[Letter: date unknown]
Files
Title
[Letter: date unknown]
Date
[1865?-1870?]
Subjects
African American families
Dresses
African American students
African Americans -- 19th century
People
Still, Letitia [recipient]
Format
image/jp2
Type
Correspondence
Rights
This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. For access to the original letter or high-resolution reproduction, please contact the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection (blockson@temple.edu; 215-204-6632).
Repository
Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection
Digital Collection
William Still Collection
Blockson manuscripts
William Still Collection
Digital Publisher
Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Libraries
Contact
blockson@temple.edu
Directory
BMS010X0140
Document Content
Dear Mother:/
I do think you all/ treat me so shabbily. You wont/ write to me at all only Pa. By/ the time you get this I suppose/ I shall have my box and Oh how/ happy I shall be. I can imagine/
you all around fixing in the things/ Will and El. just blessing me- Old/ Cad she gets everything &c.&c.&c. Never/ mind. I'll be home some of these/ days I trust then wont I make/ things nice for them notwithstand/ ing they abuse me so. I have/
just written to Pa. of course/ he thinks me awful and I dont/
know but that you'll all want to/ desert me because I want so much/ But now Mama about my gradua/ ting dress. It is time you were/ all attending to it. For you know/ Please dont/
forget to give/ Pa his [pack?]/ It is very/ important/ How much/ was my/ [Pack?]/ it would never do to disappoint me &/ not have it done &c.&c. Have you de-/ cided what it shall be? You remember/ it is to be white and a very very long/ trail all the girls have them so. You know it is not a sheet dress but only/ for this grand occasion. I dont/ want to look odd from the rest. I/ am very short too and it will make me look taller. I want Re=/ becca to make it. I dont want May/ Patterson to bring it she'll muss it up/ so. I'm afraid. Then too something/ for my hair dont forget. I dont sup=/ pose I shall be able to do a thing/ with this wool in August. My fan/ too or have you sent me one. White/ it must be all spangled and white/ kids. This is not vanity at all./ What can be purer than all white/ shall we not be arrayed in white/ in Heaven. You all think I write/ a lot about what I want to wear/ but if I did not you would not/ know and I should be an odd/ sheep. My head dress had better/ be of black velvet or something becom/ ing please talk to Mrs Bustill proba/ bly I had better not have any trim=/ ming only something of hair from/ her store. I thought some of having/ rather a broad plat of hair to match/ mine go from side to side on the front/ part of my hair and the waterfall/ behind. It would be something in/ coronet style in front. Please ask Mrs/ B she will tell you and show you./ My front hair is quite broken off and/ I'll want something to make it lay/ down quite smoothly. Pa will bring/ a stiff hair brush. Mrs B I think/ can fix me something real becoming/ something that sets up on my head/ will be more becoming than otherwise/ I think you know it is so of a hat./ I will have it with you entirely to/ send me something nice. My hair/
is not night black you know very/ dark only/ Love to all. So Will has/ taken to stump speeching I de-/ clare! Pa wrote me he spoke/ at Central Ch. I suppose he/ would'nt call that a stump well/ he was on planks I dare say only/ they were covered with carpet./ Have you help now? No one writes/
me anything at all./ In haste ./
Affectionately/
Carrie./
I do think you all/ treat me so shabbily. You wont/ write to me at all only Pa. By/ the time you get this I suppose/ I shall have my box and Oh how/ happy I shall be. I can imagine/
you all around fixing in the things/ Will and El. just blessing me- Old/ Cad she gets everything &c.&c.&c. Never/ mind. I'll be home some of these/ days I trust then wont I make/ things nice for them notwithstand/ ing they abuse me so. I have/
just written to Pa. of course/ he thinks me awful and I dont/
know but that you'll all want to/ desert me because I want so much/ But now Mama about my gradua/ ting dress. It is time you were/ all attending to it. For you know/ Please dont/
forget to give/ Pa his [pack?]/ It is very/ important/ How much/ was my/ [Pack?]/ it would never do to disappoint me &/ not have it done &c.&c. Have you de-/ cided what it shall be? You remember/ it is to be white and a very very long/ trail all the girls have them so. You know it is not a sheet dress but only/ for this grand occasion. I dont/ want to look odd from the rest. I/ am very short too and it will make me look taller. I want Re=/ becca to make it. I dont want May/ Patterson to bring it she'll muss it up/ so. I'm afraid. Then too something/ for my hair dont forget. I dont sup=/ pose I shall be able to do a thing/ with this wool in August. My fan/ too or have you sent me one. White/ it must be all spangled and white/ kids. This is not vanity at all./ What can be purer than all white/ shall we not be arrayed in white/ in Heaven. You all think I write/ a lot about what I want to wear/ but if I did not you would not/ know and I should be an odd/ sheep. My head dress had better/ be of black velvet or something becom/ ing please talk to Mrs Bustill proba/ bly I had better not have any trim=/ ming only something of hair from/ her store. I thought some of having/ rather a broad plat of hair to match/ mine go from side to side on the front/ part of my hair and the waterfall/ behind. It would be something in/ coronet style in front. Please ask Mrs/ B she will tell you and show you./ My front hair is quite broken off and/ I'll want something to make it lay/ down quite smoothly. Pa will bring/ a stiff hair brush. Mrs B I think/ can fix me something real becoming/ something that sets up on my head/ will be more becoming than otherwise/ I think you know it is so of a hat./ I will have it with you entirely to/ send me something nice. My hair/
is not night black you know very/ dark only/ Love to all. So Will has/ taken to stump speeching I de-/ clare! Pa wrote me he spoke/ at Central Ch. I suppose he/ would'nt call that a stump well/ he was on planks I dare say only/ they were covered with carpet./ Have you help now? No one writes/
me anything at all./ In haste ./
Affectionately/
Carrie./