Letter transcripts from https://archive.sdhistoricalsociety.org/publications/NLHist/NLHist/P188-195.php   Douglas, March 31, 1902, from sister, Sara   Dear old Growler - Congratulations, Captain Tisdale. Peace and general jubilant feelings, with a few expressions of "didn't I say so?" and self-satisfied "I told you sos" wafted up through the holes around the chimney now make the domestic domicile and ancient abode of the Tisdale tribe, once more happy.   The examination at Allegan [for teacher certification, although she was already teaching in Saugatuck] was a complete failure. I was not very well and old McDonald kept hurrying us so I nearly had nervous prostration, so I am certain I didn't get through. So will probably take the one in June. No, I haven't any gray hairs, but am a trifle disgusted.   The oldest Lundgren boy was drowned Saturday morning. Lou [Louise Lundgren, the boy's sister] was in Allegan too and they telephoned her about $ o'clock and she couldn't possibly leave until 11:30. I was with her when she got the telephone and she fainted and took on terribly. Then she wouldn't be content unless I was with her all the time. then we just missed the car at Holland and had to wait 2 hours for the next. By the time we got to Saugatuck I was more worn out than she nearly. He and his brother were out raising the nets & in some way the boat filled with water and one was drowned and the other narrowly escaped. There is an Eastern Star meeting tonight and I suppose I have got to go, but I would like to stay at home and develop those pictures. They have got to take the tower off of the [Douglas, proba�bly] M.E, church as it is unsafe and I would like to get a picture of that before they take it off but it would have to be taken in the morning and I don't see how I am going to manage it.   Mrs. Plummer told me last night that I seemed very much stuck on "Hawks." Isn't that interesting? Just because he has shown me perfect courtesy whenever he has seen me and she has always happened to see him, she has got to begin to talk. I have always attended the ME. in the evening. In fact there is no where else to go, and I intend to keep right on going there. Just wait. I'll give her cause to talk if it's within the bounds of possibility, [Sara 's courtship by Rev. Hawke, the new Methodist Minister was the talk of the town that summer.]   The manager of "Arkansas Jim" sent me a complimentary ticket from Saugatuck, but unfortunately it was delayed so I couldn't attend. Sad indeed... Your loving sister, Sara   Douglas, April 1st, 1902 from Mama   I will try and write you a few lines although I am almost froze it is awful cold here today, the ground is freezing hard. Papa has not been up to any of the places since you went away. Last Thursday we finished the grapes and Friday it poured all day. Saturday it did not rain but everything was awful wet.   I must congratulate you on your success in getting a boat to sail and though you may think there are drawbacks in it, you know better than I can tell you how hard it is for a new beginner at anything to get his place. It seems to be customary in all branches to not wish to pay a new man or woman as much as an experienced one even if the new one is superior to the old. I think you have been very lucky, Wm McVea told all over Douglas that Jim has got 1 s' Pilot papers far the chain of lakes so of course it must be so. Jim Left Saturday to go 2nd mate on the Brittain.   Sara feels rather blue over the examination as the questions seemed to be unusually hard she does not think she passed in some of the branches. That and your going away makes her anything but cheerful. She went to the E.! Star (Eastern Star) meeting last night. It was an awful cold, dark night but Lizzie Wark brought her home in a buggy. I guess she enjoyed herself. I don't to dare to ask her any questions for fear of having my head snapped off so you see I have a very enjoyable time of it with Papa blowing about the weather not being fit to do anything in and Sara in her very cheerful mood. I guess I will survive it however, as I have most everything.   I have taken Sara to school these two days and each day I have seen George Durham. I told him this morning you were going to sail one of the boats, he said he wished he could go with you. Can you manage to get him a job decking on the Santa [Santa .Maria, another Hines boat] or some of them, he seems to depend on it?   Friday afternoon Papa went over to the [Saugatuck Twp. ]Republican Caucus. They nominated G. W, Phelps for Supervisor, Frank Kerr for Treasurer, A. Slack, Highway Corn., Wm Takken Clerk. The Democratic ticket follows: D. M. Gerber Supervisor Doc Heath Treasurer Louis Schultz Highway Com Cressy Clerk After election I will tell you how all came out of it... Write as soon as you can and don't forget G. D. Love from us all   Mama   Lacota, April 3rd 1902 from sister Till   Dear George, Qllie [Till 's husband] has been busy at the barn ever since you were here. I guess he has it all done inside except the granary door & the stable & he can't get the lumber for that now. Those logs he got of Myers were sawed last Tuesday, there was 1700 ft. of lumber and some is about the nicest lumber I ever saw, its so white & not a knot or bad spot in some of the boards. He has got the paint & is painting today. He got some of it done & then had to stop on account of the weather. I'm going to paint as far as I can reach. He don't know anything bout the boat down there yet, I suppose maybe you will be going soon if you don't go early though & the weather & roads stay nice drive up sometime this spring if you can. I have two hens setting, Frankie has just been cleaning out the chicken coop for me.   Mr. Tourtelotte of Glenn, Insurance agent for the Kent, Allegan & Ottawa Co. was here Tuesday & insured the barn. Ollie only had it insured for $850, though hay & grain for $100 & cows $50, of course that is not much on hay & grains but is probably all we'll have while he's gone.   There has been quite a lot of freight traffic on the S. Haven R.R. since the Mich. Central & Dunkley Co. have consolidated, they are fixing the track all over. An extra train takes the workmen at morning & night.   We were up to Myers' one evening to a maple sugar eat but it seemed pretty lonesome without her. Maple sugar didn't amount to much this year. Write when you can Till   Douglas, April 8, 1902 from sister, Sara   Sue and Ray have a fine 10 1/2 pound baby girl. I haven't seen the vision yet. But Mama went up last Friday. It was born April 2.   Milton Gerber defeated Geo. Phelps for Supervisor in the election yesterday. While the election was going on the Masonic Hall caught fire and burned a hole through the floor, that was all. and about midnight last night the interior of Berg's store burned out. You remember it was under Hirner's. Yours, Sara   Douglas, April 10`",1902 from Mama   Dear George, The weather is pleasanter than it has been, but it has been something terrible. Jim and Papa sprayed your orchard yesterday. Jun says the aphis [aphids?] in your orchard are awful bad, but then of course anything you or we have amounts to nothing in Jim's eye. He is on the board of review in Laketown. I guess they had a great time at election up there. Young Geo. Thomas is out of the post office and is coming over here to run the place this summer. I guess he could not pass the civil service examination.   Well our election is over and we are in for a new steel bridge. D. M. Gerber, supervisor. Frank Kerr, treasurer; Louis Schultz, highway com., Wm Takken, clerk, John H. Schumacher, Justice of the Peace. I suppose our taxes will be high this fall but with everything it will have to be done. [Replacing the old wooden draw bridge between Saugatuck and Douglas with a steel swing bridge was an election campaign issue. The change was made in 1903.]   Jim Campbell said he pounded the stuffing out of Tol Brink and now he avoids him all he can. I guess Jim has a great time among the Dutch up there. Jim has a new home, he paid $100 for it, it is 5 years old. Sue's baby's name is Cecile Mortensen, the middle one is my father's name. Till is up there now but she can't stay only till Saturday and as Sue can not get a girl I am going up there far a few days. She is getting along alright but is not fit to do her work quiet yet. They had a nurse for a week but one dollar and a half a day is rather expensive for a workman to pay for a nurse. Ray has made ten of those urns now and I guess he can sell them all. [Ray augmented his income by making molded cement urns. The new front to the (Douglas) Masonic hall is progressing rapidly with A. W. Walker a boss and Joe Devine as general manager. There is a slew of workmen there, I see Rob Dempster is very prominent among them.   Well George, I must close now. Take good care of your health and don't worry about anything. Jun told Papa to tell you to be sure and not let your mate take the boat through the Soo river, I know telling you this is no necessary but I told him I would. Love from us all Mama Douglas, April 28th 1902 from Mama   Dear George, We received your letter all right and were very glad to hear from you. We saw the clearance in the paper and then not seeing any thing more of her we were worried a great deal though the weather being as rough as it was we thought you were in shelter somewhere.   Sue's baby is dead, it only lived ten days. I am very sorry for Ray and her both, it was quite a surprise to me as the child seemed so strong and healthy when I saw it. They let the nurse go and Till came to stay a few days. Sue wrote me and wanted to know if I could come up for a few days, but when I got there the day she wanted me the child was dead. If they had sent for me when Sue was fast taken sick I think I could have saved their child. I certainly should not have done as they did, but of course I told them nothing of this. Mrs. Fritz Schultz on the Hooter Road died last week.   Rencha has sold his place to Jay Myers for $400 and I see by the Fennville Herald that Harbert has bought 15 acres of the Williams place fronting on Lake Michigan for $11,000, so you see the party that bought the place last fall for $6500 have made a good thing of it. Three years ago Williams sold the whole thing for $2800.   Willie came home (from school in Chicago) last Saturday and is going back again tonight. He was down to the (basket) factory Saturday afternoon and some one asked him what he was doing here he said his eyes were sore and as he could not study he thought he would come home for a few days. When he came uptown he met Sam McVea and Sam says George has had to quit sailing on account of his eyesight.   