Twenty-five (25) Letters from Siblings to their Grandfather, Father & Mother, 1899-1905. West Newton, MA

A collection of letters written by three (3) siblings from an affluent family. Most include the postally used envelopes. The father of the children was George P. Howlett, an attorney. The children's grandfather was William Rudd of Albany NY, a train. The letters are newsy with information about family outings to the country club, current events and visits to the homes of others. A letter from October 1901 reads "There were a great crowd on the boulivard(sic), cars and many extra cars running. I had to let eight go by, one behind the other before I could get on..." One letter by the oldest sibling discusses a Halloween outing and her visits to the gymnasium. The younger of the siblings begins most of her correspondence with an apology for the delay in writing. A letter from the middle child apologies for not writing and then confesses that she really doesn't have anything to say but will try and write a long letter because she hasn't written for so long. Letters to the father and grandfather had a standard salutation of Dear, while letters to their mother were addressed to My Darling Mamma or Sweet Mamma. The content and verbiage is noticeably more mature year after year. Fifteen (15) of the letters were to grandpa. Ten (10) were to their father and the remaining five (5) to their mother.