Letter signed Frank [Mayer], St. Louis, to My dear Mother [Mrs. Charles F. Mayer, Baltimore]. I leave this afternoon for Alexandria. Aunt Flora has been expected since Friday but has not yet come. The scenery of the Cumberland is very beautiful. At Paducah I heard that John Perkins is suing Miss Potts for divorce. Describes journey and people he has met. “I long to be out of the bustle of business & breathing fresh air as I push further and further into the wilderness.” I will spend some time with Aunt Flora. “There are many parties here arriving & leaving for the ‘plains’ & Sante Fe & the wilds of Nebraska.” Individuals mentioned include Aunt Flora, Dr. Saunders, John Perkins, Miss Potts, Bell, Blackwell, Duval, Keighler & Co., Mahool, Ed Farniss, Charley Krafft, Dr. Edmondson, and Harris. Places mentioned include Alexandria, St. Louis, Nashville, Peducah, Ohio, Cumberland, Mississippi, New York, New Orleans, Paris, Baltimore, Council Bluffs, Santa Fe, and Nebraska. (4 pages), 1851 May 26

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.