The Letters: Honey Suckles and Fishing Hooks, 1892

Samuel Gallatin Blair’s time at the California State Normal School seems to have influenced his next letter to his sister Sadie. Here he encourages her to keep up with her studies, and to keep their younger brother Sutton and sister Martha focused on theirs, too.

California Pa April 23/92

Miss Sadie Blair

Dear Sister

       I will write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and hope you are the same. I wish I were there to go with you to singing to night but it is impossible.

       I think it would be a pretty good idea if you Sutton & Martha would look up your lessons pretty good have school every evening it would keep you brightened up on your studies and be ready next winter for to go right ahead. It would not hurt you any I know. Well I will not write very much this time as I want this to go out this morning. So hoping to hear from you soon I remain your loving Brother write and give me all the news from Fayette Co Pa

       Yours Truly

         S. G. Blair

Sutton Blair, about 1894

In Sadie’s letter to Sam (see here), she reveals her own thoughts about education. She writes, “Last Sat eve we met at Jackson to practice and I had to be teacher; I tell you I just made them walk the chalk mark.” Jackson was the small one-room schoolhouse in Perry Township, and all of the Blair children in this family were students there at one time.

Jackson Schoolhouse, Perry Township

It’s not clear from Sadie’s letter what they were practicing, but “walking the chalk mark” means to behave properly or obey; the phrase has a nautical origin, in which sailors were forced to prove their sobriety by walking along a line (drawn with chalk) across a ship’s deck. I don’t know whether Sadie literally drew a line across the Jackson Schoolhouse floor or whether she just didn’t like being in charge, but it doesn’t sound as if she were interested in following in Sam’s teaching footsteps.

In contrast to the previous letter, where Sam and Sadie both used the singular (and grammatically incorrect was instead of were), here he impresses me with his correct use of the subjunctive: “I wish I were there to go with you...” I also like his phrase, “keep you brightened up on your studies.” 

Sam’s last letter is my favorite. I don’t know who Jennie Singer is, but I love the images of them out in the woods gathering honeysuckle and of Sam’s impending homecoming, looking forward to fishing with Sadie, Martha, and Sutton.

California Pa

May 2 1892

Miss Sadie Blair

Dear Sister

       I will indeavor to answer your kind and welcome letter which I appreciated very much when I got it.

       Jennie Singer told me to tell you she would like to have some flowers, She said we she would like to come over with me but she can’t. She thought she had such a nice time when we went out to the wood that time and got Honey suckles, I wonder if they are out yet.

       I wrote your letter with red ink so that you could tell them apart.

       I am coming home next Friday and you and Martha and Sutton have the fishing hooks and lines ready for me to fish some and try my luck.

       Well I will not write any more and will tell the rest when I come home.

       Yours Truly

       Samuel Blair

         your Brother

What makes this last letter particularly poignant is that both Martha and Sam died the following winter — Martha on January 24, and Sam on February 2, 1893, both of diphtheria. Judging by his letters, I can imagine the not quite 18-year-old Sam trying to cheer up an ailing 6-year-old Martha, telling her stories and promising more honeysuckles and fishing in the spring, before he himself also got sick, dying nine days after she did.

*Honeysuckle image courtesy of https://uk.lush.com/.

© Kristin Luce, 2017