This is a letter to Mrs. J.A. Elliott (Arminda Hathaway) from Mrs. Hattie Nelson, dated Sept. 16, 1926. It is a curious letter, not because of the content but because it still exists.
In the letter, Mrs. Nelson addresses
Mrs Elliott as "aunt" and informs her of the recent death of Mrs. Nelson's mother. She also asks Mrs. Elliott if she would notify "Uncle Frank" and "Aunt Duck."
Notice that the condition of the letter and the envelope is poor -- it appears to be partially eaten by moths or mice. Yet it was in the possession of Maxine Elliott Mottice, Arminda's grand-daughter, and she obviously kept it for many years.
Who is Hattie Nelson and who is her mother, and why was this letter kept? If Mrs. Nelson is a niece to Mrs. Elliott, she is probably a daughter (or daughter-in-law) to one of Arminda's or John A. Elliott's siblings. Since she wrote to Arminda rather than John, I presume her mother was a sister or sister-in-law to Arminda.
Moreover, she makes reference to two of Arminda's siblings. "Uncle Frank" probably refers to Francis Hathaway, but the more convincing association with the Hathaways is "Aunt Duck", which was the affectionate nickname for Serepta Hathaway (Stump).
A potential clue regarding the identity of the sender is that the letter originates from Winona, WV. Winona is in Fayette County, which is south of Calhoun County. I do not have records of which Hathaways lived in Fayette County, however.
Nor does the date offer much assistance in identifying Mrs. Nelson or her mother. None of the records I have of the death dates of Arminda's siblings are 1926, but I don't have records of their spouses' deaths.
As for the question of why Maxine Mottice Elliott had this letter, or why she kept it all these years -- that remains a mystery. Anyone have any hypotheses?