Undated Letter from Amy

This is a letter that I have a hard time reading. Amy's handwriting can become rather illegible to me when she gets excited. I will try and make my best guesses, but I'll keep them in parentheses or put "..." in places where I just can't make it out. Feel free to write in the comments what you think certain phrases might be.

This letter doesn't have a date on it, but I figured this was probably where it fits. It sounds like it's summer. As you can see, Matthew has his snazzy new letterhead stationary for his snazzy new auto garage. You can actually still see his garage, today, only it's no longer a garage. State Street was renamed "Main Street" sometime later, and if you went to the old building on 301 E. Main St, you would find... a tapas restaurant! So if you find yourself in Marshall one evening, stop by, have some tapas and think of all the old cars Matthew used to work on there.

Amy says that Matthew has brought his brother, Tom, to Marshall. Matthew eventually leaves the garage to Tom as he goes to work in "industry", as the Nelson Genealogy puts it. She also says they buy a car, which is a "Reo" and I'll try to find a picture of the model online. This is boasted as the first car in Marshall, nicknamed "Black Bess". Incidentally, I drive a Kia Rio. 

By the way, the second sentence in the parentheses is the best I could translate. I have no idea what she's referring to, but if anyone else has any idea what that actually says or what she means, please let me know.

 

(I could get plenty of work if I had not got baby_____

You could make 10 dollars* a week going out like that.)

My Dear Annie

Just a line. I expect you will think I have forgotten you but you are never out of my head. We are having awful hot weather, 103 and more than that some days. I have stood it so far. Dear Annie, I wish you were out here. I'm sure you would get on alright. Matt (a bit slack). They went out to the harvest on Saturday. They get ... dollars a day and food that would just suit Jack. There seems plenty of laboring here and I am sure you would get plenty to do. If you go out to work by the day you ... get 15 cents* an hour. Aunt gets that when she goes out. She has no need to go out for he has a (farmer sheds. Farmers) take their horses in for a rest and he gets 10 cents* to a dollar* according how long they are in. You get good pay for washing (clothes). Some only just have them washed and sent home as they are. Matt's cousin washed and ironed 2 dresses and a blouse and she got a dollar and a half* for them. They would not have taken you any longer than an hour to have done them.

Dear Annie, I am sending you 2 dollar bills*. Try and change themand let me know how much you lose on them. I know they change them at Lewis in Liverpool so I expect you can change them at the bank. For we lost over a dollar when we sent the last so I want to see if it is any cheaper sending it that way.

Dear Annie, thanks for paper. Had to pay 2 cent* on the last paper. I should have loved to have been over for it. They had grand doings in Canada.

We have Matt's brother staying with us. Matt's learning him Auto work. We give him his board and pocket money and he seems quite satisfied. They bought a second hand auto last week. 60 Dollars*. It will hold up 6 but they have got to repair it. Tom got it out of the bank and paid for it.

I will answer the last letter in a day or two. I have got Matt's sister Maggie staying with us for a month from Canada. We will make room for you all at our house.

Write soon, Amy XXXX

*$10 in 1911 would be about $230, today.
*$.15 in 1911 would be about $3.50, today.
*$.10 in 1911 would be about $2.30, today.
*$1 in 1911 would be about $23, today.
*$1.50 in 1911 would be about $34, today.
$2 or £1.29 in 1911 would be about $45.50, or £29.30, today.
*$.02 in 1911 would be about $.45, today.
*$60 in 1911 would be about $1365, today.