| Notes |
- written by Georgia Haines
Samantha Harriet Lammond is believed to have been born in Saint Marys, Ohio in what is now Auglaize County. Her family, the family of Cortland and Nancy Lammond are named as residents of Putnam County, Greensburg Township, Buckeye Post Office i n the 1860 Ohio Census. The last name is not reproduced clearly, but it looks as though the spelling is Lemons, or possibly Lemond. Cortland is listed with an age of 29 and Nancy is listed with an age of 27. (Our family records show both of th em having been born the same year.) Three of their children, Levi, age 7, Samantha, age 3, and Alvaro, age 3 months, are also listed. It gives Cortland's occupation as that of "farmhand", and Nancy is indicated as not being able to read or wri te. It states that Cortland was born in New York and Nancy in Pennsylvania. According to some family sources, Nancy Jane was born in Piqua, Ohio.
Samantha was known as "Mattie" to her family and friends. A letter written by her to her husband, which was postmarked from Lawton, Mich. on Aug 11, 1886 is on file with her great granddaughter, Pamela Reddin Luttig and great great granddaughte r, Amber Luttig. She wrote the letter in print because her husband could not read script. It is addressed in her pretty longhand script to John H Williams, then in Leslie, Michigan. She, with her two small boys, Guy and Harry, and daughter, Add ie, then age nine, were visiting the Lammond family in Lawton. The letter does not give information that tells where she and John and the family were living at that time, but it may have been Hillsdale. He very likely was just working in Lesli e as there is no record of them having lived there. They traveled by train in those days. Here is her letter in its entirety as she wrote it. There are no periods in it, and it is printed in all capital letters except for the letter "i" and a n occasional "l". The only editing done on it is double spacing where it appears that a new sentence is starting. The 3 (3 dollars) was written like a script E.
Samantha's Letter to John:
"DEAR HUSBAND WE GOT HERE YESTERDAY AT NOON i FOUND COYS ALL RiTE
iT COSTE ME 50 CENTS FOR HACK IViNE NEW ME AS SOON AS SHE SEE ME WE
HAD AGOOD TiME THEY WANT US TO STOP WHEN WE COME BACK i CAN STARTE
HERE AT NOON AND GET HOME AT 5'OCLOCK WEARE HAViNG ANiCE TiME GUY
AND HARRY DRiVE THE HORSE AND HAVE A BIG TIME WE HAVE ALL THE BiG
YELLOW PEACHES WE CAN EAT THEY HAVE SHiPED all OF THARE EARLY
PEACHES THAT iS RiPE NOW THEM THAT HAS THEM GET 3 DOLLARS ABUSHEL FOR
THEM i Will COME HOME AS SOON AS YOU SEND THE MONEY YOU Will HAFT TO
SEND ME MONEY ENOGH TO GET ADDiE APAiR OF SHUES THE SOLE COME OF OF
ONE OF THEM AT JCKSON THEY WANT LASTE HER TO GET HOME SHE iS TO
PROUD TO GO BAREFOOTED SO GOODBYE FROM YOUR WiFE MATTi"
Another item of interest is a poem written (in longhand) about her baby that died at about age one, entitled "In Memory of Little Ray Williams". Pamela Reddin Luttig also has the original of this. The following is an unedited copy. Her poem:
In Memory of Little Ray Williams
How sad was the day
When our dear little Ray,
Was taken away,
Up in heaven to stay.
Oh, if he only could have said
How he suffered in his bed.
With upraised eyes and little head
Looking around the room and bed.
The hour of five had past
How plain we saw it was his last.
How pretty still he looked that hour.
And we done all that was in our power
To save our darling through that hour.
But Oh there was a greater power.
Some research notes:
1860 Census--Living in Putnam County, Greensburg Twp. OH with parents.
1870 Census--Living in Elkart County, Olive Twp Wakurusa, IN, age 12, with parents.
1880 census--Elkart Co, IN-- not found,husband John is listed with his parents.
1900 Census--at 147 Spring St., Hillsdale, MI with John, Harry, Arthur, and Carl
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Carl & Elaine (Grove) Rhodes' Genealogy Pages
1857 - 1936 (79 years)
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