March 1872 Albany Letters 4

by Louise Smith Posted on March 12, 2015

Albany, New York, March 1872
Dear Mother,
I have been very busy this week and it seems so good to be at liberty to talk to you for a few minutes even if I can only talk with pen and ink on a little piece of paper that will not contain one half I want to say…

Since writing this, I have stopped and ironed my clothes. I always iron Friday. Mrs. Wright does my washing and I think she ought to. We pay enough for board though we get ours much cheaper than some of the girls.

If I stay another term, I shall board myself. It is much cheaper and I should like it better. I am as careful of my money as I can be and have not lost any yet.

I get along very well in school, at least the teachers tell me my standing is good whenever I ask them.

Miss Stoneman is my teacher in map drawing and penmanship and I am afraid I shall never be able to draw maps correctly anyway. It takes more time than anything else and I do not see any particular use in it.

And then if we do not speak loud enough in our recitation, she marks us the same as for missing. She always tells me to talk louder until I forget what I am going to say, so I suppose my standing in that is not very good though it can not be very low or she would tell me.

Grammar is very easy and I get along quite well in that Miss McClelland gave us sentences to write and analyze the other day. She found quite a good deal of fault with the most of them, and when I got about half way through with mine, she said, “Stop. Miss Austin, that was done beautifully, just the way I wanted it.” Continue reading →

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March 1872, Albany Letters 3

by Louise Smith Posted on March 11, 2015

Albany, New York, March 1872
My dear Mother,
I have been copying poetry and drawing maps all day and now I am going to write a few lines to my mother as I am tired and I know this will rest me as much as anything.

I am glad we do not have school Saturday. I never should have anytime for writing if they did.

The lessons are not very hard to learn, but they are hard to recite and it takes me all the time to think what I shall say and how I shall say it when I get up in the class and then I very often forget and say something wrong.

We have been having review in Geography all this week. I asked Mrs. Stoneman yesterday how many failures I had made. She said I had not made any, but my recitation on Tuesday was not very good. She gave me Mr. Parish’s to recite from and I could not tell what it was and consequently failed to recite. I was afraid she marked it a failure, but she did not. Continue reading →

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March 1872 Albany Letters 2

by Louise Smith Posted on March 10, 2015

1872 First Term, Albany, New York
My darling Mother,
I will try and scribble a few lines now, though I have only a few minutes to do it in as it has taken me nearly all the afternoon to work out some questions in Complex Fractions according to a new theory of Professor Husted.

It took me some time to get it so that I could understand it and explain it out. I think I can do so now and this way is much better than any I have ever seen before.

We are nearly through our Physiology and I shall be glad when we are done with skeletons and bones. Miss Stoneman had a skull in class today and took the bones apart, and passed them around the class for the students to look at. I looked, but did not touch any myself. Miss Stoneman was up in our grammar class today.

Allie Van Kleek, one of the graduates, was in the class and she says she is going to make me talk louder. Before I was called on, she complained to Miss McClelland that she could not hear one of the girls and I was so afraid that she would complain of me that I would hardly speak.

I would not have been scared if Miss S. had not been there. Allie said my voice trembled so and my cheeks were so red that she took compassion on me and kept still. The girls wanted to know what made my cheeks so red. I thought my face was burning up and every word choked me and they all laughed about it when I got home.

Tell father I received the money and thank him for me for sending it. I am glad he thinks I have improved in writing.

Tell Ida I am much obliged to her for her letter and will answer soon. With much love,
Ever yours, E.E.A.

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March 1872, Albany Normal School Letters

by Louise Smith Posted on March 9, 2015

Edith Emogene (Emma) Austin when she was younger.

Saturday, March 2, 1872
My dear, dear Mother,
I get so lonesome as it seems to me I must write to you as I can not live without going home. Yet I like it here very much. But you know it is my disposition to be discontented.

I have had the teethache all day today and this afternoon, I went to the dentist and had one drained.

