Letters of Helen Howard Shumway ( )

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Letters of Helen Howard Shumway (1863-1923) Lena, Ill; July 4th 1902 to H.P.S. from Helen H. Shumway Dear Herbert I will write you first a few lines, though am feeling nearly sick.

1 Letters of Helen Howard Shumway ( ) Lena, Ill; July 4th 1902 to H.P.S. from Helen H. Shumway Dear Herbert I will write you first a few lines, though am feeling nearly sick. We had a terrible time, did not get here until 3:30 this morning. Were in a bad storm the first night out, and at two o'clock in the morning reached the little town of Ackley and there we staid till five clock in the evening on account of a wash out. Uncle will be buried tomorrow at ten o'clock. I cannot write much for my head feels so bad, am anxious to hear from home and know how you all are. Love to you and children. Nellie S. Guess you had better direct [mail] to Lena 1 The Lindell largest and finest hotel in the city; A L Hoover & Son, proprietors; cor. 13th & M Streets; 50 Parlor rooms with bath, elegant sample rooms; Lincoln Neb 5/05/1903 to H.P.S. from Helen H. Shumway Dear Herbert Will write you a line this morning, so you will know I am here all right. We have a nice room with bath, on first floor. We had a hard rain last night but it is lovely this morning, and I want to go out so much but as I do not like to go out alone shall stay in my room. I have written a long letter to Earl, and by the time I have finished yours it will be about dinner time. I met General Culver yesterday and had a nice little visit, he was very pleasant, carried my satchel for me, and invited Herbert & Nellie Shumway about 1900 Mrs. Mathews and I to call at his office. He wanted to know If you arrived home safe, said he tried to take the best of care of you while you were with him. My pin has not come yet, guess you forgot to send it. We have our first meeting this afternoon, wish it was over with. Write me if you are not too busy, love to all Your loving wife, Nellie 1 This is her birthplace, Lena, Stephenson Co., IL.

Wakefield 4/25/1905 to Herbert Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Herbert It seems quite like old times to get a good scolding from you, have not had one for so long.

2 Wakefield 4/25/1905 to Herbert Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Herbert It seems quite like old times to get a good scolding from you, have not had one for so long. I quite enjoyed it, but I do not deserve it for I have written you two letters and they should have been there waiting for you. As for your having had a hard trip, I think you have had a much better time than I have been having, but I am glad to get your letters even if you do scold me. Think we are having Oregon weather now, it has been raining steady for three days, a nice gentle rain with no thunder. It seems a little lonesome since Earl went back to Lincoln, but we are well everything is all right. I wish you could see the calf suck the bottle. Percy went down and bought a rubber nipple and found a large beer bottle and that is the way the calf takes his 2 milk. If it stops raining I think Eva will be down to stay with me the rest of the week. You will surely know the country pretty thoroughly by the time you get ready to come home, and will know if you like well enough to invest. Ira is writing today so I will not try to tell you about as business. Your loving Wife Nellie Helen Howard Shumway about 1900? H. P Shumway & Co Lumber, Coal, and Farm Machinery Wakefield, Neb 4/28/1905 to Herbert Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Herbert I received your letter this morning written the 24th and in it you say you have not received any of my letters yet. I think it very strange as this is the fourth or fifth I have written and directed to Portland Hotel. I do not wonder at you feeling hurt. Have you received Iras letters? I judge from your letter, you are not in love with the West, I am disappointed, as I was in hopes you would 3 like it. We are all well, and getting along nicely. Mont wrote me and said he and Eva would be down tomorrow and spend Sunday with us. I do hope you will get this letter. My letters have not been returned so must surely be at the Portland. Your loving wife, Nellie 2 Herbert's sister, Eva Shumway Everett. 3 Fremont Everett, Eva s husband

