Dear Mother:--
East Du Page, June 12, 1845,
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
-- take my large rocking chair, is it not easy? What a nice
room 15 X 16 -- My hemp carpet only three yards -- striped quite
pretty and good. My walls are white, although rough.
My table stands on the west side, and over it may glass and Wm.'s
watch. She'll have just an hour to write -- In the corner
is our stand -- on it my lamp, workbasket and Bible. We read
every evening -- commenced the book of Psalms.
My chairs are on each side, and our spit box by the rocking chair.
My curtains are up at the windows and they are so nice. East
side leads into the bedroom, also a large cupboard -- look in a
moment. 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
salt mackerel. Come a moment longer out the South door into
my back room. See my stove, a premium stove, two ovens, a low one
and an elevated one, four griddles, shovel and tongs, dripping pan,
flat heater, large and small spider, copper teakettle, copper boiler,
flats, dipper, iron pot, dish kettle basin and brass kettle.
Then there is my wash tub and rinse and washboard, milk, water and
mop pails. Here also hang my broom and mop. Here is my wash
basin and you will find the towels by the door. My dish pan
is turned down on a large box, and under is some mustard and onion tops
for lettuce for dinner. Let me look into the oven lest my
Indian pudding be burning. Wm. bought me a cook book.
Could not do without it.
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
Taken from Naperville Centennial, 1831-1931, Copyright
1931, Fort Payne Chapter - Daughters of the American Revolution, Naperville,
Illinois. Transcribed with permission by Diane Bauer.
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