Letters Letters and why are we loosing them.

The other day I had a conversation with a family member about the importance of letters and how we are loosing them.
My parents required me to write to my Grandparents and Great grandmother when I was young and I am so glad I did.
I still write to many family members who do not use a computer. I do not know if MOM kept my letters but she used to have several that she had kept. We reviewed them last spring. Some day maybe I can take the important things from them for our genealogy.

I talked to my Uncle this morning but a letter is worth a dozen calls because you can re read re read and savour the words said. Today we talked cemetery pictures, he says he sent, I said I do not recall getting them. LOL this is our on going saga. We talked about who is still alive and who has died in his town.
His garden is dead the frost got it the other day. :>) Wyoming way.

I have a cousin who shared my Henry Hoffman nee Huffman's letters to my GGgrandfather with me. Somehow they were sent from Sanford to his sister to read and she retained them. Three family members lived in IOWA from PA.
Hague the Doctor, Sanford my ancestor and Phebe Ann Neal their sister. Since the served in the CW and Thomas Neal was badly injured they moved near Hague for medical assistance and Sanford having served in WYO during war had seen IOWA going through and bought land and came back to stay. Much of the family served in the war.

Hague went west and to gold fields and then back to IOWA and OHIO to be a DR to treat family and others.
Much of this information comes from the letters Margery Little has in her possession. I am so grateful she shared the contents with me and we shared Mom's picture book with her. She has many many more pictures than we but of her line of family down from Phebe and some from the siblings.

So write a letter, receive a letter do not let letters die because with in their pages is the data we as genealogists so badly need.

The beauty is you can pull it out refresh what it said, cherish the words and they do not fade away as bad as the
phone call or actual visit.

A grandson asked how I survived a military life with my love for my husband. Be WARNED those letters were salvation, even today when I am feeling overwhelmed or stressed I can read those notes and feel so much better.
Even the letters from my Great Grandmother I saved only two of them alas. Some things are worth saving
but we sometimes save the wrong things. I still write my husband a note ever so often and he responds.
It creates a big strong bond.