Transcribers log #008 JULIA MARIE MUSE of McPherson county, Kansas
Welcome to... My Darling Emma 1857
If you are NEW HERE be sure to read the beginning of the journey I am on transcribing my family's 19th century letter collection!
...ANNNNDDDD the ONE who wrote the MOST letters in the WHOLE letter collection is...
Julia & Emma's letters begin around 1875 when they were about 16-17 and wrote from “Kauffmans School House” where they both attended. About 5 years later, Julia begins to write from Kansas. The correspondences end in 1890. There are around 75 letters written by Julia in the 15 year period! She wrote almost 30,000 words to Emma!
Julia enjoyed a lifelong career as a school teacher. It was the fall of 1896, when at 37 Miss Muse married Thomas Joseph Gaston (1859-1905). Thomas was a widower with three young children ages 5-11 (his wife had passed the year prior.) Julia's new husband was the superintendent of the public schools in Liberty, Kansas where she was employed. Thomas Gaston passed away 10 years later and Julia would live almost another 35 years to the age of 81.
🍎🍎🍎
Julia’s father was John Wesley Muse (1825–1893) and her mother Francis Smith (1827-1882.) Julia was the couple’s first born and they then had the following children:
William Edward Muse (1861-1936)
John Cantor Muse (1864-1945)
Francis "Fannie" Muse (1864-1897)
Carolyn V. Muse (1867-1900)
Mae "Minnie" Emma Muse (1872-1928)
Julia seemed like a really fun person. Her playful letters ended differently each time and she started her letters by calling Emma random names like Sweet Emma, Emmalina or darlingist friend. Most of the letter writers sign their name the same, but Julia ended hers differently each time. A few examples (because I like lists) are:
- Julia M. Muse
- Julia Maria
- JM
- J
- J. M. M.
- July
- JuliaMM
- Jule
- Maria
- Talkative Jule
- Queen Lily
- 10. 13. 13. (I'm not sure what the numbers mean.)
She also ended a letter with this:
"L.A. 6.961.864 Sm N.A. 8.859.728"
...maybe its some kind of schoolgirl code from the 19th century... Who knows...
There's a few things that confuse me within the contents of my whole letter collection and those numbers are at the top of the list! Whatever do they mean?
Well I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about Julia Marie Muse and I'll end this blog post with a some quotes from her letters so you get to know her even a little bit more.
Till next time folks!
Sincerely,
CT
🍎🍎🍎
Quotes from a few of Julia's letters written to Emma..
“Well Em I must tell you what I did this evening, I was making myself a pair of briches and what do you think? I made them both for the same leg. Yes I had them faced the seems felled down and even hemmed, before I noticed the difference. Min(Minnie) laughed and Ma scolded and as for myself I got mad. So you see we had a right lively time of it for a little while.”
-Julia Marie Muse Virginia abt 1875 (age 16)
“I tell you I was getting the blues the worst kind I really was disappointed thought I could have come to school Monday but had to contend myself over the old cooking stove. But leave the promise of getting there by Thursday.”
-Julia Marie Muse Virginia abt 1875
“Tell Mr. C that I never enjoyed sleeps better in all my life as I have this week. And so far as letting him know when I am coming it is concerned matters but little, for if I should happen to find him at home (if we could get nothing else) we would do our best at putting him in the feather bag. But I am anxious to know which of the foul species he looked most like. I imagine I seen him streaking up the road with his hat on white with down, unless he took some time to dust and brush. Oh but I would’nt I have liked to have seen him?”
-Julia Marie Muse Virginia abt 1875
🌈"Mr. C" is more than likely Emma's nephew, Charlie Keeler. All the gals in the letter collection tease & lust over Charlie! I believe he was also the local school teacher.
“And honey you did get the measles a real nice Christmas gift dont you think so? How do you like them? Do they go as nice as turkey or cake, think you? oh Emma dont think me all fun and no sympathy. I really do pity you. I certainly felt tempted to come in for enough to take a sly peep any how. Did you hear us laughing? Oh sugar I had a real gay time Sunday morning but if you had known how badly I wanted to see you, you would certainly have thrown the measles aside and poked your head out the window anyhow.”
-Julia Marie Muse Virginia abt 1875
“Ma went out to aunt Mary Lovetts this morning consequently I am housekeeping and these children are about to set me wild! And goodness alive! there is Pa calling me to come help set out those onions and of course I will have to lay my letter down unfinished – it is really too bad. I was just ready to write yesterday evening and Pa come in and said that he was going to town and if I wished I could go along and you may easily guess that I would drop a letter or anything else to take that trip.”
-Julia Marie Muse Virginia 1876
"Well Emma I would like real well to come down to see you and it would be perfectly splendid to come the way you spoke of, but I dont ever expect to go to Quaker Meeting. They say it is not less than 6 miles from here and a very rough road so I dont think I should go at all. We have been real busy making soap, gardening and the like, want to try and finish up this week and then I have got ever so much sewing to do - so when will I ever get any time to visit I shall like to know?”