Lizzie McVea has had to give up her school in Gibson and Gyffey Gaston is in her place. Leck says she hopes she will stay as she is a live teacher. Jim and family were down a week ago yesterday. They brought me a little pig, it is going nicely. Ollie came down last Thursday evening to do a few hours work on the Saugatuck, but when it stormed Friday and Saturday he could do nothing but he went home Saturday night. We have got our raspberry plants set out, our oats and grass seed sown and some early potatoes planted and I am going to put in some vegetable seeds this afternoon... Love from us all Mama   Lake Forest, Ill. May 15, 1902 from brother, Will   Dear George It has done nothing but blow, blow, blow here. I was over home April 26-7-8. Everything is looking fine over there. I went by Holland and stopped off at Jim's on my way down and we went out through the orchard, his trees are just as full of blooms as they could hang. I never saw such a sight. He says every orchard in the country is the same way.   Weed [E. E. "Deac" Weed from the Douglas Basket Factory] told me he would hold my old job open for me till June 1st, if wanted it at $2 a day and all I need do would be to inspect and check up, last year I was foreman too you know, and then I only got $11 a week. I was making a howl on the wages and he says well, Will, we are paying you the best wages of any one in our employ but Updyke, and that is all we feel able to pay on that job, but I will tell you what I will do, I am tired of Roger Reid and if you say the word you can have the place of foreman of the mill part. I couldn't say any more then, so I thought I would take the $2 but I told him I would expect more before fall if they had a good season. They expect to have the best seasons run they ever had, but they have got a punk lot of basket boys, nearly all new ones, I am glad I don't have to break them in. Clarence, Wheeler, Wilber and all those fellows have struck some thing down in Tenn. and are going to stay down there this summer.. .   Is Durham and Russo with you? Mrs. Durham was telling me when I was home, he wished George could stay with you a season so he would get steadied down to business. I told him there was no reason why he couldn't stay if he did his work and tended to business. Will Douglas, May 16, 1902 from sister, Sara   Dear Old Man, The old is used there in reference to the dignity of your position. not your ancient appearance.   The country here is quite pretty now but it keeps so desperately chilly that most of the trees look as if they were bilious. We had almost two inches of snow here last Saturday but it did not do any damage. I feel pretty good tonight and wish there was same where to go and have a good time. Just one week more and then ... [the school year will be over] Got to work like the dickens though all next week; be up every night and teach next day. There was quite an accident in town this P.M. Nellie Underwood was driving into town just as the [interurban] car came around the loop and her horse got frightened and threw her out hurting her quite severely, they just don't know how badly yet.   We teachers had a public exhibition on Tuesday evening and all got our names in the paper. The exhibition was schoolwork done this year, of course.)   I don't know whether I'll get my position again or not as they haven't hired the teachers yet, but guess I will. I went down two or three weeks ago and asked Pride (E. S. Pride of the school board) what my chances were; told him I wasn't going to send many applications till I knew whether they would hire me or not. He told me I wouldn't need to send in an application as the board wouldn't consent to a change even if I wanted it. Mrs. Pride spoke up and said, Unless "I was going to get married." "Well," Pride says, "Even then she would have to go around and get the consent of the board." He said they had never been better satisfied with the work than they were this year, So I am not very worried.   They launched the new boat and called her the "Addie Wade." ... Got to quit so goodby. Lovingly Yours Sara   Douglas, May 16, 1902 from Mama   Dear George, We received your kind letter last night and I will try to answer at once. Papa did not fill out your orchard but will try and get some trees and do so now. The spring has been so cold and backward here I think it will be time enough to plant them yet. In fact there is not much farm work been done around here yet the weather has been too cold and wet. We have set out about one half acre in strawberries. those we set last spring are looking fine, in fact every thing in the fruit line is full this year and if all the ills that fruit are heir to will let it alone there will be abundance of fruit in this vicinity. Jim is worrying about the cut worm. they seem to be awful in his orchard. I have not been up to see yours [George supplemented his sailing income with an orchard near Saugatuck] but papa has not plowed it yet on account of their work. He says you trees look well but there are quite a number dead. I hope you will get some fruit this year.   Yes, Saugatuck got $135,000 in an amendment and $15,000 in the House [for work on the harbor mouth]. The bill passed the Senate and now is in the hands of a conference committee. How it will come out no one knows but McMillan, our senator, is on that committee, so Griffin [local lumberyard owners and others here think there is a chance of our getting it. He said he thought the committee might cut the whole bill down some but at the same time leave us enough to begin work on the cut and when once begun they would carry it through alright.   Ollie was down here for a few days to fix something on the boat. I think they will go out about June 1st. Rencha has sold his place to Jay Myers and they are fixing it up in great shape. Bob Dempster has bought ten acres of land from Mr. King, the Owen place and a party from Chicago has bought 15 acres of the same place. Jim McVea has sold his place (the old Kendall place you known on the Peach Belt road) for $4800. They are plastering the Masonic Hall. It is quite an imposing building now. John Cousins and his wife are keeping house for his father and John is working the Putnam place on the corner. Robert Russell, the owner of the Tourist's Home, went on a tour or rather got so drunk he fell down stairs one Saturday night about three weeks ago and died from his injuries the next Monday.   Mrs. Dennis Cummings is dead, so also is Henry Oliver that lived on the Peach Belt road and Mr. Line that bought the Firman place in Douglas and Arthur Williams' father in Saugatuck. Will was home for two days a short time ago. I think he will take the same place in the factory he had last year. he will begin at $2.00 a day. Our cows have not calved yet, but I guess they will before long. Our hens are doing fine and eggs at 14 cents a dozen help out a great deal.   I took Sara up to Sue's last Friday night and brought her back last Sunday. Sara was making a new dress for promotion. She will probably write you all about it. Sue is not very strong yet and as she can get no girl, she has to do her own work. It is pretty hard for her. Ray is -very busy with his vases. he has built a fountain for George butcher with one of his vases in it and is going to build one for Hutchinson. The Cement Co. has ordered one of his vases and Vandercook, the monument dealer in Grand Rapids have given him orders for some smaller than the ones he had. Ray has had iron molds made for both kind and I guess for a while he can make something out of it.   Papa and I both thank you for the money and also for renewing The Inter Ocean [a Chicago newspaper that carried news about Great Lakes shipping]. On May 7th 1 said to Papa it is time for this paper to be out and when I looked on the name slip I saw it was advanced one year. I tell you Papa was glad. I believe he would rather go without his supper than that paper. He said poor George, he thinks of us wherever he is and I enjoy the paper too very much I hope you will have fruit enough on your place this year to pay for the work anyway. Still we thank you very much for the money. I am going to pay that note when it is due and I will try and keep out of any great debt after this. Love from all Mamma Douglas, June 1, 1902 from brother, Will   Dear George, I got done with my school Wed. noon and intended to come home Wed night but there was no So. Haven boat, so I stayed in Chicago till Thursday night and then came by South Haven. There were about three hundred passengers but High Adams told me to go and turn in in his bunk, so I had a nice easy time of it. I had expected to go to work yesterday morning, but when I got here, Weed wanted me to start in as salesman and Gerber wants me to go in as foreman, the same as I did last year, but I will tell Weed one thing. He will pay me more, if I go as salesman than as foreman. There were quite a number of sales lost last year one of which amounted to $125 and Weed is pretty near crazy over it. He says I am the only man they ever had there and by the ---- he will have me there again.   I was up to see Sue on my wheel [bicycle] yesterday, she had been up around but had overdone and was a11 worn out again. Sara is going to stay with her for a week or so. Ollie is down fitting out the Saug. [Steamer Saugatuck] They are not going to run for G& M this year. I suppose you have read by this time that they got the harbor appropriation of $100,000 continuing.   The Ward School burned down Friday, I don't know how it happened to catch. Sara is hired to teach in Saugatuck next year. But Pearl and Edith Brown have resigned. Miller and the other two teachers are all going back in Douglas next year. Mamma has taken the horse and buggie and gone up to the place, but I am afraid she will get wet for it is raining like sixty.   Jim McVea is home and is waiting for you to come to Chicago, he says he will go watching or wheeling or anything he can get if you will only give him something to do. Quite a come down from first mate on the Brittain isn't it? I feel sorry for him and wish you could get him something to do, he is not to blame because Will shoots off his mouth so much about him. Goodbye for this time. Will Douglas June 11th 1902 from Mama   Dear George We received your letter last night and will answer at once. Thank you very much for the money that will pay for plowing and dragging your orchard alright - I hope the fruit will hang on and I think you will get enough to repay it. Papa got 100 trees Golden Drop [peaches] and 6 apple trees. Drought gave him 25 Lemon Free and he set 110 peach trees in your orchard and 6 apple trees. He got the peach for $2.50 and $.75 for the apple making $3.25 in all. They a11 seem to be doing nicely. Your cherry trees are quite full and the peaches will have to be thinned. Sam McVea is very badly hurt. He fell off a load of shingles and some shingles fell on him. they say his lower limbs are paralyzed and that if he does not die he will be a cripple for life. I am glad you could give Jim a place, he seemed to be so anxious to go with you, but they have sent for him so I suppose he will leave again.   Papa is up working on the place. Will is in the factory. Sara is home dressmaking. I am working in the garden. We will begin picking strawberries tomorrow. They look very nice. Jim & Leck began last week. I had five nice little turkeys but the blamed crows have taken every one of them besides any amount of my little chickens. I wish you were here so you could shoot them.   