The following letter was written by my G grandmother, Ella Sanders, to her sister, Julia. Ella was 12 years old at this time. The Sanders lived in Davenport. I don't know why sister Julia was not at home and, unfortunately, there was no envelope included. It is typed verbatim. Davenport, Jan. 13, 1861 Dear sister Julia, We have not received your letter as usual on Thursday evening this week. I do not have much time to write to you on Sundays because it gets dark so soon and now I write some every day on a slate and copy it off on paper on Sunday. Our girl Sophie is sick and has gone away, she went away Wednesday to her sisters down in Duch town and now and Carrie and I do the work. Sophie sent a girl up to get her clothes and she said she would send us a girl but she has not come yet. She came up in the evening again to get her money ma has paid her any money since she came here, so she gave her fifteen dollars. We have engaged another girl she is coming tomorow. Aunty got a letter from you yesterday, We got your letter Friday instead of Thursday evening. We all went up to Aunt Lesslie New Years day, Mr. and Mrs. Rumbold, Mr. and Mrs. Chatterton and the two youngest children Mr. and Mrs. Patten Mr. Crag, and Maggie and Johney, Mr. Gray and Johney and Willie, and grandpa and gran! dma, were all up there. Aunty gave me a book its name is the Oakland Stories. I am reading it to ma in the evenings. She gave George and Carrie each a book. Grandma gave us all some candy. Aunty gave Carrie and I two little tin rocking chairs just large enough to put in the play house, Charlie got a little box of soldiers and a book. We went to the Sunday school the day before New Years to get our books. Maggie Crag got the prise, the Pollie Hibberd got the next, Frank Reed the next and I the next. I got a testament something like that little one of yours only it had a clasp. George got a book named the Harvey Boys and Carrie got a book named Learning to Think. Charlie got a Bible Dictionary. Your name was read out but ma did not get any book for you because there was not enough to go around. John our good old horse is dead he died a week ago Mr. Hibberd had him at the time. I am going to send you a piece of poetry which I wrote one afternoon for Carrie because she likes her! kitten so much and ma told me to send it to you. It is not very good but I guess it will do. I must stop now or I wont have time to write those verses. Your affectionate sister, Ella My Kitten Once I had a little kitten She was spoted all over with gray And I loved my little kitten But one day she ran away. We hunted all about for her We asked of the neighbours around If any one had seen her But she soon came home safe and sound. We were all very glad to see her And said she must not run away And if she did go out She must only stay a day. In the morning she gets up And comes into the room Sometimes she goes into the parlor Then we bring her out very soon. At night we put her to bed In her nice snug little house But she often creeps out again And trys to catch a mouse. When we are eating our breakfast She always comes mewing around And when we go out of the room On the table she goes with a bound. Ella