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I Found ‘Dear Santa Claus’ Letters from My Great-Grandmother circa 1896–1897
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
14 Dec 1897, Tue • Page 8
One of the sweetest moments in my family tree exploration was the discovery of a very simple item – a letter to Santa published in the Pittsburgh Press on 18 December 1896. The author was a 6-year-old girl named Jennie Rice. She lived at 70 Poplar Alley in the Lower Hill District.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
18 Dec 1896, Fri • Page 13
Jennie was either my great-grandmother whom we knew as Jane or another sister that we’ve never know about. We’ve lost track of this family unit from 1890-1910 while the children were young so it is difficult to know for certain. Jane was born in 1893 which is not the right age for this letter.
But the letter is a lovely little gift, a glimpse into daily life.
Jennie has an interesting array of present preferences, including a bank filled with money and a set of teeth. As I began researching “Dear Santa” features in historical papers, I discovered that teeth were not an infrequent request. One young boy asked for teeth for his 3 month old brother so the baby could eat good food. Generous of him.
Interestingly, the Smithsonian explains that the very first letters were FROM Santa, admonishing…
