Campbells of Nelson, PA

[This letter from Lillian LOSEY Preston (1893 - 1973) of Nelson, PA to her lifelong friend, Jessica HOYT Thompson, in Binghamton, NY has a vivid description of the 1972 flooding from Hurricane Agnes. Lill was a daughter of James Taggert Losey (1843 - 1911). He operated the mill that was originally built by John Campbell (the elder) and inherited by Enoch Blackwell (the younger). James was the brother of Susan LOSEY Seely. Lill's nephew, Capt. Robert M. Losey (1908 - 1940), was the 1st American casualty of WW2. Lill grew up in Nelson, but spent most of her adult live in NYC working for AT&T. After retirement she returned to Nelson and married Harry Watrous Preston (1873 - 1961). She bought one of the Losey family homes -- on the lane on the South Side, spent a lot of money fixing it up and was very proud of her roses. So, the flood damage was a severe blow.

We thank Carol BUTTON Padgett, Judy HAZLETT Abel & especially Linda COLEGROVE Booher for their assistance in identifying the people mentioned in the letter.- wbt]

Image of p1 of a 1972 letter from Lillian LOSEY Preston to Jessica HOPYT Thompson

Click HERE to see the rest of the handwritten pages.

9/9/72

 Dearest Jess,

I am going to get a letter written to you this weekend. Come what may since the flood I just don't seem to get any thing done I just work in circles.

Yes, I got hit by the flood.1 I would have been OK if the electric had stayed on. I had a sump pump that would have taken care of the water but after the electric power went off my cellar filled to the top step of the cellar.  I am on the Tri Co Coop Elec Co. As long as Roscoe was Dist. Mgr. I got service but he is off now. They fixed my gas water heater and told me it will be OK for the time being. I had to have a

1. Hurricane Agnes cause the most destructive flooding in PA history as of that date. More than 68,000 homes were destroyed, 128 deaths and about $3 billion in damage.The US Weather Service "retired" the name "Agnes" for hurricanes. I vividly remember when the rains hit. I was living a few miles from Binghamton, NY, moving from one house to another. Loading and unloading a moving van in the downpour was a challenge. Both homes were near the Susquehanna River. Water was coming into the cellar of the one house as we moved the last of the boxes out. And up to the front lawn of the other when we arrived to unload. An inconvenience, but insignificant compared to the tragedy that many experienced. See Hurricane Agnes details.


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washer, As I had a motor put in my furnace but now I am waiting for my new elec. blowers. It is a bad job with a damp cellar and no heat since June 23rd. I had a safe deposit box in L.2 and that got flooded and everything had to be dried out. Some of those papers like deeds were old and I was afraid that the paper would crack. But the old papers were better than some of the new ones. My will was hardly readable. As you know, Ila put a cinder pile (State Rd) on the Losey property and that broke thru and my lawn will never be the same. Four of my friends picked up old trees & junk on the lawn and filled

2. Lawrenceville.


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it up and the State took that away for me. I lost four of my prize rose bushes. Both my vegetable and flower gardens were ruined. I have just had 5 truck loads of top soil put in, 3 in the vegetable and 2 in the flower gardens. There were a few days that we felt very much isolated here in Nelson. The bridge about the house both abutments were damaged and the bridge was closed to traffic for weeks. The Army Engineers that had been working on the Tioga and Hammond dams were working with all their equipment on the bridge above the house. They struck quick sand and 15' of water around the abutments. Lawrenceville was flooded. No news papers and


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no telephone. I discovered that my incoming phone call were not coming in only last week. It was at the exchange in L. guess the telephone exchange still is a problem in L. I feel wicked when I complain and see what the flood did in L. There wasn't a place in L. that wasn't flooded. Agnes3 and Rex4 had 23" of water in the first floor of their home I guess that they lost most everything in the first floor. Betty5 their married daughter, I guess they lost everything only the house wasn't condemned but the household goods was flooded. They lived in Gang Mills N.Y. Bakers6 & the Super Market. they moved all the flooded goods from the stores

