There were ninety-seven envelopes containing over a hundred letters. Friends we let read our purchase were equally fascinated. A kindly co-worker offered to transcribe the correspondence to type-written pages for easier reading. The result took up two-hundred and twenty-one double-spaced pages, over fifty-thousand words.
All the letters were written during a ten month period between April 5, 1866 and January 16, 1867. Only thirteen letters were missing from the exchange between Susan Smith and Edwin Fletcher. In addition, there were eleven letters from other relatives. Here was an honest slice of ten months of the near daily life of two ordinary people in a far different era. It was to me, a much more realistic history than what I'd found in school books.
Before I could hope to understand the details of what was I was reading, I longed to know more about the authors. What were their ages, their positions in life and who were those other people they discussed? I wanted to know more of the times they lived in. What were their lives like before, and especially after their correspondence ended?
I was a total novice at investigating anything. In 1970, the Internet was but someone's dream. Research was a hands-on endeavor. I had never scrutinized any historical documents nor had I an interest in genealogy. In fact, I was ignorant of the dates of birth of my own deceased parents! Never-the-less we studied the letters in earnest and sought out detailed information where we could find it.
Thus, for the price of ten dollars, began what proved to be a time consuming, but rewarding journey into the daily lives of two charming people.