From time to time we get inquiries from people from other parts of the United States and also from overseas regarding ancestry connections. Most of these inquiries are forwarded to the Freeborn County Historical Museum where Linda Evenson can hopefully find the desired information.

Just for the heck of it, I decided to use the following two letters for this column. The first letter was written in March of this year:

“Your readers may be interested in the enclosed letter written in 1919, which was sent from Albert Lea to one of my relatives in England. It was found among family papers and it tells of my great-great-uncles, William and James Edwards.

“I have since discovered that, according to the Freeborn County history published in 1882, William was one of the earliest settlers in Freeman Township, arriving on foot from Beaver Dam, Wis., in September 1856. He was joined by his brother James and both set up farms in Freeman. Before they emigrated to the USA, William and James both came from Long Crendon, England, where I have lived all my life.

“I believe William Edwards married Sarah White who was the first schoolteacher in Freeman. James had six children alive in 1919. Henry and Edith (Nelson) married and moved to Albert Lea. Henry’s children, born between 1896 and 1908, were named Charles, Leslie, Norman, Richard, Marian and Dorthia.

“James Edwards’ four remaining children, Charles, Alice, Emanuel and Sue, seem never to have married and probably remained on their father’s farm until their deaths. Strangely Sue Edwards, the author of the letter, died on the same day as her brother Emanuel in February 1948. I have yet to discover why.

“I have been amazed to see how one letter can unlock so much family history. If any of your readers know anymore about the Edwards family or their farms in the Albert Lea area I would be very pleased to hear from them.”

Now here’s the letter sent from Albert Lea to England in January 1919:

“Am sending you a few lines to tell you that father has left us, he passed away Sunday, Jan. 5. He was not sick and had never been sick a day in his life; he had heart failure. Father ate his breakfast as usual, carried in wood and water, came into the living room where I was sitting, fell on the floor. We carried him to the bed and he just stopped breathing. Father would have been 82 years old the 22nd of January.

“Uncle William passed away the same way only he was alone so no one knows how long he had been dead when he was found.

“Father had a good living and left a good farm and lots of stock.

“We are six children left, Chas, Alice, Emanuel and myself live at home. Henry and Edith are married. They live in Albert Lea, that is our home town. We do not live here as you do over there, we live six miles from Albert Lea and as I understand over there you all live in small towns, so I suppose it would look funny to you to see how we live here. We have good roads and a car so we go to town in 15 minutes.

“I wish you were over here so we could see you, now that father is gone we have not anyone on your side of the family here in America. We have lots of cousins on mother’s side. Mother has been gone 33 years, I am 40 years old so you see I do not remember her. We miss father in everything as he was always at home.

“The weather has been fine Just like summer, there has been some snow but it has all gone now.

“Everyone is glad that the war has ended, my brother Emanuel was drafted. He would have been over there now if the war had not stopped; also had a nephew in the war. Well, dear aunt, I will close for this time, hoping to hear from you soon. Please tell Uncle John’s people and the rest of the cousins, and please let us know if Ezra Edwards is living. Father did not hear from him for a long time. With love from all.”

The address for the person sending this letter is: Mrs. Olive Waters, 31 Chearsley Road. Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, HP18 9BS, England. Her e-mail address is: olivewaters@talktalk.net.

Ed Shannon’s column has been appearing in the Tribune every Friday since December 1984.