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These original handwritten letters have been saved over the years by members of the family in England. Now they are archived in acid free pockets, but copies could be made available to bona fide family members on application. Letters from George Dodd Grove: During 1872 George Dodd was trying to persuade his sweetheart Mary Anne Agnes Jinks whom he addressed by the pet name of 'Minnie' to leave England and go out to Iowa in America to marry him. To convince a cultured English woman to leave her comfortable surroundings and join him in his pioneering farming venture in a wild country was a difficult task, particularly as her father was opposed to the idea. Her replies have not survived, but her reluctance is evident in the letters he wrote regularly every few weeks. Clearly a man before his time, he valued her business skills and promised her an equal part in the enterprise. The letters are numbered below with a brief description of content. 1872 Letters posted from Irwin PO, Audubon, Iowa, USA 1.Marriage proposal 2.Scenery/Indians 3.Crops/markets/Emma Grove 4.Wedding dress/snakes/her father 5.Winter/money/house building 6.Prairie fire/philosophy/her brother - Ted Jinks 7.Allaying doubts/money advice/laundry facilities 8.Her mother's grave/Emma/Chris Grove/Ted 9.Happy times remembered/Ted 1873 Letters posted from Thompson PO 10. Apology for interfering in her affairs 11. Come in April/meet in Chicago 12. Her business acumen/invitation to her father 13. Ted coming/women's equality/school 14. He prefers America/Disraeli/crops 15. Weather/pets/Niagra Falls 16. Still waiting/crops/house ready Posted from Irwin PO 17. Will she/won't she? 1882 George Dodd and his brother Christopher are in Dale, Nebraska on an exploratory visit looking for better farming land. George Dodd writes to 'Minnie' at home in Iowa. Posted from Dale PO, Custer County, Nebraska 18. Claim/house/love to their girls 19.Missing 'Minnie'/church/school Letter from Mary Grove on covered wagon train from Nebraska: 1893 Mary, aged about 13, eldest daughter of the widowed Christopher Grove, writes from a wagon train halted at St Mary's, Kansas to her cousin Grace Mary Grove in Dale, Nebraska. 20. Father undecided whether to go to Kansas or Oklahoma. Letters from George Dodd to and from his wife (on a visit (21))and after returning to England; 1889 George Dodd writes from Henley-on-Thames to his 'Dear Wife' in Dale. 21. Love to all in Nebraska 1903 George Dodd writes from Fawley Bottom Farm, Henley-on-Thames, UK to his 'Dear Wife' who is on a visit to married daughter Grace Mary Batty in Acton. 22.Family news/hay crop/prices Reply from Minnie Grove in Acton to her husband in Henley. 23.Shopping/missing home and family 1892 Minnie Grove visiting her mother-in-law in Horsham writes to 'Old Boy and Girls'. 24. Family news/hope the girls do us credit. 25. Train journey Letters from John Edmund Grove (eldest brother of George Dodd and Christopher): 1876 John Edmund Grove writes from Audubon, Iowa to his sister, Isabel at Crowborough, Sussex (26) and (27) to George Dodd. 26 'Old Mill' not a success. Missing George Dodd etc. 27. Pessimistic. Farm, team available if others return. 1887 John Edmund Grove writes from Pishill Farm, Henley to George Dodd in Audubon, Iowa. 28. Good luck/farming poor all over. 1919 John Edmund Grove writes from Newlyns, Henley inviting his niece May Grove to look after him. 29.Look after him/keep house/bring her work Letters from Emma (Grove) Brookman (eldest sister of George Dodd and Christoper):. 1871 Emma Grove from Audubon, Iowa writes to her mother and sisters in Farnham Royal. 30. Describes journey to America with Christopher Grove. Iowa desolate and bleak. 31. House like a barn. 1883 Emma (Grove) Brookman writes from Audubon to 'Minnie' in Nebraska. 32.Read about Cousin George's knighthood. William loves America. 33.Condolences on loss of baby girl. Illness all round. William and Emma Brookman in Audubon write to George Dodd and Minnie in Nebraska. 