Month of Letters (2020) is about to begin!

http://lettermo.com/

I'm gearing up for the Month of Letters 2020--where I'll write 24+ letters in the month of February. I haven't participated in this event in several years, so I'm looking forward to getting back to letter writing!

If you'd like to participate, click on the link below the photo to sign up (it's free). 

Stamp Collecting: A new pursuit

I suppose it makes sense that if one collects old letters, they might also collect stamps. Until recently, I was not one of those people. The world of stamp collecting and philology is vast and I know relatively little about it, so I decided that I would only collect stamps that I liked the look of (from an aesthetic point of view) and those stamps that were relatively easy to attain.

Here are a few stamps I've collected so far (I do have many more, but I don't have photographs of them yet):

Finland (Suomi) Stamps

U.S. stamps 80-130 years old 

Ireland (Eire) Stamps

Letter from Irving Holcomb to Sarah Holcomb: 26 May 1868 (Brook Falls)

26 May 1868 (Brook Falls), page 1 

26 May 1868 (Brook Falls), page 2

Letter from Irving to Sarah Holcomb: 14 June 1865 (Fremont Centre)

14 June 1865, page 1

14 June 1865, page 2

Letter from Irving Holcomb to Sarah Holcomb: 1 March 1860, Albany

1 Mar 1860, page 1

1 Mar 1860, page 2

Letters of Capt. Irving Holcomb and Sarah Hull Holcomb

I recently acquired over 25 personal letters of Irving Holcomb (1833-1919) and his wife Sarah Hull Holcomb (1837-1905) from the 1850s-1860s. I'm currently transcribing these letters. My online research has been fairly productive, showing that Irving was an officer during the Civil War, serving in the 121st New York Volunteer Infantry where he served as a Captain in Company B until his medical discharge on 10 September 1862. He also had some political roles as well. Transcribed letters will follow in future posts. Read more about Irving Holcomb here and here. 

Obituary of Irving Holcomb 1919

Gravestone of Irving and Sarah Holcomb

Civil War Record of Irving Holcomb (Ancestry.com)

"A Month of Letters" is coming up in February!

Looking forward to February, since it's "A Month of Letter Writing," which means I'll be sending 28 letters to various recipients around the globe. For more info about participation, check out the official website!