tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020101544234010162012-02-16T06:29:12.567-08:00Transcribing a collection of nineteenth-century lettersPenny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-21229018011798024122012-02-04T11:12:00.000-08:002012-02-04T11:45:22.553-08:00

This letter is somewhat damaged (in its current existence it's in four pieces), but full of news. Aunt's been unwell, Marion's lost her voice, Tam's okay, weather is hot; there's a crop report, a wages report, and the terrible news that Marion's sister Sarah in London is sick in a hospital with smallpox, leaving two little children in danger of losing their mother. Marion Brown is moved to an

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-70871536460276982832011-12-08T10:39:00.000-08:002011-12-08T10:59:56.198-08:00

As I type in this letter, much of mid-Scotland is under hurricane conditions--so maybe it's appropriate that Marion Brown is writing about the weather--in her case, cold and snow. (The winter-spring of 1877 was "notably wet" in Scotland, according to weather historians.) The cold is affecting Aunt's rheumatism, and Tam's work schedule. Marion Brown, meanwhile, is confined to bed with sore eyes

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-72268542270698979642011-10-23T16:55:00.000-07:002011-10-23T17:34:45.219-07:00

An eventful letter--or rather, a reply to an eventful letter. Marion Glencross and James Bryden have a new baby son, John Glencross Bryden, who would be called "Jake" in later life. Marion Brown is excited for her cousin, and offers half-jokingly to come help with him, saying that she's good with children, and that, if she can't walk around with him, at least she can sit in a corner and sing,

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-61537852214777116952011-09-08T19:41:00.000-07:002011-10-23T17:21:15.937-07:00

Into the darkest weeks of winter. Tam Scott isn't working much, and Aunt's rheumatism is sometimes bad. This letter is written not to John Glencross, Marion Glencross Bryden, or James Bryden (who received the majority of the letters that survive), but to Uncle and Aunt who are also in Pennsylvania, near the others. So at some point, this letter was added to the collection at 207 Helen Street.A

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-32250919104090279272011-08-13T19:02:00.000-07:002011-08-13T19:11:26.199-07:00

Short, rather grouchy note, reporting Aunt Agnes's disappointment about the lack of correspondence from her brothers in America. The winter has been early and hard so far in Sanquhar, and it's making Aunt's rheumatisms worse. Marion's health is also worse than recently, and "I cannot walk a step with a sore back." Crops were good, and "we are not traveling far to hear many news"--maybe a

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-67999452913377551572011-07-11T20:54:00.000-07:002011-07-11T21:06:37.434-07:00

Aunt has rheumatisms, Tam is working but spits up "much blood," and Marion has had a lump removed from her lip and a few blisters to treat chest pain. She tries to be grateful for the life she's given, but "I have not known what it is to have good health." What Marion doesn't mention: this letter is dated 2 July, Marion Brown's birthday--she turned 33 on the day she wrote this.Tower

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-30067657142620013442011-05-18T20:11:00.000-07:002011-05-18T20:48:15.893-07:00

Long time since the last surviving letter, but in the interim, James Bryden and Marion Glencross have married (almost four years after he emigrated, apparently for that purpose). Marion jokes "long looked for come at last,"* and suggests that if they have twins, she'll come over to help--but she has obviously not attended their wedding, as hoped in previous letters. Nonetheless, she has an

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-6239853848316630842011-04-25T11:12:00.000-07:002011-05-18T20:11:17.029-07:00

Here we learn about Marion's turn of health--she cannot speak and is "dull" company for her Aunt; she had had twelve teeth removed to date, and is receiving "galvanic shooks" (galvanism, or electrotherapy, was a popular treatment for many conditions in Marion Brown's day). She also continues her vaguely suggestive/flirtatious tone with James Bryden, hoping that he might come and cheer her up,

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-23027661942704776942011-03-17T18:23:00.000-07:002011-03-17T18:38:03.278-07:00

In this letter, Marion Brown scolds Marion Glencross for not writing a letter--by writing a brief letter that's mostly about letterwriting. But she also talks about the hard winter--snow still on the hills in April--and Tam's health and work, and Aunt's health (which has been bad), and the Johnstones, and William Glencross and family. This is another instance of Marion Brown taking on the role

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-62922017746616231382011-02-16T20:07:00.000-08:002011-02-16T20:18:47.203-08:00

