Mary Malone     ( March 14, 1897 )

Mary Malone

Page 1

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Letter: 3 pages. Front and back of page 1 and 2.  Front of page 3

Paper: lined paper: 9” wide by 7” high, page 1 and 2 were full sheets.   Page 3 was a half sheet (4-1/4” wide by 7” high)

Envelope is addressed to Miss Lizzie Golden, Dennison, Mich.

Postmarked on the front Midland, Mich., Mar 15, 1897

Postmarked on the back, Dennison, Mich

Envelope is stamped with a 2-cent stamp

Envelope is 4-5/8” wide by 3-5/8” high

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Midland, Mich.

3 – 14 – 97

Dear Lizzie,

 

Perhaps you think it is time for a reply form me, so, here it is.  The Dennison people are doing something, since I left.  Of course there couldn’t be any weddings while I was home.  Now Lizzie, when you have yours let me know and I will try and attend.  It is a good thing Lent set in or perhaps Dennison would have lost all its Fair Maids.  I heard your Uncle James had a wedding in Dennison.  Well, I am glad to see my relations increasing.

 

Tell Kate I congratulate her and wish her much success.  Tell me all about the wedding when you write for I haven’t heard only a little Mag wrote.  I suppose Kate will find it different house keeping than sewing.  Send me a piece of her wedding dress.

 

Well; there isn’t any Mass here to-day.  Father Malone is in Vernon and will return to-morrow noon.  He has a great many Missions to attend to.  There are two more Sunday Missions besides Midland.  One of them; Auburn; he drives to on Sunday morning.  He says he will take me out there when it gets warmer.  He is looking real well and has lots to do at present.  We have Lenten devotions here two nights in the week and Vespers on Sunday night.  He organized a Sodality, Altar Society and League of the Sacred Heart here.  The young Ladies Sodality will give a supper and concert on St. Patrick’s eve, so that makes extra work.

 

Last Wednesday, one of the girls was going out into the country to solicit for the supper and asked me to go to see the country and of course I accepted the invitation.  We went to Hope a place 10 miles northwest of here.  We started at 8 o’clock in the morning and returned about the same hour at night.  We had a picnic.  The horse was small and stop at every cow path so we had to keep whipping it nearly all the time.  We had our dinner at a very nice farm house and the young man took his horse and took us around to some of the places.  His name was Sully.  You know the people up there come here to Mass.  Sometimes they have Mass in a house on week-days.  It is a new country and nearly all woods on the way up there.  It is very queer to go around among the different people and see how they live.  They are not all fixed like the Dennison people but are very nice people.  The place where we had dinner, they had a large house and every thing nice. The lady told me they moved in there fifteen year ago and it was all woods.  In the Village it is very nice.  They have a large school house and three churches, Post Office and Store.  We rode nearly 40 miles that day something I would not think of doing at home.  I was tired but did not have the Headache.  I had it only once real bad since I came up here.

 

I have been lonesome a few times when Father M- was away but can not get lonesome when he is here for he is so very kind and full of Jokes.  He is taking up the Census and always has something comical to tell about finding the houses up side down and how they run into every corner with something trying to clean up the floor.  One woman said I suppose you think we are awful dirty, wont you come again some time!  The people here seem to be very nice, especially the girls. I have met nearly all of them.  They all called on me one Sunday.  I am going to join the Sodality and Sacred Heart League.  Tell Mrs. F. Culligan I put blue satin ribbon on my Tea gown and it made a great improvement in the looks.

 

How is Frank?  I heard he had the grippe.  How is T. Mc?  Do you ever see him?  I presume the poor fellow is expecting a letter that never comes for I cannot make connections and perhaps it would get lost.  Do not mention this or anything I told you before to Frank or anyone.  Give my best regards to Wm Fitz and hoping for an early reply, I remain your loving cousin Marie Mal.

 

P.S. address, Midland, Midland Co., L. Box 31.  If you can not read this, send it back.  I went into the church and nearly froze my fingers trying to play Heaven My God to Thee before I began writing.

 

Love to all, write soon

             Fxxxxx

 

EXTRA

 

Lizzie – I have to put this piece of paper on the outside for those envelopes are so thin you can read it right through.  I had a letter written the other day and Father M- picked it up and read it right off.  Tell my people I received that express package all right.

 

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“Tell Kate”: Kate Golden is Lizzie’s sister.

 

“Mag wrote”: Maggie Malone is Mary Malone’s sister.

 

“Father Malone” and “Father M-“: Two of Mary Malone’s brothers were priests, James Malone and Dennis Malone.

 

“Tell Mrs. F. Culligan”: Kate Golden, Lizzie’s sister, married Frank Culligan.

 

“How is Frank?”: Frank Culligan.

 

“How is T. Mc?”: The McGrath farm was west of, and adjacent to, the Fitzpatrick farm.  Thomas McGrath is in the 1870 Census.  He was born in 1867.  That makes him about 5 years older than Mary Malone.  In a letter written to Lizzie on May 12, 1898, Mary Malone says “Is their and danger of your neighbor on the west going.  If so you should use all your influence to prevent him for my sake.  How is that party and his Berlin Mary getting along.  I presume it is nothing to me but just for something to say I thought I would ask.”

 

“to Frank or anyone”: Frank Culligan

 

“Wm Fitz”: William Fitzpatrick, Lizzie’s future husband.  William Fitzpatrick and Lizzie Golden were married November 1897.

 

 

 

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Page 2

Envelope Front

Envelope Back

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