3 Wakefield, 9/27/1920 to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Percy Have been trying to get time to write but have been pretty busy. Ruth went to Lincoln this morning, their goods are comming and she had to be there to see to them. Howard and I are both so lonesome we have decided not to stay after this week. Have rented the house and will go to Lyons a week from today or Tuesday. Let me know if you are going to be there next week. I must go to Omaha to do a little shopping and will let you know when I go. Hope you are all right and well. With lots of love to you both. Wakefield Nebr 5/26/1921 to Percy S. Shumway in Coachella, CA from Helen H. Shumway 4 I should have written you long ago but am quite busy. Ruth is in the St. Joseph hospital and I am keeping Helen, and she sure keeps me busy. I hope Ruth will be able to come home soon for it is pretty lonesome. I was a little disappointed when I got your last letter saying you could not get home. You have not been here for so many years it would be nice to have you tho of course there is nothing at all to do. There is a party who would like to buy the house and I am wondering if it would not be wise to sell it if we can get a fair price. I doubt if any of you Shumway home, Wakefield, NE. ever care to live here in this Swede town, and surly cannot stay here alone. Since we came home the 2nd of May have burned ½ ton of coal. Wish you could be here to talk things over with me. Jerome expects to be away a year at least so Ruth will be with me. I would like to have a little home in Riverside Calif. It is a beautiful little place and near Coachella. One thing sure, I cannot afford to take trips back and forth; it is too expensive. If either of you decide to come home suppose you will need money so let me know. Im enclosing a letter which came yesterday. With lots of love to you both. Wakefield, NE 6/13/1921 to Earl Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Earl Received a letter from Percy a few days ago. Was glad to hear from you and know where 4 Why?

4 to write you. Hope you will like your job and keep well. How long do you expect to be there? Am sending some papers which came last eve and Mr. Mathewson advised me to send them to you and then let him know what to do about them, and to return them to him if you thot best; said to tell you he had written to Jack Slaughter to see about the hog house and anything else that needs attention, and expects to hear from him soon. We are all fine here now, Ruth has been home from the hospital nearly two weeks, and is feeling much better and I am so glad it is over. Earl, what do you think about selling the old place? Dr. Coe and the Dr. who bot out Fleetwood would like to get it for a hospital. Uncle Charlie S. and family were here a week ago and spent the day with us, and he advises us very strongly to sell it if we can get 8000 for it; says the house is worth but very little, that it is the location that will sell it. I do not want to live here, would like to have a little home in 5 Riverside, it is near Coachella, and I could be with Aunt Nettie, then if any of you should decide to improve the land down there it would be near. One thing sure I will have to stay one place or the other for it costs too much to go out and back every year and I cannot afford to have a home unless we sell this. Mr. Mathewson thinks we are foolish not to sell if we can. Percy and you talk it over and let me know what you think. You know when you get ready to leave there it will not be much farther to go to Calif. than here. Tell Percy I will answer his letter soon. With much love to you both, 6 Am inclosing a picture for each of you of Helen. Her Dad took them before he left home and they are splendid. Thot you might like them. Wakefield Nebr 7/9/1921 to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Percy Your letter of the 4th reced today, and tho I am feeling a little blue will write you now while alone. Ruth has gone to a ball game at Thurston with some of the girls and I am keeping Helen. Have been thinking for a long time how very much alone I am, and how I would love to have one at least of my boys with me, and then my thots turn to you whom I have always felt was a little nearer to me, do not know why, but it seems as if you thot a little more of me than the others. Of course I have Ruth with me and it is nice to have her, in fact I could not stay alone here, but she is married and when Jerry comes she will have her home and family. Do you realize Percy that I am getting old, and need some one to help me with things. As you say it is going to be some job to clean up all the old junk in the house and if we sell or not it should be attended to this fall, and who could I find that would be able to do it. It will cost me quite a sum and why not pay you instead of a stranger. I would much rather have you than Howard and do not think it best for him 7 to come back here any way for a year or so. Please think it over Percy, and if you think you could 5 Nellie's sister, Nettie Howard Paul. 6 7 Nellie's first grandchild and namesake, Helen Burnett. Deac (Howard Paine Shumway) had tuberculosis.

