Katie wrote a letter on Sullivan Dry Goods Co letterhead to newlywedda ughter, Edna Van Gundy. It may well have been the last letter Katewro te to Edna and the reason it was kept. Although the letter wasnot dat ed, she mentioned it being the day of burial of Bruce, ILphysician, Dr . Gladwell. Researcher Brian Isaacs says Gladwell'sobit specified it a s Thursday, 4/12/1911. The letter said:
"Thursday evening Dear Children
I just got your letters andw as so glad to here from you and hope your colds are better by nowtake g ood care of your selfs and dont get your feet wet for I think aperson t akes cold that way so quick. Ella said she was going towrite and Joe h as his letter ready to send ansell & Earl talks aboutwriting ever nig ht but they have been so buisy fixing fence made acole House cleaned t he barn and I dont know what all We had thehardest rain to day I ever s aw it rained for 2 Hours like a floodwe got a big rain last night to . Ella called me awhile a go and saidthair was 104 chickens out so I g uess they will do pretty well if wecan raise them I am so proud of th em the nicest little things. Puss& I went to see Barnes in Decatur Tu esday after noon. He said hecouldnt do any thing for me that he would n ot operate on me at alland for me not to let any one else He said no b ody but a man thatwanted to make a big bill would talk such a thing h e said the shapeI was in I would not live through the operation. He s aid for me toDr my general system take good care of my self not to wor k nor worrya bout any thing and get as much out of the time I had as I c ould Hesaid of course I might with good good care last quite awhile H ecould not say nor any one else. But if he could do any thing for me he would be glad to and for me to have the Dr here call him up and hewo uld be glad to give him advise any time. Kessler has helped me Iknow e ver other way only that place and I am glad I took his medicinefor Dav idson would have put me under the sod long ago he said I couldbe opera ted on all right he eather didnt know or wanted to make abig bill for B rown & Barnes said I could never stand it when theyexamined me I am g oing to work a while longer and when it gets niceand warm so I can get o ut I am going to take a long vacation thenansell & I will come out t o see you after the corn is put in. I amnot a bit discouraged I think m aby I will get better and if I dont Iam only one I am not a fraid to g o for I do the best I can and thatis all God asks us to do. I want yo u and Bob to go to church &sunday school you will meet with the best p eople that way and it isyour duty to go It always makes one feel bette r to go to a good placeand I want you both to so bad. I was so glad B ob wrote I want himto write ever time he can if it is only a line I w ant all 3 of myboys to do well for they are all the world to me. and i f I had a hadyou & Ella made to order you would not have suited me any b etter. Wesaw Maud Powells Mark at the depot he wanted us to go down f orsupper but we came back on the six oclock train for I was so tired. Mrs Seass was at our house and stayed all night she seems to be wellpl eased with the place the way it looks Ella just now called andsaid th e water had raised in the cellar till it was nearly full wewill have a s wimming pool if it turns off warm come in the water isfine. I would l ove to see your cows & pigs your chickens are actingoffel nice & only h ave 3 hens sitting. Lilly J. incubator didn't doa bit well she didnt g et 50 and some of them died I dont think theywatched it close enough f or I saw them up town so much. Mrs Seasssaid she would make us a kitc hen where that back porch is wont thatbe nice she said just as soon a s it got so she could get down to seeabout it Burt Said he would take h er & Lucas ansell & me to yourhouse this summer in the car. so put th e big pot in the little onefor will sure come. Harrie called me up as s oon as they got home Iwas so glad to here from you tell Jake Hellow I e xpect he will getlonesome to. last sunday was so pretty the sun shone w arm all dayafter noon Ansell & I went to the barn all over the place e ver wherewe came back to the lot and he turned the cow in to the calf a nd thenafter it got its dinner turned her back in the pasture and I an d himwas standing by the big gate she took a run at me split the top o fthe gate ansell trying to hold it to keep her out then she got down on one knee and took a run at the bottom of it. I had a piece of apitch f ork handle in my hand I hit her with it between the eyes theblood run o ur of her nose but it didn't conquer her at all well Inever was scare d so bad ansell said I never would be any while whenI was dead I tho ught I was safe with a fence between us well itdidn't take me long to g et a way from their havent been back since.I think my visits will be f ew and far between as long as she istheir. Dr Gladville of Bruce was b uarried today here