Homer Jarrett
412 Muskingun St. City
2730 Kenwood Ave
June 16, 1904
Dear Homer,
Your kind letter was received. I have the most delightful news for you Minnie and the children will be here on the 28th for a ten day visit. Are you not pleased?
Forgive me for forgetting you. Are you well? I hope you look better than you did Sunday. Come out Sunday and we will decide where we will go. I thank you for complimenting my “Gingham gown”. I like it quite well.
Did you get the Marons you spoke of? I was speaking with an acquaintance a few days ago and he had visited the island of Jamaica and the surrounding countries. Have I tired you with this stuff? Forgive me if I have for you know I was born to tire people.
Yours truly,
Pearl
______________
The “Marons”? Because she mentioned Jamaica, I was thinking she might have meant “Maroons”. The Maroons were people who escaped from slavery and live free in the swamps and forests.
Minnie Mullins had three children at this time; Helen 4, James 3, Benjamin 2 and was pregnant with Arthur, who would be born in September 1904.
Hello Kristen – Seeing the photograph of my uncle (baby Bill) and my Grandma Mullins makes me think of uncle Bill’s daughter Elaine. Elaine and I were about the same age. Elaine and I played a lot together. Skip called us crazy kids. However, she had a difficult case of asthma. Sometimes as we played (she kept up with me) she would get too excited – play stopped, and the moms would put her on my parents big bed so she could calm down and rest. Half-hour later or so her mother would come out and said Elaine wants to see you. My mom would tell me just talk quietly with her. As soon as I walked into the room we would both start to giggle. Elaine’s asthma progressively got worse. As you know Detroit’s winters are too damp and cold – very bad for asthma. And, in those days treatments for asthma were not that advanced. Finally, they had to move to Arizona for Elaine’s health. I think it was 1949 – I was still at Wingert – I came home from school. Mom read part of the letter from uncle Bill and his wife telling us the Elaine had died from her asthma. I was very sad!!
Thank you for sharing another memory! It brings people alive who are often just names and records to me.
I remembered hearing from a younger daughter of Bill that the oldest sister died of meningitis. Here is what I found on Find A Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45711110
Raina Diane Mullins
Birth 20 Nov 1942
Wayne County, Michigan, USA
Death 1 May 1946 (aged 3)
Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA
Burial Saint Francis Cemetery
Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA
Information from death certificate;
Daughter of Williams Mullins & Elaine Hisle.
Lived in AZ 5 months.
Cause of death due to “TB mengitis” “TB of chest”
Father was informant to death certificate.
Thanks for the clarification. My memories of so many years ago concerning this are truly confused. I apologize. Thanks
You were only 5 and you got most of it right. I wonder about the diagnosis of meningitis and tb of the lungs. That could have been asthma related. Many of my important discoveries in family history were made from oral history that was just a little bit off because of memory. I like the story of you two playing and giggling. The only memories of her that I have are hearing that she died of meningitis when her parents and siblings stopped by my grandmother’s house on a visit to Detroit. Did I already tell this story here? Bill sent the two youngest girls to the door to ask for a drink of water. It was Sunday after church and my grandmother invited them in and sat them down and was giving them glasses of water when Bill came up laughing and saying he knew Aunt Pearl would do that. They remember that too. I must have posted it here because they found me after I did.