The Emma Ferrer Letters, Part 6: Failure to Communicate

On November 5, 1898, Emma became the victim of a miscommunication. She originally only received one application, which she filled out for all six children. After mailing it, she received six more blank applications in the mail. With time of the essence, she writes to Wood imploring that the initial application be deemed acceptable.

In this letter, she also mentions that she’d traveled over 26 miles to receive the recommendation of W.T. Rencher. Between the illegible town name on Rev. Rencher’s letter and the frequency with which he moved, we’ve not been able to map the exact route Emma took to obtain his recommendation. However, knowing that a horse and rider can typically cover between 20-30 miles in one day, it’s a safe bet that Emma took at least one day away from her job hunt and from the care of her six children to visit him.

Next Week:  The Battle for Bread