5 come the 1st or middle of Sept we can send you the money and then you can go to Calif. with us and build a little home for me. Your loving Wakefield, Nebr 7/22/1921 to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Percy- 8 Aunt Ella Shumway called me up yesterday and said Uncle Lorens boy just came back and that Earl and you were going for a long sea voyage. I think you should write me before leaving. Do not suppose you will get this but will take a chance. In my last letter to you I asked you if you would come home. Am ready to send you the money any time, but of course if you do not want to come will try and get along the best I can tho it is going to be very hard, and I do not know what to do with all the books and all the other things. Am sending you the paper again this week- have been sending them every week but you have said if you received them. Do not suppose I will hear from you again for a long time but wish you the best of luck. We will not go away before the first of Nov unless it gets so cold we have to keep fire. I do not want to buy coal. Love to Earl. Your loving Wakefield Nebr 7/29/1921 to Percy Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Percy- Your letter of the 25 came last night and I will hasten to answer. You write if I think you had better come to Wakefield you will. I think you know as well as I what there is to clean up in the old house. We have not sold yet but will as soon as possible and whether we do or not the things have got to be cleaned up and what things of you boys you want to keep packed and also of the furniture that is worth keeping and find a place to store it. You know the number of books there are in the East room closet beside those in the book cases, all must be attended to. The house is alive with rats in the house every night. Now Percy I would like to have you, and it seems as if I need you but am going to leave it to you, Ruth seems to think you do not want to come. Now I do want you to tell me honestly if you would rather take the sea trip, for I would dislike very much to have you come back feeling that you did not want to. Perhaps you and Earl could give us some advice as to what to do with the books and things, it is a job I hate to think of but we may be able to find some one to help, at least to clean out the garret. Had a letter from Howard last week and he is not well at all, said he was going up in the Mts. Will Send you his letter. Now dear Percy I want you to do what you think best, I would not want you to come if you would not want to and we will do the best we can with the things. Pleas let me know as soon as you receive this, and whatever you decide will be all right and if you come I will send money at once. Give my love to Earl and say I would like to hear from him. Yours lovingly, 8 Probably the wife of Charles Shumway.

6 Riverside 4/06 [1922?] to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway, Coachella Talk about your rotten weather, it has surely been that since I got back. Rained nearly all the way to Riverside the day I came up and has been cold as the dickens. Today is the first decent day we have had. I went down this morning to see if I could find a key for my trunk, and lucky enough to get one. To be sure it is all right will send it on to you so you can see and if it is you can keep it there for me. Am sending you the letter 9 I received from Ruth today. Nina and I have decided to 10 go to Camarillo this week end to see Aunt Edith so try and let the boys know we will not be here. Will leave Saturday at 1 and get back some time Sunday Hope you are getting on fine With love, undated note ca 1922 to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Am sending down some strawberries and if it is not too much trouble you might ask Howard & Earl in to have some. If you have ice they will keep a while. I left some of those pictures on the mantle for Howard. Will see you Thursday. Love, Helen & Ruth Burnett, Wakefield 1922 Riverside, Apr 17th (no year given, prob 1922) to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Percy Received your letter Saturday. Am glad your friend is with you, it will help a lot. Nina and I are going down this week end, will try and get the morning stage, and Nina says tell you not to make any other plans, for we want you there. It is cold and the wind blows like the dickens. It is that way nearly every day. Love, 9 Nellie's niece Nina Paul who later married Percy Shumway. 10 Nellie's sister Edith Howard Letts.

