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| Written by John to his wife Julie in Salem, Massachusetts |
Hamilton, Oct 12, 05
My dear Julie,
I took some time this morn to look for trains and find that I cannot get to Muskegon in time and to do any work Saturday even if I should finish here tomorrow night. I may leave here on Saturday during the day, however, so send Friday to Muskegon if you have not already sent here. Also write Muskegon Saturday and Sunday.
Your John
This card is quite rare, being written in ink, unlike most of his cards which were written in pencil and have faded considerably over the past 120 years. Deciphering his destination from Hamilton proved challenging. Initially, I misread the town as "Muskogee," but no such town exists in Canada, and it seemed unlikely he was traveling to Muskogee, Oklahoma. I found myself at an impasse. Upon reconsideration, I considered the possibility that the word was "Michigan." However, in three instances where he used that term, he did not "dot" the "Is," leaving me uncertain. Returning to square one, I scrutinized the map for similar-sounding words and discovered Muskegon! The journey by train covered approximately 330-350 miles—a lengthy but feasible trip for a seasoned traveler like John.
As I acclimate to John's untidy and scrawled penmanship, I find myself reading much faster than I did a few months ago. To those unaccustomed to his style, it might appear more like codes than actual words.
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