Albert Hafner Letters
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, September 8, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He kisses Chandler's picture she sent him and tells her even though they agreed to write carefully, he is too tired to do so after writing carefully all day. He expresses that he is equally as upset about the delays keeping him in Tarpon Springs as his friends, but that nothing can be done until the owner signs the lease. Until then, he asks for patience and warns Chandler he will be busy in the days ahead.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, September 6, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Chandler sent him an advertisement from her cousin Kate's music school in Philadelphia, and Albert says he would like to send some of his friends there. He argues to Chandler that he is fond of and will not be repairing his hole-ridden umbrella. He recounts a story of his mother teaching him how to put on pillowcases while explaining to Chandler how his thoughts wander as he cleans. Hafner's employee Cora returns to school tomorrow. Hafner tells Chandler he wanted to find a woman like his mother, and she is that woman.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, September 2, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He thanks her for the support she provides through her letters and discusses the difference between a wife who is a "puppet" and a wife who is a free thinker. Hafner compares hearing from Elizabeth to wishing to return to a dream after waking from sleep. He tells Chandler it isn't unusual to go without hearing from his father for over a year, but he used to hear from his mother regularly. Now, she leaves the correspondence to her husband as it all discusses her wayward son Joseph. Hafner's father finds his theories about the world to be meaningless; Chandler agrees with them. He confesses to keeping one of Chandler's previous gossiping letters but promises her his confidentiality. The building of his business will be finished by October 1st. Hafner shares a German publication with Chandler. He closes by saying white is a good color for a canoe and will take no more girls on the water until Chandler gets to go in it.
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Summary of September 1891 Letters, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, September 1891
Albert Hafner
A summary of letters sent in September 1891 by Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 31, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He excitedly announces new stamps he has found for her young Family member Winthrop. He then thanks Chandler for a Calendula blossom she sent him. Hafner contemplates the value in marrying young versus marrying later in life. He answers Chandler's question about his mother's approval of his decisions. Hafner then enters a long argument for wearing knee-length breeches as opposed to trousers. He tells Chandler their relationship is in no means an entrapment, as a real man would never need to trap a woman into marrying him and having his children. Comparatively, though, he considers that love itself might be called a trap, but one he willingly enters. He closes by updating Chandler on the well-being of the sick guests in the hotel and the stifling heat that is coming to an end.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 30, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He complains that he cannot tune out the sound of the Methodist church music nearby and says the congregation sings horribly. He then recounts some gossip he overheard outside, including ladies who criticized him for sailing on Sundays and rumored that Hafner only said he was getting married as a scheme to sell more stock. He closes the letter by describing a lovely image of himself and Chandler and sends her his love.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 28, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He reviews a clipping about Unitarianism Chandler sent him and reflects on his free-thinking views of religion. Hafner ponders what he and Chandler will be reading once they are married and how they will discuss it in person. He also tells her that if she were with him, he would have the pleasure of confiding in her about his stress and value her consideration. Hafner responds about a friend of Chandler's who cares for rats, emphasizing the fact that she kisses these pets. He then reviews another clipping Chandler sent to him about the language of monkeys. For the remainder of the letter, he discusses the stamps he sends for Chandler's young Family member Winthrop and the Canoes and canoeing trips he embarked on with some of the hotel guests who remain in good health. He closes with a story about a piece of wood eaten by shipworms and thanks Chandler for her correspondence and support.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 27, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He recounts a conversation he had with a sailor named Mr. Sweat, during which they discussed the sailing conditions in the Northeast, where Chandler lives. Chandler previously told Hafner about her trip to New Haven; he is surprised and concerned to hear Mr. Sweat say this is a poor place to visit. Sweat goes on to say it is a poor place because it is a temperance society, and the people who live there are either no fun or obtain alcohol in discrete ways.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 25, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He informs her his parents have sent him a letter from home, and he provides a translation of the German correspondence for her to read. In it, his parents discuss their Heartbreak at his brother Joseph losing everything and moving to the Americas. While Hafner doesn't respect his brother, he says his brother's actions are almost noble because he had the courage and independence to leave their home behind. Hafner's parents also give congratulations and love to their future daughter-in-law.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 23, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Chandler's previous letter arrived very late. Hafner laments about the heat and the absence of a breeze that prevents him from sailing. After Chandler told him about a story about a new hat she bought for a deal and cut down to fit her head, Hafner teases that he might be worried about the security of his own hats once they are married. He sends her some lichens and other Florida curiosities she has requested. Hafner continues to update Chandler on the illness at the hotel; he and one other guest are the only people in good health, and the cases of Mr. and Mrs. Weller are serious.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 19, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. After learning that Chandler has found her lost umbrella, he tells her about the poor state of his own umbrella and promises he will have a nicer, better one when they are married. He laments about the ongoing sickness at the hotel and ponders the phenomenon of meeting many Elizabeth's now that he is partial to the name; he says Chandler is "the only genuine Elizabeth" to him.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 17, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He discusses his fascination with maps and his thoughts on the definition of a yacht. Hafner also informs her of the excessive Florida heat and the cloudy weather that prevented him from viewing Mercury in the sky. Hafner explains that many people in the hotel are sick with malaria and recounts his attempt to help a hotel employee named Susie avoid a scam. He also tells a narrated tale on behalf of his pet owl, Jack, and recounts an argument he had with Mr. Clapp about riveting.
