EDUCATION Community and Children's Writing II

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 13: Education and Educational Programs
Series 19: Students

EDUCATION Community and Children’s Writing II

Excerpts from samples 21-40, Dated 1917-1925

TAGS: Education Community and Children’s Writing II, children’s writing, Pine Mountain Settlement School, education, humor, English language, community, family, Marguerite Butler, Ruth B. Gaines, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, Ethel de Long, Katherine Pettit, Delia Creech

EDUCATION COMMUNITY AND CHILDREN’S WRITING II is the second in a series of selected letters written by students and community members. Provided below are representative excerpts from their writings and images of the full correspondence. For full transcriptions of the writings on this page, go to EDUCATION Community and Children’s Writing TRANSCRIPTIONS II.

EXCERPTS: EDUCATION Community and Children’s Writing II
Samples 21-40, Dated 1917-1925

[Excerpts have been slightly edited, but most misspellings have been kept intact. All letters are handwritten and sent from Pine Mountain unless indicated otherwise. See images below for complete letters. The following list of excerpts are in order of the image numbers.]

21. Mossie Miniard (sic) to Miss [Marguerite] Butler, Nov. 27, 1917. “Thanksgiving is over. We had the best time every was. You ought to have been here to see all of the plays, they were so pretty. Miss Robin’s class was the pilgrims. Miss Shippley’s class was the first settlers that came to Pine Mountain. Miss Seccor’s school was the Indians….”

Also mentions Peter Rock, Miss Knollenberg, Maudie, Becky May, Cal Donna, Bonnie, Kitty, Doshia, Miss Canterbury’s School, Maud Baker, Edward Helton, Birchel, Uncle William, Aunt Sal [Creech], Joe Creech, Miss [Ruth B.] Gaines, Beggley.

22. Mossie Miniard to Miss Butler, [no date]. “…We have got a new girl. I can’t hardly wait till you get back so you can get her to sing for you. She is a good singer. All of the Callahan’s is her first cousin. Her name is Ninnie Callahan. She is 17 year old….”

Also mentions Becky May, Shirley, Dona, Miss Robin, Miss [Ethel] de Long, Miss [Katherine] Pettit, the new road.

23. Doshia Miniard to Miss Butler, Nov. 31, 1917. “…We had a good time on Thanksgiving. Wish that you were here. They was a man that play the fiddle and I was Polly Medcaff in our play…”Also mentions Miss Robbins, MIss Seccor, MIss Shipley, MIss de Long, the new road, Mossie, Miss Gaines, and Lorina.

24. Mossie Minniard (sic) to “Mother,” [Miss Butler?], Aug. 3, 1918. “…I wish you could have been here today at the big working. They certainly got a lot done for the Red Cross…Ninnie and I have just come from Miss Pettit’s. We have been over there learning to play Ruffty Suffty….” Mentions Miss Stone, running sets, Clara Siler, Maudie, May, Kitty, and Abby.

25. Ninnie Callahan to Miss Butler, Aug. 3, 1918. “Dacia Caldonia and [I] inspected Laurel House today and we found cob webs big enough to hang me. We have been canning beans and beets.” Also mentions Aunt Juda, Aunt Leah Smith, and Miss Gaines.

26. Hazel to Miss Butler, Nov. 9 [no year], “What kind of time did you have on Hallowe’en night, did a ghost get after you, one got after me I was afraid of them but I tried not to be….” Mentions Miss Carey, Miss Phelps. Aunt Delia, Clara, Paul, and Jack Miniard.

27. Doshia Minyard to Miss Butler, Aug. 19, 1918. “…a nice lady come last week. Her name was Miss Harscon [?]. She plade the gittar Friday night over to Miss Pettit….The doctor and a Red Cross nurse came. They have operated on about fifteen children. Everybody is well but Bonnie….”

Also mentions Chester Louis (sic), Mossie, Mrs. Fagg, Ninnie, Rob Turner, Mrs. Holton, Miss Gaines, Mrs, Creech, Emily, May, Lorina, Flora Minyard, Miss Pettit, and Mrs. Croff.

28. Hazel Howard to Miss Butler, Oct. 14, 1920. “All the school children is going out into the mountains some day this week to hunt chestnuts and stay all day.”

Mentions Miss Gaines, Miss Parkinson, Miss Andrews. Att [?] Lewis, Nara, Mabel, Maud, Allie, Sina, Beck May, Clara, Miss Wright, and Mrs. de Long.

