Donald C. Minor to his daughter, Marilyn--1954 This letter written from my Grandaddy Minor to my mother, Marilyn, made me chuckle. Though decades old, its mixed sentiments about the holiday season could have been written in just the last few days. As 1954 drew to a close, Donald Minor paused before heading to bed to … Continue reading Letters from Home:
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Transcription: A Letter Home-Abia Minor
Abia Minor was born in Greene County, Pennsylvania in about 1815, the son of stock drover John Pierson Minor and his first wife, Hannah McClelland. As a young man Abia (a-bye-ya) followed his family's tradition, bought and farmed land near the town of Bridgeville in what was then western Virginia. But he had aspirations that … Continue reading Transcription: A Letter Home-Abia Minor
Amanuensis: A Letter from Ira Sayles to brother James K. Sayles, 1869
Rushford, Allg. Co., N.Y., Saturday, July 24, 1869 My Dear Brother, James, Yours of the 18 inst[ant] came to hand, last evening. I need not say I was somewhat surprised: for I had lost all trace of you. My last to you was directed to La Porte, and was never answered. I received a paper … Continue reading Amanuensis: A Letter from Ira Sayles to brother James K. Sayles, 1869
A[nother] Letter from Ira Sayles
Updated 23 February 2019 IN 1884 Ira Sayles, 1817-1894, wrote a letter to his friend Edwin B. Hall of Wellsville, New York. My great-great-grandfather could have been writing from Ithaca, New York or from Washington, D.C., in between field trips for the United States Geological Survey. He could have been writing on site in Tennessee … Continue reading A[nother] Letter from Ira Sayles
Wealth and the Ideal Man: An Epistle from Ira Sayles to EB Hall, 1885
Ira Sayles, assistant geologist with United States Geological Survey. Photograph taken about 1885 at age 68. Ira Sayles. Had I nothing but historical documents, I would have but a simplistic notion of who my great-great-grandfather was. A self-taught student who rose to be a college student, teacher and founding school administrator of Alfred Academy; Principal of … Continue reading Wealth and the Ideal Man: An Epistle from Ira Sayles to EB Hall, 1885
Shoots, Roots, and Leaves 