File:Caroline E. Wilmer to Alice Mary Longfellow, 27 March 1893 (5e10b735-f32c-4fb2-81c9-63de3e8988ce).jpg

Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1007.001/002.003-001#058

[printed letterhead: The Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute]
Hampton, Va., Mar 27, 1893.
Kind Friend.
Miss Sherman came in my school room this evening and said some one had been kind enough for to pay my scholarship; and I want to thank you so much for it.
My home is in Salem, New Jersey we live in a nice part of the town. Three Hampt- [p. 2] ton graduates are now teaching at my home. With few exceptions which I will try to explain to you, my home has been a very happy one. My father died before I was three years old and left my mother a widow with eight children. Six years ago death again entered into our family and my three oldest sisters died within sisters died within fifteen months. So you see how one successive sorrow in our family has [p. 3] followed an other leaving us sad indeed. Before I came to this school I worked to help aid my mother. After my fathers death she worked very hard for to support us children who was not large enough to earn our own living. An now I help her all that I can and feel it to be a very little when I look back over my past life and [p. 4] think how much she has done for me. Before coming to Hampton I had not attended school for six years. The school house was frame had one room blackboards was on two sides of the room, a chart hung on one side and a map of the United States hung on the other side of the room. The room was heated by a coal stove and it would seat about seventy five pupil. I came here through a Hampton [p. 5] graduate who is now teaching at my home and has been for the past four years. I also came here hoping to educate my self, so that I may work and teach among my people. I am so glad that the Lord seen wise an just for to spare Gen. Armstrong. My most earnest wish wish [sic] is that Gen. may be spared for many years more. I have thought [p. 6] again an again what would become of this school with out him.
I work during the day, and attend night school. Thanking you very much indeed for your kind thought of me. Yours gratefully. Caroline E. Wilmer.

• Keywords: long archives; document; alice m. longfellow papers (long 16173); organizations; hampton institute; education; correspondence; Manuscripts (1007.001); (LONG-Subcollection); Correspondence (1007.001/002); (LONG-SeriesName); Scholarship Student Correspondence (1007.001/002.003); (LONG-SubseriesName); Letters to Alice Longfellow (1007.001/002.003-001); (LONG-FileUnitName)