This morning Mr. Bigelow, a teacher from New York, and a graduate from here, came in for the girls to go up to the legislature. He gave Carrie and I an invitation to go, too. We accepted the invitation and went. I hoped to see Gov. Hoffman, but in this I was disappointed.

I had the pleasure of seeing Senator Madden and hearing him speak. But did not observe anything remarkably brilliant either in his looks or conversation. They spent most of the time in which we were there in disputing the time in which they should meet again and finally decided to adjourn until Tuesday next.

They were rather more dignified and orderly in the Senate than in the House of Representatives. But I did not receive very exalted impressions of either.

We went from the Senate to the State Library and took a look at the books. It is a large and nicely finished building and contains 82,000 volumes of standard literature. We have the privilege of going there to read whenever we please, but are not allowed to take any books from the building…

We are going up to the Observatory before long. Dr. Alden thinks it very desirable that we should visit it once during our stay in Albany, but has forbidden us to go more than once as he considers it a very possible place for flirtations and he decidedly objects to anything of the kind among the students of the State Normal.

Mr. Wright tells me that it is the only or at least the principle object of the school to make old maids, and that we sign a contract to remain single when we enter the school, but Dr. Alden says a lady is always entitled to the privilege of changing her mind. So it is not so bad after all. Continue reading →

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Albany Normal School

by Louise Smith Posted on March 8, 2015
Dr. Joseph Alden, first president at Albany Normal School.
Professor Albert Husted, the math instructor at Albany Normal.

Albany Normal School, now the University at Albany, was the first Normal School in the State of New York and the third in the United States.

Opening December 18, 1844, Albany Normal offered a two-year teacher preparatory program, modeled on l’Ecole Normale Superieure in France. The goal was to educate and train school teachers in the science of education and the art of teaching for teaching positions in New York as well as the rest of the U.S.

In her letters [some of which will be in the next posts] from Albany State Normal to her parents, Emma Austin mentioned Dr. Alden and Professor Husted.

Dr. Joseph Alden
Dr. Alden was the first president of Albany Normal School from 1867–1882. He wrote more than seventy books, including—Christian Ethics or the Science of Duty, The Science of Government, and Thoughts on the Religious Life.

Alden was a firm believer that the study of the English language was just as important as the study of Latin and Greek.

President Alden is perhaps best known for his championing of women faculty who, he believed, should be “paid for the work done and not for the sex of the worker.” Alden was also concerned about improving the living conditions of female students.

Albert Husted
Albert N. Husted, was appointed a math instructor about 1855, but then resigned his position to join the Union during the Civil War, and mustered into Company E, on September 6, 1862, as a 2nd Lieutenant. Captain Albert N. Husted returned as a Math Professor in November 1864, at a salary of $1,000 per year.—albany.edu.

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March 27, 1865

by Louise Smith Posted on March 7, 2015
Charles Mortimer (Mort) Austin when younger.

Twin sons were born to William Henry and Mary Ann Eldred Austin on March 27, 1865.

With typical Austin humor, Henry and Mary Ann discussed calling the twins Abe and Jeff after the leaders of the North and South.

They settled on Charles Mortimer Austin, for my grandfather, and Edward Augustus Austin, for his twin brother.

Sadly, Edward died in July.

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March 13, 1863

by Louise Smith Posted on March 5, 2015
“Siege of Vicksburg: Assault on Fort Hill” by Thure de Thulstrup, 1883. Intense fighting between Union and Confederate forces on June 25th, 1863, at Fort Hill. John C. Pemberton’s Army of Vicksburg were able to stop the assault of Union Forces which lasted 26 hours.

Port Royal,
South Carolina
Dear Brother Atwell,
In answer to yours of Feb. 22. I am glad to hear that you are all enjoying good health.

We have just come in from a drill that is new to us. It is to embark in surf boats off of the transports and land anywhere along the seashore, whether under the fire of the enemy or not. We did it good for ones that are calculated to be green hands at the business.