in town. Iwish I was thair to eat supper with you & h ave been off my fead today. you know the new buggy Sam E. got well he g ot full the othernight and went home trid to turn to short or somethin g up set and runhis head right through the top bore a hole clear throu gh skined hishead and face all to pieces he goes a round now with a w hite plasterall over his head that is what whisky does for a fellow j ust nowLuAnn brough me up the nicest ham sandwish my it looks fine th egirls are offel nice to me. Mary has been sick for 3 weeks dont knoww hen she will be back wheather at all or not she went to Decaturtoday t o be ? she sent me the nicest boquet this morning she saidit was for e aster I was offel glad to get it for I do love flowersso much. Mr. E .J. Miller gave me a pink carnation the other day Itook the stem home s et it out and it is growing nice Puss said all ofthem are well she com es in to see how I am nearly ever day they gotyour cards this mornin g she said tell you many thank and thechildrens was so pretty. you di dn't say how you liked your cardtell Bob I have another one to send h im a comic. He will get it in afew days. Grandma Powell & Mary Buxton w ent to St Elmo to day to seethat Dr I told ma to ask him when he woul d be back up in here and ifhe thought he could help me. Well if I kee p on I will tell everthing and the rest wont have any thing to write. G randma Gipsons waswell the first of the week I havent heared since. J oe & Earl are soproud of our chickens. We havent made any garden yet i t rains evertime we think about it. Thair was a traveling man here to d ay and Iordered a galon & half ice cream freezer when it gets warm I w illlay under them trees and eat ice cream It is the prettiest place w eever lived. Grandma Bupp is still a live but offel low. Delia & Flossie was in the store to day. & yes I nearly fell of my stool thismornin g Genie called me up and ask how I was she said she had hearedwhat th e Dr said and though she would call me up I said yes I haveseen you i n the store lots of times but you didnt speak. it beat herso bad she s aid no I didn't know wheather you was a lowed to havecompany up their o r not. I said yes I have lots of company ever bodycomes in that knows m e always speaks I wanted to say none of themturned their back like yo u did but I didn't. I just let it go. Butwhen she could have been co mpany and a help to me she was not & now Idont need her she just felt a s hamed of herself I know well I havegot plenty of friends I would rath er do for me if they half to asher. that is the way I feal a friend i n need is a friend in deedand she wasnt one then and I wish her well a nd all that but I can gothe rest of the way with out her I dont think m uch of any one thatwaits till the last to say a kind word. Willie has c alled up severaltimes and ask how I was He called last night and ask a bout you andsaid to tell Bob to drop him a line. the sun has come out n ice nowafter the storm well I must close you will be glad twice to get t hisglad when it is read I want you both to be good have a good time do ntworry a bout any thing and live just the best you can ever day writ eto us often I am just crasy to see your new home and will before long
Goodb y from If you cant read
Mama this guess at it for
I have had to stop so often"
Names in the letter, some of which have been identified:
Ella - Ella Powell, Kate's daughter
Earl - Earl Powell, Kate's son
Ansell - Ansell Powell, her husband
Puss - Mary Powell Dunkin, Ansell's sister
Kessler, Davidson, Brown & Barnes - physicians
Bob - Robert Van Gundy, Edna's husband
Maud Powell & son, Mark - Unknown
Mrs Seass - Wife of Burt Seass, Kate and Ansel's landlady
Lilly J - Unknown
Burt - Burt Seass, their landlord
Lucas - Lucas Seass, probably son of Burt
Harrie - Harry Gipson, Kate's half-brother
Jake - Unknown
Sam E - Unknown
Mr E J Miller - Unknown
Grandma Powell - Nelson's wife, Kate's mother-in-law
Mary Buxton - a friend of the family
Grandma Gipson - Kate's mother
Joe - Joseph Powell, Katherine's other son
Grandma Bupp - In the Partial List of Patrons of Moultrie Co, are JohnB upp, who operated a dray line and his wife Isabella. They areburied i n Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan, IL along with several otherBupps: John L B upp 1855-1925, Isabell, his wife 1855-1920. WhyKate called her "Gr andma" remains a mystery to be solved.
Delia - coworker or neighbor
Flossie - coworker or neighbor
Genie - Eugenia Baker Powell, wife of Ansell's brother, William
Wiillie - William Powell, husband of Genie
At 4:45 P.M. Katherine died of a tumor of the spleen and hypertrophyof t he liver. The problem had plagued her for about 5 years. Dr.W.E. Sca rborough of Sullivan had been caring for her since May 11 andsigned th e death certicifate. Although Kate worked at the SullivanDry Goods Co u ntil shortly before she died, the death certificaterecorded her as a h ousewife.
