Temporary record

A series of letters between three generations of women of the Godown and McLaughlin families, originally of Indianapolis. The early part of the collection (prior to 1930) consists mainly of letters written by Fannie Godown (Mrs. John M.) to her daughter, Mary Dewar Godown (who married Harry Clark McLaughlin c.1898) or granddaughter, Katherine (Katsey) McLaughlin. Katsey McLaughlin appears to have been a dancer with Wally Sharples act that performed throughout the west and mid-west during the 1920's. She married Pedro Batista in ca.1928

Scope and contents:

Mrs. Godown's letters are intimate and display a motherly concern for her children and grandchildren, but they tend to be quite short and to reveal little about the women's lives. Mrs. Godown frequently offers medical or other advice to her daughter and she is a faithful correspondent for passing on news about family and friends, particularly their deaths or illnesses. Unfortunately, the large quantity of empty envelopes suggests that a majority of the letters were removed, and therefore the record of the relationships and activities of these women is very spotty.

The most interesting letters in the collection are the several written by Charlotte Kelley to her sister Mary McLaughlin. These letters are lengthy and well-written, and focus on family relationships, the effects of the great depression, and day-to-day life of a woman in the 1920's and 30's. Charlotte appears to have inherited her mother's fascination with mortality: one particularly moving series of letters concerns the death of Frances Godown and the grief that Charlotte felt for well over a year thereafter.

M-2603

Death
Depressions--1929--United States
Family--Indiana
Mothers and daughters
Sisters

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