Card From Marie Haskell

One of the cards in the collection of Fred Frederiksen is this card to my Great Grandmother, Anna Christine Christiansen Frederiksen, from her sister, Elena Marie Christiansen Haskell.  The card is written on the back of an Easter greeting card and is not addressed or signed.  It must have been personally delivered or mailed in some other envelope or package.  The card is a great reflection on life on the farm in 1911.

The card is written in Danish and is hard to read in some places.  My neighbor, Bill, took it to a Norwegian club and they got part of it.  He then found a woman who was born in Iceland, learned Danish and who had lived in Denmark and she gave me a better version.  Lastly he sent it to a cousin of his in Denmark and he sent a translation also.  The translation below is a compilation of the three attempts.

"Dear sister and family.  I got your long expected letter only yesterday and was very pleased to read so much.  I thought you had forgotten me.  We have almost no snow here but the drift in front of the hill.  We have the chicken house on the side of the hill so it has sun all day.  Last week I collected 28-32 eggs every day and the eggs here are about 10 cents.  I choose for mine and the families stomach before I select them for the store.  All the children are willing to eat eggs but Eddie, he plays with them, I put them in his drink as we have not cow who gives any milk."

 

Written April 8, 1911