Aunt Blanche's letter is a letter written to Marjorie (nee Carter) Bunyea describing yhe conditions at the Latchford farm and mine about the time of the discovery of Astrodon fossils. Blanche Carter and Walter Carter were the children of Joseph F. Carter and Mary Jane (nee Latchford) Carter. Walter Carter's daughter was Marjorie (nee Carter) Bunyea. Marjorie is Blanche's niece. Mary Jane Carter is the daughter of John D. Latchford.
April 28, 1948
Dearest Marjorie
It was just swell to hear from you for the past year I have planed to ask the Catholic Priests to find Walter & his family I had not heard from him since Gary leftd here (was in the army) [vertical margin note] 3 ½ years ago - he loved Walter like a Father he used to buy his clothes when he went to Washington schools & expensive Douglas [end of page #1] shoes & never cared how many pairs he wore out playing Foot Ball Business high & "Captain of (Diamond) [overwritten] regiment". The night [mark that looks like a 2] he broke his arm & afraid to tell Mam [maybe Mom] as he was her baby and favorite fear she would faint. She had 8 children & that made all her kids have bad hearts.So don't have too many they all can not be perfect & if the mother dies & leaves them to an [end of page #2] awful future. No one really cares for them only a mother & her love. You & Walter should be Catholics because my mother's mother died & her grandmother & she was a C- & grandmother Latchford was raised in a convent in Wales she met Grandfather John Dourghty Latchford married him landed in Boston & raised 3 girls & 2 boys she had golden red hair he was a carpenter & when the Government offered big awards so many hundred acres for finding [end of page #3] (his father had worked in fields) [this is an added line in the upper margin] Iron Oar he found big quantities near Mirakirk & Laurel Md that made him very rich. He & Charlie Coffin senator had smelters at Mirakirk. Kilns melted the Iron Ore into 2 foot bars & sent them on B & O RR to Pittsburg. Grandpa L. was very handsome black curly hair just like Mary my mothers. He was a 33 degree Mason & spent his life *wife died at 36 so did Uncle Tom the blond Capt. In US Army all his life. Uncle William had red hair 36 Phneumonia* opening Lodges & had 2 big Goats Bill & Buck [end of page #4]
Grandpa Latchford had a big farm & lots of negroes & white country boys diging his Iron Ore about 40 or 50. - I used to visit & see & meet them. Minnie & Bill Dove were his house servants. Wonderful polite learned negroes. When Civil War broke out he sold all to the US Gov. & feed for mules carts horses all their solid silver Kept only 3 horses Mother got Martin J. Litton senator to pass her claim & the money was put in the Carter Motor Car Co. - it was a grand big factory & Bros Washington car won all the prizes for long tours *3 in* cars every race - perfect [end of page #5]
These Iron Ore pits joined together with a narrow roadway on top So deep & wide 3 or 4 big houses could be droped in these pits deep with water after a heavy rain & their geese & duck would swim around until sundown & such a hoard would rush back home for Bill's feeding I loved it. chickens turkeys so many you could not count them. When he was 60 he married a neighbors girl 3 brothers & 2 sisters & 2 parents he sold his farm. Man who bought it dug up all the 2 hundred acres & under his house were tons of iron ore. Made him rich too [end of page #6]
I am enclosing a picture of Mother Carter she was truly a proclaimed beauty - her eyes looked dark grey - she wore blue or green or black - they took on that shade. Ask Walter if she looks natural to him. This picture was made in Balto when he was the baby kid. Your mother Bessie was a beauty too You all had the grand luck of a loving Grandma - How is she do tell me & all the names & addresses of your family on a sheet of paper so I can keep it. [end of page #7]
The box Walter sent came yesterday but there wasnt anything in it I wanted. I am sorry he spent his money on it. Let Walter read this letter about Grandfather Ls farm With love to you all. Write often
Aunt Blanche
210 Fenimore St. Bklyn
25
New York