DuPage County Illinois |
Taken from Naperville
Centennial, 1831-1931, Copyright
1931, Fort Payne Chapter - Daughters of the American Revolution,
Naperville,
Illinois. Transcribed with permission by Diane Bauer. Through the kindness of Mrs. Wm. B. Green's family we are able to print the first letter written by her to her parents in Vermont, after her arrival in her new home, and a most charming letter it is -- giving a firsthand picture of those early days: Dear Mother:-- Come, lay aside your work for awhile and
look
into your daughter's home -- We will come from the East -- Wait
while I let down the bars -- come, is not this a nice yard,
larger
than yours. Notice the large oak trees -- twelve -- what
a
nice shady place. But come on, since the outer part is ragged
to behold -- naught but logs, their natural form and color, walk in
Upper shelf devoted to
sundries. No. 2,
groceries,
a goodly supply, viz., one cake loaf sugar, paper rice, one raisins,
two coffee, ground pepper, cinnamon, spice, ginger
starch,
indigo, cannister of first rate tea and my baking plates and
pudding
dishes. No 3 and 4 -- tableware, breakfast, dinner, and
teasets,
tumblers, sauce dishes, castor, Brittania teapot and silver --
No.
5,6, 7 and 8 --Milkpans, 10 2-quart basins, one pint basin, 3
baking
pans, iron spoons, grater, chopping knife, pastry cutter,
etc. Lower department --
molasses
and oil jug, oil can, colander, coffee pot, stone jar of
butter,
one of bread and cake -- Look into our bedroom, windows
faces
the
East, bed stands South, wash bowl and pitcher in a chair.
Have not brought home our wash stand yet. Wm. Is going to
Chicago in a week or two with some wheat, and will bring them
home
then. A six weeks washing is in my basket. Mrs. Blinstom is coming to
iron Saturday. She washed Tuesday.
Can
you climb above -- I guess not. I'll tell you how it
looks.
A bed is on the floor -- Could not bring the other bedstead, a
trunk,
chest of bed clothes, a bag of dried apples, bag of dried
peaches,
two nice codfish, etc. We go down cellar from the bedroom
from a trap door. Nothing there now but a half-barrel of I am quite contented, now I can sit under my own oak tree, and this is our home. Do come this Fall and stay all Winter. You shall have a bed in the sitting room by the stove. We would make it so comfortable. Wm. said yesterday, "If Father were here, he would make our yard look better." I think of you every day and every hour. I am writing on my damask tablecloth. Mother hemmed it. My comprehensive commentary is on the stand -- my father's gift. My pen is made with the little white-handled knife brother carried so many days. Everywhere is something to remind me of home -- Tell Grandma and Grandpa every time I open the cupboard door our old fashioned china plate looks me in the face -- Love to them all -- I wish they would all write me. We have good and the best of neighbors, can go to meeting when I please -- Attended church last Sabbath at Naperville, quite a little place. The house is new, not finished, the heaters seated on rough boards, and Mr. Lyman, the preacher, behind a table or desk. Something of a contrast to our neat church. Good-bye for the present -- must lay the dinner cloth.
Hattie Back to DuPage County Diaries and Letters |