File:Lucinda Palmer to Alice Mary Longfellow, 15 December 1896 (2b62b127-1073-41f8-81cc-ae08ecc18d9b).jpg

Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1007.001/002.003-001#071

[printed letterhead: Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute]
Hampton, Va., December 15 1896.
My Dear Friend,
It gives me much pleasure to write to thank you for paying my Scholarship for this year.
I am trying to learn the instructions of Hampton, in which I am very much interested, my first arrival at Hampton Normal School was on the twenty third of November 1895, which I enjoyed very much, my home is in Gloucester County Virginia, there I went to a Public School which [p. 2] was taught by two Public School teachers Mr. and Mrs Berkeley, their [sic] I remained in school until the year 1893 and 1894, these two years I spent in working to make some money to come to Hampton Normal School, as my Father and Mother had so many younger children than I, and so they were not able to send me to Hampton at once, so I had to work earn money enough to come to Hampton.
So my teachers Mr. and Mrs Berkeley said to me one day when I was in school, I want you to go to Hampton Normal School if your parents are willing for you to go, because you have a good mine [sic] [p. 3] to learn, and if your parents are willing for you to go I want you go, so I immediately went and asked Father and Mother may I go to Hampton Normal School to get an Education, and they both answered yes, my daughter you may go if you want to.
I have a Father and Mother and four sisters and three brothers beside myself, my Mother has eight children.
My Father owns a home of his own, He has thirty acres of land, which he has payed for in full.
[p. 4] He has five head of cattle and one horse, my Father’s occupation mostly is farming, he raises on his farm several kinds of vegetables such as sweet potatoes, Irsh [sic] potatoes, cabbages, beans, corn, wheat, oats, peas, snaps, beets and turnips.
And I hope to remain in Hampton Normal School until I finish my Education, since I have been to Hampton I have found it to be a very pleasent [sic] and beautiful place.
I am getting along very well and like very well, most of my studies in school are Geography, Bible, Arithmetic, Reading, sewing and [p. 5] Science, I go to school every day in the week except Mondays and Wednesdays, we don't have school on Monday, but school on Saturday instead of Monday.
And my work day in the laundry comes on every Wednesday, my work day in the laundry is up stairs ironing, which I am very much interested. I go to school Tuesday morning twenty minutes of nine, my first lesson in the morning is Bible, second lesson Science, third lesson is sewing lesson over in the Industrial [p. 6] room, first lesson in the afternoon is. Arithmetic, second lesson Geography, third Reading.
My favorite books are Grammar and Arithmetic.
I spent my summer at Hampton Normal School, which was a very pleasant one, we had two weeks vacation in September from school, which was very pleasant, and on the twenty fifth of September my teacher took her class of girls down to a place called Shell Banks on a picnic.
We all had a very nice time, we went out roaring, we played cocoaco and walked over the farms, and went out into the [p. 7] water melon patch, there we found plenty nice water melons.
We sung all the way coming back picnic, and the moon was shining a bright as it could be, we got back from the picnic just about nine O'clock in the afternoon.
And about the last week in September there was given an intertainment [sic] out on the green one after noon for the Students of Hampton Normal School, it was a very pleasant day, and we all seemed to [p. 8] enjoy the day very much. So far as I know about Hampton, it is one of the most interesting and helpful [sic] schools I have ever been to in my life.
Hampton is a very pleasant place I think, for as long as I have been here I have spent a very pleasant time,
Yours respectfully,
Lucinda Palmer.

• Keywords: long archives; document; alice m. longfellow papers (long 16173); education; organizations; hampton institute; correspondence; Manuscripts (1007.001); (LONG-Subcollection); Correspondence (1007.001/002); (LONG-SeriesName); Scholarship Student Correspondence (1007.001/002.003); (LONG-SubseriesName); Letters to Alice Longfellow (1007.001/002.003-001); (LONG-FileUnitName)