And now it's 1875, and "a very severe" winter has passed in Sanquhar since the last surviving letter. She mentions that there's been a lot of "trouble and death," but doesn't say who died. Aunt has had a cold for many weeks, but takes the opportunity to send a message via Marion Brown's letter to America (her lines are in blue); another friend, Sarah Johnstone's grandmother, sends a request in

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-31164555248574354452011-01-14T13:48:00.000-08:002011-01-14T14:23:31.067-08:00

[Image at left: Portrait of a young woman from family albums, labeled "Jane Law" in pencil on the back; there's another photograph of Miss Jane Law posted here]Last letter surviving from 1874. Marion Brown's health has taken a turn: she was blind for a week, and still has sore eyes; for five weeks, she has been unable to speak "any louder than a whisper." But she's writing to James Bryden

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-87784979815627303232010-12-13T20:11:00.000-08:002010-12-13T20:27:31.694-08:00

Marion's writing to James Bryden again, joking about when he'll finally get married (he's been in America for a long time, and promised to Marion Glencross, but so far no wedding); she also laughs that if they have twins at "the first throw," she'll come help with the nursing. Once again, the subject matter of their letters reveals an extraordinary intimacy for a man and woman who are not kin,

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-79911634879322804002010-11-15T20:39:00.000-08:002010-11-15T21:01:19.180-08:00

This is a dreary spring letter! Everyone at Tower Cottages has been sick with colds, Marion Brown has "not the same spirit" since they moved from the Bogg,* Aunt is dreaming of James Bryden having an ill relation, and many in the neighborhood have died recently. But... the weather has been beautiful, and Marion is grateful to be feeling better.*The difference between the Bogg and the location

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-45971620824215420432010-10-11T13:47:00.000-07:002010-10-11T14:05:15.382-07:00

A chatty letter to James Bryden. Marion reports the news (Tom Scott's job at the quarry, a new baby for uncle William, the death of her uncle Adam Brown), and her uncertainty about the future--she still hopes to go to America, soon, but does not want to leave Aunt. She didn't like being part of her new cousin's naming ceremony at church; she has to walk a ways to meet the postman from Tower

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-37477232280478690262010-09-14T12:37:00.000-07:002010-09-14T13:03:28.400-07:00

We visited Scotland in August as a family, and spent five days in Sanquhar (my first time there). It's a fine burgh, with beautiful surrounding countryside. Here we are at the Bogg, where Marion Brown lived (photograph by Iain Hutchison, who kindly gave us the complete Marion Brown Tour on a rainy chilly day):There's a mailbox near one of Marion Brown's in-town addresses that still has "VR" on

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-27300659267422152892010-08-09T19:30:00.000-07:002010-08-09T19:41:12.193-07:00

A newsy letter, punctuated with some rather shocking news. An acquaintance in the neighborhood has murdered her newborn. This story is mentioned almost in passing, as it relates to the troubles of Mr. Kennedy their old landlord. Marion fully expects to go to America here, or so it sounds--she's making plans with James to carry some things across. Tam is working again, but not strong and prone

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-51239609008516640752010-07-14T19:34:00.000-07:002010-07-14T19:45:49.664-07:00

The change Marion Brown has feared is her new reality as this letter posts. The Brown/Scott household is no longer living at the Bogg, but closer in to town at Tower Cottages. Tam Scott, still recovering from his illness (probably tuberculosis), is working in a wet quarry and feeling the effects. Aunt is considering emigration to America--where she might live near her brothers and their

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-16861002978198144572010-07-02T15:53:00.001-07:002010-07-02T15:57:14.779-07:00

Marion Brown was born on this date in 1843. Her correspondent Marion Glencross Bryden had a daughter Helen on July 2; and Helen Bryden Marsh's great-grand-son Chris (my cousin) was also born on July 2. So it's the family birthday.July 2 also marks the second anniversary of the Letters from Sanquhar blog, because I started it on Marion Brown's 165th birthday. So happy two years. Got plenty of

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-35858708668058109102010-06-15T19:45:00.000-07:002010-06-15T20:00:07.790-07:00

This is the last surviving letter dated in 1873. Health problems still dominate the news from Sanquhar: Tam Scott is still down with the illness he contracted in Dumfries Jail; his mother Aunt Agnes is aging and her family wants her to give up "the cows" and take it easy. James Bryden has offered to pay Marion's expenses if she wants to travel to America, and she thanks him for the offer,

