March 17, 1904 – A New Address and The Mullins Move to Michigan

Indianapolis, Letters, Pearl Reed's Letters, Reeds,
Pearl Reed

Homer Jarrett
230 Alleghany St. City

2714 Kenwood Ave., City
March 17, 1904

Dear Homer;

I write to inform you that Minnie and Mullins have gone to Michigan to reside permanently. She told me that you did not know of it and I promised to inform you. I hope this finds you in good health for it leaves me quite indisposed.

Hoping to hear from you soon, or see you at our home.

I remain
Yours,
Pearl
New Address # 2730 Kenwood simply the number changed,
Pearl

_________________

The house on a 1915 Sanborn map. At the time of the letters, Pearl’s Uncle Thomas, brother of her mother, and his wife lived in the house at the other end of the lot.

A Wikipedia entry says “The Sanborn Maps were originally created for assessing fire insurance liability in urbanized areas in the United States.”

I wanted to know what Pearl’s house looked like. When my daughter Ayanna and I drove around Indianapolis looking for family homes, we found the house gone, now a parking lot.  I took a walk in the neighborhood via Google Maps. The houses nearby were on low rises, with steps going up to them. I looked at other houses on the Sanborn Map and found some still standing. I got a bit carried away, looking at the map, finding historic houses still standing. I finally made a composite of what the house may have looked like. I must admit that I added a porch.

My vision of 2730 Kenwood.
Possible layout of Kenwood house

Why Renumber and Rename Streets?  A long article from The Indianapolis Journal  April 8, 1895 about why they renumbered the streets. It took years and years to complete the project.

An announcement of the Mullins family’s move to Benton Harbor, Michigan appeared in a local black newspaper, The Indianapolis Recorder.

2 thoughts on “March 17, 1904 – A New Address and The Mullins Move to Michigan”

  1. I really like the additional facts and research you put into your posts. Really fleshes out the family stories with local history!

    1. I wonder about those things when I read the letters, so I go looking for more information. I wish I could have asked my grandmother about these times.

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