Correspondence (incoming): begging letters, H

Elizabeth Augt 4th 93

Hon Mrs Leeland Stanford

Dear Madam

Your kind favor acknowledging the Recept of our letter was duly Recd and trust you may be blessed with health and strength to manage the vast trusts left in your hands for the wisest and best purposes

Thankful as we have been for first favors from from Your Dear Husband we yet had hopes of hearing that he had left us something in his will

Not having done so we hope you will pardon

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us under the circumstances for Requesting that you, will kindly favour us if possible with assistance to the amount of $800 or $1000 to help Enable us to work out of present trouble and settle some claims that, are pressing and troubling us verry much Especially at our age. My Dear Wife and myself having both turned our 70th Birth day

Haveing been marred by [years??] and Cousin Leeland has at our wedding my oldest Sister Elizabeth and myself when both married at one time in Brooklyn

[right page] and Cousin Leeland stoped with us a week and has always been friendly since

My father was also acquainted with your Father and trusted with him for years when they where both in Business in [Allency??] long years ago Hopefully that you may consider our Request favourable and that we may hear from you again soon as convenient we Remain

Yours very Truly Francis Harris

P.S. Two of my Sisters are living in the House with us

Sunshine mo. 12/14 1901

Mrs. Jane L. Stanford San Francisco - Call

Dear Friend

In Reading the Kansas City Star I see your great Belnevolent Gift to the Leland Stanford University 30 million dollars I am a poore man having a mortgage on mi Little home of 28 hundred dollars could you Bestow on me a Little Gift Surfitient to Releace it and make me happy. While you are Giving the Lord

help you to consider this matter study over it and Pray over it. The Lord will Reward you In the Grate Day that coming

yours Fraturnly R. B. Haskell

Mrs Geo. W. L Hatch Taunton Mass 12 12 1901 187 Highland St

My Dear Ms Stanford

I have read many times of the great & good work you have done are doing and have been told of it by people I have met from your vicinity and I am sure you must feel that you are and will be wounderfully blest there must be a crown awaiting you and surely loved one's for I have heard of your first great loss and then another and no doubt more, yet it is strangely hidden from us and we are permited to bear such burdens but I feel sure the great and good Lord is watching over us all the time and it is his will but we are hard to see it so many times, as I was reading the enclosed clipping in our daily Paper last evening the thought came to me now no doubt She haves 1000 of beging letters imposters and all kinds, but perhaps if I write I can tell her some of my troubles and she may take some interest in me. I wish I could assure you in the first place I am no crank no imposter and am just simply writing to you as one friend in trouble would write another but if you were never in moderate or straightened