Letters

History

In 1906, Carrie spends spring semester at Mount Holyoke, and seems to have her first connection with illness over the summer. No mention of diabetes at that time; perhaps she is still going through diagnosis with several doctors. She does not return to campus in the fall, but she keeps in touch with her Pinkerton Academy friends and her Mount Holyoke friends throughout the year. She has correspondence with Dr. Elliott Joslin, a Boston doctor who became famous for his work in diabetes, starting in November. She spends part of December in the hospital.

The Images

All letters have at least their first page or a portion of the first page scanned, and comments about their contents are included below.

A Letter from Ginn & Company to Carrie Gowing, Jan 3, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing at Mount Holyoke. Return address is Ginn & Company, Publishers, Trade Department, Boston. Postmarked Jan 3, 1906 5:30pm in Boston, and Jan 4, 1906 9am in South Hadley.

first page On Ginn & Company Publishers letterhead. The text of the letter Also included in the envelope is a list of the books that they distribute, and an ad for Julia Henshaw's "Mountain Wild Flowers of America."

A Letter from Jennie Friend to Carrie Gowing, Jan 14, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing at Mount Holyoke. Postmarked Feb 7, 1906 1pm in Lowell, MA. South Hadley postmarked smeared.

first page On plain cream stationery. The letter is actually addressed to Helen Center, who forwarded it on to Carrie to read. The text of the letter

A Letter from Carrie Gowing to Mary Gowing, Feb. 4, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Mary L. Gowing in Hudson, NH, from her sister Carrie Gowing. Postmarked Feb 5, 1906 7am in South Hadley, and Feb 5, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH.

first page On cream stationery with the Mount Holyoke College seal. The text of the letter

A Letter from Carrie Gowing to Mary Gowing, Feb 25, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Mary L. Gowing in Hudson, NH, from her sister Carrie Gowing. Postmarked Feb 26, 1906 7am in South Hadley, and Feb 26, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, Mar 4, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Mar 5, 1906 9am in West Derry NH, and Mar 5, 1906 in Hudson NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Carrie Gowing to Mary Gowing, Mar 18, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Mary L. Gowing in Hudson, NH, from her sister Carrie Gowing. Postmarked Mar 19, 1906 7am in South Hadley, and Mar 19, 1906 pm in Hudson NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, Mar 29, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Mar 30, 1906 12midnight in West Derry NH, and Mar 30, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH.

first page On Boston University seal, cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Mary Gowing to Carrie Gowing, May 10, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing at Mount Holyoke. Postmarked May 10, 1906 2pm in Nashua NH, May 11, 1906 5am in Holyoke, and May 11, 1906 9am in South Hadley

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter. It is incomplete; there is a page from a letter in Mary's handwriting in Carrie's scrapbook that might be the missing page to this letter, but it's glued in and I can't tell for sure.

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, May 11, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in South Hadley (College). Postmarked May 14, 1906 12midnight in West Derry NH, and May 15, 1906 9am in Hudson NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Auntie to Carrie Gowing, May 13, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing at Mount Holyoke. Postmarked in Hudson Center NH, and May 15, 1906 9am in Hudson NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter. There is also a second letter in the envelope. The text of the second letter

A Letter from Clara Ridgway to Carrie Gowing, May 21, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing at Mount Holyoke. Postmarked May 22, 1906 10:30am in Newburyport, MA, and May 22, 1906 8pm in South Hadley.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Carrie Gowing to Mary Gowing, May 28, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Mary L. Gowing in Hudson, NH, from her sister Carrie Gowing. Postmarked May 28, 1906 7am in South Hadley, and May 28, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH. Unfortunately, I only have the envelope, but I am hoping the dealer will find the letter for me.

flyer What I did find separate from an envelope that is dated near May 28, 1906, and what fit into the envelope perfectly, was this flyer for a violin recital on May 25, 1906 at Mount Holyoke.

A Envelope from Mary Gowing to Carrie Gowing, Jun 4, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing at Mount Holyoke. Postmarked Jun 4, 1906 9:30am in Pelham NH, and Jun 4, 1906 5pm in South Hadley. Letter is missing.

A Letter from Auntie to Carrie Gowing, Jun 10, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing at Mount Holyoke. Postmarked Jun 13, 1906 6:30pm in Lowell MA, and Jun 14, 1906 9am in Hudson NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from A. G. Bolter to Carrie Gowing, Jun 13, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie Gowing at Mount Holyoke. Postmarked Jun 13, 1906 am 6pm in South Hadley Falls, and Jun 13, 1906 am 8pm in South Hadley

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Clara Ridgway to Carrie Gowing, Jun 14, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing at Mount Holyoke. Postmarked Jun 14, 1906 4:30pm in Newburyport, MA, and Jun 15, 1906 9am in South Hadley. Flag cancel with a "1" in the banner.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, Jun 17, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie Gowing in South Hadley, and forwarded to Hudson NH. Postmarked Jun 18, 1906 8am in West Derry NH, June 2[?], 1906 7am in South Hadley, and Jun 25, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, Jun 28, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Jun 28, 1906 12midnight in West Derry NH, and Jun 28, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH.

first page On lined cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, Jul 7, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing, Hudson, N.H. Postmarked Jul 7, 1906 9:30am in West Derry NH, and July 9, 1906 8am in Hudson NH.

first page On plain lined stationery. The text of the letter

Carrie Gowing's Report Card, Jul 10, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH, in her own hand. Postmarked Jul 10, 1906 7am in South Hadley, and Jul 10, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH.

front Carrie's report card. She took Chemistry, Bible, English Literature, English, History, Zoology, and Gymnasium. There didn't seem to be grades, but a system based on "Credit," "Without Credit," "Complete", "Condition," and "Failure" instead. All the handwriting on the card is in Carrie's handwriting; the grades were stamped on. So evidently the student filled out the card with all the pertinent information and handed it in to the registrar, who filed it and at the end of the term, filled it out and mailed it in the envelope that the student provided with her home address on it.

