Letter signed Samuel James Fletcher, St. Louis, to Dear Mrs. Mayer [Mrs. Charles F. Mayer, Franklin Street, Baltimore, Maryland]. We arrived safely at Cumberland where we took the stage for Wheeling. The next morning we left for Cincinnati in a “little stern wheel boat with a most motley lot of about a hundred & fifty passengers.” At Cincinnati we boarded a large boat. The day before reaching St. Louis Aunt Flora had a fainting fit but she was quite recovered when we met Mrs. Byrne. Describes sights along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Individuals mentioned include Mr. Mayer, Aunt Flora, Mr. Byrne, and Mrs. Byrne. Places mentioned include Cumberland, Wheeling, Freezeburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Byrnham Wood, Ohio River, Maysville, Kentucky, Mississippi River, Boston, and Pittsburgh. (4 pages), 1849 Oct 22

Item — Box: 1, Folder: 3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Mayer Family Papers consist of the correspondence of Flora Byrne to Mrs. Charles F. Mayer. Describes her life and family at Byrnham Wood in Clark County near Winchester, Missouri. Includes correspondence from various members of the family in Baltimore, Maryland. The letters contain many sidelights on the state of development in that day, mention well-known characters, and show the facilities for transportation between the Atlantic seaboard and St. Louis. The latest letters, dated in 1861, document Civil War movements in St. Louis and Baltimore. The collection also includes miscellaneous correspondence regarding the donation and the drawings of Francis [Frank] Blackwell Mayer.