34.Emma against move to Nebraska. Invitation to buy cattle in Iowa. Letters from Mary (Coakley) Grove (pet name Pollie) in Iowa to her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law in England after her marriage to Christopher Grove on 4th March 1878 Letters 35-39 are copies. There is a note on each to say the original was sent to America to Lucy (Grove) Hillerman, youngest daughter of Christopher around l935 (by Grace Mary (Batty) Land). 35.The wedding ceremony and celebration afterwards/Chris wonderful husband 36.Thanks to Helen for lace collar/misses Lucy (Butt) Grove - wife of John Edmund Grove/family news. 1883 Letter to Emma in Iowa from Nebraska 37. Good attendance at Mass/journey from Iowa to Nebraska/family news/Chris hay making/laundry. 1884 Letter to Lucy (Butt) Grove in England 38. Collecting flowers on the farm with Emma & Minnie/Mass/railroad talk/ Houses/fruit trees/teaching the children/slowness of post/messages to Baylis House. 1885 Letter to Lucy (Butt) Grove 39.Best wishes for Xmas/family festivities/greetings/teaching Chrissy to write/ so cold people frozen to death/children/friends/Henley. 40.Letter (very faded) to sister-in-law Grace. 41.Letter to sister-in-law Helen. Children/family/terribly cold/catholic settlement. 1893 Letter written by Chrissy Grove aged 14 (eldest son of Christopher Charles Grove) from Dale, Nebraska to his cousins, May, Grace Mary, Isabel Mary and George, who had returned to England with their father George Dodd in 1892 42. Very descriptive of life in Dale/horse races/friends/rats/cats/cattle/stamps. Letter enclosed to Uncle George (Dodd - also his godfather) Crops and prices/Uncle's land Letters to Grace (Gracie) Mary Grove after her return to England from her Grove cousins and friends in Custer County, Nebraska and Oklahoma Territory, 1892-1902 43. From cousin Florence Tye in Nebraska/rough sea passage/hopes Gracie will get to like England better/flowers and plants/school and news of friends. 44. From Mary Teresa (Christopher Grove's eldest daughter), school/friends' marriages, death/babies/new calf/cats good mousers. 45.From Anna Fleishman in Merna/deaths - one from typhoid fever/marriages/hot weather/ harvesting/school. 46.Dec 1892 From Lizzie Walsh/missing Grace and good times they had/ photograph/visiting missionary priests/snow storms. (46 cont) Jan 20 1893 From Lizzie Walsh/thanks for handkerchiefs and cards/no Xmas school entertainment/presents - two dollars (mother) and ring/baby's death, baby born/weather good - skating. 47.Dec 1893 From Lizzie Walsh/school/deaths/crops/no picnic held in Dale this year/birth. (47 cont) July 1893 From Lizzie Walsh/local news/crops/photo/no news from Grace's sister May. 48. April 1894 From Lizzie Walsh/school ended with good entertainment/school and friends/births/death. 49. Letter to Grace Mary Grove in Henley from Mary Grove, Sacred Heart, Oklahoma. Crowd - Easter Sunday at the mission/wearing long dresses 50.July 19 1895 Letter from cousin Mary/working at the mission in the kitchen, but expects to return to school/Emma's (later known as Cousin Nan) First Communion photo/news from friends/chickens/flowers. 51.Letter from Mary/left mission/at home/work/friends/all family get whooping cough. 52.Feb 7 1896 From Mary. Xmas quiet without May, Grace, Issie and George/lonesome/Mass/instrumental music in the church/cards/few presents/chickens/misses baseball games with the cousins but fears she may now be too big. 53.May 1896.From Lizzie Walsh in Merna, Nebraska/gardening/wild flowers. Mass only 2 times a month in Dale now. 54. 24 July 1896 From Lizzie Walsh to Grace at the Bank, Pishill, Henley. Harvesting/gardening/local news/birth/photographs/22 year old friend murdered in San Francisco. 55.29 Nov 189? From Mary at Sacred Heart College, Oklahoma Territory. Winter not as severe as in Nebraska/dances in neighbours' houses/no mention of dancing from Grace/Grace has learnt to ride a bike/horse riding. 