[The letter had no page breaks, so some are added hear for ease of reading]Shelburne Mass. Jan. 11, 1875
My dear Sister Martha
I believe that the last letter I had I wrote you was written the Saturday after Christmas telling you of all the news I could think of up to that time. Mother wrote the next week and I thought that would have to do for I was so busy. This last week which was the first week of the new year we have had meetings every night except Tuesday night and I went to all of the meeting except Saturday night. I enjoyed the meetings very much and would have liked very much to have gone Saturday night but was so tired that I thought I ought to stay at home and rest[.]
Last week Monday. was our relay meeting, it was held afternoon and evening the services in the afternoon commencing at two o clock and continuing till four and a little after commencing again at seven in the evening and continuing till after nine oclock. As there were meetings held in a good many places around us at the same time as ours there were not many strangers here and but a few of the ministers around us[.] The East Charlemont and the Coleraine ministers in the afternoon and the Baptist minister at the Falls and the minister from the North parish of Greenfield were here afternoon and evening and the ministers all had their wives walk them besides. There were perhaps half a dozzen [sic] other strangers Mr Montague of Springfield and Mr Littlefield of Boston who are holding meetings in different parts of the state under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association were here Mr. Montague I have heard before as he was at the meetings at Shelburne Falls and Conway last spring. Mr Littlefield was at Greenfield last spring but as he was not able to be at either of the other place[s], I did not see him or hear him. I like both of them very much they are both of them live active earnest Christian men men [sic] who it does one good to see and shake hands with.
We did have a good meeting both afternoon and evening at the close of the meeting when the invitation was given us those who wanted to begin a Christian life to rise ninteen [sic] more for Joragers [?] of these four were in my Sabbath school class. I was in hopes that Mr Bridgman would come to Shelburne as he was in Greenfield the day before he [sic] the meeting there but he could not come. We had good meetings all through the week and they were quite well attended[.] The fullest meetings after Monday was Friday evening. Saturday evening a conference meeting was appointed but I do not know how well it was attended as I did not go myself, but I do not think that many were out as it was a very cold blustering evening and the wind blew enough to take any ones head right off of their body[.] I went down to the barn to carry my kitties and way back the wind almost took my breath away and it was just as much as I could do to get back to the house.
Shelburne as yet is exempt from dangerous cases of the Diphthera [sic] as there has not as yet been a death from it in Shelburne while in the towns around us it continues to prevail to a great extent and almost every week there will be a number of death[s] from it.
We have had some very cold weather for a few days past. This morning was the coldest there has been this winter in Greenfield, but I do not know how low the mercury fell but I do know that it was full as cold as I care to have it. I saw by the Missionary Herrold [sic] that Miss Parmilee is in this country in account of failing health. Miss Ellis has come back from Europe and is now teaching in Iowa College I think that the Sem was foolish to give her up and let her go. I have not heard any thing from the Sem this year but from what I heard last year I think they need her sadly.
There was a man from the eastern part of the state a week or two ago here in Shelburne to lecture about Granges and try and form one here he succeeded and John is Master of it. I think that he and all the rest that joined it are great gooses although they may at first get things cheaper I dont [sic] think it will last long whether you call them middlemen or grangers they will get all they can out of you I did not like the man that came to lecture at all and I told them that it would take a smarter man than he was to convince me that any good could be derived from joining the grangers.
Dont [sic] you want to know how I celebrated my birthday. I was expecting to celebrate it by going to Greenfield to attend the meetings that were held there but it was not to be the morning of my birthday was ushered in by a snow storm but that did not [...] me and I got all ready but [sic] putting on my dress as soon as I got up before I got breakfast but pretty soon John came in saying that the water had frozen up to the barn, and after vain attempts to thaw it out with hot water they had to give up and go to digging and so ended the prospect of going to Greenfield. About eleven o clock in the
afterforenoon John came in to the house and wanted to know if I would not go and try and get help for he said that they should have to work all day Sunday if I did not you remember it was snowing and had been all the forenoon but I thought it was to[o] bad to have to work so long and so I [...] I went to Sm. Smiths first and then to John Franklins but I had to go clear to Sol Fisks before I could get any help there I got Frank Stone he came up and they chipped dirt all day and got it chopped out acrost [sic] the road only to find that it had frozen clear acrost the garden and their labor was all in vain for it would take them a week to chop acrost the garden the ground was frozen so hard. They have not lost the water intirely [sic] for they dug down and got it up by the low barn and have put [the?] trash in there it was not the waters from the well in the side hill but the water that comes to the house and barn both but only the branch that came to the barn froze.I had a letter from Lafayette and Sarah a few
weeksdays ago. They had arived [sic] safely at their new home were well and well pleased with their home. The folks are all as well as usual except Uncle Robert he has one of his down spells. Fathers health is a great deal better this winter than it was last. Milk seems to agree with him.Jan 18 I intended to have sent this letter before but was sick with the headache Saturday and found it. The folks are all as well as usual except Uncle R he is as he generally is when he has his down spells.
Ever your affectionate sister
Susan E. Anderson