Numbered
pages 81-86.
Phoenix
Assurance Co. etc Belvidere N.J. July 5th
1897
Henry
J. Aten Esq. Hiawatha Kansas
My
Dear Cousin:
Your
kind letter of June 10th ult, was duly received, and it, with the
enclosures were read and enjoyed. All
papers, copies, and clippings sent to you heretofore,--i.e., before this
letter, were intended for you to read and keep.
Miss
Mary A. McMurtrie also sent to me a very interesting account of a trip made by
her grandfather and father to Michigan, on foot, in the year 1845.
She
wrote me that she had written the same account to you. It is very interesting and amusing to me,
and I doubt not but that you enjoyed reading the same very much. The newspapers sent to me have been received
and have been read and enjoyed.
I
congratulate Miss Stella Walcott Aten on her achievements, in speaking, and at
the graduation exercises.
I was up at Delaware on Saturday
and
went up to the residence of Misses Mary E. and Sarah E. Albertson, which is the
old historic ancestral residence of Nicholas and Japie (Aten) Albertson,
i.e.—where they both lived, if not all, the greater part of their married life,
and where they both died-—and where tradition says, all or nearly all their
children were born.---
I
saw their old family Bible, and I send to you herewith a copy of a few entries
therein--.
The family re-union of the Albertson and Aten family
descendants, is to be held on this old farm, in the orchard and lawn about the
house on Wednesday August 18th 1897—and if stormy on that day then,
if fair, on the 19th. It is
to be in the form of a basket picnic two or more, or twenty, or a hundred
families as they may wish all sitting on the grass eating a picnic dinner—and
then lounging on the grass, in the shade, or walking about until about 2
o’clock P.M., when some speeches and talks about family history and giving old
reminiscences and traditional
sayings
will be given—also some singing, and one or two readings by Miss Emma Frances
Albertson, a reader and elocutionist, will be given. The subjects to be selected to be appropriate for the occasion.
It
is quite a custom of late years for old families out here to have such or
similar reunions—and we thought it would be pleasant and enjoyable to have a
reunion of the descendants and friends of each side—and all relatives by blood
or marriage to these two old Hollandish families.
Therefore
Mrs. Henry J. Aten, the two daughters, Edna and Stella Aten, and yourself are
cordially invited to be present at this old family reunion.—I am one of the
committee, and therefore your invitation comes from the proper source. That date was the only open time for the
occasion—The old “John Schmidt” John Smith, family reunion (German) has been
and will be held over in Mount Bethel Township Penna., on the last Wednesday in
August of each year—and we do not want to clash with that, as a great many of
the Albertson and Aten families are also in dem freundshaft (in the
relationship), of the Smith family.
Last year there was, it is said over 2000 people at the Smith family
reunion. I don’t suppose we will have
that many at ours.—but we will have a good turn out and if the day is fine we
hope to have an enjoyable occasion. We
thought if we left it until Sept., the summer vacation was over, and many would
be unable to attend—and also it might perchance be too cool to be out of
doors.-----
I also send with this an old deed signed by Nicholas Albertson and Japie his wife. It may seem childish, but it may be of interest to you to see this old paper and the signatures. After you are satisfied reading and seeing this old paper return it to me, as I borrowed it,--and we will need the paper at the reunion to exhibit the handwriting of our great, great, grandfather and grandmother. I send to you for you and the others to read a clipping, in reference to the signers of the Declaration of Independence.---------
I
also send to you a clipping in regard to the great, “Wyoming Massacre”, which I
suppose you, and you all have read often about. It has been spoken of many
times, in, “Song and Story”, and the large monument at Wyoming near WilkesBarre
in Penna., Luzerne County, commemorates that awful butchery.
To
the student of history there is so very, very much of interest and instruction
to be learned these days. If any young man or woman with any desire to learn,
or be informed, grows up ignorant it is in nine cases out of ten their own
fault. I saw in the newspaper,--the Brown
County World that Miss Stella Aten would pursue her studies farther at Vassar
College. Well, that is said to be a
good school for young ladies.
Mrs.
Josephine Hay tells me that she wrote to you a few days ago,--in reply to the
letter she received from you.
I suppose you are receiveing good letters also from
Mrs. Caroline Adoranche Prentiss
and
Miss Mary Aten McMurtrie. They are both
good correspondents and write good letters.
James
R. Aten who lives just across the river from Belvidere—a descendant of Hendrick
(Henry) Aten, is lying quite sick, suffering with asthma, heart trouble, and
dropsy—(enough you will say to kill anyone) and it is thought he will not live
very long. He served in the war with
credit. I have heretofore given you his service.—
All
your numerous distant kinsfolk out about here are usually well as far as heard
from.
We
all send love and kind regards to you all at your home, and I will be pleased
to hear from you whenever it may be convenient for you to write. Belvidere is quiet today—no celebration here
today.
P.S. All enclosures are for you to keep except the old deed, which please return
to me.—N. Harris