After receiving an April 4, 1934 letter from her southern cousin requesting biographical details, Olive Violet began to draft her response, using the back of the letter to record the names and birth dates of the members of her household, as well as those of her sisters and first cousin.

Two other slips of paper with the same information accompanied this list, folded up in an envelope from a local hotel. The letter was passed down to her daughter Jane, and then to her grandson George Jr.

Handwritten Reverse Side Of Letter

Live at Live Oak, California
Married Nov. 7, 1915
Russell G. Beale  Sept 2, 1894
Esther M. Beale  March 7, 1897
June M. Beale   April 16, 1917
Ferne M. Beale  April 11, 1919

Loyal Cassidy Lipton  March 25, 1896
Alma J. Lipton     April 30, 1900
Ruth H. Lipton   Jan. 3, 1919
Alma G. Lipton   Aug 30, 1921
Married March 13, 1917
Live Oak, Calif.

Mrs Jessie Vera Henry Abraham
Sept 1901     Married Oct 24 1920
Perry Orvil Abraham   Oct 25 1895
Ellen Jessie Abraham  Aug 10 1922
Patricia Abraham  July 2, 1930

Olive Violet Henry La Monte  Oct 27 1895
Herbert La Monte   Jan 16 1889
Children Harry Earnest La Monte  May 12 1916
Jane La Monte  Oct. 9 1917
Married April 3 1915

List A

Mrs Laura Jane (Luther) Henry
Jan. 16, 1872 birth
Nov. 22, 1894 marriage
Jan  14, 1917 Death

Mrs Olive Violet (Henry) LaMonte
Oct 27, 1895 Birth
April 3 1915 mar.
Husband Herbert LaMonte
Jan 16, 1889 Birth
April 3, 1913 mar.
Children Harry Earnest La Monte
May 12, 1915
Jane La Monte
Oct 9, 1917

List B

Mrs Jessie Vera (Henry) Abraham
Sept 10, 1901 Birth
Oct 23, 1920 Mar.
Perry Orvil Abraham
Oct 25, 1894 Birth
Oct 23, 1920 Mar.
Girls: Ellen Jessie Abraham
Aug 10, 1922
Patricia Jane Abraham
July 2, 1930

Those biographical details are presented in a family tree format below:

This letter was written in 1934 by Marian (Henry) Ransom to her cousin Olive Violet (Henry) LaMonte.

We don’t know much about Marian, but web searches suggest she was born in Georgia in 1895, married Rowland Wyatt Ransom, and died in 1968 and is buried in Summerville, GA.

Olive Violet recorded some biographical details of her own family on the back of the letter.

The letter was passed down to her daughter Jane, and then to her grandson George Jr.

Transcription:

Tate, Ga.
April, 4, 1934.

Mrs.Harry La Monte,
230 West Pedregosa St.,
Santa Barbara,
Cal.

Dear Mrs.La Monte:-

By rights, I should have started this off with “Dear Cousin”, since we are both descendants of James Henry and Margaret (Allison) Henry. Your aunt Emma Henry, gave me your address, as I had written her for dates etc., which I wanted for a genealogical sketch our people, […] I am trying to arrange. She gave me your Father’s dates and […] your Mother, but could go not further, so if you will send all the others I certainly will appreciate it and include the following:

Full name, birth date, marriage date, death date and present address
of —– Your Mother, (Have your Father’s)
Your self, sisters, your husband, your brothers-in-law and
your children and sisters’ children.

Do hope that this will not be much trouble and that I shall have the pleasure of knowing you sometimes, I am

Most Sincerely
Marian Henry Ransom
(Mrs. R.W. Ransom)