7 Riverside Calif. 4/20/1922 to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Percy 11 We were so dissapointed not to go to the ranch this week but Nina did not want to go when her father was not home. We will try it again next week. I think tho that I will go down Thursday and come back with Nina. I want to see you and I guess you are never comming up am so disappointed for I though you would before I left. Am sending you some pictures Nina took the other day. They are not very good, but you know I never do take a good one. It is sure getting hot here now. The last two days have been fierce. Am enclosing a letter from Ruth I thot you would like to read and let the boys see it, and tell them I will send them some of the pictures if they care for them. You are the only one who has taken the trouble to write me. Must close and get dinner. With love, Wakefield, Nebr; 6/09/1922 to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway I really did not intend waiting so long before writing you, but I have had so much to do to make the house fit to live in. It was in terrible shape. Ruth met me in Omaha, and Jerome came in the next Thursday and yesterday they came here will stay until Monday and then go to Mexico. I stopped in Lyons and had a talk with Lorin. He thinks there is no chance of selling the house now, but I think I am going to sell the Home place to Nyberg and I am not going to give it to him you may be sure. Oscar wants to buy the barn. How much would you ask for it? Everything looks fine here but I like Calif. much better. Mrs. Haskell is with me now and that helps some. Will write you again soon when I have more time. Tell the boys I will write them soon. With love, 12 Walter is very anxious to go out there and wonders if he can get anything to do says he thinks he would like ranch work. Wakefield, Nebr 6/17/1922 to Earl J Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Earl:- I guess Howard is writing you quite often so you know everything of interest going on. Everything looks fine around here, but we are having so many cyclones all around that are taking everything in the way of crops. We have been very fortunate so far. Have had one nice letter from Ruth, will send it on to you. Are you still in the valley? Suppose it is hot there yet. We have had very little hot weather here. Have done nothing as yet about selling the place and doubt very much if we have a chance to sell this year. Am going back to Calif. in Sept as Mrs. Haskell is leaving sometime next month. Do not know when Howard is going, our tickets are not the same route so we can not get together any way. If you are where you can get to Percy give him Ruth's letter to read. With love 11 Esperanza Ranch, a date ranch on Avenue 56, Coachella begun by William Paul, Helen's brother-in law and Nina's father. 12 Probably Walter Howard, son of Charles Howard (Nellie's brother).

8 Wakefield, Nebr 6/29/1922 to Earl J Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Earl:- Have been home most a month, the time sure flies. I was very much surprised to see Howard, it was too bad he could not have come while Ruth and Jerome were here. We have not had any news from them yet and I suppose it will be some time before we do. I judge from your postcard to Howard that it is hot there, I should think you would go to the mountains for a month or so there is no need of you staying thro the hot weather, and I think Percy very foolish to stay there. I do not like it at all. We have not tried to sell the house yet, but will have to get busy soon. Howard thinks we will not be able to get more than $6000 for it, if we can get that in cash I think we had better take it for the house is getting worse all the time, and I shall not rent it again. It has cost me most $1150 to get it so we could live in it at all. The crops are looking fine, the corn is more than knee high now and if nothing happens to it we will have a dandy crop, and I think prices will surly come up. You can let Percy read this, and tell him he is owing me a letter. With lots of love and hoping to hear from you soon Wakefield, Nebr; 7/12/1922 to Percy Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Percy:- Have not been writing you often since Howard came home, and I presume he writes you all the news, and has all the time to write. If he had not come home I was going to hire a man and with Mrs. Haskells help get the old barn cleaned out and try and sell what was worth anything and the rest burn, then get boxes and pack the books, and sell the things in the house I do not want to keep. Thot he would go to work and help but he has not done a thing even about getting the place sold. I am about discouraged the time is going so fast, and Mrs. Haskell is going the last of August. We have not heard from Ruth yet but should hear any day now. We have had a lot of cold weather here this summer only a week or ten days of real warm days, but every thing looks fine as yet. How are you getting on at the ranch, it must be pretty warm Nellie Howard & Nina Paul - Coachella 1922 there. I had a letter from Aunt Jay the other day, and she said it had been 111 dg in Riverside. Earl wrote me he was giving up his job but did not say what he was going to do. It is sure funny you boys do not seem to think I am interested in you at all. Please write me. Love to Earl and yourself.

