Addie Boyd Wagner letters
Transcribed by Debby Dyer Neves ©1999, all rights reserved
For more information on this family, visit the
Ahnentafle of Marjorie London Dyer and Addie Boyd Wagner's Diary
Mountain City Tenn
Nov 15 1891
Dear Aunt Carrie,
I thought I would write to you. Aunt Fronia is here. Her and Aunt Ellen and Carrie spent the day at Mrs. Yerbrough, yesterday and had a nice time there. Aunt Fronia and Aunt Ellen is down to cousin Callie Rheas after dinner. I wrote to Charlie and Hugh a few days ago. Tell cousin Sallie to write to me and don't wate for me to write to her. Carrie spent the night at our Aunt Sallie's last night and had a nice time there. Aunt Sallie and Mary and Dick Donnelly all came over here last night. Aunt Fronia has her cold yet. It seems that everybody has some. I haf got one. I wrote to Uncle Tom
a few days ago. It is awful cold here now. How is Faw now? I wish I could see him I am going to see him some time. Charlie and Hugh may comes home. Charlie maby and if papa will let them they want to come bad and maby papa will let them. Thay say something about coming some time thay write. I wish thay could some how. You must write to me soon.
Aff your niece
Addie Boyd Wagner
Footnotes:
1. Addie is 8 at the time she writes this letter.
2. Aunt Carrie is her father's sister Caroline Elizabeth Wagner Faw. She lives
in Johnson City, TN.
3. Aunt Fronia is also her father's sister and sister to Aunt Carrie.
4. Aunt Ellen is her mother's sister, who must be visiting from Athens, TN.
5. Mrs. Yerbough is Mrs. Yarborough.
6. Mentioned in the letter is her sister Carrie Alzenia Wagner who later
marries the Dick Donnelly, who is also mentioned in the letter.
7. Aunt Sallie is the wife of her Uncle Joseph Hugh Wagner and Mary is their
daughter.
8. Mentioned in the letter are her brothers Charlie and Hugh who are at
business school in Poughkeepsie, NY.
9. Cousin Sallie and Faw are Aunt Carrie's children. Sallie is Sarah S. Faw
and Faw is Walter Wagner Faw both are much older than Addie.
10.Uncle Tom is Aunt Carrie's husband.
11.maby = maybe, thay = they, wate = wait, haf = have, Aff = affectionately
12.On the letter is written, "I was devotes to Aunt Carrie Faw. Visited her
as a child many times. A.W.L." AW.L. = Addie Wagner London.
Mountain City
Mar 1. 1893.
My Dear Hugh:
Mamma received your letter and says for me to write to you tonight as she has a headache. I suppose that Charlie is in Athens by this time. I hurt my leg today and cannot go to school. *Faw was riding me in the wagon and turned it over and stuck a nail in my leg it went in about a half an inch, and I tell you it hurt.
Faw has been over here ever since Sunday and went home this evening. It snowed here all day Monday and is cold today though it is bright. King and James have gone to bed and Papa has not come from the store yet. How is Mr. Rambo getting along is he much homesick? I will have to close as it is getting late. Write soon.
Aff your sister
Addie Wagner
Footnotes:
1. Addie's brother Hugh is business school in Poughkeepsie, NY.
2. Addie will be 10 years old on the 21st of March,1893.
3. Charlie, King and James are also Addie's brothers.
4. Athens is probably Athens Tennessee. Addie's mother Nellie is from Athens.
The Wagners have also had a business connection with Athens, TN for several
generations.
5. Faw is Addie's cousin, Walter Wagner Faw.
6. Mr. Rambo is Sam Rambo who later worked in the Wagner's store.
** When Addie was an adult she always referred to her cousin Walter Wagner Faw as Walter. She used Faw for Carrie's grandson, Walter Faw Broyles, the son of Carrie's daughter Hattie Alzenia Faw and Charles Joseph Broyles, MD, was born 1/27/1888. Walter Faw was much older than Addie. This is confusing in these letters, especially the one regarding the Wagon accident. Walter Wagner Faw seems too old for this but Walter Faw Broyles is much too young.