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, Jul 15, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Jul 16, 1906 9:30am in West Derry NH, and Jul 16, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH.

first page On lined cream stationery. The text of the letter

insert Snipped from a brown-wrapped package, the handwriting is Lester's. Postmark is Boston; no date.

A Letter from Mattie Parkhill to Carrie Gowing, Aug 2, 1906

envelope Addressed to Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Aug 3, 1906 1pm in Middletown NY, and Aug 4, 1906 8am in Hudson NH. Flag cancel.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, Aug 20, 1906

envelope Addressed to Carrie Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Aug 23, 1906 in Windham Depot, NH, and Aug 24, 1906 8am in Hudson, NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Mary Parsons to Carrie Gowing, Sep 10, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie Gowing in Pelham NH. Postmarked Sep 10, 1906 5pm in Derry, NH, and Sep 10, 1906 pm in Pelham, NH.

first page On Nesmith Place, Derry NH stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Caroline Greene to Carrie Gowing, Sep 14, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Return address is Registrar at Mount Holyoke College. Postmarked Sep 15, 1906 10am in South Hadley, and Sep 15, 1906 12midnight in Hudson, NH.

first page On Mount Holyoke College Registrar's Office stationery. The text of the letter

A Receipt from Florence Purington to Carrie Gowing, Sep 27, 1906

receipt A receipt for $10 received from Carrie for payment of her registration fee for 1907-08. On the back in pencil, might be Carrie's writing but it's not as neat as she usually writes and it's hard to tell: "Mount Holyoke College $10.00 registration fee for 1907-1908"

A Letter from Mattie Parkhill to Carrie Gowing, Sep 30, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Oct 1, 1906 7am in South Hadley, and Oct 1, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH. Carrie used the back of the envelope to make some lists; looks like it may be the letters she received or wanted to answer.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, Oct 8, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Oct 10, 1906 9am in Boston, and Oct 10, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Angie Heartz to Carrie Gowing, Oct 14, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Oct 15, 1906 7am in South Hadley, and Oct 15, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH. Sealed with two wax seals. Carrie used the back of the envelope to make some lists; looks like it may be the letters she received or wanted to answer. She also did a few math equations, 1906-1887=29, 1906-1838=69; looks like she was calculating some ages!

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from "Flam" (Bertha Martin) to Carrie Gowing, Oct 14, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Oct 15, 1906 10am in South Hadley, Oct 15, 1906 12midnight in Springfield MA, and Oct 16, 1906 8am in Hudson NH. Carrie used the back of the envelope to make some lists; looks like it may be the letters she received or wanted to answer.

first page On stationery that once was embellished (possibly with the school seal) but the embellishments have been clipped and some of the words to the letter lost as well. The text of the letter

A Letter from Mary Davis to Carrie Gowing, Oct 21, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Oct 22, 1906 7am in South Hadley

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Dr. Elliott Joslin to Carrie Gowing, Nov 2, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Nov 2, 1906 5pm in Boston, and Nov 3, 1906 8am in Hudson, NH. Flag cancel from Fenway Station.

letter On Elliott Joslin's letterhead stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Lester Russell to Carrie Gowing, Nov 12, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Nov 13, 1906 8am in West Derry NH, and Nov 13, 1906 4pm in Hudson NH.

first page On lined cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Dr. Elliott Joslin to Carrie Gowing, Nov 18, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Nov 19, 1906 1am in Boston, and Nov 19, 1906 8am in Hudson, NH. Flag cancel from Fenway Station.

letter On 81 Bay State Road stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Elizabeth Thompson to Carrie Gowing, Dec 9, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Dec 9, 19[06] 8pm in Northampton MA, and Dec 10, 1906 8am in Hudson NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from George Seavey to Carrie Gowing, Dec 9, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing, Corey Hill Hospital, Brookline, MA. Postmarked Dec 10, 1906 am in Derry NH.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Letter from Mary Davis to Carrie Gowing, Dec 14, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing, Corey Hill Hospital, Brookline, MA. Return address is Shaw Mansion, New London CT. Postmarked Dec 20, 1906 11am in New London CT. Carrie used the back of the envelope to make a list; looks like it may be the letters she received or wanted to answer, or news she wanted to pass along.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter

A Card from Mary Parsons to Carrie Gowing, Dec 22, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie Gowing in Pelham NH, where the envelope was corrected and sent to Hudson NH. Postmarked Dec 22, 1906 11am in Derry NH.

card Outside says "Wishes sincere" Inside says "To Carrie From Mary N. Parsons With all kind Thoughts and good Wishes for a happy Christmas"

A Letter from Fanny Bixler to Carrie Gowing, Dec 26, 1906

envelope Addressed to Miss Carrie E. Gowing in Hudson NH. Postmarked Dec 27, 1906 12midnight in South Hadley, and Dec 28, 1906 8am in Hudson NH. Carrie's sister Mary used the back of the envelope to practice her penmanship, and she used her own name for the practice.

first page On plain cream stationery. The text of the letter