Kate Carnahan Letters

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0177

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

A series of nine autograph letters and two substantial but incomplete letters written to Carnahan's mother in Indianapolis. The letters are dated February 6, 1848 to April 2, 1849, and cover such topics of daily life as the personalities of other local women, her wardrobe, social engagements (her first time playing host to the sewing circle, for example), news of cholera epidemics in the region, and the inconveniences of life in a small town in the West.

Kate misses her mother, her family, and her former home, and her letters are full of references to adjusting to life in a new town with her husband. She speaks quite often of domestic chores, and includes "receipts" for some of the savory dishes that have been brought in to her during episodes of illness, and talks of furnishing her new house. Kate also talks of her reading, asking her mother to send the Evangelist as often as she can, and wondering if her father will take the new paper, The Watchman of the West. She also reads a paper called The Locomotive.

Dates

1848 - 1849

Creator

Carnahan, Kate (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Biographical or Historical Information

Kate Carnahan was a young, newly-married woman living in Covington, Indiana in the 1840s. The Carnahans appear to have been of fairly high social standing in Covington; Kate mentions attending an upcoming Christmas ball, and her activities as a Presbyterian Sunday School teacher.

Extent

0.02 Linear Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Kate Carnahan was a young, newly-married woman living in Covington, Indiana in the 1840s. This collection dates from 1848 to 1849 and includes eleven letters to Carnahan's mother covering such topics of daily life as the personalities of other local women, her wardrobe, social engagements, illnesses, and the inconveniences of life in a small town in the West.

Method of Acquisition

Purchased in April 2001.

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