The Saugatuck went out a week ago today, but has not come back. I don't know where she is. Sara was up to Sue's last week cleaning house for her. Sue looks quite well but she still complains. Saugatuck is going to celebrate the 4th this year. .. Love from us all   Mama   Douglas, June 15, 1902 from sister, Sara   My Dear old Skinny - I am getting so poor and bony you would hardly recognize me as belonging to that long lean, gaunt hungry looking Tisdale tribe. Really I am almost as skinny as you were. My troubles they are many like unto the mosquitoes and bugs that bother. Will plowed up the yard between the old barn and the house and we are going to have a tennis court there.   I was up to Sue's and stayed nearly two weeks after school was out. Sue is not very strong but] think she is stronger than she will admit.   There are to be great changes in the teachers at Saugatuck next year. Amelia Shriver is going to take Pearl's place and Genie Hoy is going to teach in the primary. Lou Lundgren is gong to teach in the Ward providing they rebuilt it. I suppose you saw by the paper that it was burned down.   Mamma has gone up to Laketown this afternoon and Papa went down to see if he could get any o the Slater tribe to pick berries for us. Billy has gone down to town to take some water lilies to Kittie Whither and some roses to Murt's. There is a young boy about 18 there who was kicked by one of Walz's horses yesterday, and they didn't think at first that he would get well but unless hemorrhage sets in there is a chance for his recovery now. He was kicked in the head and they said part of his brains came out. He came from Fremont. He and another young man ran away from home and were working for Bert Kite. I understand there was a reward offered for him and I imagine his parents are quite well off. His mother came this morning and she is as nice a looking woman as I ever saw and very refined. His name was Allen.   My dear Gaston, how would you like the M.E. preacher for a brother-in-law? I have really captured him and all the natives are shocked and I suppose that from the East unto the West and from the South unto the North sides of the village I am the leading topic of conversation. But that is of minor importance when you consider that he has got a complimentary ticket for the season ball games, good for himself and lady! ! Yours lovingly,   Sara   Fennville, June 18`x', '02 from sister, Sue   Dear George, I was awfully glad to hear of your good luck in getting a boat and intended to write and congratulate you right away but haven't been able to do much of anything all spring. I've been feeling quiet a little better the last few days, tho.   I was so weak when I first sat up that I couldn't walk out to the kitchen without fainting. I went head first the first day I was up and Ray just caught me in time to keep my head from striking the floor. When I came to, I had to laugh at them. Ray was rubbing my head and Sara had hold of my feet and Mama was coming with a pan of water. When I saw it, I straightened up for I wasn't quite sure where she would throw it. The girl I had to do the housework got the itch and had to quit and I tried to do my own work and got a relapse, so you see I've had trouble of my own...   It seemed hard to have to give up our little girl. She was such a pretty baby and so strong. She would shake her head and yell if Ray went to tease her and you could almost lift her by letting her hold on to your finger. She took cold & it went to her heart and she died in about a day from the time she was taken sick... Well, they say it is all for the best but it's hard to understand it that way.   I suppose you know that Will is home & has his old job at the factory, bossing the nailing room, and I guess from all reports, Sara is amusing herself with that Methodist minister.   Ray has gone to work days. He made about twenty vases and has sold six for $64. I saw in our Grand Rapids paper where your boat passed the Soo the 16th so will address this there and you can get it when you go back. Are you Captain yet? and if so how do you like being high muckey-muck? It must be lovely on the lakes this time of year. Lovingly yours Sue   Douglas, July 20, 1902 from sister, Sara   My Dear skinny, Don't think this is written at all on your account that is, I mean because I think you deserve a latter, but because I feel particularly ugly tonight. I have been having a most terrible time with my teeth. I have been having the nerve killed in some and as a result my tongue and throat have been swelled so that I could hardly talk or eat, and one side of my face looked just like a wood chuck's. Ruth [brother Will 's girlfriend] said it looked like a balloon and I told her I would make an ascension pretty soon.   No there is no immediate danger of having the Dominie [the Methodist pastor] for a brother in law but I just wanted to see how the ground lay. Sara   Douglas, Aug. 3rd 1902 from Mama   Dear George, Will and Ruth went up to your orchard in a boat to spend the day and to see if your early river peaches are fit to ship yet. The Alexanders all rotted on the trees. No one picked them round here this year. I suppose Sara told you about losing so much of our hay, but I hope the second crop will make it up if we can save that. Papa has the oats up in fine shape. Our corn and potatoes are doing well. There will probably be a fair crop of late peaches on your place if nothing happens to them.   Ray has got the agency at New Richmond and Sue is very much pleased over it. It is four miles from Fennville. They have bought a small house that was owned by the former agent, it stands on the railroad lands. I think it is $15 more a month than his former pay.   Will was up to Laketown last Sunday. He says Jim was trying to ship some of his Alexanders but they were rotting badly. I see in the Inter Ocean that Michigan peaches are not wanted in Chicago. I suppose they were too rotten. Love from us all   Mama   Douglas, August 22, '02 from sister, Sara   My dear George, [In August 1902, George's fiancee and his younger sister, Sara, were guests on his boat] I stayed in Chicago until Tuesday evening. I had a fine time. Tuesday night Ed., Charles and Bob brought me down to the boat, but we missed the Saugatuck and I came by way of Holland. The Dominie was over to meet me at the boat and when I didn't come he didn't have sense enough to meet the car from Holland but went to the telegraph office to see if I had sent a telegram.   When I arrived they were all worried for fear I had been foully murdered. Of course it was raining when I got here.   Billy and Ruth are still planning for a summer hotel and are trying to decide a name for it. Everything you can hear is "Our place." Sue and Ray and Jim and Leck were all down Sunday. Jim has sold his peaches for 55 cents a bushel and did the work himself. He will make quite a little fortune and doesn't have to work near as hard as he did last Summer.   We had a marshmallow roast on the lakeshore again last Wednesday night. That afternoon I went down to the boat with Till partly so I wouldn't have to go to the roast with the Dominie. Then I planned on walking up the beach to the fire. And low and behold what does that goose do but come down the beach to meet me. I was thoroughly mad. Then when we got to the road I wanted to come home with Mr. Hauke but the Dominie hung around so I finally had to come home with both.   Last night a crowd of us girls went over to Saugatuck and had our fortunes told by Palmistry. Just think, brother, she told me I was to be married twice. The first time some... [truncated due to length]

https://archive.sdhistoricalsociety.org/publications/NLHist/NLHist/P200-203.php Douglas, August 30, 1902 from sister, Sara My dearest Bossy, This is the last day of August and I am in rather a different place than I was on the first. [Sara had been a guest on George 's boat] Please don't feel too much elated over this letter for it is the last one I am going to write you before I get an answer to some of them. Billy [a brother, more often called Will] and Ruth took their dinner and went over to the lake about 9.30 this morning and I have not seen them since or probably won't until night. Ruth goes away tomorrow night and it will be a good thing for Bill when she is gone. She just keeps it planned all the time where they are going evenings until he is just completely worn out. He was sick and had to stay home Thursday. Deacon Weed basket factory owner] came up to see him about it and told us to send for Dr. Walker and the Company would stand the expense the expense, so Will went over there and Dr. said it was catarrh and overwork. I was up to Fennville and stayed over a few days. I helped Sue move to Richmond. It seems awful funny to think they are not at Fennville any more. I am afraid if they have to stay there very long Sue will get rather discouraged but I think the change will do her good. They rented their house to Prof. L. I. Martin at $10 per month and Ray gets about $10 more a month at Richmond so they probably will get out of debt this year. Mamma went over to see Sutton about the mortgage & he won't accept the money now. He says the interest on his money is all he has to live on and he has no where else he can place the money just now. So Mamma put the $50 in the bank as directed. Sutton is almost a complete invalid. He can only walk a very little and his daughter Ethel has been sick nearly all summer with a low form of the typhoid malaria. [Warner P. Sutton had worked for the U.S. Consular Service of the U. S and been an international lawyer. He retired to his home on Pleasant Street, Saugatuck, after the Spanish-American War.] Till and I were up to McVea's last Wednesday after noon. Sam is getting so he can walk a little now. He doesn't look so very bad expect that he is rather pale. [Sam had been injured in a fall.] Well, my labors begin again tomorrow. I can't say that I am sorry, neither am I particularly pleased. But I always dread the first week or two and when they are over, I'll be content to go on. Your loving sister, Sara Douglas, September 8, 1902 from brother, Will Dear George, I suppose you think it queer why I do not write to you but I have been so busy that I hardly find time to turn around. I had surely intended to write to you at the Soo, but Ruth had been intending to go every night for four nights and every night we would go to the boat and either the boat would be so crowded or it would be so stormy she could not go. I kept putting it off that way till it was so late I asked Ruth to write to you for me. My but it has been stormy here nearly all summer, if it has been as windy on the lake I don't see how you have done anything at all. The boats here are not making any pretence of running regular, but come and go just bout when they please. There are an awful lot of peaches south of here this summer, last Friday we sold 53,000 climax baskets, 1300 better than they ever sold in one day before. They have lots