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Letter, A. Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 13, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He thanks Chandler for an orchid she sent him as a surprise gift and ponders the youthfulness of women. Hafner promises to look for the planet Mercury in the sky for her. He recounts a day trip during which he took an ill woman at the hotel out on the water in his canoe. He then tells her a comical story about taking two young girls fishing under their mothers' strict commands.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 11, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He compliments Chandler's letter writing once more, saying her letters are always substantial and thoughtful. He also ponders a sermon he came across and asks Chandler's opinion.
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Letter, A. Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 10, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He compliments Chandler's letter writing and says she always sounds happy. He apologizes for not writing as much as her because he requires a certain state of mind to write letters. Hafner also makes some jokes about Chandler's friend Miss Alice and ponders the sacredness of kissing.
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Letter, A. Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 9, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He asks Chandler to patiently wait for him to decide and share his future plans with her. He recaps his recent experience taking his canoe out to Anclote Key.
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Letter, Albert Hafner's Father to Albert Hafner, August 8, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter originally written in German for Albert Hafner from his father in Switzerland. In Albert's translation, his father says Albert's brother Joseph left for America and advises neither Albert nor his other brother John give him any money.
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Letter, A. Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 6, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He discusses Chandler's upcoming vacation to Maine and recounts a story of when he got typhoid fever at age 14. He also responds to a joke Chandler made about umbrellas and urges her to stay warm during her trip.
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Letter, A. Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 5, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Hafner says he sailed to Anclote Key to look for sea cows at her request. He did not find any, though he saw three marine mammals often called sea cows that are actually porpoises. He compliments Chandler's youthfulness and responds to her calling him her German teacher. He updates her on his cigar business and teases her about encountering and impressing other men on her vacation, saying any compliment made to her is a compliment to him as her fiancé.
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Summary of August 1891 Letters, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 1891
Elizabeth H. Chandler
A summary of letters sent in August 1891 by Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. Attached is a slip of paper written in Chandler's handwriting. It contains a quote from Act I of Love's Labour's Lost, one of William Shakespeare's early comedies. The quote is spoken by the character Don Adriano de Armado and reads, "Love is a familiar; Love is a devil. There is no evil angel but Love."
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Letter, A. Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, August 3, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He recounts a trip to Hog Island in which he followed a steamship called the Ellen from his canoe, the Elizabeth.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 31, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Following his Diseases, Hafner admits he felt neglected by his friends on his own account because he didn't wish to see anyone. He informs Handler on the local typhoid fever epidemic and his tendency to take his canoe out. He says the bread in America is often terrible, and he cannot stomach biscuits.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 29, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He says he can be a sentimental man and a businessman at the same time. He asks Chandler if she is familiar with the saints and tells her the German phrase for "bride and groom."
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 28, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Hafner reflects on his past Diseases, saying few people checked on him and he felt lonely. He discusses his choice to leave his parents and create his own life in America.
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Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 26, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He admits to being easily distracted in his long-windedness. He defines the fishing term "bobbling" for her and makes some comments about his intelligence before contemplating her ability to tell surprising stories. Hafner tells Chandler he doesn't believe in metaphysical circumstances/coincidences. He expresses surprise that Chandler got a glass splinter in her eye and had to wear an eye covering; Hafner recounts his experience working and seeing friends. He also expresses his opinion on the smell of cigar smoke. He delights that Chandler got a German instructor.