56.29 Nov 1897 Reply from Mary at Sacred Heart College to Aunt Minnie in England. Very busy - difficult to find time to write letters/moved from log house to new - small and ugly, but hope to build larger one next year, and use this for stable and granary/Lucy in high spirits with friend to stay, would sooner pick cotton than help Mary in the house/Lucy and Arthur to go to school soon, Chris going already/Merry Christmas and New Year. 57.8 Jan l899. From Anna Fleishman in Merna. Dale same as ever/Weddings - good time at dinner and dance afterwards/Measles outbreak - two children died/School/teachers/what friends are doing - jobs/getting married/babies. 58.22 March 1899. From Mary/Sacred Heart. Thanks for birthday tie/portrait - Mary 19 in brown dress with Lizzie Walsh aged 2l/Chris shaves or gets friends to do it - no barbers/Arthur - jolly and fat, Lucy growing/much sickness in district/Lizzie's conversion to Catholicism/crimping hair/fashion. 59.Jan 14 1899. From Mary/Sacred Heart. Very faded/dances/Xmas festivities. 60.1900. Mary from Sacred Heart. Stayed with a sick doctor's wife/she died leaving two children/portraits/eclipse of the sun/smallpox outbreak/Mary a bit scarred/school in quarantine/wild mushrooms. 61.2 October 1900. Letter from Mary/Sacred Heart. Children help with cotton crop/weddings/no illness during pleasant summer/crops good/Chris wants to be bookkeeper/Arthur a farmer/Lucy - a teacher, Mary a housekeeper or teacher. Father will write one day to Uncle George - very busy. 62. 8 Dec 1902 Mary/Sacred Heart. Best wishes for Grace Mary's wedding/parties/dances and card playing. 63. Undated letter from Lucy Grove (Christopher's youngest daughter) written as an adult to Emma (Cousin Nan) Curry in England - from typed copy sent to Grace Mary (Land) Batty by Nan. 'Father was one of the finest men who ever lived'. Family life at home/meals/daily routine/hoeing the cotton/Father reading Dickens and Scott to the children/life in Oklahoma with few white people - Lucy's first playmate was an Indian boy/Father's country fair for the children with simple prizes - singing by father, poem composed and read by Arthur/Mary's supper with help from Lucy/card playing/peanuts/prayers before bed and the end of a happy day. 64. 27 May 1962 Letter from Lucy (Grove) Hillerman to Grace Mary (Batty) Land. Condolences on the death (read in a letter Grace Mary Land had written to Lucy's daughter, Margaret Mary) of George Joseph Grove, sympathy to his wife, Ella/Lucy's sons - Barney and his wife/Tony and his wife Marie, daughter Ann, and adopted children Janet, Anthony, Steven and Monica/Tony best man at Barney's wedding/Lucy staying with Tony and family in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico/Tony works on New Mexican/request for copy of LETTER 63/can't imagine herself writing a letter worthy of Nan sending out copies. I am proud and happy that she felt it was good enough. Letters from Penn and London 65. 18 Oct 1896 Letter to George Dodd from his cousin Thomas Blades Grove (eldest brother of Sir George) who lived and died at Watercroft, Penn aged 85 in 1897. Thanks for list of family buried in Farnham Churchyard/hoped to see George and John at Root Show at Wycombe/Thomas's mangold largest there/come to stay, can find a bed and a stall. 66. l2 Dec 1896 Letter to George Dodd Grove from Thomas Blades Grove at Watercroft/Condolences on death of Grace (George Dodd's sister). 67. Jan 17 1897 Letter from Eliza (Elizabeth) Grove (sister of Thomas Blades and Sir George from 12 Well Walk, Hampstead) to Minnie (George Dodd's wife). Condolences on deaths of Helen and Emma. 27 Sept 1897 Hope cousin George likes new farm/venturing to send mantle for possible use by the girls/received pleasant letter from brother-in-law,** Christopher Grove in America and one from one of his daughters, Mary. **Think this should be cousin 68. 1899 from Eliza Grove (12 Well Walk, Hampstead) to Minnie Grove. Thanks for beautiful flowers and news of family/now become blind/Sir George very ill/love to all the children. There are numerous interesting letters from Australia dating from 1920 onwards, but these have not yet been filed, stored and indexed. |