of baskets on hand but they can't get teams enough to draw then and every one is howling for baskets. Uncle is only going to have a few peaches and I guess the folks are not going to have very many but I do not know for nearly all I hear is grumble, grumble, grumble. I tell you I am so sick of it at times that I would be glad to go anywhere or do anything to get away from it. In regard to sailing this fall it is just this way. I thought if l got done in the factory anywhere from the 1st to 12th of October that I might be able to earn $50 or $75 on the lake, but in talking it over with Weed he says my present job will last till Oct 20 any way, and then they will put me at some thing else as long as the factory runs, which will be until it freezes up. You see I have the whole of their sales and shipping business to tend to, and if l left them now they would hardly know which way to turn. I was sick one day and Weed was up here before 8 o'clock and said I must send for [Doctor) Walker right away and they would stand the expense. Then when I wanted to buy that place I only had $200 and they advanced me $300 without even a note for it so you see they have treated me pretty square. I am getting $12.50 a week, and all around it looks as though it would be best for me to stay with them, but I would have liked very well to have made a couple of trips with you. It is too bad you are having such a time with your crew, but what you wrote about the Saugatuck boys does not surprise me any. That was one reason why I never like to see you take any of them too well. But I guess as to men in general it is about an impossibility to get good ones anywhere at any price. We have been running bout five short all summer and those we have got are not good for anything. Goodbye for this time. Will [Ruth Williams wrote George at Will's request on September S, 1902 and described her problems with passage to Chicago] I have been bidding everybody I see goodbye for nearly a week now, and don't know when I shall get off. It has been so stormy. Monday night the boat did not go - until six o'clock the next morning - so she didn't get back in time to make her Tuesday night trip. Last night she didn't try it at a11. So here I am. If I can't go from here tonight I shall have to go by rail. Bill says he doesn't see how they are going to get rid of me until they ship me or express me. But if things don't change for the better pretty soon I shall be expressing myself- and that in a truly shocking manner. Douglas, September 22, '02 from sister Sara My beloved Bony: In my imagination I can see you grow six inches taller ... when you get this letter. But never mind sometime I'll get even with you for not even sending me one measly little tender line. Please don't think I'm getting high toned or aristocratic or anything like that when I use this kind of stationary but the Dominie presented me with it and I don't know any better way to use it, do you? Poor Dominie! He's gone and isn't coming back. Of course I am wearing "Widdy's weeds" ["widow's weeds " i.e. mourning clothes, said it jest, the Methodist minister had been courting Sara] (not sand burrs) and shedding tears daily. Jim and Leck lost that little black horse of theirs, Dick, last week with colic. Jim feels awful bad about it. I am outside in front writing this and the mosquitoes are nearly eating me. Till and Frank came down Saturday and intend to stay a while, in fact I guess until the boat lays up. Uncle has been on another one of his terrible sprees and Auntie has been quite sick. I went over to Dr. Walker's Friday night and got some medicine and then Saturday I went up and cleaned the house and stayed nearly all day. I was up there twice yesterday and they were much better. Uncle was gloriously drunk. He'd say, "Damned nice girl, Sara, I like you, I do." and the next minute he'd tell me to go home and take Auntie along or he'd kill us both. Ha, Ha, such is life. Goodbye, Your loving Sara: Douglas, Sept. 28, 1902 from brother, Will Dear George, We have been having awful weather here for the past week. It has rained five days out of six and blew a gale the rest of the time and today it is cold and blowing like sixty. Peaches are now just about in their rush and thousands of baskets have gone on the ground in the last few days. I picked 3 baskets of fruit off my young trees on the hills this morning. The factory expects to run about six weeks longer but they will be at least 3 5 men short in the morning as a great many are going to work in the sugar beet factory. We are out of every kind of basket now except Climax and the rush has been some thing terrible, they even come and stay over night so as to be the first in the morning, and to satisfy them all and that at the same time is not a very easy thing to do. I have been working early and late for over two months and when night comes I am nearly ready to drop. The folks had the Co. surveyor down here awhile ago to run the north line of this place and he gave them three rods more land on Renters Prop and I took the fence down after dark and the next morning got a man and they moved it to the surveyors line. Rockwell was down the same day and said he had received word from A. Campbell that the neighbors were trespassing on his land and he had come to see about it. He said he had written to Carrol (those Chicago people) to begin suit at once. Pop asked him if he knew what he was talking about and he said he did not. Then pop told him if he didn't shut his mouth he would do it for him so he wouldn't open it again for two months. We have heard nothing more from it. You must be having an awful time of it this season. It has been nothing but stones, storms, storms all summer. I often wonder you managed to make any time at all, but instead you seem to be going right along. I do hope you won't have to run very late this fall for it seems as if you had had it hard enough all ready to make up for fall weather. Write if you have time Will Douglas, Sept 28, 1902 from Mama I will try and write you a few lines. I would write oftener but my right hand is almost useless now. I can not hold a pen so will have to write with pencil. Papa and I go up to the place every day and pick peaches. We have finished your earlier ones, (they netted twenty-five dollars, Papa paid $2.00 for 100 peach and six apple trees. he got them at a discount leaving you $23) and there are some late ones left. Our Peninsular [peaches] ripened this last week and with this weather one half of them are on the ground and a dead loss to us. Your prices ranged from 12 to 16 cents a basket. Ours are bringing 18 cents, but such is life. Papa's health is very poor, he certainly will have to give up working so hard or it will kill him. Till and Frank are here helping us with the work and I hope they will stay till we are done with the peaches. It looks as if we are going to have quite a few apples this winter. Love from us all, Mamma Douglas, Dec. 4, 1902 from brother, Will Dear George, I would give a good deal to know where you are tonight. We have been watching the papers steady for three or four days but the last we can find of you, you are at Lily Pond. The paper has been just full of wrecks and awful gales on the lakes lately. Last night it said "that great fears were had for the safety of the Wilhelm and barges, but I see by tonight's paper that they are in Marquette. I wish you were out of it for this fall. If you were having Hell last trip, it must be Hell and repeat this one. We had quite a good deal of snow here Thanksgiving, but it went away and we had a few very warm days, but it is awful cold here now. The wind is southeast and freezing like sixty. We have been putting on siding on the east end of the mill, about sixteen or eighteen feet from the ground all day and nearly froze to death. I don't know just how much longer we will be there but it looks now as though we would not be done much short of two weeks at the rate we are going. I think quite likely I will stay here this winter, had thought some of going to G. R. but I talked it over with Weed and he advised me to stay here. He figures now on putting in a lumber wood and coal yard in the spring proving there is any move made toward starting the harbor. The way he talked he would furnish the money and I would run the business in my name (and we would go halves in the profits). We have not figured the thing out exactly yet, only talked it over on the way to Glenn one day, and he went to Colorado the next day and won't be back before Dec. 10th. I have been reading law in the evening and all fall and would like to put in a couple or three months on it this winter if l can. The work at the factory has been gone on so long I expect that unless we have a fine December I am afraid I will not be able to clear any land (but want to if there is any show at all). I have not much time to find out much about the houses in Douglas yet, all that I have found have been pretty high but I think likely I will strike something before long. I hear that Chas Powers place is to be taken on a $1900 mortgage. The house alone would cost nearly $2500 besides 20 acres of land. I am going to find out more. Barber & Hancock have bought the remainder of BallHead [Baldhead?] part belonging to Saugatuck for $2,000. G & M Hauke has bought out the Commercial Record. Sadie Dempster was married in Chicago last week to a fellow named McCormick. Will Douglas, December 14, 1902 from Mama Dear George, We were all very glad to hear from you. We watched the papers every day after you had gone through the Soo but saw nothing of you until we saw your arrival in Chicago Then we were all greatly relieved for we thought you were safe. I am very sorry you got your face frozen. I hope you are better now. Willie got through in the factory toil Wednesday and Thursday he commenced building our chicken house. It is going to be a Dandy (if you will excuse slang) and I expect the biddies will be proud of their new hotel. I am glad you got through your fearful experience so well as you did but I prayed constantly for you and I have great faith in prayer. I will be fifty-five years to-morrow and nothing has ever shaken my faith in God though I have had as much or more trouble than usually falls to the lot of mortals, but I did not start out to preach so I will write you something else. I understand that Jim McVea is to be married to Carne Docking tomorrow. Will McVea said he was to have been home yesterday. I do not know whether he came or not. I suppose you know that Jim McVea was 2nd mate on the Wilhilm. It seems your 2nd mate Brown can do all the talking for you. Jim Campbell says they call him Windy Brown. Love from us all Mama New Richmond, December 20, 1902 from sister, Sue Dear George, I'm sorry you won't be home for Christmas. We won't be able to go home either. Ray can't get away and can't get anyone to come to this deserted hole and work for him. That's the advantage of working where's there's no night man. I should say we would like to have you come and make us a visit providing you can stand the surroundings. It isn't much better than a shanty - - our abode here, and it's quite cozy inside. Break it to Bob [George 's financee, Barbara) gently so she'll stand the shock when she sees it and tell her to put on the shortest skirt she has. There's no such thing as sidewalks in New Richmond. Ray said to tell you we'd furnish you a refrigerator car with plenty of ventilation, for sleeping. We're just a few feet from the track, you know. the two switch lights are our street lamps and the track is our sidewalk to the office. Ray is up in the freight house shelling walnuts to keep from going to sleep. Well I'll have to stop and shake up the fire or freeze to death. Lovingly yours Sue

