't determine when he died.)