3. Agnes Elizabeth ADAMS Dimmick (1896 - 1982).

4. Rex William Dimmick (1892 - 1974)

5. Elizabeth DIMMICK Jewett (1921 - 2011)

6. Hardware store.


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got gov. loans, and new Mdse moved into the stores. Some of the houses were condemned and gov. trailers are loaned for 1 yr to the folks there they can buy them at half price. L. looks like a trailer court. Lill complains because she is cold and has no blowers for a furnace, had to buy a new wash machine, $225.00 No gardens. My canning jars lay on the cellar floor full of flood water and they were thrown out. So what is the difference if I don't have a veg garden will have to buy new cans, With my heart so bad I may need any of these That spell that I had before Christmas


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Dr. Williams said the heart was so weak that he never thought I could make it. He teases me, said that it was my twin sister that had that spell not me.

It seems funny without Wad Swan's store in Nelson.7 They have a store there,8 haven't been in it, but it looks like a junk place from the outside. Guess Wad and Helen are enjoying life now. He has a garden, mows the lawn time with the 5 grandchildren. They live in Campbell, NY. (Dave & Kathy)

We have no church services. Rev. [Harry] Shoaf left and has moved to the S. part of the state. He

7. For years he'd run the general store on the 1st floor of the Odd Fellows building.

8. In Nelson, but on the south side, on PA Rt. 49.


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retired, and also age. I doubt we [the Presbyterians?] will ever get another minister in Nelson. I truly doubt that there should be two churches. Those that want to go to church can go to the Methodist Ch. Guess you read in the [Elkland] Journal that Warren Finch9 and Wayne Kelt10 [sic] both died. Ceclie11 [sic] & Warren have a son who is a M.E. Minister. A very nice boy. Wayne & Katherine Kelt12 [sic] were both very active in the M. E. Church in Nelson. Even when they were in Wellsboro they came to Nelson for weekends & ch. services. Wayne was friend to every kid in Nelson. They have their Scout Camp on the old Baxter[-]Kelt place. Burr Hall lost

9. Warren L. Finch (1892 - 1972).

10. Wayne Morgan Kelts (1900 - 1972).

11. Celia DAVIS Finch (1899 - 1987).

12. Kathryn BAXTER Kelts (1899 - 1995)


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his wife. Burr & V. have been very good friends since I have been back in Nelson. Burr even made a Christmas present for me last Christmas. Book ends. He made them for V. and also for me. 

The worst thing that could have happened to me was loosing my drivers license. For I am grounded. They all lied under oath. Even if I won the court case I couldn't pass the new driver test in Wellsboro. I had a second chance for the test but my left eye isn't good. So I didn't report for the Test. Two Families here in Nelson are very good to me Woodie Fish13 is retired from the Glass F.

13. Woodford James Fish (1895 - 1981)


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and he mows my lawn takes care of my shrubbery once a week and someone takes me shopping once a week. Bea14 & Barney15 are very good to me. Barney was so good during the flood, saw to it that I taken care of O.K. They have the lumber saw mill and Barney is so busy working that he doesn't have too much time. Jess there is so much to do around a house & yard that a woman can not do that at times I am lost.

Everything came at once flood, car insurance, taxes.

14. Beatrice PHELPS Stratton (1930 - 2018).

15. Bernard J. Stratton (1923 - 1992).


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But I have most of my bills paid and still money in the bank to live on for the rest of the month. Haven't got my bill for the repair parts for the furnace. Every one said I should put in a claim to the gov. but I said "no." Glad that I didn't for I understand that the gov. is turning down many of the claims and very slow pay for those that should have pay. I've said it before and will say it again. There has never been a fine thing done that some one doesn't make a racket and try to get an unjust claim.

Well Jess dear hope you and Walter as well as you can be. Emily16 used to say "It's Hell to get old". I guess she is right.

All my love
Lill

16. There are many "Emily"s Lill might have been referring to. But too few clues to know which one she was referring to - wbt.

Copyright © 2018 William B. Thompson. Commercial use prohibited.

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