From: O. Fred Letts To: Rev. A.A. Forshee 1910
Rochester, Mich. May 31, 1910
My hearty sympathy to you in your sorrow and hopes for a bright ending.
Sincerely,
O. Fred Letts
In 1910, William Howard Taft was president, Hallmark Cards was formed by Joyce Hall, and the first unofficial Father’s Day was observed in the United States. Theodore Roosevelt had just returned from his African tour, and the US Parole Commission was created which allowed those convicted of federal crimes the chance at early release.
My search for Reverend A.A. Forshee turned up gobs of information. He was a prolific pastor and missionary and I managed to find a slew of documents that traced his career in the Baptist church. It seems that in 1899 he had a congregation in Michigan. In 1901 he and his wife served a mission in the Philippines where, at least according to the document he helped create, he had moderate success at building a church, a church school, and conversions.
I’m a little unclear how long he was there. At least 9 years, as this postcard is dated 1910 and addressed to the Philippines. But by 1913 it seems he was living in New York City, though still traveling to Michigan to preach.
After 1913, however, he sort of disappears. Because I don’t have a full first name, I’m struggling to confidently locate him through Family Search and, frustratingly, all the documents linked above mention his wife as “and wife.” No first name…just “wife”. Talk about women being obscured in the record! I guarantee she was doing as much missionary work as him, but getting none of the credit.
O. Fred Letts was just as easy…if not easier to find. His first name was Oscar. Born in 1883, by 1910 he was 27 years old, married to a woman named Molly Vorhes and working as a conductor on the Railroad. At some point, he and Molly must have divorced, because Fred married Bertha Huffman in 1929.
Since we know that Rev. Forshee previously lived in Michigan, we can assume that he was either friends with Fred Letts, or, as I think is the case, Fred Letts had been part of his church prior to the Rev. leaving on his mission work. It’s possible that this card was part of a larger package that included various other messages from the congregation. That would explain the lack of stamp and postmark.
But what was the event that caused the outpouring of sympathy? My first thought is either the sickness or death of his wife. The strange part of this postcard is “hopes for a bright ending.” It’s feasible that there was some sort of long sickness affecting one or both of the Forshee’s. It’s also possible that there was some sort of natural disaster or event that caused damage and/or destruction to the mission grounds themselves.
It’s also possible that Fred Letts didn’t know exact circumstances. At some point in our lives, we’ve all been asked to write a card for someone we don’t really know. Perhaps Fred wanted to cover all his bases.
For now we will simply have to allow our imaginations to run wild with the possibilities. I do wish that I could have found more information on the Rev., simply because I would have liked to name his wife properly in this blog. Especially if she passed away. Alas, the historical record is a harsh and stingy mistress. She works much harder to conceal than to reveal.
Front of Postcard. Glitter detailing along the card. Picture of the Horticultural Building in Detroit, Mich.
Hipstory 