https://archive.sdhistoricalsociety.org/publications/NLHist/NLHist/P208-211.php Letters to a Great Lakes Sailor, continued [The newsletter has run several pages of letters written by the Tisdale family to George Tisdale in 1902 when he took over as captain o f the steamer Folsom. This next series begins in 1900 when George must have had a difficult time finding a job he liked. Letters from the family were directed toward four different boats over the course of the season: the Santa Maria, A. Folsom, Wm. Burdette and the Colin Campbell.   His parents were William Graham and Hanna (Mortenson) Tisdale who arrived in the area in 1874 and settled on the west side of the Kalamazoo River in Douglas where a small creek runs into the river near Tower Marina. They had six children: Electa (often called Leck), Matilda (called Till), George, Susan, Sarah and William.]   Douglas, July 20,1900 from brother, Will   Dear George,   Your letter received. We saw where you were in Chicago and Pop has had to figure it up every day since, when we would hear from you.   We are not any behind you in regard to the weather for with the exception of one or two hot days we have had it nice and cool, in fact several times in the evening I have found my light overcoat quite comfortable. The strawberry crop came to a very sudden end about July 4 we had a warm rain and what few berries were left just turned into mush.   They are shipping quite a few peaches from here all ready and in a couple of weeks the rush will probably commence and then no more work for the poor miserables that have to work in the factory, we run short on crates and it is going to be a great deal worse on baskets. They expect to use nearly a million packages at Glenn along besides there is Ganges, HawkHead, Spring Grove, Pier Cove, Laketown, Meres, Bell-knap [Belknap], Fennville, Saugatuck and Douglas, to supply so you see we are going to be kept busy alright. Weed & Co. are getting to be quite a concern. They have two boilers and two engines in the factory now, and next week it is 12 hours a day.   Pop has got the rye all cut and in the shock and is going to stack it tomorrow. It is the same old story rain and lots of it here. It has been so cold and wet that as yet the corn does not amount to very much but there is lots of time from now on for hot weather.   I had quite an experience the other night and I will have to tell you about it. There was a couple of Mrs. Miller's nieces and Laura and Sara and myself went for a boat ride and when we were way down the river Weed's boat, with Elmer [Weed] and Milton [D. Milton Gerber] and Roger, jail Douglas Basket Factory officials] besides all their families and a few others came along. They hollered to us to go down to the mouth and they would tow us back, so we did and they picked us up just outside of the piers. Roger and Milton says, "Now Will, we can't tow your boat with all of you in it so about four of your get in here and the other stay in there and steer. That would leave me all alone you see. Well, of course, I bit. I agreed with them. After I had made their line fast I helped Sara and Laura and one of the other girls into their boat, then I shoved our boat off and told them to go ahead. Maybe they didn't give Roger and Milty the laugh then.   Everything went along in fine shape till we got pretty near to Douglas when Roger sang out they wanted to drop us so to let go of their line. The minute I stopped steering and went forward our boat began to sheer, fast she went off one way and then the other and the third time she went over on her side and by the time I had gotten an oar to steady her up she was half full of water. A11 this time the girl that was with me was sitting with her feet up on the seat laughing while those in the yacht were yelling bloody murder.   For all it was lots of fun, I didn't try to let go that line till we got to the boat house. Roger said, Well, he wanted to drown both of us. He wanted to drown me for flirting with his wife and the girl for cutting Laura out. Gerber came around the next morning and wanted to know who came pretty near getting a good joke on them and I asked him who DID get a good joke on them. Well, he said, I came pretty near it. Weed says, "Will, that was a dirty mean job the; were going to play on you but I wouldn't let them." It was a D--- shame after a fellow had rowed four girls way down there to try and take them away from him."   Weed has given me a note for my wages at 4% and every $25 I earn is to be added to it so it will be little money that I will draw this summer if I can possibly scrape up enough to carry nee through. Goodbye for this time Will   P.S. There were three men got the ends of their fingers cut off today in the factory, all on different machines too. Douglas, July 22, 1900 from sister, Sara My Beloved Brother:   How are you anyway? Lu Sprague stopped the other day and said you were down to the boat and were looking very good, which is probably a lie as I don't doubt a bit but what you were smoking either a pipe or a cigar.   Well I wish you could see your adored and adoring sister. I have only lost 20 pounds since I came home and am expecting every moment to have the crows foreclose their mortgage. I have been wondering if it wouldn't pay to have my picture put on poison labels. Exact representation.   I intend to go to Allegan a week from to-morrow if nothing happens to take a week or two of the summer Normal. I am going to teach in the Chase school so you see I will be where I can get home very often this winter and behold your lovely countenance. They want me to teach a ninth grade and I am going to the normal to review a little.   I was up to Holland Thursday on the cars and have been half sick ever since. My, but I do hate that town. Yours with love Sara Douglas, July 24, 1900 from brother, Will Dear Geo. Yours of 7/21 received last night and was very glad to hear from you. I had written you a letter last Friday expecting to mail it so you would get it at the Soo as you went down but did not send it in time. I was surprised to hear that times are so poor over in Chicago as here they have been first rate for common labor. But my trouble has begun, up till today everything has been O.K., but [Elmer] Weed has hired Harry Forrester to help me and he and I get along about as nicely together as do sweet milk and sour pickles.   I told Roger tonight that if everything did not go alright that I was done there, as Harry and I had no love for each other and he said to do the best I could and as soon as anything went wrong to go to Milty [manager D. Milton Gerber) and make my kick and it would be 0. K. for they were too well satisfied to let me go. They (R. T. M.) think Harry and Elmer are doing some knocking down as they both hate Harry like poison, but Elmer is bound to keep him. Will     Douglas, Aug. 8th, 1900 from Mama   Dear George,   Your two letters received all right and we were very glad to hear from you. I got the money and paid your two notes the interest on D_'s note was thirty-three cents making the sum of the notes $85.32. I paid them the same day I got the money. I told Sara to write it to you but it seems she did not. Papa has the oats cut and once the clover was up so high in them he had to mow them and stack them like hay. Papa and I are going up to your place some day this week and cut the brush around your house for fear of fire and Papa will try and get someone to begin clearing your land. He will do all he can to get some ready for rye this fall. Perhaps he will have to get Erickson as it is almost impossible to get any one to work here for love or money. It is so hot here at present that no one can work. The thermometer is 110 degrees in the sun, but I guess it won't last much longer. Pap says if your land catches as this first did you have the best piece of land in Allegan county. We were up to your orchard yesterday and got four baskets of Early Rivers which we sold to Riley for fifty-five cents leaving you 43 cents out; your peaches have dropped very badly but your trees, new and old look fine. Our trees up there have not got a single peach on them although the tree looks very well.   Sarah is up to Sue's. I am going up to get her today if l don't melt on the road. Your yellow transparent apple trees are full of nice apples and you can't sell any here. I am drying all I can, no time to pare. Papa says you could not tell your apple trees from a yellow rosebush, they are sure loaded right down with apples. Write when you get this and I will try and answer at once. Love from us all Mama   Douglas, Michigan October 8, 1900 from brother, Will   Dear George,   You may think it strange that none of us write to you but mamma's hand is so sore, and I have been working from 6:30 A.M. to about seven every night and when I get through 1 am so tired I can hardly sit up.   I was quite disappointed because you did not get that site on the Campbell [steamer Colin Campbell]. I tell you I did some fine hustling. I was going past Miller's place when he came out and told me there was a telegram over at the office for you, that was about 6:45 so you know how much time I had to get home and then catch the boat over the river, but I don't know but it is just as well you didn't go in her for if you don't find anything else to do you can come home and clear some land, You never had it so you could work to advantage at that before.   We are just about done in the factory. They have all ready finished in some departments and there is only about 1/2 of a crew working now. I guess I will work till about Friday noon and then quit. I could work till some time in November if I wanted to go into the saw mill but they will run shorthanded and it gets dark in the mill now about 5:15 and it is by no means a safe place to work. I do not think the few dollars I could earn there would be much if l should lose a hand or arm.   Friend Harry went to Weed a week ago Sunday and told him there was no need of two salesmen hanging around there any longer, as one could do the work just as well as two could. Weed says "Well, I guess you are about right Harry, so I guess the best thing you can do is to quit tonight." Do you suppose he would do it? No, he waited till they nearly had to fire him by main force and I can tell you he gained no friends by it. For I have too many there. Gerber has told some of them that I was the best man they had in their employ. The peach season is just about done here, and what are not shipped all ready will be this week.   