This collection is made up of correspondence between Benedict Law of Erie County, New York, his wife Docia, and members of his extended family.
In letters to his wife and sons, Benedict W. Law discussed his life and work on mining projects in Wyoming and Colorado, particularly in the area around Dixon, Wyoming, and Fourmile, Colorado. He described the scenery around the border area and discussed aspects of camp life and his work, which involved dredging and digging ditches. In 1898, he shared local news and occasionally commented on the progress of the Spanish-American War, though he also mentioned the general scarcity of news in the area where he lived. His letters to Docia often concern the couple's finances and sometimes contain news about her sister, Grace Graley, who lived in Fourmile, Colorado. Law wrote at least one letter to his son Lito in Spanish (May 24, 1899). Law wrote from Routt County, Colorado, in 1902.
From 1897-1901, Benedict W. Law received letters related to his personal life, his travels, and the western mining work that continued after his temporary return to New York in 1901. A few items from this period pertain to Docia Law. After 1906, Grace Graley wrote to her mother about life in Queen City, Texas, and about her children. After 1909, Benedict Law resumed his correspondence with his wife, who also received late letters from her sister and mother
Benedict Willis Law was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, in March 1851, the son of Willis and Susan Law. He graduated from Cornell University in 1874 and married Docia Willett, daughter of Elijah P. Willett and Sylvia Bartlett, in 1878. They primarily lived in Lawton Station, New York, and at their estate ("The Katydids") in Collins, New York. They moved to Havana, Cuba, temporarily in the late 1880s. From the 1890s to early 1900s, Benedict W. Law worked in the mining industry along the Wyoming-Colorado border. He and Docia had two sons, Henry Comstock ("Harry") (August 7, 1885-October 9, 1912) and Lito.
Henry C. Law graduated from Cornell in 1908 and became an engineer in New York, Arkansas, and Colorado. In April 1912, he married Marion Allen Wing, and they had one son, Henry Comstock Law. Lito W. Law lived in Collins, New York, with his wife and children. In the 1910s, Docia's sister Grace lived in Queen's Station, Texas, with her husband, Mort Graley, and their three children, May, Beulah, and Lila.