2
3
Mountain City
April 11. 1894.
Dear Mary,
I received your letter several days ago and was very glad to hear from you. I have gotten so that I don't like to write at all I guess I have gotten lazy don't you? It has been snowing here all day, but it is not very cold. I received a letter from Mama the other day. She said she would tell us the first of this week when she would come home. We are getting awful tired of staying way from her and Papa so long. Cousin Sallie, Cousin Mary and Nellie Rhea & Nellie and Faw all spent the day here last Thursday and in the evening cousin Callie, cousin Mary & Julia went up in town and Lucille McLanglin came down here and George Wagner and with James, Eugene, King, and I there were eight of us and you know we had a grand time. Wilia went home day before yesterday and Julia and I liked to worked ourselves to death cleaning up her messes.
How many people did you April fool on April Fool Day? I wrote Julia's name on a piece of paper and put inside of it "April Fool" And Joe went a wrung the door bell and I went to the door and gave the note to Julia and made her think it was from one of the young men to take her to prayer meeting. And when she opened it and saw "April Fool" on it she looked as funny. Yes we put an empty dish on the table and it fooled Charlie. Yes I get pretty tired of hearing Julia and cousin Titia talking about training Lyons and cultivating Newberrys. But I don't hear much of it now for cousin Titia went home about a week ago. Yes Julia got the silk thread you sent her. Cousin Titia and Frannie Grant were up here day before yesterday evening and also Annie Murphy and we played croquet nearly all evening. I don't know if I will come to commencement with Julia or not but I hope I will.
Eugene stayed all night with us last night it rained all evening yesterday evening. It snowed one minute and rained the next and sun shined the next don't you think that is funny weather. Write soon.
Addie Wagner
Footnotes:
1. Mary, to whom the letter is written was a 1st cousin of Addie's. She graduated from Shorter College with her sisters Carrie and Julia. She was Joe and Sallie Wagner's daughter.
2. Cousin Sallie is Sarah Faw
3. Cousin Nellie is Nellie Rhea sister to Mary Rhea. This Mary is refered to later as Cousin Mary.
4. Nellie and Faw were brother and sister Nellie and Walter Wagner Faw.
5. George Wagner is a brother to the Mary to whom the letter is sent.
6. James and King are Addie's brothers.
7. Eugene is Eugene Donnelly.
8. Charlie is another of Addie's brothers.
9. Titia is Titia Rhea sister to Nellie and Mary in #3.
10.Titia must be dating a Lyons, and Addie's sister Julia is dating a Newberry whom she later marries. Do you get the pun of training Lyons and cultivating
Newberrys?
4
Letter of Addie Boyd Wagner
No Date
Dear Mary I Thought I Would Write to you. how do you like the springs, and gramps and grandmamas come. I hope you Will have a nice time. King hade a show today and he can act like a show man. tell Julia that I am sleeping with Addie now and Carrie with aunt ellen. I don't know what to write tell Julia that I miss her. and Carrie
and King sed that They miss her to. papa has gone to bristol he went this morning. mama is sewing and aunt ellen is sewing to. James has come from a berry picking. When or you moving home tell Julia how does she like the springs.
Joe and george sed that they miss you.
Addie Wagner
Notes:
1. In a note on the letter:" Aunt Fronia gave Mary and Julia a trip to
Springs in N. C. a summer resort. Aunt Addie and Aunt Ellen, Mamma's sisters
visited us often and we loved them devotedly. AWL"
2. Addie Boyd Wagner is named for her mother's sister Addie King Boyd.
3. The resort is may be at Hot Springs, NC, which I believe is in near the
Haywood/Madison County lines.
4. The spelling, capitalization and grammar are as the appear in the original.