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Theodore Drake
to Jennie Mcquivey
dated: July 6, 1869

At Home

Dearest Jennie,
I will answer your letter lo the best of my ability to night but must stop to give vent to
my feelings over which I have no control since seeing you or rather reading your letter that
something is wrong I admit but not on my part towards you My affections towards you
are so deeply rooted that ------- ".stronger today than ever. but Jennie I am
prepared for the worst. since May the ninth my future has been bright, until July 4th, then
the current of lifes river ran with a peaceful quiet flow. since then, my life has been clouded.
I desire to have a talk with you and wish to have you state what your intentions
are toward me in the future. don't omit nothing, trust me for god knows I am true to you
I want your opinion or mind upon all subjects concerning me. that to think of giving you
up I never will consent. how can I this is bad enough for me, as much as I can stand, do
you wish lo have our engagement canceled, please tell me candid and truly, I fear you do.
when I asked you I told to take time to answer & not make any little girls promise
but I know you can't control your inclinations or change it ------- but if they are
drifting away from me what am I to do. Jennie choose between me and your father you no
doubt will have some time you can't expect to live with him always you will likely marry
in a few years, if you do reject me, if there is any fault of mine you don't like, please tell me.
you are so good to me. I know you will is it because you heard me say what you say I
did, what you heard of me or what my mother said. is it that promise you made me that
has ---- your mind Jennie when did I say what you say I did. I believe you are strictly
honest with me. don't think that our future happiness depends upon me altogether. it is
the duty of both to make each other happy. don't let what I said trouble you. when I see
you will tell you why, or what my mother said of me of what you heard. I request you to
ask your father ----------than anyone else one that will tell you the truth. ask
him what he thinks of it. ask any good friend of yours. I think Hurford was the informer
A person envious always makes things as bad as possible you know but Jennie my
conscience is clear there, don't think we have trouble & I know I am not the cause of
creating a disturbance in our family. it is true that I speak to hastily sometimes when I am
angry but I soon get over it you know I have to take the ----- the year round. father is
slow & easy Charley the same I am more ambitious & fret more I don't believe in self
praise though, ask our girls, lina or any of them, don't want you to think whay I say is
true or that I say it to clear myself ask other Folks. Jennie. I can't answer your letter as I should
My heart feels ready to burst. I can't sleep. I have my faults you know. I am not
----------- some though, whether we could enjoy a life together has been on my mind for over a
year. if love is not the first step towards it, nothing is lo be natural is the great secret of
love making. not to deceive why do vou regret having made me the promise to write
does it seem more time to you now than it did. why does it & what seems so. tell me
when I can talk to you alone. Jennie it will make a strong man weep. I'm sure it has me.
My heart is overflowingg. I can't write what I want to. my mind is troubled. My all is
placed on you. Why do you want to go to your grandmothers on my account. Jennie
can you read this I can't help it. My mind is troubling me. I want to see you.

Truly yours
Dora

Your father feels proud of you & well he may, you are virtuous & Intelligent, qualities
I admire in you. I admire you for the open expression of your mind in your letters
concerning me. I know I can't sleep but this is the best I can do to nite, answer this
if you wish.

Jennie McQuivey to Theodore Drake

School House, July 8th, 1869

Dearest and Best,
Words cannot express my feelings over reading your letter. Oh Dora, I did wrong in
writing that letter. yet I cannot tell wether I am most pleased or pained. It implied a great
deal more than I intended it should. I regret having promised to write. until I could know
my own feelings better. my reasons for wishing to go to grand mothers was that I might
hear from you and know that I loved you as well as ever. I think it was my promise more
than anything else that caused my doubt. I will tell you why until then I was happy. but
knowing it was my duty to love you somehow changed my feelings. love should be
spontaneous, unchanging under any circumstances.. burn up that hateful letter and Oh
forgive me for causing you needless pain on my account. but was it needless, had I not
written I should not have received your precious letter. I did not think you loved me so
much, Dearest; if I spoke the truth before I do now. I have never loved you so well as
now. and it was your letter that opened my eyes. that has shown me the depth of my
love. Let them talk-everyone if they will . they cannot change my mind. You seem
nearer perfect than ever. I would sooner give up all my friends and relatives that you. do
not feel hard towards me for anything I wrote. I did not know you had so much feeling.
your love is too precious to trifle with. but that I never intended. and am sorry to see you
sad. I believe all you said was true. Dora I don’t know as you can read this. the children
are all around confusinf me and jar the desk when they walk so I will not try to write any
more but wait til I see you.

