Mar 17 - Discovering a Friend

Hattie Blakely

Hattie Blakely wrote home to her parents on September 4th, 1867:  “I have made the acquaintance of some very pretty girls I think.  There is one girl that reminds me of Miss Crosby who I like very well.  Her name is Edis Perkins.”  Hattie was starting to make friends among her classmates!

Although this is the only time when Hattie mentioned Edis, she is the only classmate who was mentioned by name, so I think she is important to find out about.  When I tried to find Edis last fall, I couldn’t find any information, so I am excited to share what I’ve found now. 

The “Miss Crosby” to whom Hattie compared Edis was Angeline Crosby, called Angelia.  According to the 1870 Federal Census, she was a 24-year-old schoolteacher living in the neighboring town of Tinmouth.  The corner of Pawlet Township where the Blakely family farm and their local grammar school were located was very close to Tinmouth.  It is very likely that Miss Crosby was Hattie’s pretty, young, and admired teacher.[1]

Eddice Eliza Perkins

“Edis Perkins” was the daughter of Rufus Lyman Perkins & Olive Perkins.  He was a grocer in Rutland, with two of his sons.  Her name was spelled variously by clerks and census-takers as Eddie or Eddis, but Eddice seems to be the correct version.  Hattie did not mention her again during the few months while they both attended Rutland High School.  The friendship that Hattie hoped for may never have blossomed, or it may have been short-lived.  No letter from Eddice, or any other Rutland classmate, was kept with other treasured mementos of that time.[2]  

It appears that Hattie did not keep the letters that her family sent her during that period, at least not long enough for us to enjoy them.

Eddice Perkins image: Ancestry.com

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[1] In 1871, Angelia married Allen H. Edgerton in nearby Wallingford.  They had at least one child, Maria.  Allen died in 1907.  She died in 1918 of a kidney disorder called Bright’s disease.  They are all buried near their family home in Wallingford.

[2] In 1870, Eddice was a 19-year-old teacher living with her parents.  In 1872, she married Clarence E. Perkins, a carpenter.  In 1873, she died three days after she gave birth to a daughter named Josie Eddice.