Albert Hafner Letters
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 24, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Hafner recounts a trip to Big Pass with a friend and his Family. He responds to Chandler about German lessons he gave her in previous letters. He also tells Chandler about a friend named Clinton whom he taught German in exchange for English lessons.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 22, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Hafner sends Chandler a Tarpon skin, some Florida moss, and orchids from his garden.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 21, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Hafner tells her he wrote to his father and told him neither he nor Hafner's mother will be blamed for how his brother Joseph has acted. He tells Chandler he is guarded about giving information to his parents about her because she is so special to him. Hafner expresses that Tarpon Springs is an awful place due to the number of people sick with typhoid fever. He suspects the water they get their ice from and put in their drinks is impure even though people claim otherwise. The ice factory broke down, so they all must drink warm rain water. He tells Chandler she is the one thing that gives him strength to persevere, and he thanks her.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 19, 1891
Albert Hafner
Content warning: This letter contains mentions of suicide. Digital Collections provides access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found within them. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call or text the suicide hotline at 988. A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He tells her he's been under the weather but will be better the next day. He recaps a letter he received from his parents: they congratulate his engagement. They also mention the railroad accident that day in Manchester that killed 11 men. Then his mother gave him bad news about his brother Joseph; he has not been reforming his behavior as previously thought and is almost out of credit. Joseph gets into trouble with his reckless friends and has lost the money their parents sent him. Hafner's mother tells him they won't be giving Joseph another cent and are heartbroken by the situation. Hafner tells Chandler he has no sympathy for his brother at all, and he wishes she were with him.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 17, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He says thoughts of her and her letters kept him up at night. He says a friend of his at the hotel will be sitting with him at his table now that his wife has gone up North for the summer. Hafner tells her he won't have time to write another letter that day and sends her a sample of sea oats, asking if she would like them for decoration.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 15, 1891
Albert Hafner
Content warning: This letter contains mentions of suicidal ideation. Digital Collections provides access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found within them. If you are struggling with suicidal ideation, please call or text the suicide hotline at 988.
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He admits to Chandler he is very lonely and recently stayed in bed all day. He updates her about work and laments that he isn't doing something he is more passionate about. He complains about Florida Blue-Jays who screech nonstop while he bathes. He also admits he grows impatient waiting for his business to complete and has grown tired of Tarpon Springs. He sends a clipping of a letter sent from Maria Theresa of Austria to her daughter Maria Christina. He said his love for Friedrich Schiller's poetry aligns with his love for Chandler, as he now hears his favorite lines spoken in her voice. He insists Chandler ought to live in the South where it is warmer. Hafner reminisces to the day he met her, calling it the moment he got engaged. He said his friend had just died and he was depressed with suicidal thoughts, but he was meant to defy his sorrow so he could meet her. -
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 13, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He tells her about an outdoor excursion where he saw three porpoises by his canoe. Chandler had teased him for frequently mailing an elderly woman in New Hampshire; Hafner tells her the woman was a housekeeper at the hotel who also became a caretaker to an ill man named Mr. Martin. Hafner sent fresh flowers from his garden to Martin's sick room every day, and he was impressed by how genuine and compassionate the woman was. He also recaps a conversation with a friend where he pondered connections between minds.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 10, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Writing to her from Tampa, Hafner reminisces about his bashful demeanor in the past and updates Chandler on the cigar industry. He tells her about a map he once made for a man and updates her on his friends. He also continues his discussion about the German language.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 9, 1891
Albert Hafner
Content warning: This letter contains racial slurs and mentions of racial violence. Digital Collections provides access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found within them.
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He tells her about an incident in which his neighbor woke him to come apprehend a Black male trespasser from his home, and Hafner escorted the trespasser to a deputy of the law to avoid him being killed by angry neighbors. He cautions Chandler to be aware in her home and learn how to handle a firearm. -
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 8, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He tells her he bought her Tarpon scales that he will send when they are dry and discusses politics. He also gives Chandler feedback on some sentences she previously wrote him in German and compares her to both an angel and a devil depending on how much he misses her.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 7, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He discusses the benefits of Canoes and canoeing and how it improves his health. He tells Chandler that his neighbor died of heart failure and their Family is suffering from typhoid fever. Hafner insists that another player, contaminated water, is behind the Diseases, and that he's been spreading this warning for a while. He updates Chandler on changes he makes to his canoe and informs her she can plan their wedding ceremony however she wishes.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 6, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He tells Chandler about the Fourth of July celebration he attended in Dunedin, where many Tarpon Springs residents participated in sailing races. He says, as a Prohibition town, everyone from Tarpon Springs was inebriated while others remained sober, and some Tarpon residents were the first to engage in fighting and shooting at the celebration. In his letter to Chandler, he also sends a response to a question from Mrs. Ware about fruit.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 3, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. Hafner discusses his Fourth of July plans and the concept of "old maids." He laments that the hotel is closed for guests, so he will not have any staff to cook for him.
-
Summary of July 1891 Letters, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 1891
Elizabeth H. Chandler
A summary of letters sent in July 1891 by Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, July 2, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He explains his failure to write her in the past few days and informs her that worker strikes have delayed the opening of his office. He tells Chandler he will answer the rest of her letters at a later time.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 29, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. He talks about young women and tells Chandler he is glad she is the mature, thoughtful woman she is. He responds to Chandler's previous messages informing him she had a fight with her sister; he tells her to stand tall, as her sister is ill and holds resentment from causes other than Chandler. He also tells Chandler a historic Greek story that reminded him of her.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 28, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. He responds to a previous letter in which Chandler showed concern over his great love for his cousin Bertha, who is 10 years older than him. He admits that while he loved her and they shared a kiss, he felt no disappointment when Bertha married and had children, and he only has feelings for Chandler. He tells her stories from a train ride between Paris to Berlin.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 26, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. He updates her on his work, his friends, and the air plants in his garden. He inquires about plants he sent her previously and discusses the impact of tobacco and gambling. He tells her that while he misses her greatly, he will wait for her to marry him whenever she wishes.
-
Letter in German, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 26, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter written in German by Albert Hafner for his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 23, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. He writes her about his recent trip to Clearwater with friends, and asks for an update on their shared friend, Miss Bertha. He contemplates the value of conscience versus logic and jokes about her mother detesting him. Chandler sends him a group picture of her with friends.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 22, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. He writes her about their friends and colleagues and ponders dreamily about their upcoming marriage.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 19, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. He collects and sends stamps for her brother's collection and discusses their friends. He also resigned from the newspaper.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 18, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. He writes about the qualities of good letter writing and updates her on his work. He talks to Chandler about her Family and his own, and tells her his plan of giving her a ring.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 15, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. He writes about pictures, his work at the newspaper, and Elizabeth's opinions on the Ladies' Home Journal.
-
Letter, Albert Hafner to Elizabeth Chandler, June 14, 1891
Albert Hafner
A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth H. Chandler in Massachusetts. He informs her she has inspired him to quit smoking almost entirely and updates her on the cigar-selling business.
