Barry... Thank you for that great information! Wonder if it was an EL NINO year.. That much water in the middle of the summer must have been a shock! Someone found the Bemis Sanitarium for me in NY State. It provided "Eye Treatments", pretty well clinching the Diabetes theory. The Sanitarium was not built until 1895, so now both mysteries have been solved. What a wonderful research tool the web is, when such nice folk are so generous with their information.. Those letters were sent to us by a distant relative, who found our Gedcom on Rootsweb... Penny... Guess you got your answer on freshets <grin> Also know as Gully Washers & Frog Stranglers over here.. > From: "Barry H. Browning" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [CTNEWHAV] Bemis Sanitarium? Bad > weather in Waterbury.. > > ...Just a guess on these...(please see below > ellipses...) > > > Has anyone heard of the "Bemis Sanitarium"? The > > reference below is from an undated letter written > on a > > July 28, between 1886 and 1895, from Naugatuck. I > have > > no idea where the sanitarium was located. It would > > help immensely to know what "ailment" this > sanitarium > > treated - mental or physical.. > > > > "Alice has been and got back she says it is the > > biggest humbug she ever struck she made up her > mind > > there was no help for her there she would get > home as > > soon as she could it's 6 or 10 dollars a week for > > board and $10 a week for treatment people are > staying > > hoping against hope that they will be benefited > after > > a while" > > ....It's a stretch, but...1895....this was the great > era of the health > sanitoriums run by the (7th day) Adventists, among > others...perhaps the most > famous, right in this timeframe, was the Kellogg > Sanitarium in Battle Creek, > MI, where the originally-healthy, now filled with > sugar-and-chaff-for-an-outrageous-profit....breakfast > cereals were first > developed. Those were the days before allopathic > medicine won an almost > total victory over homeopathy in this country, and > the allopaths managed to > confiscate the proceeds from Henry Ford's estate, > which were clearly left > for homeopathy...but that's another story... In > this same timeframe, I > know that in Wallingford-Cheshire CT was the > then-well-known tuberculosis > sanitarium Gaylord Farms...as my Tuttle ancestors > were involved in its > operation. Before antibiotics, the only chance at a > TB cure was rest, fresh > air and country food...not that your relative had > TB, but it was a not > infrequent medical problem back then > > Best regards, > Barry Browning > > > > >From an 1895 letter: "Alice complains about her > feet > > thinks she shant be able to use them by and bye". > > Whether that is anything but a coincidence is > > uncertain. We have surmised that "Alice" had a > > "problem", but have had no luck determining what > it > > was. > > ...Anybody with a med degree and clinical experience > want to comment? > Sounds like foot complications from...diabetes, > again a dreadful disease > then, before insulin had been isolated in Canada, > for use as a treatment.... > > > > Does the following ring a bell with anyone? > Perhaps > > it was notable enough to be recorded? I would > really > > like to date this letter... > > > > "We have had two freshets in two weeks and they > have > > raised the mischief with Chimneys and gardens the > > streets in Waterbury were washed to peices > > ...that's the best "clew" to me....occurs to me that > "freshets" were that > type of rainstorm where it rains cats and > dogs...just buckets...and in 1895, > there was still not much, if any, asphalt on roads > anywhere...hence they had > to be re-packed after the winter and the spring > floods...they had > horse-drawn road scrapers back then, and horse-drawn > heavy > rollers...primitive for today, but basically they > looked like steamrollers > and road scrapers of the present. We have to > remember that road conditions > were treacherous back then...particularly in winter, > when about the best > anyone could do was drive a team of huge draft > horses around with a roller, > to pack the snow for sleds...my late dad recalled > walking to school in > Cheshire by following the tops of stone > walls...there was that much snow... > > (p.s. "raining cats and dogs"...that expression > comes from England, where > the domestic pets actually found themselves nests up > on the roof...in the > ample thatch...and when a heavy rainstorm hit, it > would literally wash them > out from their roof "perch", and it would > literally..."rain cats and dogs") > > Best regards, > Barry Browning > > they said > > it would take twenty thousand dollars to put it > back > > in shape again we have got a northeast storm now > > when will it end" (Excerpt later in the letter > says > > now 3 freshets in 3 weeks..) > > ...Boy, doesn't that just sound like a New England > spring! I'm eight states > away right now, but to hear it described that way > just makes me homesick! > > > > Thanks... > > > > Pat Kane > > > > New Haven names: Bateman, Kane, O'Kane, Mulligan, > > Porter, Bronson __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Greetings - Send FREE e-cards for every occasion! http://greetings.yahoo.com