Ora visits Sister

For the Spring and Summer of 1880, Ora Jonhnson left her mother's home in Danville, Illinois to visit her sister, Hortie, in Girard, Kansas.

March 20, 1880

                            Tuscola Ills                           March the 20th, 1880

               Dear Hort & George:


      Your letter received and was glad to hear from you. Hort I know how to sympathise with you if you are lonely and homesick for I get the blues so bad some times I don’t know what to do. I often wish I was back in Danville. Sam is in the Yards at Bement, he was home last Sunday.


      Pa is not doing anything yet. I hope you have heard from home before this. George, Ma says take some cream tartar put in water and drink, she says it will help your cough. I thought we were going to have spring last week but today doesn’t look much like it, the ground is covered with snow and the wind is blowing. When do you think you will ever come to see us? I don’t suppose that Ma or I will ever get to Kansas as much as we would like to go. There is no news to write so will close, give Will and Sadie my love. Write soon if but a few lines. Ma sends love to all and says kiss the children for her.

                                                                                            Write soon from your
                                                                                                           Sister
                                                                                                                      Laura

June 15, 1879

                                                                         Home Sunday     June 15 1879

Dear Horty


I sit down this afternoon to write you a few lines. It is quite an effort for me to write any more, I put it off so much. Both Bart and Annie are sick this summer, but Richard wrote us to say that his health is good, which is a relief to me. Annie is so sick that she is not able some times to do her work, she feels so discouraged with herself.


We have a very big cow now, it takes all the men to milk her, she is so wild. Your heifer is so gentle, Bart milks her. We get so much milk, we have the part of the kitchen that was over the well boarded up for a milk house. Ora and me have a good deal to do. It takes up so much of my time tending to the chickens we have so many I will send George some this fall.


Your Father talks of going some where this summer but has not yet decided where. We miss the children so much, I was so lonesome when you left. We will send your carpet this week I will send you the hall carpet if you can use it for a bedroom. Tell Julia to come and stay with us a while. Bart talks about her so much. Eddie is such a good boy I do not know how we would do with out him. I believe I have written all I can think of at this time. I hope Ora is better I think as soon as she walks she will not be so much trouble.
                                                                                              Good bye from your
                                                                               Mother


Horty here is one dollar did you get the other dollar I sent you? Mrs. Collins has not paid yet, when she does I will send it.

Ora is Born

Hortie's daughter, Ora Lydia, was born on August 16th, 1878, in Girard, Kansas.

February 18, 1877

                                                                                   Danville, Feb the 18, 1877

Dear Horty


I sit down this afternoon to write you a few lines as there is no one at home to write for me I will have to do my own writing. Ora went up to Indianapolis on the 8th and Annie went out the next day and I have been alone ever since. I have never been well since you started away. You remember it was snowing when you left? I walked to the depot without any over shoes and exposed myself. I have hardly seen a well day since. I am taking medicine now for my cough but it does not seem to relieve me very much.


Eddie and Bart go every day to school. Eddie improves very fast. Richard and Annie are still in the country, yet they both are very tired. Pa is very well and has rented the land all out except what Richard and another hand will tend.


Aunt Mary’s folks are not much more sociable then when you were there, they are so jealous of us and get mad at everything. I have not been there since you left.


Horty I don’t think Mrs. Coe’s chickens are good enough to send you a pair of them. We are going to send a pair as soon as Pa can find a pair to suit. Have you gotten Julia a dress yet, let us know. Ora says for you to wait a little and we will send a box of clothes for her.


I was over to George’s mother’s one evening last week, it was the first time I’d seen her since you went away. Lool does not go to school anymore. I suppose you have heard that Sam is married, he was not free very long, his birthday was on the 10th and he was married on the 15th. He is boarding at the Centennial, they are going to Iowa on a Bridal Trip, starts on Tuesday.


It seems like I cannot sell your table, instead I will send you a couple of dollars now and the rest again. We don’t need the table but I expect you need the money.


We would all like to see dear little Julia so much, Horty I feel glad to know you like the place, I would feel so distressed to hear you was not satisfied.
                                                                                                    Your Mother.


P.S. I do hope you and George will get along. There is a great many things you will have to deny yourselves of in a new county, but I hope you will live through it all. I often think of you so far away, my love to both.

Married, Baby & Moved

On June 18th, 1875, Geo and Hortie married in Danville.
On August 16, 1876, Julia was born.
In about January of 1877, Geo took his young family to Girard, Kansas.

April 27, 1873

                                                                                                          Denver, Colorado

                                                                                                                     April 27 73.


Friend Hortie, as today is Sunday and a very deary one it is too, I thought I would write a few lines. For it is raining something bad and very cold. I received your letter today and was very glad to hear from you and was sorry to hear from you of your Father’s sickness but I hope that he will revive again in a few days. The weather and business is poor, of the fifty-two that came on the train I was on, twelve started back the next night after arriving in Denver.