The surf boats will hold from 30 to 50 men. We started at 11 o’clock a.m. and got back to camp at 5 o’clock p.m. We expect to have to drill it more before we leave here before long.

You say there was a surprise party at our house. What kind of a party is a surprise party? Write who all was there.

I seen one of the Monitors today. I do not care much how soon we leave here. I will soon have two years of my time in.

We hear here that there has been certain propositions about drafting being made up north. If so, I suppose it stirs up the minds of the cowboys to the highest pitch of excitement.

Write how Isaac Bradley gets along. Write if you hear how James Sergeant likes soldiering.

We expect to hear of some fighting up towards Richmond soon. We heard that we were to go back to Virginia from another report. We heard that we were to wait here till spring time set in, then attack Charleston or Savannah.

Coe and Miller is well. It is purty warm here. The sun, when it rises and sets, looks just as it does in Indian summer. We are to get fresh bread today. We have not had it only once or twice since we left Newberg. The sand drifts like snow down here.

We hear the reports of heavy artillery off towards Savannah once in a while.
S.S. Leavenworth

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March 1862

by Louise Smith Posted on March 3, 2015
U.S.S. Onondaga, a double-turreted monitor, on the James River, Va., 1864. Photo: National Archives photo no. 111-B-368.

Washington, March 1, 1862
Dear Friends,
One thing you wrote that you had about made up your mind to enlist. You had better take my advice and not come.

You would likely have a nice ride coming here, but you would get nothing but a hardboard to sleep on and we do not have a good living as we got up to Newburgh. If you will mind what I write, you will be better off. Besides, it is purty certain we will move after payday which is in a few days.

We was mustered in for pay yesterday. I intend to send 40 dollars home. Vanwyck has left his seat in Congress for to take charge of his regiment.

I received that paper you sent to me and was very glad to get it. That box has not got here yet. We can get cake and such things, but it is better what comes from home.

You must not enlist for anything. You will be sorry if you do. You could get in this company. If you did, you would go in the company that you enlisted in. You had better let it alone. S.S. Leavenworth

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February 1904

by Louise Smith Posted on February 27, 2015

Joseph Maier kept records of the costs of rebuilding his Pine Grove Farm boarding house on Crawford Road. The cost of freight to Shohola, Pennsylvania, and the bridge toll was also added in. Mr. Maier first wrote for quotes on the cost.

Joseph’s list of costs for building courtesy of the Bosch Family.

Joseph Maier, Eldred, to Andrew Paye
February 7, 1904
Dear Sir,
Will you please give me a price on 3,000 Shultz hard brick, the same kind I bought of you once before and the same kind you furnished W.F. Proctor a boat load.

The price is to be delivered to Shohola. You pay the freight. I will draw them myself from Shohola.

Give me your lowest cash price money ready when the brick arrives at Shohola.

Also, how soon could you get these brick for me.

The sooner the better. Let me know at once so I can give you the order if everything is OK, and oblige.

Yours respectfully, Joseph Maier

More of Joseph’s costs for building, courtesy of the Bosch Family.

Joseph Maier, Eldred, to Robert A. Greig.
February 15, 1904
Dear Sir,
I write to you to come back. I wanted to see you in regards to some dry white pine lumber.

I want to commence to build, but I cannot as I have no dry boards. Could you let me have 2 or 3 thousand feet? I want some wide boards for Cornish casing and face boards. Please let me know if I could get the lumber right away.

I will get Mr. Daily or if you like your sister to count the lumber for you.

I want to take it to Mr. Daily to have it planed so I can use it at once. I could go up and get what I want and take it to the mill.

Let me know what your lowest cash price is per M, and I will pay you at once as I cannot commence to build until I get dry lumber.

So please be so kind as to answer this at once by return mail and oblige.

Yours Respectfully, Joseph Maier Continue reading →

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