-Julia Marie Muse Virginia 1876
“I suppose you are ready for camp next Sunday? I dont know whether I shall ever be exactly ready or not but intended going next Sunday if nothing prevents. I want to be sure of seeing you there too. Do you let me advise you though not to start before 3 o'clock this time and mabe[maybe] you will enjoy the day better than you did last year. Perhaps you had better provide your self with a bottle of “Mr. Winslow’s soothing syrup” in case of emergency.”
-Julia Marie Muse Virginia 1876
🌈“Mr. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup” was a children’s teething pain medicine in the 19th century. Each bottle contained a dangerous amount of morphine and alcohol and even after infant deaths linked to the syrup, it remained on store shelves until the 1930s.
"No I have never read “Beyond The Gates.” I will enjoy doing so and will procure a copy if I ever have the opportunity. What does Mrs C call her boy? Is Katie teaching? How do you get along with out Mattie? I am so sorry she left you. Here I have been writing all this time and not thanked you for Jessie's picture. I was so glad to get it. Do hope Julias will come soon. You may just as well have a group of your relatives and children and then I will be satisfied. Of course if you wish it I will send a group of my family and return. Dont bother your brain with that fellow. He will be moon shine altogether as far as I am concerned. No Em, I cant make up my mind to be a man’s cook, washer woman, or mule. Convert me if you can. I will read with interest any thing you may write on the subject. Dont fret but what I will be an old maid and give you all my chaining. When are you coming to Kansas? Write soon to your adventurous loving friend Julia"
🌈“Beyond The Gates” was published in 1883 and written by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward. The book was inspired by the author's own reflections on life, death, and faith after a period of illness. Set in the 1800s, the story tells of a young woman named Ruth who is passionate about art but faces family pressure to marry a wealthy man. The novel focuses on her struggle between societal expectations and her passion as an artist. It delves into spiritual and ethical questions from a late 19th-century New England perspective. Today, the book is considered an important work of American classic fiction that reflects the moral and spiritual debates of its time.
"Money is a good thing, it can give us many comforts if rightly used, but there are also many things it cannot give us. Poverty narrows ones life but it does not necessarily unbrightens it."
"Supper over, milking done, calf fed, and night work done up generally and now I will finish my letter. We have new neighbors where Mr. Bohrer lived. He sold a part of his farm to a Mr. Thwart, an Englishman. The old gentleman is a widower, and has a single son. Theres also two other single gentleman moved in the neighborhood this spring. I tell you what it is, we will soon have more beaus up here then you can “shake a stick at.” Two of them own buggies so what more is wanted."
"Saturday was a gloomy day in the city, about 11 o'clock Mr. Champlain, a prominent citizen, shot himself accidentally while cleaning a revolver. He never spoke and died in a few minutes. Leaves a wife and six sons. It was such a shock. His poor wife was like one demented. The men passed a long with blanked faces and in awe seemed to pervade."
-Julia Marie Muse Kansas 1880
"Well I am certainly glad to hear that your health is so good. Hope it will continue and wonder if you weigh as much as I do. I weighed 147 1/2 two weeks ago, can you beat it? I sympathize with you in the death of your cousin, the loss of one so young is to be lamented, but God knows best and His ways are not our ways. I was in Pughtown during his illness and heard him spoken of by several. I think the baby's name is real pretty. Lula is one of my favorites - I have a very dear friend by that name. Lula Summerville formally now Mrs Dr Boan. I did’nt like her changing her name one bit, but it seems like they will do it. While I am contended to Muse on awhile yet until I can change it for the better. The “bridal veil” has certainly been drooping over this neighborhood of late. 7 weddings with in the last 10 weeks. Five one week. There are even some others yet who it is thought will catch the “infection.”
"Well next Tuesday will decide the great political contest. There are for the most of them is considerable excitement in this state. It will go Republican by a big majority if the union labor party buy another four years the women will leave the right to exercise the franchise unified them too much. By another four years the women will have the right to “exercise the franchise” then there will be some excitement, dont you think? Wont we talk politics though."
-Julia Marie Muse Kansas November 4, 1888
"While Fannie is resting I will have the time writing to you. Perhaps you have not heard of her affliction as I have not written to you for so long. She has not used her right arm since Oct – trouble near the elbow joint. We suppose from a hurt received some time ago we dont know when. By the time the soreness and inflammation were all out the muscle had contracted until her arm was very crooked. Her doctor lives here and came here last Friday to have it straightened. It proved more severe than we had anticipated. We were compelled to stay here and dont know yet when we can leave. I do hope and pray Fannie will be able to go in the morning. I will die if I have to stay here much longer in the racket much like Fannie. She has her arm in a plaster paris mold & it will have to stay there some time. The dear girl has suffered intensely."
-Julia Marie Muse Union Hotel McPherson, Kansas February 11, 1889
"The Coffeyville Daily Journal" Friday, October 23, 1896 page 1
Married: at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Turner, on W. 9th St. on Thursday evening, Oct. 22, 1896, by the Rev. A. S. Freed, Prof Thomas Gaston, superintendent of the public schools of Liberty and Miss Julia M. Muse, who is also a teacher of Elysia, McPherson County, Kansas.
-I may errors in the names and birthdates etc in my posts. Please feel free to email for corrections if you may have them.
This is all so interesting and fascinating.
ReplyDeleteGlad others are enjoying the stories coming from my family’s letters! There’s more coming soon!
ReplyDelete