I was up to the Skating Rink the other night but did not enjoy myself for they was all strangers to me. I don’t want you to hint that I have got the blues from this letter for I never will get them as long as you remain the same as you was when I left.


The President has been in Denver for two days. Last night they gave a reception and of course I went and I had the pleasure of shaking hands with him. There was a great many people there and after the reception they had a Ball and then of course I went home as I am not a lover of dancing. Just as I got to the Hotel and got into bed the alarm of fire was given. I got up and ran about a mile and a half and when I got there the fire was about out.


I received a letter from Laura Hill yesterday, she said that you and her had been to a show alone. I think if you girls have to go around alone that I will have to come back. For it is too bad that a couple of good looking girls like you can’t get a fellow.


Tell Anna not to think because I don’t write to her that I have forgotten her for I never forget a good friend. I think that I have had a very nice trip and seen enough of Colorado to come home before long. I am going up in the mountains to stay a few days and then I think I will be satisfied. Hortie don’t think because I am far away that I forget you. Know for I am ever your friend. Write soon


Remember your friend forever Geo Tullis

Dec 21, 1872

                                                                         Danville, Ills

                                                                                Dec. 21st 72.


Friend Hortie, I have received on invitation to attend a Banquet at the Etna Hotel this evening which I shall attend if I can have the pleasure of your company. I know that we have an invitation to Mr. Byrons tonight but I will leave it to you. I will insure you a good time and it is to be a grand thing and I want you to go for that reason.


If you will go please let me know soon and I will call at 8 o’clock.
                                                                                           George

Hortie's Family

KEY:      +  spouse      -  child of above couple

PROPER NAME                           FAMILIAR NAME     RELATIONSHIP

FATHER’S FAMILY
Richard Johnson Grandfather
+ Milbrey Greave                           Grandma Myers          Grandmother
  - Mary Elanor Johnson                                                    Aunt
  + John L. Steward                                                           Uncle
        - Bell Steward                                                           Cousin
  - William R. Johnson                                                        Uncle
   + Dalphene Steward                                                       Aunt
  - Margaret Jane Johnson                                                  Aunt
   - Richard Henderson Johnson       Henderson                  Uncle
    + Susan Goodloe                                                           Aunt
         - Harvie Johnson                                                      Cousin
     - James Clay Johnson                                                   Uncle
     - Josephine Eliza Johnson                                              Aunt
     - John Harvey Johnson                                                  Father

MOTHER’S FAMILY
David Sewell                                                                       Grandfather
+ Mary Peterson                                                                 Grandmother
    - William C. B. Sewell                                                     Uncle
     + America E. Luke                                                         Aunt
    - Sally Sewell                                                                  Aunt
         - Sue                                                                          Cousin
    - Elizabeth Sewell                         Eliza                            Aunt
    - John Sewell                                                                  Uncle
    - Martha Sewell                                                              Aunt
    - Amanda Peterson Sewell                                              Mother

SIBLING’S FAMILIES
Ora Caroline Johnson                                                         Sister
Annie Johnson                                                                    Sister
+ James A. Andrews                         Jim                            Brother-in-law
     - Clara Grace Andrews                Grace                        Niece
Richard Sewell Johnson                     Dick                          Brother
+ Margaret McMurray                       Mag                         Sister-in-law
Edward Harvey Johnson                    Ed                            Brother
+ Etta L. Rakestraw                                                           Sister-in-law
     - Bernice V. Johnson                                                     Niece
Barton Johnson                                 Bart                           Brother
+ Edna E. Johnson                                                             Sister-in-law
     - Harvey W. Johnson                                                    Nephew

HUSBAND’S FAMILY
Lydia Ann Mintonye                                                            Mother-in-law
+ Charles S. Smith                          Chas or Charley      Step Father-in-law
     - William Henry Tullis                  Will                             Brother-in-law
      + Sarah Jane Malone                  Sadie                          Sister-in-law
     - Mary Jane Tullis                                                          Sister-in-law
     + Martin Luther Smith                                                    Brother-in-law
          - Martin Luther Smith Jr.         Luie                           Nephew
          - Jennie Lucille Smith                                                Niece
     - Samuel Balding Tullis                 Sam                           Brother-in-law
     + Cordellia Shea                          Bid (?)                       Sister-in-law
         - Laura Jeanette Tullis              Lollie                         Niece
     - George Whitfield Tullis              Geo                           Husband
    - Laura Ellen Smith                       Lool                       Half Sister-in-law
     + Dr. W. S. Martin                                                       Brother-in-law

CHILDREN’S FAMILIES
Mary Julia Tullis                               Julia                          Daughter
+ William Henry Carter                    Will                           Son-in-law
    - Tullis Ninion Carter                                                    Grandson
Ora Lida Tullis                                                                  Daughter
+ Albert W. Stuebe                                                          Son-in-law

The Story of Hortie's Family

These 130-year-old letters were mostly addressed to George W. Tullis’s wife, Hortense Mary (Johnson) Tullis. Many different people wrote to Hortie, as she was called. After all, this was the time before telephones.

