Numbered page 392, 392(2), 360-363, 397.

 

New Jersey Grand Lodge I.O.of O.F.                           Belvidere  N.J.                  June 11 1900

At the top a clipping from the Portland paper:  “Columbia, N.J.  Misses Mary and Alice Aten, of Dover, spent Friday and Saturday with relatives at this place.”

Cousin Henry J.:

Your kind letter of the 6th inst., was duly received and read with much pleasure.

While I do not wish to put you and Edna to much trouble, yet I would be pleased to read the letters you referred to, from Thomas G. Aten, of Clinton Allegheny Co., Penna.  If you would just as leave, you can send them to me and I will read them and then return them to you. That will save you the trouble of making copies of them.  Ellen thinks that

Along left margin of the opening page: “I don’t think I will attend the Kansas City convention.

 

they are descendants of Hendrick son of Adrian, who (Hendrick) was the brother of Derick (Dirck) Aten your and my ancestor.  The early Aten’s seem to have been a family of Black-smith’s.—Many of the Albertson’s were wheel-wrights.—   —   —   —

Your favor, the copy of the Kansas Democrat—was received this evening. I must congratulate Miss Stella Aten, on her success in winning the Latin Scholarship at the University.

Yes!! We congratulate you all over this good fortune. I must tell Stella about a little incident.—Two or three weeks ago I was in Easton, and [?] that is, quite a lot of people were looking at the Soldier’s Monument lately erected in the Circle; on one side is the following inscription in latin.

[Grand Lodge NJ IOOF, Office of the Past Grand Master stationery]

—“Dulci et decorum, est pro patria mori.”  Very few of those who claimed they had in early life studied latin, were able to give the correct translation—or rather the proper rendering of the phrase.—

If Stella was out here, I am sure she would give them the proper translation of the sentence.—  —

I send to you a little slip cut from a Portland Penna., paper. It seems that there are Aten’s in Dover Morris Co., N.J.  I send to you with this a copy of the Warren Journal, and also a copy in part of a Newton paper—I wish to show you what a large number of farms, lots etc are for sale up in Sussex Co., N.J.  It is just

the same in Warren, and Morris, and Hunterdon Counties.—Our lands are all the time decreasing in value.  No one seems to want to buy real estate any more. And farms and homes both in town and country are going down and down!!!  I have for sale the old Simon Aten farm (20 acres) over in Upper Mt Bethel.—Have had it in hand for over two years—in the fall of 1898 (Oct.) they were offered $800. for it.—They thought that was not enough—The best offer I could get in the winter of ‘99-1900 was $600.—That is the property I showed to you, pointed out to you—where Mary A. McMurtrie’s mother was raised.  You will see in the Journal that I have the sale of a lot here for Mrs. Leona B. Salm[on].

Well! That property used to be said to be worth $3000.00.  I have spoken to several as to what they thought we could get for it-—and several say—“You won’t get $1500.00 for it”—It will be sold for what it will bring.  Real estate over in Northampton and Monroe Counties, is also very low. Many good farms are selling for $18.00, $10.00 and $15.00 per acre.—Why this great decrease in real estate, I am unable to explain.

We are now right in the midst of the

[Grand Lodge NJ IOOF, Office of the Past Grand Master stationery]

strawberry season, and there are plenty of them. I bought 4 boxes for 25¢ this evening. Ellen has a sister Mrs. Thomas who lives over in Penna., just across from Manunka Chunk (you will remember that place), who has a nice patch on her farm—They were over here on Saturday afternoon last,-- had picked 14 bushels that day—10 bushels they shipped to Scranton Penna., on noon express, and 4 bushels they brought over to this place in the evening.  It is no uncommon thing for some growers (the largest raisers) to ship and sell from 75 to 100, bushels a year.  Also a very large acerage about here has been planted with melons this year. The wheat and Rye crops will be quite good (as it looks at present) with us this year. The hay crop will not be very good owing to dry weather in the early spring—the corn looks well—Potatoes both white and sweet are looking right good. I forget whether you said sweet potatoes are grown in Kansas or not—but I imagine they are.

As you saw when here New Jersey is a fine State in some respects and in some not so good—Warren, Sussex, Hunterdon, Somerset and Middlesex are good counties.  Say Cousin Henry don’t you often think of Scotts and Jenny Jump Mountains; and the mountains at the Water Gap; me thinks you can never forget your visit there that hot August day.

Mrs. Hay and her family are all usually well again.  She often speaks of you.  If I have told you before, I will repeat.—We will have our family reunion picnic this year on the old Cornelius Albertson premises just above Delaware. There is a summer boarding house there called “The Delawanna” named for the beautiful Indian maiden who lived along the Delaware, and met a tragic death.—A descendant of Nicholas and Japie (Aten) Albertson keep the house—and they,—Mr. and Mrs. Hutchison wish the meeting to be there—and there it will be!  I must go up in a few days and have them fix the date so I can let all the friends and kinsfolk know.

Well I must stop writing so much, or you will get weary of reading my nonsense.

I am writing this at night—it is now 11 P.M. but as you know I have only a few steps to the P.O.— We all send love and kind regards to you all, and hope you are all enjoying good health.

Yours very respectfully                  Nicholas Harris