Rush Robinson correspondence, 1896-1904
0.25 linear feet
This collection (133 items) primarily consists of love letters between Rush Robinson and Laura Hopkins Beall, his fiancée and future wife. Rush Robinson wrote about 90 letters and Laura Beall Robinson wrote about 20 letters; the remaining correspondence is made up of incoming letters to Rush Robinson from various correspondents. Rush Robinson's letters primarily concern his love for Laura, though he also discussed his daily life, news of his family, and his travels. After their marriage in 1897, he wrote less frequently, and his latest letters pertain to his efforts to locate and purchase a farm in Covesville, Virginia. Laura's letters post-date the couple's marriage and typically concern home life during her husband's absences, including her preparations for her 1904 move to Covesville from Staunton, Virginia. One item is a grocery bill addressed to Laura Rush (July 1, 1904). An undated letter from Laura Beall Robinson to Rush Robinson has scribbles by their daughter Mary, who wrote an additional page of scribbles to her father (undated).
Rush Robinson wrote his letters on illustrated stationery from the education department of The Morning Herald (Baltimore, Maryland); the Chattolanee Springs Hotel, which includes a picture of a Native American; and the Hotel Gleason in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rush Robinson's acquaintances used illustrated letterheads from the New York Board of Trade and Transportation and George T. Myers & Co. of Seattle, Washington.