Most of the letters were from George, who used the abbreviation of Geo for his name. Geo and Hortie met in Danville, Illinois, after the Johnson family had been living in town for about seven years and Geo had recently returned home from the west. He began to court Hortie in 1872, and wrote her several letters during his return trip to Denver, where he was unsuccessful in finding work.

Geo was not very successful in Danville either so he moved the family to Girard, Kansas, to try his luck there. Five years after the move, Hortie took their two girls, Julia and Ora, back home to Bismarck for a summer-long visit. George wrote to his beloved wife every two weeks while she was away.

The family lived in Girard for 15 years before Hortie, perhaps too home sick after the death of her mother, moved back to Danville, where she was the happiest. However, Geo was not fond of Danville and after renting a house there for about two years he wanted to move. So he, along with Julia, convinced Hortie to move to Tuscola, Illinois, and take over the Cottage Hotel, a boarding house run by George’s mother. Reluctantly, Hortie sold everything, as they would not need much in this fully furnished house, and moved to Tuscola. This arrangement did not last six months before Hortie took the girls back to Danville. She left when Geo was in Missouri on business, in February of 1895.

Hortie had come from a wealthy and stable home and Geo’s consistent failures drove her to take control of family life. Geo struggled to make ends meet all his life, bouncing back and forth from farming to a stoves salesman, never making any money. Upon Hortie’s return to Danville, with the help of her inheritance, she was able to secure a home for her two daughters quickly. This home was at 212 Franklin Street in Danville. In April of 1901, the family moved down the street to 117 Franklin Street, where Hortie lived for the rest of her life.

It was a relief for Hortie’s sister-in-law, Mag, that Hortie and the girls were finally in a proper home for socializing. Mag pointed out the importance of proper social participation. Rented places were considered unsuitable for entertaining which was required to secure agreeable suitors for Julia and Ora. It was also considered improper to raise a family in such an unstable environment because families who rented usually moved around quite frequently.

This left Geo alone at his mother’s in Tuscola and it took him a long time to get over coming home to find that his wife and daughters had left him. They left so quickly that they did not pack very much. Geo had to send them the rest of their belongings. Half of Geo’s letters were written at this time. He was very hurt when Hortie left him and continued to refuse her invitations to come for visits. His response was that “she would find him where she left him”. This lasted until the middle of the summer when Geo finally started to make regular visits to Danville. He eventually moved in with his family in November of that year, 1895.

Hortie’s older sister, Ora, lived with her parents all her life and was very lonely when her sister moved to Kansas. Ora was very bored at home, yet she never moved away nor married. However, she did like to travel and would visit her mother’s family in Covington. She also made a trip to see Hortie in Girard in 1880. Ora spent the entire summer there, which frustrated her mother to no end, as she constantly asked Ora to come home. When Ora returned home, the letters from her began to flow back to Hortie. She would frequently write long letters, often running out of room and having to use the margins; writing at whatever angle would fit. Ora wanted to return so badly, but she never did.

Both Hortie’s parents wrote to her. First the letters were mostly from her mother, Amanda, but after her death, Hortie’s father, John Harvey, would write to his daughter and granddaughters. Hortie also heard from her three brothers, Richard, Edward and Barton. Dick and Ed eventually followed their sister to Girard and set up a dry goods store. It was successful for a few years before they closed it. Both became travelling salesman in Kansas and Illinois. Bart remained a farmer in Bismarck all his life.
When Julia moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, after her marriage to William H. Carter, she frequently wrote to her mother and family in Danville. She told of her new life in this cold place (it was always cold for Julia) with her new baby boy. She never spoke of her fight with Typhoid Fever. She would talk about Tullis’ new adventures in life and say that her husband was away a lot on business.

She also spoke of her new life style now that she was married to a successful businessman. Her new life included such things as fur coats and a lavish house with furniture to match. Their home on Wellington Crescent was spectacular with a very large front driveway. Julia also had a lot of help: a maid, Annie, and a cook, Sing Que, who was simply replaced by his son, Mah Que, one day in the 1940s. Mah was the creator of the famous family cookies “Que’s Cookies”. There was also a nanny for Tullis, named Sarah. William took Julia on several trips, including regular vacations to Florida. They were well acquainted with Will’s new business partners, the Aldingers and the Halls, and would frequently travel with both couples.

Of course there are many miscellaneous letters from cousins and friends, and several from Geo’s family. Many are addressed to Geo; there are even some left behind by other family members, such as Hortie’s sister Ora and one addressed to Hortie’s mother.

