As prolific a letter writer
and correspondent as Miss Branscombe was, it never ceases to surprise me when
one of her letters appears on E-bay for sale.
For many years the owner of the letter held onto it. They or someone
processing their estate made the decision to put it up for sale. Maybe there was hope that a Branscombe family
member or someone with knowledge of the writer would purchase the letter understanding
the importance of its message.
An undated letter of Miss
Branscombe’s was listed on E-bay and, of course, I acquired it. The address at the top of the letter is 180
Claremont Avenue, New York, NY where she resided with her family after their
return to the city from Mountain Lakes, NJ.
The salutation is to a Miss
Diane. The first paragraph acknowledges that Gena knew Diane’s mother and that
she had driven by their “fine old place” belonging to the family. Apologies are said for Diane’s mother not
feeling well. There is no indication who
Diane or her mother are or how they knew Miss Branscombe.
Now for the clues of when this
letter was written. Gena mentions her
oldest daughter, “another Gena” being thirteen years old who has had a bad
time with asthma. She mentions they
lived in the “hill country” while daughter Gena was recovering and healing from
asthma. Oldest daughter Gena was born in 1911 thus the letter was written in
1924 or 1925. The family lived in
Mountain Lakes, NJ from 1921-1923 due to young Gena’s health problems. The move back to New York City had been rather
recent when the letter was written.
Ever the one to promote her
own music, Gena enclosed with her response to Diane an autographed copy of one
of her songs. Exactly which one it was
is not made clear.
Gena closes the letter by
mentioning she will soon be traveling to Picton, Ontario to visit her mother
and bring home two of her children who were visiting their grandmother. Miss Branscombe then tells Diane to tell her
mother that she will be driving through Wellington, a city near Picton.
Diane and her mother are from
Canada, most likely acquaintances of the Branscombe family. Research will have to be done to seek out who
Diane and family are. In the meantime,
another of Miss Brancombe’s letters is preserved and a snatch of her daily life
revealed.
