Author: Joseph

Jennie Bucklin sent this letter to her youngest brother Louis Charles Bucklin after he arrived at Ohio Normal University in Ada, Ohio.

I sign my name not for its beauty but if it should never reach you I want it back
Jennie

Jennings La Jan 19th 1893

Dear Brother

We all thanked you very much for your great promptness in keeping us posted along your Route & in letting us know of all the particulars of your arrival at Ada

Mother especially appreciated your thoughtfullness in your gift book and first letter being to her after arriving at your destination she says she will never part with the wrapping you so carefully sewed up with the kneedle & thread that she knows she gave you. By the way did you need to put so much postage on it?  And tell me did you see the places that are pictured in it they are lovely.

We are glad you are well pleased in your location.  And hope you will do well.  Do not ape the strut you wrote about.  And yet do not hold yourself too cheaply.  Joe made that mistake in Dubuque.

There is enough at your back in far off Louisiana both in Family & landed property to warant you to carry your self just as you see fit and give you the respect of all.  You must remember many of those long ones have just their clothes and are depending on what their schooling may bring to them here after.  So you can easily allow the students & Faculty to see you are sure of your ground with out bragging or letting them feel that you are afraid of them.

2nd
There is that not a free lecture for nothing; but I do not believe in people making them selves cheaper than they are. Other people will try to do that for us quickly enough

Well I suppose Clarence has told you that the lat sack of the rice is down here Clarence went up with Ben Friday and brought down a load with them saturday and returned with the cattle sunday By the way if any of them are curious as to your social standing just inform them that you never travel here with out four spare to your Vehicle

Mother & Joe came down here day before yesterday Ben & Joe drove down to Lake Arthur and have not returned yet. Mother is with me me yet and will be for a few days Tom Lilt has stopped work to attend school at Andersons’ schooll house taught by a miss Avery.

The carpenters are to go up to start our house next week if nothing happens.  Three of them, they will board with our folks and Martha Williams will go up at the same time to work for Mother.  I think she will like Martha very well.

Had McFarlain sold out his store stock to Viterbo Bros before you left?  I I suppose the K. girls are enjoying their rest greatly.

The pocket book of the Morse family only sufficed to carry Geroge to school I think.  At any rate George was send to L. Charles & Chas is pitching into work like a good fellow.  Well I am scribbling off this straggling letter late at night as all are in bed long ago, and I am getting in a few lines between the babys’ squalls so you must excuse Clarence was angry at me for because I kept his letter waiting these two or three day’s so I did it tonight.  Mother would have written but was not feeling so well as to write as long a letter as she wished to so she send her dear love in this and will write later.  I heard Clarence grumble that you’d be sure to direct your answer to Mama.  So be sure you send the answer in his name.

P. S. Mother sends in this letter a Postal note for ten dollars ($10.00 I suppose you will need Arties there. Keep your self warmly clothed and comfortable any way. All send love and lots of it
from Sister
Jennie Taylor

Bills were piling up for Louis Charles Bucklin. He mortgaged 160 acres of land in March. I am not sure how much of the farm he personally owned at the time, but in total the family homesteaded 850 acres. One of those bills that wasn’t getting paid was at the Tupper Store. Thankfully W. H. Tupper continued to let the Bucklins buy on credit for months with no payment. By August 1, he owed $271 at the store and had only $99 in the bank.

Louis Charles Bucklin kept a box of his 1913 records so we have an interesting look into that year. That is where we found his rice warehouse receipts that I posted last week. He received a copy of this letter about the threat of Asiatic Rice to American Rice Farmers.

Since it is harvest time, I though this would be a good post even though the farmers in the family are probably too busy for Facebook right now. These are warehouse receipt tickets handwritten in pencil for Louis Bucklin’s farm from the July 1913 Rice Harvest. Apparently they were growing Japan Rice.

This is a letter from Joseph Bucklin to his brother Louis Charles Bucklin who was away at business/military school in Ada, Ohio. Soon after this letter, their sister Jennie Bucklin Taylor died, sometime after June 13, 1893.  Jennie had not been well since at least early in April.

Louis was unusually emotional in his June 5th journal entry, stopping mid sentence, “A fellow a thousand miles from home and all he loves. feels although he may have”.  He didn’t write in his journal again for five months.  His daughter Edna Bucklin told us that Louis was very upset when Jennie died.  He never went back to school.

You can click the images to read the letter or scroll down to see it transcribed.

Lake Arthur Sa. May 15, ‘93.
L. C. Bucklin Esq.
Ada Ohio

Dear Brother: Mother wanted me to write to you again for she dislikes to write so much, she has been here with Jennie 2 weeks watin [waiting] on her and is all tired and worn out. Jennie has been very sick and is no better at this writing, she has sinking spells nearly every day, twice mother thought she was dieing. Ben has gone up to Jennings today for the Dr. to see if he cannot change her medacine. We will keep you posted every few days as to how she is getting along.

Ed. and Clarence came down from the farm yesterday and say everything is looking nice on the farm the rice on the maria is about ready to flood and is looking fine. The corn the boys had to plant over again and is now about knee high.

Ed told me that there would be lots of peaches if nothing happens. They have been using new irish potatoes. Ed. has been having the chills and fever lately. I suppose every body up where you are, are healthy and look fine, was thinking yesterday that it would be so nice for you to be up there just at your age you can realize and enjoy everything more now than at any other age your military exercises must be nice and healthful. Mother says there are two of your last letters in the office at China which she has not read, she told me to direct your next letter to her at this place as she will get it quicker than at the other place.

Ben. and I have gotten along finely with our work will be done with our plowing this week if nothing happens and our rice we have sown is all up nicely some of it nearly ready to flood then comes the work unless we get our levees done and can catch rain.

There is not much news to write to you. Chas. Shoesmith is going north about the 1st of June and of course will take in the worlds fair.

Mr. Gardener and Fannie starts about the same time wont Charly have some highly entertaining [??] abroad if Fannie should go along when he does my wouldn’t the journey be short though.

Ed tells me that Mrs. Blessington died week ago Thurs. That one of her daug-hters got here the night before she died. Mrs. Tuppers sister and her daughter have come. Tuppers will soon reveal the advantages of this country to them. Well my store of news is about exhausted so will close. Write to mother at this place.   from bro Joe