Forever your own,
Jennie

Theodore Drake to Jennie McQuivey
Clymen, Wisconsin to Waukegan, Illinois
dated: Oct. 31, 1869


Dear Jennie,
To Commence a letter to you is somewhat out of my line of business, but do it with a good
will. hoping you may have the same feeling toward me. you have not been gone quite two
weeks bit it seems a much longer time to me. I miss you very much and think of you daily but
can not see you. when I think of the many happy hours I have spent in your company I can not
help but feel bad. but hope to enjoy it in the future. Our folks have all gone to bed & it is
eleven o’clock but you must have a letter tonight, the only lady correspondent I have or care
about. I saw your folks the day you left your old home, as they started to leave, I was just
going over when I saw them just as they drove out of the gate. you may well know my
feelings, was you with them. well Jennie I hope you have got settled in your new home. but
you must write and tell me all about your journey the farm, &c. don’t think me to inquisitive
but I guess you won’t. Jennie I have some very bad news to tell you. Mrs. Miller and Emma
are dead. The former died last Tuesday morning at 6 o’clock & was buried Thursday. Emma
died the morning that Mrs. Miller was buried at eight-o’clock, just 50 hours apart. they both
died very easy and were buried at the Grove. it is very hard for them all, but worse for Robt.
on account of the children. I feel sorry for him & I guess he has the sympathy of all the
neighbors. Peter Millers folks did not attend the funeral of Mrs. Miller but did Emmas. I think
it was a perfect shame for them to act so. people think hard of them for doing as they did,
neither showing respect for themselves or the dead. Old Grand Pa Miller is also dead. He died
in Missouri at Mr. -----. Well Jennie it is getting late & I will close for this time. will keep you
posted. please write me a good long letter & tell me everything. don’t fear to trust Dora. I
will write soon. with all love to Jennie, I will remain faithful, so good night.

Dora Drake

Theodore Drake to Jennie McQuivey
Oak Grove, Wisconsin to Waukegan, Illinois
dated: Nov. 14, 1869


My dear Jennie
I wrote to you two weeks ago to day the same day that you wrote to Lina and as she
was writing to you I thought I would improve my time by writing again not being so exact
with you as to require an answer for every letter written to you because I take great
pleasure in writing every opportunity I have. I have looked for a letter every day for a
week have been to the post office two or three times but have received none. I still expect
one. you must write often for I am anxious to hear from you and I trust you will. Tammie
& I were up to [Joe’s] last night and stayed until today. I suppose Lina has given you all
the news so I will not repeat it. Jennie I feel lonesome without you. I wish I could see
you just a few moments it would do me so much good. I don’t know how to content
myself. but absence makes the heart grow fonder and Jennie I will trust mine, yours as
well. I have been with you so much especially sunday night that I appreciate your loss
fully. you wrote something in Lina’s letter about being at Damp’s what was it that [Fay]
said about me. the night that we sat up with Emma Glover, Bill [Christie] sat up with us
he has got all over his pout he spoke to me when I went in of course I returned the
compliment. he was very agreeable all night I don’t know what made him take the notion.
Tim’s visits are as regular as ever. our school commences tomorrow, are you going to
teach this winter. I will have to print finer on acct. of more room. now Jennie please
write soon & often I will do the same I will write more next time. please excuse all
mistakes & believe me to be your truest friend.

Dora

Jennie kiss yourself for me, or wait keep it for me till I come down

Dora