Numbered
pages 368, 369, 349-352.
Grand
Lodge of IOOF Office of the Past
Grand Master Belvidere N.J.
Jan 18- 190__
Dear
Cousin Henry J.:
Your kind letter of Dec. 25th ult., was
duly received; also the inclosures which you so kindly sent, received. I thank
you for the same. It is very interesting. As I have said several times before,
you seem to have good luck in finding all those old historical scraps.—The name
Adrian Aten, must be of great interest to you and your daughters. The name of “Thomas Beer” can that be the
one who married Adda Aten? Also the name “Asa Everett,” He was a distant
relative to my mother. He lived over in Mount Bethel on property adjoining the
one on which Ellen was born and raised. She says, she often heard her mother
speak of “old Asa Everett”. If I find out where the book is published I will at once inform
you. I suppose Thomas Beer is the soldier whose
name
is mentioned as being sick and cared for at the home, or by the family of
Derick Aten and afterward marrying his daughter—is it not? If so it will be of much interest to your
friend Thomas Beer at Ashland Ohio!
I desire to inform you that Mrs. Lavinia (Kutzler)
Aten widow of the late Simon Aten, and Grand mother of Miss Mary A. McMurtrie,
died at the home of her daughter Mrs. Susan (Aten) Lamb at Pittston Penna., on
Tuesday the 15th inst., aged 88 years, 9 months and 3 days, from
paralysis. She was buried today the 18th inst., in the old Aten
burying-ground along the Delaware where you visited when out here. We were not over, as the funeral was held at
Pittston Pa., on Thursday and they then brought the body on to bury there. Her
son Henry Aten of Conyngham, and her Grandson Dunham Lamb of Pittston, were the
only two who accompanied the remains to the place of burial. She was an aunt by
marriage to Ellen. Her husband Simon
Aten,
having been a brother to Ellen’s mother (I use the name Ellen, so you will know
better who I mean.) I have been having
the Grippe and am just getting over it. I was compelled to stay in bed for
three days. A great many about here have been attacked with the vile disease.
I have read in the papers of the great case of Lynch
Law that took place in your State. I send to you a clipping so you may see
what the papers out here say about the matter. While I do not sanction lynch
law, I really feel that if the black scoundrel was guilty he got his just
deserts. We have not had
any
snow so far this winter out here. But
we have had some cold weather.
If Mr. Weaver succeeds in collecting all the data,
manuscripts etc etc as stated in his circular, the history will be a very
valuable book. What a satisfaction it must be to you to feel that you have
[been] at Easton Pa., and saw something of the place and the country up along
the Delaware to the Water Gap! I suppose of course you still have a pleasant
remembrance of our visit to the famous Delaware Water Gap. I rally feel that
next summer you will no doubt visit the Great Pan American Exposition at
Buffalo, as it is going to be a Grand Show. All right, bring on the whole
family to visit the Exposition and then run down to Jersey and see us all
again. There
are many people and places that you ought to have seen
when out here, but did not get to do so. You only really got a glimpse of this
country and its people. I will make a
fair bargain with you as follows:—Listen! You and Mrs. Aten, and daughters
visit the Pan-American Exposition.—Let me know when you will be there, we will
go to Buffalo and visit the show at the same time, and you can come with us
back to N.J., and then you can see more of this part of the country. Then
if life and health are spared, we will visit the Worlds Fair in
At the top of the page: “P.S. Please excuse my miserable writing as my head is still
heavy from the Grippe and from the Quinine I have been taking. ~~~~
St.
Louis Mo., in 1903, and go on to Kansas and pay you a good visit, and if you
attend the Fair in St. Louis, will arrange to be there together, and then go
from there to your home with you.—anything mean about that? Eh. It seems fair don’t it,—well yes it is a
fair bargain; and as the saying is,—I am ready to sign articles to that effect.
I suppose you see that by the late Census, New Jersey gains two members of Congress, and Kansas loses one.—What do you think about my going in training to run for such an office? The others of my family are usually well. I hope you are all usually well at your home. Mrs. Hay is quite well. I see Henry Aten of Hope occasionally. His daughter Luella was here on Monday on business. They are usually well. All the friends up around Delaware are usually well. We all send love and kind regards to you all.
Yours very respectfully— Nicholas Harris