Teaching cursive writing. We just shrug our shoulders as we watch history dissappear.

I began the day thinking about this letter from my Aunt Blanche whom I never knew, to my Grandmother. I love the cursive writing of a little girls hand. The date of the letter is August 27, 1902 and written to Mrs. Nina Blodgett and family in Harvard, Illinois. She was visiting or maybe baby sitting for Ed and Juna Blodgett, on a farm in Leroy Township by Blaine, IL. Edmond and Juna with children Edna and Russell, later moved to the Dakota's. I believe she was probably helping out because Juna was pregnant with her third child, Ella who was born later in 1902. Blanche would have been 12 years old at this time.

 

We hardly recognize the treasures that we still have, but are vanishing and slipping into obscurity. 

This is a Census form from 1900. At first glance it doesn't mean too much. But, as I study it, it reveals a wealth of information about my family. I pray that someone in the future will take an interest and retain some of these facts. I think they are very important. They are to me and I hope that they will be to others in my heritage. 

 I garner a great deal of information from just a few notations on this census sheet. 

1. My grandfather, John W. Blodgett was born in Wisconsin (Sharon) and teaching school.

2. His mother and father were both born in New York.

3. My grandmother, Nina E. (Estelle) was born in Wisconsin. 

4. Her Father was born in Wisconsin (Delavan) and her Mother in Iowa (Maquakata).

5. Their residence in 1900 was Walworth. They lived on route 14 or Madison street, just after the square to the Northwest where you would find Lon's Auto Body shop today. There was a small story and a half home there when I moved to Walworth in 1957 that my father pointed out as the birthplace of my Aunt Margaret, Aunt Helen and Uncle Mark. Through the years Lon's was originally constructed as a Standard Oil Co. Gas station. That was one of my first jobs as a pump jockey for Bobbie M. Heckman. At that time he was working with Bob Prey who I think may have leased to Bob. After Bob sold the station, it was run by a man named Long. I wonder if he was related to the William and Lena Long on the census page. Their house would have been next door. 

6. Blanche E, Pliny R and Donald J. were all born in Illinois, (Harvard) and all in school at this time and that would have been where the Walworth School still stands today although it went from Walworth School, to Walworth Grade School in 1959 when the new Big Foot High School was constructed. Grandfather John W. Blodgett was Principal or Supt. of that school at a later date. 

7. It tells if a child can read, write, speak English and how many months they were in school. It also tells if a person was working. Tells whether the it was farm or home and rented or owned. 

In summary my thoughts today concerned cursive writing and what we are losing when we cease to teach cursive in our schools.