Letter written by Eric Warren Insall to his sweetheart, Clara Elizabeth Smith, whom he married in October of 1896. (They lived in Gilmer after marrying) These were my grandparents. I believe this letter is valuable because he lists his brothers and sisters and their approximate ages. Based on the fact that he was born January 10, 1874, it is possible to figure birth dates for his brothers and sisters. These were my grandparents. I am putting in punctuation where it is left out.   Mary Beth

Transcription of a letter dated December 11, 1895 from Leander, Texas

Miss Clara Smith
My own dear Clara,
I will answer your letter which I received this morning. I am glad to hear that you are well again. You do not know how pleased I was to receive a letter from you. Do you know that I was just counting up when I would get a letter from you. I counted on getting one Saturday. To go into detail about my brothers and sisters it would take a book with 150 pages in it. Well, I will tell you of as many as I can think of. First, my oldest brother Norman has been married about 21 years and has four children, two boys and two girls. His oldest daughter is 19, his next 17. His oldest son is 15, his baby boy is 12.

Robert is next, you know him. Mary, my oldest sister is next. She has been married eleven years and has four children, two boys and two girls. Her husband is W.R. Humble.

Alice, the next, has been married nearly 11 years. She has six children, five boys and one girl. Her husband is J.E. McClure. Ellen, the next, Mrs. McDaniel, you know her.

Ida is next. She has been married about five years. She has two children, both boys. Her husband is W.J. Jennings. Herbert is next. He is clerking in Ida’s husbands store in Leander.

Lillie, the next is two years older than myself. Eugene is two years younger than I am. Hugh, the baby, is nearly five years younger than me though he is one inch taller. He is just 17 so I am the least one of the boys at home. They say that of us four boys at home that we favor a heap. I know if a stranger meets one of us boys and sees any other one after that they think it is the same one they met, like Jordan Everett. He had met Eugene and so when I was up there a while after that he came around and spoke to me and I had never seen him before though I talked to him just like I knew him, and I did not know him till some of the boys told me who he was. I never did tell him any better.

I think I can come up Christmas. How long are you going to stay at your sisters and tell me all about where she lives, which way is it from Gatesville , and how far. Write as soon as you get this and tell me for I will half to know if I come, so no more.

Your loving,
Eric


Insall children were:  
Ellen Jane                   Lilly Caroline                Robert Gonzalvo              Alice Ardelia,
Ida Minerva                Norman Woods           Mary Alzira                      Herbert Henry
Eric Warren                Eugene                         Hugh Thomas

Parents were: Robert Wholeship Insall and Sarah Woods Insall

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