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-28909397682847786612010-05-08T08:36:00.000-07:002010-05-08T08:53:15.682-07:00

More bad news: Cousin Tam Scott, the only man in the household, recently released from Dumfries jail, is now quite ill with lung and heart troubles (sounds like tuberculosis). He "spits a great deal of blood" and cannot work. There are lasting hard feelings related to his "tousel" of a Wilson girl, too, because his uncle Joseph is married to a Wilson. Marion, meanwhile, is experiencing

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-44273572887619867162010-04-26T20:48:00.000-07:002010-04-26T21:05:25.637-07:00

This letter is to James Bryden, still not quite married to Marion Glencross. More on the aftermath of Tam Scott's jail time--"a queer time about the Bogg." Tam is still not well, and "I think Aunt will never get over it." Marion cites the "ado" as her reason for not writing in a while. Are there many letters telling the family's story of a jailing? If not, this correspondence is rare in

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-8393640467942740072010-04-20T14:10:00.000-07:002010-04-22T22:48:08.875-07:00

Now this is a letter full of news--bad news. Tam Scott got in legal trouble for giving a girl "a tousel"--hard to say exactly what was involved but it sounds like some degree of unwanted advance made by Tam on a Miss Wilson. To make matters worse, Miss Wilson is kin by marriage (Joseph Glencross married Marion Wilson before they emigrated to Pennsylvania); but her father James Wilson still

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-10668503788925717482010-02-24T20:28:00.000-08:002010-02-24T20:40:56.259-08:00

The stationery for this brief letter is unusual for Marion Brown: pre-printed swirly linework around the border of the page, with a love poem at the top:I've told thee.I've told thee, I've told thee, a hundred times o'erI love thee, I love thee, what can I say more?I care not for wealth, and I ask not for fame,I love thee and thy love is all that I claim.Then look not thus doubting, nor turn

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-42805029934598673152010-01-19T14:05:00.000-08:002010-01-19T14:15:17.358-08:00

In this letter, we can feel the problems building for the Glencrosses and Scotts in Sanquhar: "there is a good deal of trouble about here just now" refers to illness, but it also applies to the broader questions of sustenance. Marion conveys uncle William Glencross's request for money to his American brother; Marion's also doubtful about the longterm wisdom of keeping cows that don't produce

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-3854708082009357732009-12-16T12:59:00.000-08:002009-12-16T13:27:59.583-08:00

The last letter surviving from 1872, a fall report delayed until news of the next year's rent was known. Aunt's cheese production has suffered from sick cows, and the landlord says he won't raise their rent this year in light of that--but the threat of future rent increases remains. The weather is wet and an uncle's hay isn't up. And a neighbor has died suddenly. "Mr. Hyslop Cleneries"

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-59939160784055471122009-09-23T14:39:00.000-07:002009-09-23T15:12:36.401-07:00

This is a long, eight-sided letter, full of interest, to James Bryden in Dunmore. Marion mentions her burnt hand (three times) and a toothache, but also says that she can walk a distance with minimal assistance, which is a big improvement from past letters. The weather is wet and the crops are bad; the cows aren't producing quite as much milk as they had in the spring; Tam Scott isn't home

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-32572033604095491882009-09-02T16:57:00.000-07:002009-09-02T17:03:33.117-07:00

This short note was enclosed with the previous letter to John Glencross, and deals mainly with practical advice about taking "cresses" (creases) out of velvet--to be specific, out of a piece of velvet that James brought over to America, from one Marion to the other. Marion Brown's burnt hand is mentioned again--twice. And, as Marion will express more and more in the 1870s and onward, "I only

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-64011433272552090872009-08-24T17:12:00.000-07:002009-08-24T17:32:37.827-07:00

A chatty letter from the Bogg to John Glencross, mostly on the subjects of crops and cows. Turnips, potatoes, corn, and the haying are covered, as well as the cow disease hitting Brandley's. There's a list of what the Bogg folks recently sent to Dunmore--two pairs of men's drawers, two men's shirts, a boy's shirt and cravat, an apron and a bow of ribbon for various relations, old and young.

