Letters from Miss Jane and Betty Burton Manley

This week I have two letters to share with you. The first is one from Betty Burton Manley, who as a child lived across the street from the Kincaids with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Darnell.  You can read her letter first and then Miss Jane's, who, you will notice, encourages Burl to write Betty.  I'll have more for you soon. ~Ginger

Mr. Burl working in bluegrass seed.  If you've been reading the blog, you'll know that a lot of Miss Jane's letters were written to Mr. Burl while he was in the Midwest harvesting seed with Henry Ficklin, Uncle Ruby (Reuben Kincaid, Sr.), and R.W. (Reuben's son).  


The front of Betty Burton's note to Mr. Burl.


The note itself, which is transcribed below (complete with the spelling errors and incorrect grammar one would expect from a child her age).

Dear Burl
           How are you getting along. I will be glad when you come home. I miss you when I go to your mother and I don't know where you could be. I forget where you are. Say Hello to Mr. Ruby and Mr. Ficklin for me. Are you still silly. I want you to hurry back. I want to see you and your mother want to see you to and we all want to see you and Mr. Ruby and Mr. Ficklin to. Have you found a girl yet if you haven't found one I no one to watch for you her name is Ella Bohon.* Ha! Ha!

From your litter friend,
Betty Burton

*Ella Bohon Doggett Goodpaster.  Miss Ella is mentioned quite a few times in the letters, sometimes as a potential girlfriend for Mr. Burl, whose bachelor status was evidently of concern to the town!

Now, Miss Jane's letter:



 Sunday Morning,
           We haven't heard since last I wrote, but know you are expecting to hear from us.
           We are all O.K. Aunt May is having asthma, but has some medicine that relieves her.
            Daddy has discovered that the potatoes are rottening.  You know how he has always prided himself on his potatoes. Perhaps it is a wetter place in garden that he has dug from, and too, they are such nice big ones.
           I believe the damage by water in county is estimated at $500,000.  Everyone is telling of their losses.
           It did not rain Fri. night , Sat. or Sat. night, but looks like rain today. It is very hot this morning.
           Lewis is coming to take Burl down to Ruby's place after dinner.
           Folks are talking about the Horse Fair now, what they will wear, their guests, etc.
           By the number of cars passing yesterday afternoon, there must have been a crowd at Morehead.*
           Marguerite and Dr. Lester** are considering cutting a door in "Guy's room" on the alley and moving his dental office over there.
           Honey, try to find time to write Betty a card at least.  She said that Ruby had written her.
           Ella*** has come back to work again, starting tomorrow. I want to get finished up house-cleaning and rest awhile before my (or our) Iowa trip.
           Hope we hear from you today. We want to know how things are going since we have had so much rain.
Lots of love, 
Mother

 *This was before the interstate was built.
**Dr. Lester was a dentist here in Owingsville and his office was in his house.  That house burned a few years ago.  Dr. Lester's name will pop up again in future letters when the county hires a new superintendent, which was not without controversy.
***There are two Ellas mentioned in Miss Jane's letters: Ella Bohon Doggett [Goodpaster] and an Ella (who had a child the family called "Little Ruby") who worked for the family and whose last name we don't know, though Tommy Hodge says she is related to him.  We're still trying to find out more about her, so if anyone knows, please send a message or leave a comment.

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