Temporary record

The bulk of this collection is in reponse to Mr. P.B. Dickinson's personal ad (or ads) placed in Matchmaking, published by the Mason Company. One ad read, 'Smart old man, good habits, with means. Ladies please write.' Ladies from all over the country responded, describing their attributes to Mr. Dickinson.Many of the women were widows who described their happy marriages and their desire for companionship. Several wrote more than one letter. Only E.D. Searle seemed to have visited, though others expressed an interest in meeting him. Many of the women asked about Mr. Dickinson's spiritualist practices. Some interpreted spiritualist as christian while others mentioned spiritualist services they had attended. Paulina Masur's letter, (June 28, 1898), asked if he was a professional spiritualist . She also wrote that she thought, 'Ingersoll ... a very intelligent man but he directs his influences into wrong channels.' Several ladies expressed their approval of Dickinson's temperant practices. Sarah A. Smith of West Andover, Ohio mentioned her involvement in several secret societies- Good Templer, W.C.Y.U. and Lady of the Macabees.

The first three letters of the collection are from Dickinson's former wife, Hannah, and his son. The first letter, March 22, 1899, reminded him of the 'decree from court' giving her half of the hay. A letter in August requested that he remove his belongings from her property and pay for the storage. His son's letter is undated but appears to be around the same time since he is trying to serve as a mediator between his parents regarding the storage.

M-3078.2

Divorce settlements--New Hampshire
Personals--New Hampshire
Secret societies
Spiritualists--New Hampshire

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