In Their Own Hand

When was the last time you sent or received an honest-to-goodness handwritten letter? This method of communication is so intentional and requires time, care and effort to conduct. The discovery of old letters can feel like opening a time capsule, revealing moments that have long been buried. Such was the case when we received letters that had been preserved for more than 100 years by Nelle Horner Grantham and her family and friends.

Nelle was the 31st president of Nebraska State Chapter and presided at the 1926 Nebraska State Convention. While serving as the recording secretary of Nebraska State Chapter in 1921, Nelle extended convention invitations to several pioneer P.E.O.s. She received and saved responses from Winona Evans Reeves, the fourth and longest-serving editor of The P.E.O. Record, as well as P.E.O. Founders Mary Allen Stafford, Franc Roads Elliott, and Alice Bird Babb.

Reading the letters is a bit like reading the biography of each author. Alice Bird Babb’s response hints at the fact that Mrs. Grantham likely requested a letter to the Nebraska State Convention in the event that attendance wasn’t possible. Alice explains that she cannot attend the convention nor write a lengthy letter on the orders of her doctor. Her humor is sharp and she writes that she recently returned from a “winter sojourn in California, where I went in the hope of recovering lost strength, but, altho the trip was most delightful…I did not find the fountain of youth for which I went…” Given that she authored the first Oath and Constitution, along with many preserved handwritten letters and articles, it seems understandable that this one would be brief.

Portion of a handwritten letter from Alice Bird Babb

Winona Reeves’ letter is on the official letterhead of The P.E.O. Record and gets straight to the point; cordial and concise. “I assure you that the pleasure in coming to your convention is mine.” And she includes the postscript that “I shall come from the West, from the Colo convention.”

Handwritten letter by Winona Reeves from 1921 on P.E.O. Record letterhead

Mary Allen Stafford’s letter is a brief regret of the invitation and closes with the statement that she believes our Sisterhood is “making everyone that lives up to its teaching a better woman and makes them better prepared to do the work that has been given them to do.” Poised and dignified indeed.

Portion of a handwritten letter from Mary Allen Stafford

Portion of a handwritten letter from Franc Roads Elliott

Franc Roads Elliott is also unable to attend the convention due to expense, but ever the activist, she then writes a rather lofty and inspirational note with more than one call to action. It is no surprise that on the heels of the end of the first World War and the passage of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote, Franc expounds upon the potential of P.E.O.s to exert their
influence. Her handwriting becomes somewhat difficult to read, and if read out loud, her sentences seem to come in one breath, spoken quickly and with passion. She writes “There are many things of keen interest and opportunity today for P.E.O.s by which they, because of this understanding of what organization means, as well as the high ideals of the women who belong to our loved order posesses, to make of themselves a united force … for never before has there been the chance for women to express ideals and use their influence for the uplift of humanity… We are happy in being privaleged to live now, at a time – the first time the law gives us the right of expression. The great question is – will women exert these new opportunities – will PEOs waken to the fact of what they collectively and without any great sacrifice are able to do with this new potential energy, that every woman should posess.” The spelling and emphasis are Franc’s.

The Founders’ words of encouragement and wisdom continue to resonate, inspiring today’s members to carry on their work with the same passion, perseverance and boldness that defined P.E.O.’s earliest days. These letters remind us that our Sisterhood is one built on the strength of individual women, each bringing her own unique perspective, skills and personality to the collective mission to motivate, educate and celebrate women.

A special thank you to Kate Miller for donating the letters on behalf of Gladys Grantham Benthack in memory of her mother Nelle Horner Grantham, and to Cindy Biehl, Historian for Nebraska State Chapter. Do you have a P.E.O. historic treasure to share? We’d love to know about it! Use the Contact Us form on the P.E.O. International website and be sure to mark Historical Information.