CAMPBELL COUSINS CORRESPONDENCE
217 Broadway,
New York City, N. Y.,
October 20, 1923.
Dear Cousins:-
Since our last exchange of letters in June, we have had the pleasure
of visiting a great many of the Cousins in Tioga County [PA]. It had
been four years since we had made similar visits and needless to say,
every minute of our vacation was most pleasantly spent. It was nice to
travel again over the same fields and roads of my boyhood days.
Whenever I visit the old farm of Uncle Allen
Seely, I cannot resist the temptation to tramp up to the Glen
and then come back and wander around the numerous buildings which
surround the old homestead.
In addition to the Tioga County Trip in July, we also motored up in the Finger Lakes section of New York State, visiting friends of other days.
Then in August, we had the pleasure of spending eight days at Ocean Grove by the seashore. This is a most delightful resort and some of you have been there. The old Ocean is always nice and the evening strolls on the Board Walk or listening to a fine address or musical program in the Auditorium are always inspiring.
The third and last motor trip of the season was a week in September when we took our daughter to Wheaton College in Massachusetts and after seeing her nicely installed there spent a delightful couple of days out on Cape Cod.
Then in October came the finish of the National and American League
Base Ball season, followed closely by the famous World Series Games.
Although I have not witnessed any of the regular season games for
three or four years, I always manage to attend some of the World
Series Games if they are played in New York. I witnessed three of the
games, being present when at the second game, when the mighty Babe
Ruth knocked two home runs in successive innings. Perhaps I was the
only descendant of the Joseph
Campbell family to witness this wonderful feat. I can only
imagine that Lish
Horton, Frank
Horton, Clark
Kimball, Phil Young, Will
Campbell and about forty-nine other of the men folks would have
enjoyed these games.
As I shall have a few suggestions to make about the Correspondence Club, I must not go into detail in this regular letter, but will simply say that it has been a great pleasure on my part to help bring about this semi-annual exchange of letters between ourselves and I seem to have taken an unusual amount of pride in the matter.
I am very glad that our second Cousins (the fourth generation) [note that Will uses "first cousins" to refer to the grandchildren of Joseph and Ann Clinch Campbell and "second cousins" to refer to Joseph and Ann's great-grandchildren --- to a genealogist, Will's 2nd cousins would be the children of his parents' first cousins. The way Will is using the term, he is one of the "first cousins" and his daughter is one of the "second cousins"-wbt] have entered so heartily into our plans; every letter in this Report is simply fine and I cannot express to you how much I appreciate the co-operation you have given me. It will not be many years before a number of the first cousins (or third generation) will be reduced to a minimum. It will then devolve upon the second Cousins to continue the program which has been started. I am sure all will agree on this one point, viz: that our plan is a success right from the start, and already has so much momentum that it would be impossible to stop it. I have made a number of inquiries amongst outside people and have yet not yet found that any other family is conducting a Correspondence Club similar to ours. In this particular respect, therefore, our plan is distinctive, and unique. Needless to say, the careful planning and working out of all the details has consumed a vast amount of time on my part. The very fact, however, that our family was scattered all over the country and the further fact that we knew so little of each other, and in many cases, had not seen each other,- suggested to me the idea of some sort of a plan, whereby, as Tommy Campbell put it, "we might again be a reunited family." I simply wanted to start something, while I am yet here and perform a service, which would be of great value to all of us,--and which could very easily be carried on year after year with very little difficulty. I am in hope that before our next Report, I shall be able to make other arrangements whereby a portion of the work of getting out these letters can be taken over by some of the other Cousins. A number have already volunteered and I believe it will be possible to divide the responsibility somewhat so as to relieve me.
Since our last exchange of letters one of our Cousins by marriage,--Dellie Van Dusen,-passed away on June 29th, 1923, and to Cousin Ann Van Dusen, we extend our heartfelt sympathies. One by one the present generation of First Cousins in the Joseph Campbell Family will be called to their reward, and the work which they had planned to do in this life will have to be carried on by their descendants. In every single case, however, the fourth generation (or second Cousins) are well equipped to take over the larger tasks.
In closing, may I extend to each of the first and second Cousins a most cordial invitation to visit us whenever you are in New York City. The latch is on the outside and we would be most delighted to have you come and see us whenever itg is possible to do so.
With very best wishes, believe me,
Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2012 Tom Zurflieh and Wm. Thompson. Commercial use prohibited.