Amanuensis Monday: Elizabeth Long letter discussing Longs of Lycoming, PA, Pt 3/3

Here is the third and final page of a letter written by Elizabeth Long to her great niece Penny about the Long and Marvin family. This one focuses on family tradition of Angeline Marvin's family including the mention of Sarah Burr Sommerville who I believe to be incorrectly identified. I believe Sarah Burr's last name was Sherwood. However, there might be some truth to the Sommerville last name as I can't find much about Capt. Daniel Sherwood of Connecticut and his wife Deborah Burr.

Letter from Elizabeth Long to Penny Brown Geiszler, 9 October 1976;
digital image held in 2010 by Devon Lee.

Here is the transcription:

I don't know whether you learned that when the Marvins came to Ohio from Connecticut they came in wagon (covered, no doubt) drawn by oxen. The trip took six weeks. A dozen families including other Marvin relations made the trip. Ohio was then very heavily wooded and the group had to cut their own trail part of the way. There were few roads. I'm not sure of the date but I have always understood it was practically the wedding trip of my great grandparents Stephen and Sara Burr Summerville, and so was probably 1818. Grandmother Angeline Marvin was born the next year (March) and was the first white child born in the new settlement, Shelby, Richland Co. They lived first in a log house and she never saw a stair until she visited her grandmother Deborah Burr Somerville who had accompanied the family from Connecticut to Ohio. She taught at the Milan Academy which had a lot of prestige in those days (Milan was the birth place of Thomas Edison). Grandma attended the acadmey and was considered a well-educated woman. Deobrah remarried at some point. No one seemed to know anything about her second husband, not even his first name; his last name was Moyer. The name was pronounced “Mō-yer”. I had an oil painting of Grandma Moyer which I sent to Howard and will eventually go to Ginger.

10/11/76 It has taken me three days to write all this stuff and maybe it is more than you wished to know for not all of it strictly genealogical but I thought you might be interested in some of the sidelights – family traditions. 

**** cut out some information as it was too personal ********

I hadn't heard of Bob's [Geiszler] venture into a business of his own. His course in accounting should serve him well. Failure of small businesses often results from failure to know the score financially – my good wishes for success.

Shelley was beginning to shape up into a tall, attractive girl when I last saw her and I understand that she has grown still taller and handsomer.

I hadn't heard of your father's [Lewis Brown] good fortune in an extended route. Your mother [Louise Brown Long] has never been a consistent letter writer and I know how busy she is.

Lots of love to all
Aunt Elizabeth  

To comment to Aunt Elizabeth, I LOVE the stuff that is not 'strictly genealogical'. That's a genealogist bread of life!

I love the personal insight I see at the end of this letter. It shows that Aunt Elizabeth traveled from Washington, DC to Ohio to visit family and remember her great grand nieces. It shows when my father ventured into owning a gas station. It tells me of a my grandfather Brown's delivery routes and the business of my Grannie. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to share the fondness of my great grand aunt for my awesome aunt (her great grand niece). I know... I know... a tad crazy. But that's me.