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Chase County Sketches
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Channel Family Letters Sent to:
Samuel Nutt Channell of Clermont, Ohio
Rosedale, Kansas
Jan 21st 1893
Dear Brother
I will at last being to write to you. I have been promising myself every day that I would write for a long time. I have had [unreadable] and tooth ache of the worst form for a month. This week I had two double teeth pulled and it went hard with me. I have felt even worse than before the pain in my head is terrible. Oh dear, what a winter it is. I think it is claimed to be the coldest winter ever known here. The past two days are mild and everybody and look [unreadable]. I am glad you are so comfortable situated for the cold. The life is a change for you and will do you good perhaps. I often find it so. There is so much exposure in farm life for winter. I know last winter on the farm almost finished me. Well I hardly think I will come to Ohio now. Will has steady work in the Fort Scott & Texas R R Shops. We want to make a payment on another home soon. Everything is so dear this winter. It costs us nearly as much again as it did last winter to live. Potatoes are $1.20 bushel. [M]eat is so high. I have lost track of the price. I get 27 1/2 cents a dozen for my eggs. They retail at 30. I had a letter from Will last month saying he is going to be married this month. I was surprised he is past 40 and this girl is 18. I am afraid he is getting childish. Vivi sent herself & husband photos. They are very nice. Sadie sent baby very nice Christmas present and I have been too miserable to write yet in acknowlegement of it. I wishi I could see you all instead of writing. I am not clever at telling my ideas on paper. I do long so many times to see you all but there seems to be no way now.
Julia's was well the last I heard from them. There has been several destructive fires in the city lately. They most always happen in bitter cold weather.
Baby is 18 months old and one would think to see her she was twice that. She is big and smart she reminds me of Nellie some only she is not near so old as Nellie was of course when I last saw her. Give her my love and tell her how glad I am she is so soon to go home well.
Well I must close. I have nothing of interest to write. With much love and hoping to hear from you soon, I remain as well
Jennie Dusenbery
COMPILER'S NOTES:
I have tried to transcribe the letter as completely as possible, with spelling and punctuation errors intact. Where necessary, I have transcribed inside [ brackets ] so the reader may better understand the intent of the writer.
This letter was written to Samuel Nutt Channell by Jennie E. Channell Dusenbery. Jennie is the oldest sister to Marshall William and Samuel Nutt Channell, the focus of my family research. Until these family letters were obtained, not much info was available about the siblings of Marshall William and Samuel Nutt Channell.
This letter is very significant in that it details a couple things about life in Rosedale, Kansas in 1893 -- one, they had been having a very cold winter, and had a cold winter in 1892 as well; and two, economically things appear to have been tight at the time the letter was written. It is very interesting that she details prices for consumables.
There is some indication of Jennie's husband William's work in the railroad shops in addition to their farm, as well as a bit of disdain over her youngest brother Will's (William Channell) future wife. The "Baby" she speaks of is her daughter, Eva, born in 1892. The "Julia" she writes of is her youngest sister, Julia Ann, who had a twin sister, Lydia Ann. Jennie also speaks of Nellie, her brother Samuel Nutt Channell's youngest daughter. Nellie had epilepsy and sent considerable amounts of time away from home being treated for it. Jennie speaks of Nellie being home soon "well".
Submitted by Michael Mathews
by your Chase County Host, Lorna Marvin.
Please submit your historical sketches.
| Chase County Host Lorna Marvin | 
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Last updated 11/10/2003
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