Bessie Kucher letters, 1903-1904
0.25 linear feet
This collection contains around 37 letters that Bertha Kucher wrote to her sister Ida while living in Seattle and Enumclaw, Washington, from June 1903 to October 1904. She commented on fashion, hearing loss, and her work as a housekeeper. In her first letter, written on successive days after June 20, 1903, Kucher recounted her journey to Seattle and her safe arrival in the city, where she joined her brother Charles and his family. She frequently commented on his wife Elva and their son Ronald, and described Washington fashion and local travels. In 1904, she sought work as a housekeeper, and she was employed by a man in Enumclaw, Washington, by the fall. Many of Bertha's letters to Ida are over ten pages in length. Enclosures include flowers, a ticket from the S. Willey Navigation Company, and cloth samples. A woman named Nellie Van wrote one letter from New York, dated January 29, 1904.