August 8, 1875 letter to Frank Tomlinson from Ethan Keith

August 8, 1875

To: Frank Tomlinson

From: Ethan Keith, Galesburg, MI

General news about various family members.

Scan of 1875-08-08 Ethan Keith to Frank Tomlinson

Galesburg August 8^th 1875

Cousin Frank,

Your letter was received in due time but I have failed to answer it as soon as I ought to. Perhaps I can do better next time. I have been rather busy lately & have not found time to write.

Our folks are all well as usual. Pa[1] has the headache a good share of the time & the rest of us can do a good deal of grunting.

I went to Kalamazoo yesterday called at Aunt Katies[2] found Helen York[3] there & Mrs Gaffeny & Beth came there before I came away. Mrs Gaffeny has been living in the east part of the state dont know wheather she intends to go back or not. Lucys[4] health is not very good.

The Pioneers of this county have a picnic at Vicksburg this week. Aunt Katie is agoing out. We are a haveing a considerable wet weather this Summer. Corn & potatoes are looking nice. Potatoes are very pleanty they can be bought in Kalamazoo for twenty-five cents a bushel. Henry[5] thinks as much of his sister[6] as ever he has been haveing his washing done there lately. He sold Dell[7] a Harvester & so he has run it for him through harvest. He & Ives[8] have got their Drill-tooth patented it was patented the 30^th of July. They have been out some this last week with the tooth to let the farmers see it. They all think it is a good thing.

Hannah[9] is at home now. The lady that she has been sewing for has closed up business until October. How is fruit down your way have you pleanty of apples.

Apples are very scarce around here.

I dont believe Mr Flanders[10] folks will have five barrels of winter apples. Our love to all.

Write soon.

E. B. Keith

——-

[1] Charles Luke Keith Jr.

[2] Catherine (Keith) Bradley Lee

[3] Helen (Bradley) York, Aunt Katie’s daughter by her first husband, Ethan Bradley

[4] Lucy (Le)e, Aunt Katie’s daughter by her second husband, George Lee

[5] His half-brother, Henry Keith

[6] His half-sister, Lois (Keith) Clark Skinner

[7] Lois’ husband, Adelbert Skinner

[8] George Ives

[9] His sister, Hannah Keith

[10] A neighbor, Joseph Flanders

*Thanks to Leigh Terrass, great-granddaughter of John Frank Tomlinson, for sharing this letter with me and allowing me to post it. In order to keep the letters chronological in the https://lettersfromthe1860s.wordpress.com/ blog post, it was given a posting date of 08-15-2018 even though it wasn’t until September of 2021 that I received the letters from Leigh