29. Ninnie Callahan to Miss Butler, Nov. 7, 1920. “We have been playing Xmas records to-night and it made me think of your playing them for us when you were our house mother.” Mentions Hazel, Miss Carey, Miss Gaines, Rebecca, and Bull-horn Ford [?].

30. Delia [Creech] to Marguerite [Butler], July 6, [notation: “1924”]. “I guess [Miss Gaines] has written you about the roofing of Laurel House and the rain pouring down on them with the cover torn off but it is finished now.”

Mentions her twins (Robert and Evelyn), Grannie, Columbus, Emily, Miss Gaines, Dora Metcalf, Allene Nolan, Dillard, Miss Smith, Oma Creech, Henry Creech, Dr. Huchins, Mrs. & Mrs. McCullough, Ethel, Jeanette, Mrs. Campbell, Clarkie, Elizabeth, Mary Lieu [?], Pat, Nell Englehart, May, and Leon.

31. Nora Howard to Miss Butler, Feb. 2, 1925. “We are graded on our work now and I’ll bet I get red D because I very often forget to ring the bell on time at nine o’clock. We are going to make our graduation dresses pretty soon in sowing class.” Mentions Ida Crager, Mabel, Hugh Irving, Nora Nolan, Gladys, Hattie, and Becky May.

32. Christopher to Miss Butler, Feb. 1, 1914. “I am having a good time in school to day.” Mentions Hattie.

33. Mathias Williams to “Friend,” Nov. 14, 1920. “I think Niniah a very good Sunday School teacher. I am learning psalms very fast. I have learnt five already….I hope to teach school some day for I take more pleasure in school than public or farm work either. I hope that some day us boys of to day will be rulers and I hope that we may rule well and wisely.” Also mentions Pearl.

34. Maudie Creech to Miss Butler, Nov. 23, 1920. “Doshia, Allene, Allie, me, Hazle (sic), and Grace are going to dance the Indian war dance.” Also mentions Jeanette and Arnie Shoop.

35. Delia Creech to Margarite (sic) [Butler], Nov. 27, 1920. “How do I hope [your mother] is much better. I know something of trouble & I do want you all to know I sympathize with you.” Mentions Ethel, Andy at Baxter, Miss Gaines, Elsie, and Oma.

36. Doshia Minyard to “Santa Claus,” Dec. 22, 1920. “Won’t you please bring me a comb because mine has just got two teeth on one end and one in the middle and about four on the other end so you might know I have a hard time combing my hair.”

37. [Attached note was written by M. B. [Marguerite Butler?] “The couples lived on top of ridge between school at head of Straight Creek & Green Hill. I always spent the night with Sallie, and Chunk [?] Caysen….”

Sally Cooper to Marguerite Butelor (sic), May 12, 1921, Bledsoe, Ky. “All the children are anxious to see you. Hoping it won’t be long until you are with us all again.” Mentions Mary, Dewey Sharp, Mallie, Vida, and Janet.

38. Rhoda Melinda Lewis to Miss Butler, March 6, 1921, London, Ohio. [Notation at top of page; “At this time Rhoda Melina Lewis with Celia Cathcart.”] “Ann Mitchel, a neighbor of Mrs. Holton’s, loaned me her roller skates to learn to skate on. When I first put them on I fell all over everything but now I can skate pretty good….” Also mentions Miss Pettit.

39. Annie [?] Ruth Medcalf to Miss Butler, Feb. 15, 1922, Line Fork Settlement, Gilley, Letcher Co., Ky. [Notation: “Nurse at Line Fork”] “I had a call over on Leatherwood the other day. When I got over there they had all their sick children assembled for me to look over. I was quite touched.” Mentions Dr. Todd, Mr. MacKaye, Mr. Lewis, and Mrs. Floyd Cornet.

40. Anne Ruth Medcalf to Miss Butler, March 14, 1922. Line Fork Settlement, Gilley, Letcher Co., Ky. “Did I tell you that we had the big sale a while back? They loved the little gingham and calico dresses, so it was most unfortunate that they were all so much of one size. They were lovely for the most part, and they enjoyed handling them.”

Mentions Mr. Lewis, Mary Susan Lugram [?] who was Mary Susan Cornet of Sige, Floyd Cornet & baby daughter named Ruth Ann, Marthie, Miss Pavey, Mr. Hall, Uncle Will Lewis, Miss Metcalf, Mrs. Zande, Berto Zande, Miss Reeves, Miss Coolige, Miss Wright, Mr. Fields, Ben Brown, Dr. Nolan, and Neally Cornet.