Searching for Cora Sue - 3 - Frankie's College and Preparations

September 1, 1910

Today was the day for taking Frankie to his college. I dreaded it. Having only one child - and never having had him away from me for any length of time - and knowing that I might not survive for very long, I didn’t want to waste even one day of his company. And now I was having to sacrifice six years of it, although I expect that he will be home for holidays and vacation.

Our “borrowed” car belongs to one of Franklin’s colleagues. It is a Stanley Steamer, (pictured above) the product of local manufacturers here in Massachusetts, the Stanley twins, Freeland and Francis. It has steam power, and according to Franklin, has a reputation for power and speed. I know he is dying to get one for himself. (What an unfortunate turn of phrase - it is not he who is dying - it is me, but not to get a car - just dying.) Apparently this sort of car holds the world speed record, set in 1906.   According to the accompanying leaflet it has a two-cylinder engine, boiler, burner, throttle, pumps, muffler, and gasoline tank.

Franklin tells me that the latest models, those with internal combustion engines, will be the clear choice of the great majority of motorists.

It was a bit difficult for Franklin to get it to start, but once it was going, it went smoothly. He let Frankie have a go at driving it, but I declined the offer.

Albany, New York, is about 150 miles northwest, and we could not average more than 30 miles an hour, so we knew we would have to take a day over driving there, and another to get back. We started early - just after 9. We went through Boston, Holyoke and then stopped for lunch at Springfield. After that we were in the Catskill mountains and went more or less up the Hudson River valley until we reached Albany.

Albany is the capitol of New York with a population in 1900 of about 10,000. I expect it has grown a bit since then. Luckily it is on the Boston and Maine train line, so when Frankie wants to come home, it will be easy for him. It is a very attractive city situated on a series of hills rising sharply from the river. The older portions of the city are reminiscent of Dutch colonial days.

The State Capitol, in Capitol Square, is on one of the highest points in the city. It is built of white Maine granite and it was only finished a few years ago. Other important buildings are the old state
hall, another handsome white marble building erected in 1842; and the city hall, a beautiful French Gothic building of pink granite trimmed with red sandstone,

The Albany Medical College, which was opened in 1839, is located on New Scotland Avenue. But first we wanted to check into our hotel. We were recommended to use the Ten Eyck Hotel, which apparently has a first class restaurant. We bought postcards to show Kate, Franklin’s mother who lives with us.

It was very hard to say good bye to Frankie the next morning, having helped him into the dorm with his suitcases. He didn’t seem at all fussed to see us leave - and, in fact, was anxious to get on with his new life. I cried all the way home. Franklin was not very sympathetic.

4th September

I have now decided that I must start my search for Cora Sue as soon as possible. For one thing it will keep my mind off worrying about my health and keep me from worrying over Frankie’s new life. I was nervous when I approached Franklin with my plan. I had to watch what I said as I didn’t want his mother to know about my illness.

“I have decided that I am going to Denver to try to find Cora Sue,” I announced after Sunday dinner.

“What? Are you mad? Why should you want to do that? She has ignored you for the last ten years. She knows where you are - and she has chosen not to communicate. I should think that would tell you something.”

“I think there must be reasons why she hasn’t communicated. Maybe she is ill. Maybe she is dead. But whatever the reason, I need to know where she is, and how she is. I have made up my mind about this, Franklin.”

“You say Denver as if you knew that she still lived there. She might be anywhere.”

“Well, that was where she last lived, so somebody there will know where she moved to. I can follow up the leads and if I can’t find her - at least I will have tried.”

“Well, first of all, you should explore the easier options and write to relatives who might know more about her. Have you done that? Have you written to those relatives in Denver that she used to live
with?”

“Well, the last letter I sent to her came back with “Not known” stamped on it. So then I wrote to our aunt, Coralinn, whom she had stayed with when she first arrived, and that was also returned with
the same information. So maybe they moved and she moved with them.”

“Exactly my point. There is absolutely no need for you to go to Denver. It would be a wild goose chase. You must have other relatives in other states that she might well have gone to stay with - or who might at least know where she is.”

