Lucy Mary Jane Waters with Husband, Richard Waters

Before grocery stores were convenient ….
One of the oldest English families in the county is the Henshaw/Waters family that held the original land deed on Hermitage Farm on Hwy. 42 outside of Goshen. The family settled there in 1828 and sold the farm in 1936 to thoroughbred horse owner and breeder, Warner Jones. Some of the same family members also purchased Locust Grove in Louisville in the late 1800s and lived there for many years. The following is taken from a letter written by Elizabeth “Aunt Betty” Henshaw on Feb. 18, 1884 at Hermitage Farm, of items that she is sending to her sister, Lucy Mary Jane Henshaw Waters, who has just moved with her husband, Richard Waters, to Locust Grove in Louisville. George, that Elizabeth is referring to, is George Page, a slave that worked on the farm.. John (who is mentioned to be sick in this letter) is Lucy and Richard’s son. This letter is courtesy of a Water/Henshaw descendant, Lucy Waters Clausen.

Feb. 18, 1884
Sister Jane,
At last George has been after the fruit trees and has deposited them in the cellar for safe keeping and will be obliged to start from here when he goes tomorrow – so I will be sure to catch him- and I have gotten as many things ready to send by him, as I expect he can carry. All the eggs I sent are fresh laid – those in the old water bucket are the newest – have been laid since last Thursday. They are all packed in meal which will be good for use. I sent a box containing some of the large meat dishes that are “doing nothing” here and which I know you need. For you surely did not take anything with you and I know you have needed things to use for setting meat away in. I have at last “fished out” some of the crockery that I brought up here, among other things the plates . .so I sent you eight of those that have been used regularly on the table; those that are left, together with what I brought up here, give me an ample supply’ until I know John will be glad to have one of these to eat out of for he says your new plates “won’t hold as well as a saucer”. I also sent six of those great big plates because they are so handy to use for so many purposes. You will see that I have reserved the whitest and best of them and sent you the refuse of the lot and also white I only sent you six. I kept a whole dozen. In the box that has the bagging around it I sent your cucumber catsup, at least, as much of it as was not utterly spoilt – and I filled up the empty space around the jar with some jars of preserves for you left nearly the whole stock of preserves here and you know we do not need them. In this box I put an egg (tied up in paper) which was quite a curiosity to me. I boiled it so that it might not daub up the jars if it was broken. Lest you should be bothering about the kegs boxes and so on that I send the things in. I will just say that I have no use for them –there is plenty of some sort left so don’t send them back.
I hope to hear that John has gotten well: I have been very anxious to hear how he got along with his small pox or whatever he had. I forgot to say, I put three beef tongue in the box with the dishes right on top along side of your black pitcher and your little bowls and tin pan. The barrel of hams I sent will do to use, Edmund says, as he probed them all but be sure to get rid of them before the skippers hatch out in them or they will get into your new meat. I started to smoke this meat today. I am having what meat bags have found, washed and will send them to you another time. Good night, and God be with you.

Your affectionate sister
Elizabeth

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