Historic Hood River
“Dear Son Samuel”
Notes
As people catch up with their families around the holidays, this charming letter from Samuel Blythe’s mother helps set the mood. I also feel like it shows a side of Blythe (Civil War veteran, editor of The Hood River Glacier) that we haven’t seen before. Note Blythe was about 25 when he received this letter, on a journey out west. The envelope was addressed to Blythe through the post office in Virginia City, Montana Territory. Blythe would return to Ohio within the year before permanently heading west, eventually settling in Hood River.
Eaton, Preble Co., O. [Ohio] Jan 22nd 1867
Dear Son Samuel,
We received a letter from you some time ago, and it was answered the same day. We are all well and hope this may find you and all the same. I would like to stop in and see how you look and examine your housekeeping. I suppose the weather is cold there at the present time. The snow here is about two feet deep and the best of sleighing. The weather here for about two months has been quite cold. This has been for the last year a healthy place, no prevailing disease of any kind. The boys are both at hoe for the present. They talk of going to Logansport as soon as the weather will suit to go to work They think it will pay to go there this summer it is such a brisk place and a great many buildings is going up there. We wrote to you before that we moved up to your house, we like to live here and likely the family that lives in our other house, they take care of the house and pay rent as soon as due. We have been quite uneasy about you this cold weather, we think it must be much colder there than here. I wish you had your blankets where you are to keep you warm. I want you to write and tell us how you are getting along in that respect. We sent quite a number of letters with seeds in them. I am afraid they never came to hand, we sent a paper with an envelope to try if you will get that soon, we sent you some postage stamps in your last letter. Julius says he would like to be out there and as soon as he pays for this place and is able to raise the Stamps he will try and come out. Wm Lockwoods folks are all well. Junius is busy making some fancy letters on the same table with me while I write. We still have Trusty and Prince and they send there best wishes to you. I won’t put any seeds in this letter for fear you don’t get it. Be sure to write as often as you can and be particular to everything about yourself if you have everything you need to make you comfortable. I have nothing interesting to write about for this time. We will write again in a few days, we will try to make the next one more interesting.
Your affectionate Mother, Julia A. Blythe.
Julius was Samuel Blythe’s brother. Perhaps Junius is another sibling not mentioned in our records? We can only guess who Trusty and Prince are. Horses perhaps? I wonder if she is suspecting her letters aren’t making it to their destination because people are stealing the seeds? In any case it’s a wonderful insight into life during that time. We’re left to speculate why a prolific writer like Samuel Blythe wasn’t writing home to his mother?
You can read a couple of Samuel Blythe biographies here.
Virginia City was a gold rush town when Blythe was there. Â Here’s a view of Virginia City in the 1890s, when it was already shrinking from its heyday.
L. E.
Only a mother would say, I would like to examine your housekeeping.
I had to look up Logansport. Located on the Wabash-Erie Canal.