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-66096283236461510712009-07-06T17:50:00.000-07:002009-07-07T06:52:37.463-07:00

[Image at left: My hand holding this letter, in front of my iMac screen and keyboard]A letter to James Bryden, now safely landed in America, after a seasick twelve days crossing the Atlantic. Aunt dreams and chides, and laughs at Marion's anxious searching for news of his ship in the newspapers (apparently they didn't always get a newspaper--but when James was at sea, they got one "almost every

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-85980293347817697572009-05-31T10:01:00.000-07:002009-06-01T10:29:29.477-07:00

James Bryden has left Scotland, and Marion is bereft. This letter, written just after he has sailed for America, has no news of the farm, no mention of her health problems, just negotiations about past and future correspondence between Marion Brown and James Bryden, and anxious words about her "duity" and how she wishes she had left for America with him--and how she still wishes to go soon. She

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-91596616106148599992009-04-15T12:40:00.000-07:002009-04-15T13:02:10.731-07:00

Well now, this is a different letter. Unlike the usual plain paper Marion Brown wrote upon, this letter is on frilly, pink, embossed stationery, with pre-printed poetry and cut edges and all. I'm including an image of the letter's front page in this post, at left--it's definitely special paper for wedding greetings. And it's a letter to James Bryden, the man engaged to marry Marion Glencross

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-45259601259552547732009-04-13T20:25:00.000-07:002009-06-01T10:29:10.291-07:00

James is about to visit the Bogg, perhaps for the last time before he leaves for America. Marion has sent him blankets to carry over, and mentions that Tom Scott is injured from a horse. But mainly she's asserting their warm past together--their meeting rituals, her expectations of his visit, private jokes between them, and jokes about swine curds and Aunt's singing. (What are red mouths?

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-20189218589638185042009-04-07T11:39:00.000-07:002009-04-07T11:41:06.176-07:00

I just noticed that there's a Dunmore Historical Society blog up and running since December. Since most of the Sanquhar letters were sent to Dunmore and all of them survived a century or more there, I'm linking to the Dunmore Historical Society blog in the sidebar--give them a visit!

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-77601193903992271472009-03-30T20:34:00.000-07:002009-03-30T20:51:45.707-07:00

An incomplete letter to James Bryden, a man from Maybole, Ayrshire, who is engaged to marry Marion Glencross. He hasn't left for America yet, but he's been visiting his future wife's family at the Bogg, dancing and eating Aunt Agnes's famous swine curds. Marion Brown clearly has a close friendship with James Bryden--close enough to make fun of a relative's portrait, close enough to say "I have

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-47230093027859086092009-02-23T20:55:00.000-08:002009-02-23T21:18:38.479-08:00

A short, damaged two-sided letter this time. Marion sends holiday wishes and reports on her own father's health (poor), a visit from Davie Williamson, apparently a local man who has emigrated and returned on a visit, and in the PS a note about the health of Uncle John's son John Glencross in Carmacoup. The BoggJanuary 10th, 1872Dear CousinI wish you & your Father both a happy new year and I hope

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-39164372681458949252009-02-09T17:11:00.000-08:002009-02-09T17:40:24.761-08:00

Disease and harvest work are the main topics here: Aunt Agnes and cousin John Glencross have both been ill in recent times as Marion Brown writes this letter. Aunt, however, is so hard-working, "she will make cheese till she falls into the whey tub." The crops have also been diseased, both the potatoes and the turnips, but they hay was plentiful and Aunt made a lot of cheese in its season.

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-39676946368007610712009-01-26T20:58:00.000-08:002009-01-26T21:09:21.666-08:00

This letter is addressed to a Sanquhar friend now living in the Scranton area: Mr. Williamson greeted Joseph Glencross and his family at the train station as they arrived, and wrote to the Sanquhar family that they were well on arrival. Marion Brown thanks him for this intelligence, and encourages him to write more, because the Glencrosses are "very slow at writting." She also encourages

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-32514506044092318692009-01-23T08:54:00.000-08:002009-01-23T08:57:31.492-08:00

(From H-Net--no, I'm not proposing a paper, but it looks like a conference where the Marion Brown letters would fit right in!--PLR]Migrating Minds: Imagined Journeys - Imagined Homecomings 14-15 May 2009The AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen will host a conference in 2009 on the topic “Migrating Minds: Imagined Journeys – Imagined Homecomings”. The conference

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-59776185134804863802009-01-14T20:00:00.001-08:002009-01-14T20:13:18.842-08:00