9 Wakefield 7/20/1922 to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Dear Percy:- Has been quite a while since I have written you, but I guess Howard has been writing so you know how things are going. We really need some of your hot weather, it has been too cool here all summer, and so much rain, grand for us but I guess not good for the crops. I had a letter from Ruth yesterday, will send it on to you. Will be glad when they come back to the US again. I do so hate to think of you being down there in that terrible heat, it must be feirce! How are the [ ]. I would like to get my teeth into one. Did you ever have any cucumbers on your vine? We have the place up for sale, but I doubt if we can sell now. We are asking 7,000 and think we should get that. One thing sure I will not give it away. Cantaloup When you get a cool day and the time, would love to hear from you, but I know it must be hard to write when it is so hot. With love, My Dear Percy I am sending you some gourd seeds to plant for me so I can [use them] the next summer for wren houses. Will do something for you some time. Much love Lida [Haskell] Wakefield, 8/10/1922 to Percy Stevens Shumway from Helen H. Shumway I know Howard is writing you quite often but I will write you anyway, tho have not much to say. Would like to see you instead of writing. I was very much dissapointed that we were not able 13 to get the Burnett ranch, I had the little house all cleaned and fixed up so nice, and I would have enjoyed so much keeping house there for my boys. We have the house in the hands of an agent, and if we could only sell it it might not be too late yet. I had another letter from Ruth yesterday and will send it on to you and Earl. The strike looks quite serious now and the papers state that if it is not settled soon it will mean a general tie up of all the roads. It worries me for fear we will not be able to get back. You have never written me if you got my letter with the seeds that Mrs. Haskell sent you. She is going away next week, but if we do not get away by the middle of Sept she will come and stay with us as long as we are here. Give my love to Earl when you see him. I do not think the job he is in is very safe, do hope he will be careful. With lots of love,. How is Mr. Hallie? Remember me to him. Wakefield, Nebr 9/12/1922 to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway Am enclosing some letters from Ruth which you might like to read. Have not sold the house yet and it looks as if we were not going to. I suppose I will start for Calif. before long tho if it were not so cold here and I was in better health think I would be tempted to stay here, for it looks as if 13 This was a small ranch owned by some sort of relative, Eddie Burnett.

10 I would have to be alone out there. I am not owing you a letter Percy dear, but am writing you any way. Am afraid you have had a hard time there thro the hot weather, but it must be getting cool by this time. Give my love to Earle when you see him. Lovingly Please keep Ruths letters Wakefield, Nebr 9/25/1922 to Percy S. Shumway from Helen H. Shumway, Wakefield, NE I am leaving here for Calif. the 12th if I am well enough to go. Am under the Dr's care now, but hope to be better by that time. He tells me just as Dr. Coe did a year ago that I must take it easy which is hard for me to do, but will try to for I want to see you all again. I dislike taking the trip alone, but guess there is no other way. If I had plenty of money would ask you to meet me in Sanfrancisco [sic] for that will be the worst of the trip. I will leave Omaha the 12th and think I arrive in Sanfrancisco Saturday but am not sure yet. Go from Salt Lake City by Western Pacific. Suppose Earl let you read, or told you of the letter I wrote him saying Ruth would be with me. Think she will come the last of Dec. Have not sold the house and do not think it will be possible this Fall, so I am going to close it up. It cost me so much to get it in shape to live in this Spring, I do not want to take a chance again. With lots of love, ed- Nellie did get to live in California, she died in Riverside in April of 1923, a month after Jerry Burnett s birth.

Reminiscence of Mrs. O.C. Bell From 1938 Interview

1 Reminiscence of Mrs. O.C. Bell From 1938 Interview Sept. 27, 1938 Interview Original typed form 2 Transcript 6 Lincoln, NE. From American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project,