Daniel Kelley     ( January 28, 1891 )

Daniel Kelley

Envelope Front and Back

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Letter: Two pages – One side each.

Paper: Lined paper 8-3/8” wide by 10-5/8” high.

The top of each page has the following printed on it.

 

Form 127 L.

INDIANA, ILLINOIS & IOWA R. R. Co.

______ Station,

_________ 189__

 

Envelope: 5-7/8” wide by 3-1/2” high.

The front is postmarked but the postmark is illegible.

The back is postmarked Dennison, Mich. Jan 29, 1891

It is stamped with a 2 cent stamp and addressed to:

Miss Lizzie Golden, Dennison, Ottawa Co., Michigan  R.R.S. Box 47

The top of the envelope has the following printed on it.

 

F. 580

LOUISVILLE, NEW ALBANY & CHICAGO RAILWAY COMPANY

 

The bottom of he envelope has the following printed on it.

R.R.S

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Form 127 L.

INDIANA, ILLINOIS & IOWA R. R. Co.

LaCrosse Station,

Jan’y 28^th 1891

 

Miss Lizzie Golden

Dennison Mich

 

Friend Lizzie,

 

Yours of 18^th rec’d OK.  I had almost given up hopes of hearing from you at all.  I would have answered yours before now but an engine here came near fixing me so I would never be able to write again.  An I I & I Engine (12) was standing in front of the depot here waiting for orders.  I was just taking an order out for the engineer to sign and was right beside the engine when her right hand cylinder head blew out.  It is a plate weighing about 75 pounds.  It went about a foot from my head about 50 miles an hour.  I got my right hip and leg above my knee boiled or very nearly so with the scalding steam and water.  It laid me up for 3 days but I am working now OK.  I have a side of bacon and bandages and I don’t know what else on it tonight.  The Doc. promised to take ‘em off today and I assure you it is anything but comfortable carrying a half a pig and etc. around with you.  Doctor says I’ll be OK in a week.  I hope so.  Well, that’s rather a long excuse but it’s an important one to me at least.

 

Well how are the folks around that part of the globe?  I got a letter from Will yesterday.  That poor boil of his.  I never had one but tell him I sympathize with him.  Tell him the girls are liable to go back on him if he shows himself.  I am going to write to him tomorrow eve if I can.  I suppose you hear a great deal from him about this place.  I have been here almost three months now and my hair has not changed yet.  Don’t suppose I’ll get home before July now.  It’s so hard to get any relief here.  Well I am afraid I am writing almost too much.  My hand trembles so I can’t write a legible hand.  But I will close hoping to hear from you sooner than last time.  I am

 

Yours Very Truly

Dan’l D Kelley

 

P. & D.

Am going “down in a kol mine” as soon as I am able.

 

Have Will hug Dick B. for me.

Return my 73 to Mary and all the folks.

 

 

 

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“Will”:  William Golden was Lizzie’s brother

 

“Return my 73 to Mary”: I found the following on the Internet

 

ORIGIN OF 73

Via Louise Ramsey Moreau, W3WRE and Charles A. Wimer KC8EHA

The following is from Louise Ramsey Moreau, W3WRE: "The traditional expression "73" goes right back to the beginning of the landline telegraph days. It is found in some of the earliest editions of the numerical codes, each with a different definition, but each with the same idea in mind - it indicated that the end, or signature, was coming up. But there are no data to prove that any of these were used.

"The first authentic use of 73 is in the publication The National Telegraphic Review and Operators' Guide, first published in April 1857. At that time, 73 meant "My love to you"! Succeeding issues of this publication continued to use this definition of the term. Curiously enough, some of the other numerals used then had the same definition as they have now, but within a short time, the use of 73 began to change. "In the National Telegraph Convention, the numeral was changed from the Valentine-type sentiment to a vague sign of fraternalism. Here, 73 was a greeting, a friendly "word" between operators and it was so used on all wires.

"In 1859, the Western Union Company set up the standard "92 Code." A list of numerals from one to 92 was compiled to indicate a series of prepared phrases for use by the operators on the wires. Here, in the 92 Code, 73 changes from a fraternal sign to a very flowery "accept my compliments, "which was in keeping with the florid language of that era. "Over the years from 1859 to 1900, the many manuals of telegraphy show variations of this meaning. Dodge's The Telegraph Instructor shows it merely as "compliments." The Twentieth Century Manual of Railways and Commercial Telegraphy defines it two ways, one listing as "my compliments to you"; but in the glossary of abbreviations it is merely "compliments."

Theodore A. Edison's Telegraphy Self-Taught shows a return of "accept my compliments." By 1908, however, a later edition of the Dodge Manual gives us today's definition of "best regards" with a backward look at the older meaning in another part of the work where it also lists it as "compliments."

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