The McVea left here this morning for Manistee for a load of timber for Weed and he went along too, so I am head push for a few days. I tell you it has been a scramble for baskets up till today but we are gaining on them now. Will   Douglas, Oct 9th 1900 from Mama   Dear George,   Papa is at me all the time to write to poor George so here goes. Our potatoes are all dug. We had thirty-five bushels. Papa took what rye we had left to Hamilton last Saturday He got 48 cents a bushel for it. Our pigs is doing well and we have quite a few vegetables besides. When you feel like coming home come you know - you are always welcome. When Leck & Jim were in Chicago I had the children here and I survived that so you can see I am strong and hardy yet... I am trying to help get the work done up here so he can go to hauling the corn from your place, then I suppose I will have to pitch in and husk it. Come home if you think best and don't worry if you can't find anything to do it is all for the best. Mama   Douglas, Mich Oct 9, 1900 from sister, Sara   My Beloved Big Brother, Well you see I got home O.K. We got in Holland quite early but we didn't get up till about 6 0' clock. [The boat arrived before dawn, but they didn't awake in their berths until 6 a. m.] Then we went uptown and found that the first car [interurban] did not go until 7:30. So we concluded we would walk out to the city limits and save five cents so we got out there and waited about half an hour then the car came and we got on and rode a ways and when the conductor came to collect the fare he said that car went to the park [Jenison Park near Macatawa] so we had to get off just in front of a slaughter house and waited 36 minutes for the next car. Well this was the right car, but imagine our horror & disgust when we found out the fare was just the same as if we had got on at Holland. We couldn't take our goods down so Jim had to get them yesterday and will bring them down today.   Your loving sister, Sara   Douglas, Nov. 29, 1900 from Mama   This is Thanksgiving Day. I have been ironing all day till now, 2 o'clock P.M, and I will write you a few lines. Papa has been hauling out manure all day. Sara was to church this morning, now she is dressmaking.   John Kenter is no better. His brother, Azel is with him. Old Hank Allet is dead and buried in Allegan. Tom McVea is getting worse so Mary Mc told me. Jim McVea is on the Dell Shores now.   I went to Taylor's bank [A.B. Taylor, the forerunner of Fruit Growers Bank] and borrowed fifty dollars to pay Mrs. Whiten the money due her. I had to give a note for $52 payable in six months but then I can get it renewed if I want to. It was the only way I could do as I did not want to ask her for any longer time. I was in hopes you would be home by this time. The weather is awful stormy here most of the time. We have finished husking the corn on this place. We would have had quite a fair yield but it had been stolen, we could easily see where the ears had been taken off. Love from us all. Mama And one letter from 1901:   Douglas, Sept. 1st, 1901 from Mama   I will try and write you a few lines. We received your letter and money order all right. Will went just as soon as he got your telegram so I suppose he is with you by this time though we have heard nothing from him. Papa had gone looking for the boat when we left. He came back while I was gone without the boat, he stayed all night with a man by the name of Inman and they started by day light but could see nothing of the boat. Friday we got a letter from Inman saying he had the boat but wanted two dollars for his trouble in getting it. We had paid him 50 cents before. This Inman's father raised Joe Lewis and they are great chums. I think Lewis put him up to this as Joe is up there getting out wood. Inman said if we wanted to he would send the boat down with Lewis. fine times when we have to pay for getting back stolen property. Wonderful Sheriff Leland is, isn't he? Lewis is up the river now and he may bring the boat back or he may not. I don't know what he will do, but I tell you I don't know where we will get the money to pay for it. It's outgo here all the time and no one cent income.   We picked our peach crop, four baskets in all and sold them to Winnie McDonald for tens cents a basket, in all 40 cents. We will have to try another year and put in small fruits and vegetables on the home place and sell to resorters. We can do so I think to advantage. We will certainly have to do some such thing or starve.   Fred Stone and his folks went to Chicago to stay Saturday night. He has sold his boat. Sam Reid the blacksmith is going to take care of their horse and excepting for a short time in summer that will be the last of them here until the old man gives up railroading. Sarah's school will begin tomorrow. She is taking some medicine Dr. Brunson gives her and I think it is helping her. I hope she will get fleshly, she will certainly look stronger Love from us all Mama

https://archive.sdhistoricalsociety.org/publications/NLHist/NLHist/P220-223.php Chicago, Ill., March 28, 1901 from brother, Will I suppose you are hard at it this week, but I hope under a little more favorable circumstances than we were a year ago at this time. Do you remember how we used to go and dig up the snow so the sun could melt it? Well George, if you can arrange matters so I can go with you & not make too much trouble for yourself why you can count on me for anything you want to. [George was an officer on the Hives Lumber Co. boat Santa Maria] You know best what the work is and whether or not I can fill the bill. I told the Governor today that I had made up my mind to leave; he asked me when? and I told him anywhere from the 1 ' to 15th of April. He said alright, they hated to have me go as I had done a lot of good work, but he seemed to think I was doing the best thing to be done an I do myself. As far as going down to Tonowanda to help you fit out. Sure I will. for if 1 am going at all I want to be there at the send off. Well I guess I will close now. Remember if this is in any way going to make things disagreeable for you, why never mind, for I will find something else to do till I save up a little money. But if we can work together to better advantage, why I want do so. Waiting farther developments Will Douglas, Michigan May 20th 1901 from Mama Dear George, Your letter received we were all glad to hear from you. Jim McVea is home yet, but they say he is working on Bryan's home so he is not idle. Papa and I were up to Laketown yesterday, they feel pretty blue up there. There was a very heavy frost last week, and they think the small fruit is all killed and a good many peaches are badly hurt. It is rather early yet to know for a certainty what the damage is. Jim says Alum Baugham has let his hired man go, and Jim thinks some of letting his go to. Our berries don't look as if they were injured any, but they may be. We have our corn all planted at home. Sara's school is out Wednesday and Thursday. Papa is going to begin his work on the place and keep at it till he finishes everything there. Otto says you have the best field of hay between here and Holland and your oats are looking fine. The weather is something awful, cold winds and rain almost every day. Ollie is down here fitting out. He began work last Saturday. I expect he will come tonight and stay here. The 2nd engineer has not come yet. Coxford has contracted to buy the Green place and Doud's place here is sold too. Property in Douglas is being picked right up, there is not a vacant house in Douglas and people looking for houses to rent. Gill has not begun in the factory yet so Will is still keeping count of the basket. He said that Fred Spencer told him he was going to help him (Will) sell baskets this year. Geo Phelps went to every member of the school board and got them to let Pearl have the intermediate room so she is going to have the same room she had. There is nothing new about the Douglas school. Fred Stoner is out of quarantine now. He said he was awful sorry he had to be kept at home as he had planned for you & him to go up the river in his boat. He was here the day after you left. Willie, Sarah and he were out on the boat a week ago yesterday. Is C. Richards with you and how does he get along? His mother told Papa he will not write to her & she was going to come here & see if you wrote anything from him. Write as often as you can. Mamma Douglas, July 14, 1901 from Mama I cashed your order but have not put it in the bank yet as I thought I had better wait till you sent more and then put it in all at once. Tillie & Frank came down her for the Fourth. The Saugatuck was in so Ollie came up too. Sarah & Will went to Fennville in the morning, Leck and family were up there too. Fred Stoner was going for Sara in the evening and he took Tillie & Frank up there with him, so all our folks were up there but you & Papa and myself. Papa has the hay cut and home from your place. There is between five and six tons of it, hay is very light this year all around here. Tyler had in one hundred and got between forty & fifty tons where he generally gets one hundred and fifty. The oat crop is very light too - a good many are plowing their oats under. Papa & I are going up this afternoon to look at yours we were up there some time ago, Papa plowed around your pear trees but everything is overgrown with ferns & brush in some places. The oats are too short and light to cut so there will not be many of them. The peaches in this vicinity are all gone up with the awful cold weather in May and this terribly hot and dry weather now. The prospects for any kind of crops here are very slim indeed. The corn is all drying and withering. We had fifty-seven cases of strawberries. They netted about fifty cents a case, the hot dry weather lessened the berry crop here about one half. We are not done with our currants yet but they are not bringing much though they are scarce too. If this dry hot weather lasts much longer I think every thing will be ruined here as I see by the papers it is in Kansas. The Saugatuck came up to her dock today for the first time since she started out, we are having no service at all this year. I think that is one reason our prices are so low, they say the boat does not get in till noon when the market is done for that day��� Love from all Mama Douglas, July 28, 1901 from brother Will Dear George Your letter received and was very glad to hear from you. I could not help but wonder where you were all through this terrible weather we have been having. Last Sunday it was 106 degrees in the shade here and has not improved to any alarming extent since though we have had several nice showers and it looks as though we might expect more. Till has been down since last Saturday but expects to go home again tomorrow. Sue seems to be quite sick again. I do not know whether it is the same thing again or the warm weather but that has been enough to