Sesquicentennial Series: One Student's Perspective, 1887

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 14, 2013) — In celebration of the University of Kentucky's upcoming sesquicentennial in 2015, the 66th of 150 weekly installments on the university looks back at one student's perspective from 1887.

A&M College, Lexington

February 26, 1887

Mr. Stanley Bridges,

Dear Cousin,

               I received your most welcome letter last night and was glad indeed to hear from you. I dident [sic] receive but two letters last week and one was from my girl and the other from you.

               Stan you spoke of me having a little trouble. Who told you about it. I will tell you how it was. We drill one hour every day and one day after the Drill was over I had started to the Dormitory and a little Dude was standing on the steps of College and just as I was passing by him he said to another fellow he is a regular Country Greener and I heard him and I went back and asked him if he knew who he was fooling with and he said he was fooling with a Damn Fool and I knocked him down with my Gun and he got up and ran like a turkey everybody was glad of it he hasn’t pestered me since I don’t intend for any of them to run over me.

               Stan you asked me how much Johnie Hil owed me it is $3.00 I wish you would spur him up on it. Stan send me a pair of small scissors of some kind by mail next as I need a pair to cut things.

               Stan I think I shall have some pictures taken with my uniform on. Ask Tomie what he thinks about it.

               How is Paw getting along with the Drummers does he hal [sic] many now I guess he makes Bill Smith stir around late and early.

               I heard that Leouie had gone to Houston to live.

               Stan you must go with my Girl some time and give her my best regards, tell Professor I will answer his letter soon and not to think hard of me for not writing sooner. Tell Artie and Cretia I wish they would fix me up a nice box of eatables we doant [sic] get much to eat up here at Dormitory. I must close for this time.

               Write soon to me.

               Your cousin,

                              Jesse P. Mills

P.S. Tell Tomie to be sure to send me some money next week as I will be out.

This story on UK's history is presented by UK Special Collections. Special Collections is home to UK Libraries' collection of rare books, Kentuckiana, the Archives, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, the King Library Press and the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center. The mission of Special Collections is to locate and preserve materials documenting the social, cultural, economic and political history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu