Letters West- The Streeter Family-Transcription Exercise

This is a small group exercise in deciphering personal letters from Streeter family members to John Streeter in Ogle County, Illinois, from the 1840s until the 1880s. The original documents are located at the Historical Society of Cheshire County, Keene, NH.

1) Working together in your group, complete the Written Document Analysis Worksheet.

2) Divide your letter up into equal parts and have each member of the group transcribe the portion assigned.

3) If you need help, ask others in your group for assistance.

4) When you have completed your letter, prepare a presentation for the class. You may use the overhead if you wish.

5) Include the following information:

Who wrote the letter?

To whom was it written?

What major events or family happenings are mentioned?

What is the tone of the letter?

Are there any problems discussed in the letter?

What can you tell about the time in which the letter was written?

What can you tell about the person writing the letter?

What difficulties did your group have with this assignment?

What do you think of using primary source materials to learn about an era?