kill anyone. The folks just sold the little calf to Fred Goodrich for $3.00. It was just two weeks old and the butchers would not give that till it was five. The corn and potatoes here will be almost a failure I guess and the peaches will be probably about half a crop. We expect to finish up everything in the factory this week and what I will do then I do not know. Gerber says they will try and keep me under pay until Oct. 15 anyway as they need a good watchman around the yards even when there is nothing doing. They have been paying me $11.00 per week since June 1st and I have not done as much physical work in that time as I would in one day last year. That is 10 cents better a day than they were going to pay Gill. Gerber says they have never made better packages or had things runs as satisfactorily as they have been in my department this year. Roger came poking his nose in the other day and Gerber ordered him out. He said I was running that part and he wanted Roger to understand it too. I was a little afraid Richards would turn out as he did as he never was any good before. I was sorry I did not think of it in time. Ab Williams wanted to go with you the worst kind of way, but he did not say any thing about it to me till the other day. He said when the factory shuts down he is going to Chicago and try and see if he can't ship with you. He is a good quiet steady fellow, minds his own business and is not one of the familiar kind. I believe he would make a good man for you. I am sorry I did not go with you but as things turned out it was a lucky thing I didn't for I have not been able to do anything with my left hand for over two months but it is now pretty near well and I guess I can use it before long as good as ever I could, but it was pretty discouraging for a while. There was for over three weeks that it was more than probable that I would have to lose my whole arm. There has been but very little doing here this summer. The resort business has hardly paid expenses. The electric cars now run from Saugatuck to Grand Rapids. Will Douglas, July 30/01 from Mama Dear George I will try and write a few lines to you. I got your order all right and placed the money in the bank in your name, but the interest is only three percent. Takken said that was all they had paid for a year past. Tillie put in $100 also and last fall she put some in too and she told me that the interest was only three 3%. I tried to make him give you four but he said he could not do it - you will have to let them know at the end of a year if you wish it still kept there or the interest will cease but you can withdraw it whenever you wish. The terrible hot weather we have had has ruined our corn on yours and our place. Papa has mowed the oats but they are not brought home yet. The frost must have hurt them this spring as they were very thin, your catch of clover was very good and even but the hot sun has burned it out in spots. However we have had a very good rain now and it may come up again. I have had Till & Frank here for some ten days but she has gone home now and Sara has gone with her. Till & I were up to Laketown last week. Jim happened to have his crops on heavy ground and things up there are looking fine. They did real well with their strawberries and I guess they will have quite a few peaches on their place but non on the Busman place. There is no news here, everything jogs along in the same old way. Papa does not think we will have feed enough to last all winter though he is cutting and saving everything in the shape of fodder. I am not going to worry about it a worry will do no good though I would like to pay that note this fall if I possibly could. Ollie was up here Sunday when Till was here, he looks real well. Sue is not well in fact she says she has not been well since she was vaccinated last spring but I am in hopes she will be better when the weather gets colder. There are not so many resorters here this year as there was last but then our boat service is simply awful. The Saugatuck trying to make daily trips she comes and goes when she is a mind to. Love from us all Mama Douglas, Mich. Aug 16, 1901 from brother, Will Dear George Your letter received and I was very glad to hear from you, but was sorry to hear that you were feeling so bad. We have been having quite cool weather here and I was in hopes you would have it the same there. It is terrible dry and dusty here though and every thing is sadly in need of rain. We had all been down on the school grounds playing tennis to night and had just started home when a runaway team passed us. It was one of Heath's livery teams and was hitched to a fine new surrey. Well I took after it and caught it just as it passed Phelp's drug store. Young Stoner then got in and we drove back as far as Plummers but as we did not find the people who had lost it we took it home. They had just telephoned down from Pier Cove that the team had run away from there and to be on the look out for it. Doc was very profuse in his thanks but he never offered us a sou for our trouble but we had a good ride out of it any way. The Twin City nine play a game of ball at Douglas with the Grand Rapids nine tomorrow and a big time they expect to have. They have fixed up the public square in nice shape, built a big grand stand, fenced it all in, and they have a game every Saturday. Yes, George, if you can arrange it so I can go with you I will meet you any time you want me to. I would like very much to put in till about Oct 15th or Nov 1st. Then if possible 1 want to go to Lake Forrest. I had quite a talk with Gerber today and he said they had intended to let Fred Spencer go as soon as I was done with my other job and put me on in his place. But I would not do that so had intended to quit anyway. I will work up until you send for me if you want me to come so I will not have any time. I do not know how well I will be able to do the work but will do the best I can for you. Will Douglas, Sept, 1st, 1901 from Mama. Dear George, I will try and write you a few lines. We received your letter and money order all right. Will went just as soon as he got your telegram so I suppose he is with you by this time though we have heard nothing from him. Papa had gone looking for the boat when we left. He came back while I was gone without the boat, he stayed all night with a man by the name of Inman and they started by day light but could see nothing of the boat. Friday we got a letter from Inman saying he had the boat but wanted two dollars for his trouble in getting it. We had paid him 50 cents before. This Inman's father raised Joe Lewis am they are great chums. I think Lewis put him up to this as Joe is up there getting out wood. Inman said if we wanted to he would send the boat down with Lewis. Fine times when we have to pay for getting back stolen property. Wonderful Sheriff Leland is, isn't he? Lewis is up the river now and he may bring the boat back or he may not. I don't know what he will do, but I tell you don't know where we will get the money to pay for it. It's outgo here all the time and not one cent income. We picked our peach crop, four baskets in all and sold them to Winnie McDonald for ten cent: a basket in all forty cents. We will have to try another year and put in small fruits and vegetables on the home place and sell to resorters. We can do so I think to advantage. We will certainly have to do some such thing or starve. I suppose Will had told you all the news so I need not write them. Nothing new has happened since he left. Fred Stoner and his folks went to Chicago to stay Saturday night. He has sold his boat. Sam Reid the blacksmith is going to take care of their horse and excepting for a short time in summer that will be the last of them here until the old man gives up railroading. Then he will live here I guess. Till is here now, she has been helping Leck in peaching for two weeks but is going home next Tuesday. Sarah's school will begin to-morrow. She is taking some medicine Dr. Brunson gives her and 1 think it is helping her. I hope she will get fleshy, she will certainly look stronger... Love from us all, Mama Fennville, 9-29-01 from sister Sue Dear George, I was terrible sick for five or six weeks and didn't do anything. Guess it was at the same time you felt the worst. I had to give up eating everything but warm milk and toast and then I got better and have made up for it by eating all the time since. I've gained eight pounds in two weeks. I've been canning all kinds of fruit, plums & pears & tomatoes & pickled peaches, so you'll have to figure on coming & helping eat them next winter. Chan. Richards was here one night & was telling us that you & he got along alright but he guessed the old man got a little sore on him. He said it was time he came home and aggravated the soil for a while. I guess Leck and Jim are making all kinds of money. Peaches are selling all the way from 25 to 40 cents a little basket. There's only about half as many going in as there was last year though. Potatoes are a dollar a bushel. Every other year this time they're 25 cents. So you see the farmer is "it" this year. Well, I'll have to stop and go and start dinner. Going to have sweet potatoes. Do you remember when we used to roast them on a stick over a fire under the hill. I hope you'll get better now since it is getting cooler. Sue To Billy: How are you coming and have you got over being seasick yet and how much longer are you going to sail this fall. I've got two pretty roomers this year, got four altogether. It's too bad you couldn't be here to help entertain them. The Douglas nine has beat the Fennville for the last two Saturdays. They only had two of their own players though, the rest were the blue labels. There was a big crowd went down to the game at Douglas yesterday but I couldn't go. Douglas, Nov. 19, 1901 from Mama Dear George, The weather has been something terrible here. I guess we have had the same kind as you describe. We are not done husking corn yet,' we have one-hundred and sixteen bushel baskets husked and have the corn on the hill to husk yet, we had twenty nine bushels of potatoes and have not got our vegetables pulled yet waiting for the snow to go off so we can pull them. Our pig is doing nicely and our cows are doing pretty well. If we only have enough feed to feed them all winter. The horses are all right. Grace takes music lessons from Helen Henry in Saugatuck. Leck brings her doom every Sat., but of course it is too far for her to come to Douglas to see us so she writes for Sara to meet her at Taylor's when she wants to tell her anything. Sara- is well but oh, so lonesome as there is no one here she can go any where with now. She is asked to every thing going on in Saugatuck but it is too far to go alone over there and there is nothing going on in Douglas. Jim McVea is home. Sam is working in Fowler's packing house in Chicago and is going to stay all winter so Jim says. Louise Lundgren is staying up to Sue's fat New Richmond]. Lou is going to teach the Tracy school, the same one Sara taught two years ago if she can get a