Relatively Speaking

Olinda Ann Austin was the daughter of Alonzo Eugene and Isabelle Camp Austin. Around 1880, Alonzo Eugene and Belle Austin and their children, Olinda and Henrietta, and probably Alonzo Eugene Austin jr. went to Alaska where they were Presbyterian missionaries in Sitka.

Olinda Austin married Joseph Garrish Ayers. Here is Olinda with their two sons, Joseph Garrish and Charles Haines Austin.

Could this be Mary Ann Eldred Austin? The photo below is Mary Ann Austin with her ninth child.

Could this be Aida?

Could this be great-great-grandma Hannah Hickok Eldred? She died
in 1869. Great-great-grandma Fanny Knapp Austin died in 1861.

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Kathy T. found a number of tin types in an old Bible without ID on them. Click on more to see the others.

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These photos are courtesy of Kathy T., an Austin relative I met soon after, The MIll on Halfway Brook was published.

I have spent most of this week typing up a wonderful group of ‘new’ old letters for Book 2, that Kathy sent me.

Kathy’s grandmother was Lillie Austin Calkin, daughter of James Eldred Austin and his wife Emma Parmenter. Lillie was born in 1884 in Solomon City, Kansas, and we will meet her in Echo Hill and Mountain Grove, the book I am currently writing.

Very fortunately for me and our family, Lillie saved about everything, I am told. Lillie’s daughter Dorothy, who is still living, gave Lillie’s information to her niece, Kathy, who has shared the sea of information with me.

It is very exciting to have contact with this branch of the Austin family. We seemed to have lost contact with them before 1960.

My great-great-grandfather, Ralph Austin.

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Eldred, January 12, 1879
A.A. Austin
Solomon City, Kansas
Dear Son,
I will write a few lines in answer to your vary welcome letter and to let you know that we are all well and I hope this will find you enjoying the same blessing.

The weather is quite cold here now. The snow is about 12 inches deep. The coldest it has bin yet is 13 below zero and that was as cold as I wanted.

Mr. Kelso has bin to N.Y. abuying goods last week to start a store. He was gone 8 or 10 days. He told me that he tride hard to sell out, but could not. He said that he was afeared to sell for $1100 dollars, but could not sell for any price.

Your Mother and Me was down their Christmas and had a nice visit. Mrs. Kelso wished that you and Maria was there. We ware to Mr. Collins New Years and had a good visit. Mrs. Kelso made the same wish there.

They had a donation for Mr. Martinas Friday nite the 10th. They took in $37 dollars. There that their was not much of a turn out. I did not go for I had nothing to go with. I never saw money more scarce. I can’t see yet how I can rais a nuff to pay my taxes.
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121 Chambers St., NY, August 22, 1866
Dear Uncle,
I don’t think of anything particularly interesting or of much importance to write about, but as i have nothing very urgent to do this morning and feel somewhat in the humor of writing I thought I would write to you.

Uncle Perry was at our house not long since, and said that you was talking some of taking another Lumber job at Smith Mills.

If you do try the lumber business again, you had ought to have it understood so that there will be no quibbling or misunderstanding when you come to make a settlement and not only that you should (must) be pretty well satisfied that you are going to make something for there is no use of your working yourself almost to death this winter.

And then when you come to settle in the spring find that you have made nothing and I should if I were you have it understood that if you were dissatisfied with the price they charge you for provisions, feed, etc, that you will be at liberty to make your purchases of supplies elsewhere and make them advance you the money as fast as you make it or may need it.
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11/8/2010
I have just received a large box of Austin letters from my cousin Kathy T., a descendant of James Eldred and Emily Parmenter Austin. As I get the letters typed up or scanned, I will be posting them as I have time!