Aunt Caddie's Tale
On my recent trip to Mom's, I collected some family records of various sorts--photos, genealogies, etc. One item is a reminiscence by my mother's great-aunt (MoMoFaSi in sociology-speak). It is handwritten on several pages (I only have a xerox of a xerox), and I have transcribed it into Word. Here follow the first few pages. I have done my best to preserve her underlines, strikeouts, spellings (mostly excellent), & comma usage. If you see a typo, it's probably mine, not hers. The "Manhattan" mentioned in the first para is in Kansas, not New York. Note the comment on "wartime prices" above--these people moved from the New England states just before the American Civil War (1861-1865)--they were part of the slave-state vs. free-state race that was going on during the run-up to the War. Both sides wanted their philosphy to rule in the newly settled territories, so were attempting to send voting people to become the deciding citizens. I am not sure how much altruism figured in my ancestors' move, rather than the promise of land of their own. Regarding the War, there's very little about it. They were busy surviving the winters, etc. This is way more "Little House on the Prairie" than "Red Badge of Courage". The war was over by the time Aunt Caddie was born. I wonder if G-G-Grandpa Francis would have seen service if he hadn't headed to the territories instead of staying at the mill in New Hampshire.
As I understand it, this little memoir was written for a local paper, back in the day. Probably during the '40s or '50s. Presumably, some library has archives of it, buried in a back room. I live over fifteen hundred miles from these locales; in fact, I don't believe I have ever set foot in Kansas. Though it might be interesting to see the areas described in Aunt Caddie's story. I wonder if any of the homes are still in existence.
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