The Cover Screams "Pick Me Up"

My Great Uncle Will (William Arthur McIntosh 1860-1951) kept a group of letters (no envelopes) written to him by his Father (Alexander McIntosh 1830-1889) when his Father was away from home probably sometime in the 1875-1877 period. It is my understanding from my Aunt Maude (Charlotte Maude McIntosh 1869-1968) that their Father was in debt and possibly living under an assumed name during this period. With the exception of one letter dated 1876 they are undated and not in chronological order. The family moved from Indiana to Boca, California and later to Reno, Nevada.

In January 1884 William Arthur McIntosh left his family in Reno to go to British Columbia to find a job. His family wrote to him frequently and he kept many of the letters dating from January 1884 to January 1887.

My Grandmother, Marie Henrietta McIntosh joined him in Vancouver in February 1888. After the death of their Father in 1889 his Mother, Charlotte Scott McIntosh, and some of his sisters joined them.

Will was married to Alice Cargill (Alice Maude Marie Cargill 1859-1946) in November 1901 in Providence, Rhode Island. They traveled to Europe and settled in Los Angeles, California where he became a US citizen 16 August 1912. This group of letters from his family in Canada date from June 1902 to May 1907. There are a few letters from other relatives and to other members of his family in this group as well as family letters to him and Alice.

I have included two notes to Will from Alice in 1936 and 1939 when she was hospitalized. These show their deep love.

Penmanship, folds, and some fading made the letters difficult to transcribe so there are best guesses, ( ) and blanks. The surname spellings of non family members may be incorrect and the undated letters may not be in the correct order. The original spelling and grammar has not been changed and nothing has been omitted that was legible.

From the Introduction