A young woman’s illustrated letter to her sister in a birch bark booklet

A remarkable 22-page illustrated letter from a young woman at the onset of adulthood, featuring a cast of dubious characters and unsettling situations.

Birch bark booklet, 4.25 x 3 inches with pinked edges, bound with two red ribbons. Immensely fragile but in Good condition: bark chipped at the top edge near the spine on both sides and splitting down the cover between the ribbon punctures. Dated March 8, 1908 from Newark, Vermont, the letter also names Caledonia County locales Wells River and West Burke. Penned in a particularly folksy hand, the upper corner of each recto is garnished with a drawing of a flower, butterfly, chicken, mouse, etc. The writer’s name on the rear cover has been obscured by water droplets, but looks most likely to be “Emory.” She’s signed it “E. F. S/W,” the last letter written over as she started writing “S” and corrected to “W”—maybe her maiden name? The letter is full of details including names and the date of her marriage, but her identity could not be matched to available records.

Unsettled between girl- and womanhood, her letter is set against a similarly tumultuous backdrop: “What was the trouble with Cummins Mary? I did not think she would ever die, what made them bury her so soon after she died? Was they in a hurry to get rid of her? People in West Burke are haveing (sic) scarlet fever, one girl died with it last Monday.” She also mentions a “Sed” offering to cure Corra next time she has a cold, adding, “…if he does I hope it will do the cure as soon as it did the other time but you had better look out for him. He ain’t very safe.”

The letter touches on a range of important topics: working women, family dynamics, public health, girls in higher education, motherhood, illness, questionable medical practices, teasing, making trouble, sugaring and pancakes. It features a cast of characters: Inez and Pollie (who’ve had a falling out), Addie (who knows it all), Irving and Elsie (they’re moving, Inez is going to help them), and Maynard (who doesn’t want to be teased now that he’s married), among others. She writes to her sister, who wants to leave home to work, giving her a preemptive guilt trip: “You are all Papa and Mamma have got to keep them company now and if you should leave I am as sure as can be that Mamma would not live long.”

She writes nostalgically of her time at home and how she did not realize how much she relied on her parents before leaving. Her liminal status is apparent in passages like her report of burning the roof of her mouth on a flapjack, inserted in-between her account of struggling with her baby and talking about being laid up for a period (possibly after childbirth), fixating on a red chair: “It was pretty nice when I was sick for two or three months before I could not set easy anywhere only there and not there, some of the time. I don’t think I shall stand many more such spells. I get worse every time, this time the Dr. gave me chloroform this time and he told me to be sure and not do that again.”

Full transcription: 

(1) Newark Vermont, March 8, 1908, Dear sister Corra, I will write you a line to tell you we are all well and hope this will find you all the same. Aint we having awful nice weather lately? It seems like sugaring, don’t it make (2) you want some new sugar? It does me. Pollie has gone to Wells River to work. Probably you will hear from there as soon as you will get this. Inez knew when he wrote to you but they have had (3) a falling out since then and he took everything he had and come here and yesterday he took part of his thing and went away. Inez said she should write to you and tell you something about Paul, so you (4) would be mad at him so to him plague him. I washed all this fore noon and did not want to work this afternoon, so that is how I happened to write. I see in the paper that Addie had gone to somewhere to graduate (5) again, why does she want to do that for? Don’t she think she knows it all now?       What was the trouble with Cummins Mary? I did not think she would ever die, what made them bury her so (6) soon after she died? Was they in a hurry to get rid of her? People in West Burke are haveing scarlet fever, one girl died with it last Monday.   It has been most four years since I was married, it will be the 16th of this (7)  month, have the folks got home from camp yet? I think you could get places enough to work out over here if you want to, but I do hope you will stay at home a while longer, you are all Papa and Mamma have got (8) to keep them company now and if you should leave I am as sure as can be that Mamma would not live long. She would be alone most of the time and you can think how you (9) would like to stay up there alone day after day, think how it would be for her and Papa to they are both getting old, and he will not have a father and mother more than a thousand of years longer and (10) are both liable to die almost every day think how you would feel if you went away and left them and they should die and you knew it was because they was so lonesome without you you will miss (11) them more after they are gone, I never shall forget how I have used them. I did not realize so much about it till after I got where I could not see them so much and you will think more about it after it (12) is too late. Mama feels awful bad every time you speak of working out and she worries about it. You had better tell her you have changed your mind and ain't going to work out and see how glad it will make her (13) they do the very best they can for you, think it over well and then if you are bound to go anyway let us know I think there will be places enough for you, but I hope you will make up your mind not (14) to go, you will begin to think I am preaching you quite a sermon so I won’t say any more only I don’t want you to get mad at what I have said or at what I don’t say. Sed says to tell you next time (15) you have a cold to come over and he will try and do something for you if he does I hope it will do the cure as soon as it did the other time but you had better look out for him. He ain’t very safe. (16) This is the kind of wood we burn now it is just as white as can be. Here is a chicken for you to make a chicken pie. The baby grows awful fast every night he will cry till I go to bed or (17) put him to bed then he will go to sleep and stay as nice as can be all night and in the morning he will cry till I get up with him, if the roads are so you can get over, I wish you could come and stay a week with us or longer if you (18) can. Maynard’s folks are all well. They was down here Thursday and Maynard said I did not need to tease him to do anything for him because he was married and he would not do anything for (19) any one only Corra, I swiped a piece of red hot flapjack, and I have got a big blister in the roof of my mouth to pay for it. I am sitting on my big chair. I think a good deal of it. It was pretty nice when I was sick (20) for two or three months before I could not set easy anywhere only there and not there, some of the time. I don’t think I shall stand many more such spells. I get worse every time, this time the (21) Dr. gave me chloroform this time and he told me to be sure and not do that again. Can’t you come over for sugaring, Irving and Elsie are going to move this spring Inez is going to help them. I see in the paper that you (22) folks had got high license over there, who is going to have the license? Probably you will be hot the most of the time. Well, I guess I shall have to close now hoping to hear from you again soon and you all come over as soon as you can. Good-Bye. E.F.[S/W].