Welcome to A Victorian Year in Ontario

Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen, the year is 1865, Her Majesty Queen Victoria has reigned since 1837 and we are in the midst of a prosperous era. The purpose of this blog is to record the daily round of chores, tasks, trials and triumphs of our household in rural Upper Canada (now known as Ontario). We have embarked on an experiment to live a year as close to the way it was done in 1865 as we possibly can. We will post our remarks and await your comments, suggestions and critiques. So join us as we travel back in time.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Letter writing


This is a piece I posted to our facebook page regarding letter writing

Letter writing in the year 1865 was used much the same as we use computers today. or perhaps even the telephone.The postal services were very good and in most cities thousands of letters travelled daily. There were couriers, and if you were "well heeled" you would have your own courier. I have letters dating back to the 1700's Anyone having the opportunity to read old letters will be thrilled at the detail they contain. You can tell if they have travelled long distances or have only travelled a few blocks by their content. You will be thrilled by the gentle manners expressed even on paper during the time period. Letters flowed with conversation. Generally starting off very formally regardless the sender or the receiver. Occasionally there will be codes and it is fun trying to figure what they are meaning. I love the conversation found in letters gently written , I love the peace in writing and the thought it provokes. I have a few friends who hare my love of writing with dip pen and ink and we letter write on a regular basis. It is calming and genteel. Try it sometime. Listen to the pen and the noise it makes on the paper. Listen as you dip your pen nib and tap the excess ink off. Listen to your mind thinking about your words...it is a whole different experience indeed.
Anyone wishing to join our letter exchange is more than welcome.
I will continue this tomorrow.Pain is making me sleepy today.

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