Dear Hortie

This series of letters chronicles the family life of Hortense Johnson Tullis through the many letters mailed to her household in the latter half of the Nineteenth century.  These letters give us a good sense of what life was like for the pioneers in the America’s new mid-east. The letters tell of the people’s daily successes and tragedies. Many were farmers living during a time when their towns were just being built. This building usually started with a church, which would provide the spiritual leadership they would need when so far from what was familiar to them. With the untamed wilderness to conquer and the threat of native revolt, life was unsettled.  People had to be courageous and determined, not only survive, but to try and make a good life for their families, which usually included many children.


As roads were built and communications developed (the telephone made it to the Johnson’s home in 1899), life became increasingly hectic and people gradually started living further apart from each other. At this point the letters nearly stop, as the stories of daily life were told over the telephone instead through letters. Letters were, and still are, typically written by vacationers.

The letters to Hortie are like a story, where the reader can learn about the characters over several decades. By learning what happened to people and how they dealt with life, the reader can become involved with the people in Hortie’s family. We go through the illness of Samuel Tullis and the tragic death of Grace Andrews, as well as the lives of two generations that includes Julia’s childhood and that of her son’s, Tullis.

I believe these letters are the best source of family history. Where most sources are census records or formal documents for such things as weddings and births, these letters capture the day-to-day life of one extended family. Since handwriting and spelling were not perfect, the letters were a struggle to read. Each reading uncovered more meaning.

I am always amazed when I look at the letters; they are 120 years old yet their condition makes them look as though they were mailed yesterday. The excitement I felt when I carefully pulled first the letter out of its envelope and opened it was something I will never forget. I treasure the time I spent learning about this family and their struggles and I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did.

To help figure out who the characters are I will post a list of kinship ties to Hortie for your reference. I outline the events but allow you to enjoy the story as written in the letters. Although not every letter was used, the ones I have included capture the general story.

Letter Writing in the 1800s

Writing letters in the Nineteenth century was the only form of communication between people who lived apart from each other. Sunday evening was the most common time to write to relatives and friends. By candlelight, with a pen and ink bottle, one would write about daily events and the health of friends and family. Most of the writing paper was lined paper folded into a card, so the letter would read like a book. As experts have discovered, the quality of the paper from this era far exceeds the quality of paper today. Except for yellowing of the paper, the letters are in as good a condition today as they were when they were mailed over a century ago. The paper manufactured today has so many chemicals and bleach in it that it quickly disintegrates. It would never last the 130 years that these letters have withstood.

Of course, the paper would have been very valuable and expensive, as stationary often had personalized monograms stamped into the paper. As a result, writers attempted to say as much as possible on one piece of stationary. Ora’s small writing and use of every blank space available makes her letters easy to recognize. She even wrote up the side of the paper and upside down in the space at the top of the page. The letter shown here is a typical letter from Ora.

As letters were written with ink and a steel pen point (which had just recently replaced the quill pens) there were many instances where ink blotches interfered with the writing. The style of writing was very loose and difficult to read in places. The self-contained ink “fountain” pen was introduced in 1884 in New York City. This eliminated blotches and writing became smoother and slightly smaller. However, the inkbottle remained in use until the turn of the century.

Most people had little schooling because farming and work were high priorities. Therefore, spelling was often poor and phonetic. The use of punctuation was also poor, which made understanding the contents rather difficult, and it took me several readings to decipher the full story.

The typical letter would start by indicating when and where the letter was written, for example I would write “Calgary, Alberta, April, 8, 2010” in the top right hand corner. This practice in letters is a lost art and regretfully so.  It made it quite simple to identify where the letter came from and to whom it was going. The post office would stamp letters at their point of departure and again when they arrived at their destination. While post offices still stamp at the point of departure they no longer stamp at the destination.

Living conditions were difficult by our standards. There was much work in the day and poor heating in the home where the warmest room in the house was the kitchen, since the wood (or coal) burning stove acted as the furnace for the entire house. Just like modern furnaces, the stove would have heat exhausts leading into ducts that spread the heat around the house. The cast iron stoves would get very hot but with no motorized fan the intense heat did not distribute evenly throughout the house. Hence, the warmest room in the house was the kitchen. Children often slept in the kitchen and letters were usually written in this room. Perhaps this is why people today still tend to group in the kitchen during gatherings.

Hard physical duties, poor heating, and lack of medical science left many to die of pneumonia, consumption, or a disease such as polio or typhoid fever. Once sick with infected lungs, it was very difficult to recover in the damp and cold surroundings. As a result, health of people was a great concern for those in the 1800s, as reflected in the many letters that mention the ill, the dying, and the dead. Many people began to move to the Rocky Mountains where hot springs and dry weather brought hope of recovering from an illness.