Most of these 59 letters are addressed to Nancy Niles Bird or her daughter-in-law Frankie Rowe Bird from a wide variety of kinfolk. Nancy wrote a history of the Bird family, and much of this correspondence relates to her research and the publication of the volume. There is also a partially filled diary kept by Carrie Ballentine Bird, the wife of Richard L. Bird, in 1921.

The most interesting letters include one from Josephine C. Mason, a niece of Nancy Bird, who lived in Boulder, Colorado. Josephine reported, "Mama and Mary and I all left widows the only thing we could do was to take boarders to help pay expenses" (1907 March 31). They rented out their "home place" and "Mary built a 10 room house and Mama Freedie and I all clubed together and built a 14 room house with basement" close to the University of Colorado. Josephine cared for 20 to 28 students during the week, and Mary had 12 to 15.

Another important single letter was written by Nancy's cousin Mary E. Shearer, a seventy year old woman who lived in Millers Falls, Massachusetts. She related how she felt compelled to have some wild cats she was feeding and making warm beds for killed, because the "neighborhood was going to be overrun with our nuisance" but that "the affair nearly killed" her (1917 May 8). She also discussed her opinions of various religions and her own beliefs in some depth: "As for my own Faith I can say that it is Bible Christian. When a child I used to hear people argue upon certain points of Scripture and I resolved to learn for myself out of the Bible what I might safely believe and not depend upon what others were saying. I have kept that promise to myself and find that Christ's yoke is easy and His burden is light."

There are two printed letters from Robert and Bernie Bird Longwell, from the Impur Training School in Assam, a northwestern state of India. There they worked with the Ao Naga Christians, translating scripture and preparing and teaching Sunday School lessons. Robert was put in charge of the Training School in 1920, and fumed that "it is a great and burning shame that the one in charge of the school has to be tied down to classroom work." They also mentioned, prophetically, that "there is political agitation also under the slogan, "Non co-operation" with the Government. This movement is led by one Mr. Gandhi, and has gathered such force that it bids fair to become very far reaching in its consequences" (1919 December 15, 1921 January 7).

Subject index:

Aged women

1917 May 8

Assam (India)--Religion

1919 December 15

1921 January 7

Bird family

passim

Boulder (Colo.)--Social conditions

1907 March 31

Family--Pennsylvania

passim

Feral cats

1917 May 8

Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948

1921 January 7

Impur Training School (Assam, India)

1919 December 15

1921 January 7

Lodging houses--Colorado

1907 March 31

Missionaries--India

1919 December 15

1921 January 7

Widows--Colorado

1907 March 31

Women and religion

1917 May 8

Correspondents:

Ballentine, J. G.
Bird, Anna
Bird, Belle (Mrs. Albert Bird)
Bird, Carrie Ballentine (Mrs. Richard L. Bird)
Bird, E. Z.
Bird, Frances "Frankie" Rowe
Bird, George N.
Bird, Harlan Page
Bird, Helen
Bird, Jesse
Bird, Lucien
Bird, Nancy Niles, 1828-1914
Bird, Nellie
Bullock, Charles E.
Bullock, Georgia C.
Califf, J. E.
Chase, Kate Fowler
Cone, Flora M.
Gates, Mary F.
Gifford, Orpha T.
Gifford, Romaine
Harris, Sallie
Long Island Historical Society
Longwell, Bernie Bird
Longwell, Robert
Miner, Rev. Henry A.
Mason, Josephine C.
Mulligan, Abby E.
Niles, Emma E.
Pease, Jennie B.
Percy, Rev. W. S.
Phillips, Maud
Porter, L. E.
Pratt, H. L.
Rowe, George N.
Rowe, J. Olney
Runkle, Nettie G.
Shearer, Mary
Sumner, Bert
Sumner, Fred B.

Provenance:

Acquired, 1991.

M-2711
cat. 6/98 rko

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