certificate. I never saw Ray and Sue looking better, they are both fat and well. There are two new houses going up in Douglas. Bob Dempster bought two lots from Tom Martin and is building right next to Martin's house and Walker bought a lot just north of Albert Beebe's and is building there. Walker sold his place for $1000. Write when you can, I am sorry you have such a poor cook but keep well if possible. Love from us all Mama Douglas, Nov, 30`h 1901 from Mama Dear George, Your welcome letter received, I am very sorry you are having such awful times, we are having awful stormy weather here too. I hope you will not have to go up there again this fall anyway. Your taxes this fall will be about $13, I guess. The assessment is raised to $600 on your forty acres and $300 on your twenty. Papa did not get time to work out your road tax on the forty he worked out the other by cutting the brush in front of your place. Your fruit would have brought better prices if we could have shipped them by any thing but these boats. The McVea was taken off this route and sent to the pier and the Saugatuck tried to make daily trips from here, of course that would make her late every day so that our fruit had to go on the local market and sell for whatever they would bring. We have our corn husked, we only had eighty-one bushel baskets. This fall it has been a very poor corn year, we have had an awful season. Nothing grew but weeds. We had forty-four bushels of potatoes. Thanksgiving Day we were all up to Leck's and had a very nice time. Ray could not get any one to take his place for that day so neither Ray or Sue were there. Ollie (Leek's husband) just went home a week ago yesterday. He put in three weeks on the Addie Wade after the Saugatuck was laid up. Will is still working at the factory. Baker house in Saugatuck burned Thursday night - you know the old Bird house on the Deming hill. I can't think of anything more to write. I am very thankful to you for the money you said we could have. Take good care of yourself and don't worry. God will take care of you. Love from us all Mama Douglas, May 26, 1904 from Mamma Dear George, We were all very glad to hear from you, we were torturing our brains to know what we had done to you and Bob which would account for your silence, and as we had no address to send a letter to we could not write, but your being sick of course, exempts your from blame. I am very sorry you were so sick, you must be very careful of yourself as I know something about lung troubles and I know how you must have suffered. Jim McVea told us you were in Tonowanda so we knew you must have gone to fit out, but we have seen no report of your boat anywhere. Every thing has been cold and backward here so far but things are brightening up very much now. the fruit trees are loaded with flowers excepting the peach, I think that crop will be very thin. We have our planting about all done excepting some Indian corn to be planted on the place across the road from the house. Your house and everything is alright and your lawn is carving up some. The shrubbery you set out around the house is all growing nicely. Tomorrow is Sara's last day of school for this school year. They have offered her the school again so I suppose she will begin again next Sept. They are going to have new teachers in Douglas all but Hattie Spencer. Hugh Graham died last Monday and Simon Olson, Mrs. Frank Weed's father was buried last Sunday. Tim McVea is very low also. Papa works very hard all day but is quite weak. They have begun working at the harbor at the mouth so I guess we will have a harbor at last. [The new harbor mouth was not completed until April, 1906]. Our steamboats are following the lead of the big freighters by lying at the docks in Saugatuck. Jim and family were down last night to the promotion exercises in Saugatuck, they were fine. I was over as Baker [probably Henry Baker who would be married to Sara in 1906] cannot leave the store evenings, I go as Sara's escort. Will of course is too busy taking care of M-. The Goshorn bridge is to be condemned, the Supreme judge reversed the decision of Judge Padgham. [The floating bridge over Goshorn Lake was in disrepair and residents tried to force the township to maintain it.] We could not get any trees to plant this spring that would amount to anything. A few 2nd class Salways from Hamilton set out on the hill but can't tell yet how they will turn out. Willie has set out Catalpa trees in front of the place from his corner to the bridge and they are doing well. Love from us all. Mamma Douglas, October 10, 1904 from brother Will Dear George, It is awful hot here and has been for the last three or four days. It rained harder this afternoon than it has any time before this summer and I guess it is not over with yet. I was in hopes we would get a few good days as we have got a lot of painting to do fat the Douglas Basket Factory] and I seem to be the only painter in the bunch. We're going to paint the mill and two of the warehouses if we get time and the weather. We started the job about the middle of August and I guess maybe it is one tenth done, but from now on we will probably have more time as fruit is about gone.. As we paint from now on we're going to change the color of all the buildings from red to slate color, it looks a whole lot better and wears longer. I also wanted to paint my house too this fall, but don't know whether or not I will get to it. The folks have somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 bu. of potatoes, lots of apples and I guess quite a fair amount of corn. they have gathered their wood from the factory and altogether will be in pretty good shape for the winter I guess. Yes, there was 20 cds. of your wood, I put in your order way last spring and then stood guard with a club all summer till it was hauled, otherwise you would have been short as they made about 2000 cds less this year than they did last so when it came down to the windup it was worse than the coal deal last winter as quite a few went away with 1/2. It was $1.50 in the yard this year or 1.75 del. Papa has yours all piled up so it will be in better shape this winter. Jim and the bunch were down yesterday but I did not see much of them as I went to Fennville in the afternoon to see my latest. Your knock kneed dog? Well, if he was a little more particular of his company and wouldn't get familiar with strange cats of a doubtful nature, we would appreciate him a little more. He must be something of a socialist, at least, he seems to believe in equality, for after making a close acquaintance with one of your sweet scented perfumery foundlings, he thinks it no more than right and just to come and sleep in the same bed with me. With that exception he seems to be quite a well behaved and orderly dog. You need be in no hurry with that $30. Of course the wood was all a cash deal this summer, so I payed for yours and you can pay me when it comes handy. Will. Douglas, October 16, 1904 From Mamma Dear George, Your very welcome letter received alright and we were all very glad to hear from you. It is lovely weather here now and hope it will continue so for a long time. Last week and the week before it was raining or blowing all the time. We have our potatoes all dug, we had about ninety bushels, but they are only paying thirty cents a bushel for them, so I think we will keep them till spring. Our corn is all cut, it is very fine and we have a nice lots of cabbage and vegetables so we won't starve this winter. I think we have about 200 bushels of apples. We are trying to sell some of them but it is almost impossible to sell any fruit here. Jim has some on the Renter place and we may have a chance to sell ours when he disposes of his. They were all down here last Sunday. It was Will's house that you saw about in the paper, he just began to paint it yesterday. Oil is only SO cents a gallon now, white lead 7 cents a pound, so it does not cost much to paint. I am very glad you are out of debt. I hope you will soon be able to stay ashore and not risk your life on that awful water. Douglas has annexed all the lake shore that is north of the new road, and such a howl as Will McVea made you never heard. He was just agoing to show them a thing or two, but I guess he has cooled down now. Bob Moore was buried at 2 o'clock today. He died in Holland last Thursday night. Mr. Baker, Sara, Will and his new girl from Fennville have all gone boat riding down the river and Papa is reading the paper. Papa's health is better this fall than it was last fall, but his neck seems to be very large yet. He has piled your wood and you have a fine lot of it. Your lawn has got a nice sod on it and your rose bushes are doing finely. Will has set Catalpa trees in front of your place and they are growing nicely altogether your home looks beautiful. I will have to close now as my hand pains me awfully. Good by, God keep both you and Bob and bring you both home soon safe and sound. Mama Douglas Nov 13th 1904 from Mama Dear George, We received your letter alright. I do hope you will not have to be on the lake much longer and that you and Bob can soon come home. It will be so nice to have you both back again. I am very sorry for Auntie, it is so hard she does not know what to do. Willie does the chores for her now and when he is not here to do them I do, but it keeps us busy and I am not able to do much more than my own work. I do not like to have Papa do much and I try and help him all I can. It certainly is enough for one to do, but she persists in keeping two cows and as she can not milk them it throws it on to Will and me. I do hope things will change before long as I am tired out, but enough about myself. We sold twenty three barrels of apples for 60 cents a barrel here and we have plenty left for you and for ourselves. We will also have plenty of vegetables for us all, so you will have plenty of them this winter. Jim & Leck are anxious to sell their place so they can come down here and live but it seems very hard for them to sell at present. Auntie was over here for dinner today, it is the first time I've got her to eat over here since Uncle died. I truly believe it was smoking so much of that tobacco he raised that killed uncle and she smokes it too and is complaining of her heart all the time. When I stood over him and tried to keep him quiet when he had those spasms his breath would almost kill you it was strong with tobacco and I could taste it for a week afterward. Papa and I thank you very much for the money you sent him. Dr. Walker told me promise not to let him work hard and I try to help him all I can. I do wish you and Bob were here, she is so kind and jolly I am looking forward to a fine time when you come which I hope will be very soon. Willie has sold his house in Douglas for $800 but did not get but a trifle down for it. He has a girl in Fennville this time and has gone to see her now and I will have to milk. Love from us all Mama ** * This is the last of a series of letters written to Great Lakes sailor George Tisdale of Douglas between 1892 and 1904.