In somewhat related news:The National Galleries of Scotland began contributing images to the Flickr Commons project today--can't wait to check that out. I've been following the Library of Congress uploads on Flickr for a year now, and just started exploring the other collections in the Commons. And don't you love when a new journal article says someone should be doing...exactly what you're doing

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-84648538084431280742009-01-08T12:37:00.000-08:002009-01-08T13:01:09.167-08:00

This is a short, four-page letter, sent to coincide with the journey of Joseph Glencross and his wife Marion (another Marion!) and son James and others, from Sanquhar to Dunmore, Pennsylvania. Joseph had been one of the last men of the family remaining in Sanquhar; with his departure, Marion Brown's life became a little more precarious, and her reasons to write letters increased. We get a lot

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-6550550346561461262008-12-15T18:07:00.000-08:002008-12-15T20:15:01.387-08:00

[Image: A portrait of Marion Glencross, seated, with her friend Jane Law, standing, c.1870; both women are wearing elaborate hairstyles and white lacy dresses with dark sashes at the waist.]Marion Brown writes in better health, but she can still "walk none" in the summer of 1870. She's writing to Marion Glencross, who is nearly 18 at the time. Maybe the woman-to-woman dynamic is becoming

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-58085482649586140042008-11-20T12:39:00.000-08:002008-11-20T12:54:45.721-08:00

This incomplete letter is very damaged by torn and worn-away edges (the damage happened while the letter was folded, which quadrupled the loss), but I'll try to share as much of the contents as are readable. My dear uncleI again lift my pen to let you know how we are all getting on at the Bogg and I am very happy to be able to tell you that we are all in a moderate state of health at present for

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-74819422994478125182008-11-13T10:06:00.001-08:002008-11-13T10:14:43.660-08:00

A newsy eight-page letter from Marion to her American uncle. The news is of Marion's health (poor--her head has been shaved and she's had blisters applied to treat "an attack of inflam[m]ation of the brain"), crops, work, emigration, and family connections. This letter was written just a few days after the letter to James Bryden (previous post), but there's no mention of Bryden here.

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-79629941284466480152008-10-29T11:48:00.000-07:002008-10-29T12:17:59.559-07:00

We've moved into the 1870s with this letter, four months after the last surviving letter. And we've also changed addressees--this letter was not sent to Pennsylvania originally, but to James Bryden in Ayrshire (a much later photo at left). He's planning a trip to Dunmore, and will take along a parcel from the folks at the Bogg. Because this letter ended up among the other letters sent to the

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-6227261323303930302008-10-15T19:30:00.000-07:002008-10-15T20:14:19.516-07:00

This week, the fourth and last letter from 1869. It's an eight-page letter that starts with a note written by John Glencross's brother William Glencross (set in green below), whose spelling isn't quite as standard as Marion Brown's. This letter features several voices, in fact, because Marion takes dictation (set in blue below) from Aunt Agnes (John and William's sister), and relays a message

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-25490519748409935052008-10-06T17:14:00.000-07:002008-10-06T17:38:08.783-07:00

An incomplete letter this week, but one that gives many details about the logistics of getting clothes made and sent to the American emigrant. Marion Brown is feeling better than in last letter but still cannot walk. We meet David Graham the tailor, and get the sense that he and Marion have a bit of professional comraderie (Marion is listed as a dressmaker in census records). We also hear

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-77684665510756341002008-10-02T14:13:00.000-07:002008-10-02T14:27:31.581-07:00

The last letter posted here mentions Aunt Agnes having a "wee cheese in the chesle." What's a chesle? I emailed Richard Foss, a local foodie friend who teaches culinary history. He didn't know himself, but he wrote off to a Scottish culinary historian, Cathy Jacobs, who kindly provided this answer:"I thought I knew the definition, but to be sure I checked in my Scots dialect dictionary (

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-80286481986708192742008-09-17T09:20:00.000-07:002008-09-17T10:11:39.670-07:00

A long newsy eight-page letter on green stationery reports that Marion's been very unwell, and who's working where this year. There's a short note about Helen Brown's mother (Marion Glencross's maternal grandmother) being in service at Dabton. Another photo of Marion Glencross, age 17, has been sent to Sanquhar--and all approve, including Tam Scott and Mr. Kennedy the landowner. This letter

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-22304260940678914152008-09-10T14:14:00.000-07:002008-09-10T14:56:30.652-07:00