“Well, nearly everyone moved from La Crosse. Grandma Kellogg went to live in Denver with Coralinn, who had several children by then. She had a sister, Aunt Mary, who we knew slightly as she stayed with our Kellogg grandparents at their hotel when we were younger. She married Henry Edwards and they moved to Iowa. I can remember they had a girl, Winnie. Then I think they moved somewhere in Michigan. But I don’t know where they live now. The same is true of my other aunt, Almira. She married before we were born and moved to Michigan but I didn’t know her at all. Cora Sue would not have gone to stay with either of them. And anyway, I can’t contact them.”

“What about your Robinson relatives? You had an Uncle John that was in La Crosse, didn’t you?”

“When he married he moved to Randall, Wisconsin, and Cora Sue and I visited with him and his wife Mary and their children when we were on our trip in 1883. I suppose he might know something. I will write to him.”

“At least you have an address for him. You don’t seem to have kept up much with your relatives,” said Mrs. Temple.

“We were always closest to Aunt Lillie, and we lived with her. When Grandma was alive, we heard a lot from John and his family, but I don’t think they write to Aunt Lillie much now. But I will send her
a letter too, to see if she can come up with any suggestions.”

“Good, well that is settled then. You go off and write your letters and see what comes of it. And when you find out where Cora Sue is, you write to her. Don’t even think of going to try to find her. If
nothing comes up, we can hire an investigator to ease your mind on the subject.”

So I went off and wrote my letters, sending another one to Denver as well, hoping that just possibly there were some Kelloggs or Clintons in Denver who might have some information for me.

September 18th

I have had a reply from Aunt Lillie, and also from Aunt Mary, John’s wife. Neither had anything to offer. The other letters I sent to Denver didn’t come up with anything useful either.

I knew Franklin didn’t want me to travel to Denver, but I had decided to go, and for some reason I felt strongly that it was the right choice. But I wasn’t going to tell him anymore until my plans were made. I knew he wouldn’t forcibly stop me. I decided that it would be sensible for me to take a traveling companion. My first choice was my good friend Ada Galigher, but she wasn’t at all
interested. I tried another neighbor, Evelena Quinty, but although she is a widow, and quite liked the idea of travel, her sister, who lives with her was not willing to go along, and Evelena felt she couldn’t be left on her own.

I had another thought and went to visit Emma Dame. She is the daughter-in-law of the woman who started the Dame School which is just down the road from us. I teach music there on occasion and have given a concert or two. Emma is not at all well, although I am not sure what her ailment is, and she has several nurses who take it in turns to care for her, and live in. But once I had met them, I decided that I did not want any of them as a companion - they were too young and wouldn’t have anything in common with me, so I didn’t even ask them.

Then I thought of my cousins in Bridgeport - Aunt Lillie’s daughters, Lillie and Ellen - both now in their mid 20’s but remembered that as new wives and mothers, they wouldn't be able to get away.

But I was not going to give up my plan. I will go on my own if I need to. I checked out the route I would have to take. I knew that Franklin would want me to travel in comfort. After going by the
Boston line down to New York, I had two choices of luxury train coaches that I could take en route to Chicago. One is called the New Century and is run by the New York Central Railway. The other
competing firm is called the Pennsylvania Special and is run by Penn Station. I rather fancied that route, as it would take me through different scenery than that which we had traveled on our trip to
Chicago in 1883. Both promised a quick journey - 18 hours, and overnight travel. What a change from the 40 hours our first journey took. With these new trains, there would be no stops for food. As an express service, it doesn’t stop in any cities in between New York and Chicago. I have read that sometimes the trains get up to a speed of 110 miles an hour, which seems unbelievable.

From Chicago, I will take the Burlington Railway to Denver. I remember Mr. Lester telling us about the comfort of traveling on that railway when we talked with him on our trip in 1883. I have the books
that he wrote about his travels, and will take them with me. He spent time in Denver as well as in Salt Lake City and San Francisco. Who knows where my travels will take me?