Letter from Mary Jane Hale Welles to Gideon Welles

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

This is a personal letter from Mary Jane Hale Welles to her husband Gideon Welles. The bifolio letter has a narrow black border around the front page. The letter is dated at the top [Bellfonte 15 Aug.] and begins [My dear Husband / This is Saturday / very warm for this region, but pleasantly cool enough nights]. The writing on the front and second page is oriented vertically, with the writing on the third and last page oriented horizontally. The writing on the last page runs vertically. Mary Welles wrote the letter from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. The content of the letter covers the stay in Bellefonte, the couple's children and acquaintances, an upcoming journey to Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, a possible vacation to Glastonbury, and the recent Civil War draft lottery. On the third page, Welles writes, [There is great excitement here about the draft.

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