A long gap, almost a year, since the last letter--but Marion Brown acknowledges a long gap in her first lines; still, she also says this is her fourth letter without a reply from Dunmore in the past year, so we may be missing a few in the sequence. Marion's writing at least part of this letter lying on her back, it's been weeks since she's left her bed, and she cannot speak either--she makes

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-74912035642763636972008-08-25T20:58:00.000-07:002008-08-25T22:53:10.157-07:00

A change of address, here--this letter begins "My Dear Cousin," so Marion Brown (age 24) has begun to write directly to Marion Glencross (now 15 years old). She adds a couple pages for uncle John Glencross too. In this letter, we get more of Marion Brown's medical treatment for headaches and impaired speech--"fly blisters" (painful blisters raised on the skin by applying the irritating extract

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-31804291159872183042008-08-12T19:26:00.000-07:002008-08-13T20:27:04.598-07:00

[Image: Studio carte of Marion Glencross (1852-1919), as a girl, in a long dark dress with darker hash-mark trim and hair that's parted in the middle and possibly cropped?]Back to the letters. This week, a long one--seven sides (the eighth is a short note from uncle Joseph Glencross to his brother). Again, I've added some paragraph breaks.In this one, Marion is more explicit about her

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-27465065092242951012008-08-02T20:23:00.000-07:002008-08-02T20:30:26.293-07:00

This is a photo (taken by Susan Burch) from the presentation given by Iain Hutchison and myself about Marion Brown, today at the Disability History Conference in San Francisco. See that big grey box on the table between us? That's the box of letters from Sanquhar. In front of us, on the table, there are photos in frames, a small Bible from Scotland, two of the books we've put Marion's story

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-7321756486284754492008-07-28T21:05:00.001-07:002008-07-28T21:09:10.184-07:00

Actually, the letters are already packed, along with some photos and other goodies, to show off at the Disability History Conference at San Francisco State University this weekend. I'll be presenting with (and meeting!) Iain Hutchison, in a session where we'll be talking about our trans-Atlantic collaboration on a trans-Atlantic correspondence. I'll report back, and hope to have some photos too.

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-54041754516466442122008-07-22T10:13:00.001-07:002008-07-22T10:49:09.991-07:00

Another letter on black-bordered stationery this week--different stationery, the border is wider, but it still means a death reported. This time it's Aunt Elspeth, another resident of the Bogg (not sure how she's related to the rest just now). The Miss Kennedy mentioned as living at Brandleys is probably Mary Kennedy (b. 1848), who would eventually marry a doctor named Hyslop. Robert McWhir,

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-83627790924033020852008-07-14T11:35:00.001-07:002008-07-22T10:46:54.944-07:00

This week's letter is written on black-edged stationery, which nearly always means a letter reporting a death in the family. Marion, age 23, still in bed, is writing about the death of her uncle James Glencross (1824-1866), brother of her letter's intended reader, John Glencross in Pennsylvania. James was heading the household at the Bogg, and doing the outside work before he fell ill from a "

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-28201655516120744212008-07-08T10:12:00.000-07:002008-09-17T10:13:19.814-07:00

Marion Brown was 21 years old when she added these words to a letter written by her uncle James Glencross to her uncle (his brother) John Glencross in Pennsylvania. John had left "the Bog" and emigrated in 1852 with his wife Helen Brown; their daughter Marion Glencross was born that same year in America. Helen Brown died in 1855.In this first surviving letter, we already see Marion's usual

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-77608729975276961512008-07-08T09:38:00.000-07:002008-07-08T10:36:17.463-07:00

[Image description: an oval-framed photo in sepia tones shows an older woman, Marion Brown, white hair parted in the center, wearing a black cap and dress; the photographer's cardboard frame adds a red border and the words "Jenner & Co."]On this blog, I'll be transcribing letters written by Marion Brown (1843-1915), a woman who lived most of her life in or around Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire,

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3602010154423401016.post-54246112158621373502008-07-02T11:25:00.001-07:002008-07-02T11:37:18.417-07:00

I figure the 165th birthday of Miss Marion Brown (1843-1915) is the right day to launch this site, even if I'm not actually ready to start just yet. Consider this post a placeholder till I can come back and do proper introductions. Soon!

Penny L. Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102296070193780691noreply@blogger.com1