Contributor's Attic

Contributor's Attic

Hannah Elizabeth Oliver

Submitted by John Houk

Hannah Elizabeth Oliver in Missouri, 1878

The attached photograph depicts Hannah Elizabeth Oliver, my great grandmother, when she lived in Missouri, 1878-1880. She was nineteen when she married her childhood playmate, Howard Dunlavy. Although only eighteen himself, he was already a schoolteacher in their small central Indiana farm town of Fillmore. Within a few years, Howard became a Methodist Episcopal minister. Hannah’s uncle, Theodore Bienfiel, convinced Howard to come to Missouri and join him as a circuit riding Methodist minister. The year was 1878. The young couple, now 23 and 24 years old, along with two children, “Edi” age three, and “Lora Cate”, age six months, set out by train for western Missouri, about 70 miles southwest of Kansas City.

The letter below is dated April 18^th, 1878 and appears to be Hannah’s first letter home after the train trip to Appleton City, Missouri. The letter is addressed to her family. Her father was Morris Oliver, at the time of the letter age 69, and a farmer in Putnam County, Indiana. Hannah’s mother was Catherine Gardner, age 57. Morris and Catherine’s youngest daughter, Annie, about sixteen, is still living at home. Hannah’s three brothers live either at home or nearby.

This is one of twenty-three surviving letters written between Hannah, Howard, and their parents or siblings during the two year period that Hannah and Howard lived in Missouri. The topics covered in the letter are reiterated in many of the other letters; the frequent illnesses of various family members, the beauty and bounty of western Missouri of 1878, and the rigors and joys of a circuit riding minister and family. On Howard’s circuit there were eight "appointments", all in schoolhouses, and sixty miles around the circuit. Thus each week he traveled on horseback with saddlebags strapped to his horse, to one of eight different communities. For his work he was paid an annual salary of $263. “Holden”, mentioned in the letter, is a Missouri town where one of Hannah’s half-brothers lived. Howard and Hannah returned to Indiana after only two years, apparently because of Hannah’s frequent illnesses while in Missouri. Their third and last child, Leeta, my grandmother, was born some five years after Howard and Hannah’s return to Indiana.

The original of this letter was passed down from Hannah, to her daughter Lora, then to my father, Howard Houk. My mother passed it on to me in January 2003. The original is handwritten, pen and ink. It is difficult to read but I have to the best of my ability typed up its contents. I have edited it, adding punctuation and correcting some spelling and syntax.

Also attached are images of the original letter, and period photographs of various people mentioned in the April 1878 letter.

John Howard Houk, October 15, 2004

The Houks, sometimes spelled Houck, came out of Wurtemburg Germany in 1850-60 and settled around Crown Point, Indiana. My Olivers descend from a George Oliver who lived in Rockingham County, North Carolina in the late 1700s. But several of those NC Olivers ended up in western Missouri by the 1860s.

Appleton City, Missouri
April the 18^th, 1878

Dear Father, Mother, Sister and Brothers,

I thought I would write you a few lines supposing you would like to hear from us. We arrived at Appleton City at ten o’clock Friday night. We had a pleasant journey. I was taken very sick after we crossed the Mississippi River. I never was sicker in my life. Howard was dearest. Very kind. He says I will never look worse when I am dead. The people on the train were very kind to us. One gentleman gave me some wine which helped me very much. It seems that we have met with kind friends.
So far I saw some of the nicest country I ever seen in my life. I wish I could describe it to you. I did not like Illinois very much, it was too flat. The country this side of St. Louis is very romantic. Annie, I wish you could have seen the wild flowers on the banks of the Missouri. Since we came to the prairie I thought I had seen the [train] cars run fast, but I never seen them run as fast as they did there. I will tell you more about the journey when I see you…
I and the children are tolerable well. Howard was sick yesterday, was some better this morning. He has started over his circuit this morning. He is going from there to district conference [and] will not be back for nearly two weeks. I would go to Holden but it is one hundred miles by railroad and not half as far through. I guess I will wait and go through.
I like this country very much. It is very amazing to look over the prairie. One can stand in uncle’s door and see houses for four to six miles off. They look like chicken coops. This is a nice town. Uncle [Theodore Bienfel] lives in the parsonage about ten steps from the church. I went to church last Sunday. Howard preached the best sermon I ever heard him. Uncle says the members all say they like the new preacher and want to hear him again. The people are very sociable here. I have made several new acquaintances. It makes me feel very unworthy when they introduce me as the new preacher’s wife.
You ask me if I would rather live here than there? If my friends were here, I would. I am a little home sick since Howard left. He and uncle are talking about throwing their work together. If they do we will live here. The presiding [Methodist] Elder sent a special note for Howard to come to conference. We will know where we will live when he comes back.
Excuse the bad writing for my pen is bad . . .Edi asks every day to go home. He says he wants to see his Grandma. When he came in the other day with a nice hold of prairie flowers, he said he was going to take them to Annie and Grandma. Lora Cate gets sweeter every day. The folks say she is the sweetest baby they ever saw. I am not done but will have to close for this time. Write as soon as you get this and tell me all.

From

Hannah

P.S. Edie has gone out and got two little flowers and says to give one to Grandma and one to Annie.

April 18, 1878 Letter (Scan #1)

April 18, 1878 Letter (Scan #2)

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