Correspondence (incoming): begging letters, F

conditions of country life here are so hard & the climate so severe that my health would not survive it long I will write fully if you will but be interested and befriend us & help us to get to the country of our dreams where one can have sun shine & fruit & live out of doors & I have prayed & thot about it for two years & at last it came to me to write to you, I hope I have done right, if you have any encouragement to give

Florence. N.Y.

Dec. 17-1901

Mrs. Jane L. Stanford,

San Francisco, Cal.

Dear Madam:-

As I have seen in the last weekly paper, where you have given thirty million dollars to the "Stanford University" and you bring so very charitable, I thought I would write to you.

I am sixteen years of age and I am a very poor girl, and I desire an education very much.

I have no money and my folks, are poor, and cannot afford to educate me.

I have often read about you in our New York papers, where you have been so charitable, and donated money to help on Education.

So I thought I would write to you, and see if you could do any-thing for me,

Hoping to receive a favorable reply from you,

I remain Yours respectfully

Katherine A Ferriter,

Florence, Oneida, Co: Box 174 N.Y.

only hire them two hundred dollar on one thousand dollars it would help me out all right i dont want to use the peoples money for nothing my trade is a Jewelrey man and a cabnet maker will you be a kind to me and let me know if you let money out on interest i would not want to use the money and not pay interest on it will you please send me word what terms you let money out on.

yours truly

Mr. Maitland Ferguson

Romeo Macomb Co Box 16[?] Mich

Ypsilanti Mich Dec 24th/ 1901

Kind Friend i see by the evening news that you have donated about 28 or $30 000 000 for to help educate the young people of that country it will be a good thing to give the young people a good education so i thought that i would write to you and see if you would put in a kind and helping hand for me i would like to start in buisness [sic] but there is people here that has got any money to let so i seen your advertisement in the paper about helping the poor people to get a start in wouldn't want the money for nothing i would pay any one good interest on their money if i could get a good kind hearted person to help me out god helps us all to get a start if i could