The Manchester Historic Association houses thousands of personal and business letters, journals and cards donated by area families over the years. Currently, MHA’s paper archives are in storage at the Amherst Street location, but exhibit organizers often use letters, notes and other handwritten artifacts to enhance their exhibits at the Millyard Museum, including the current display, “Victorian Secrets.”

The Currier Museum of Art also finds value in the use of letters to complement art exhibits. For example, letters written by Alfred Stieglitz to art collector Duncan Phillips are framed alongside paintings in the exhibit “In the American Grain.” The letters give the viewer a sense of context that only the written word can provide.

Historians and museum curators wonder what the historical exhibits of the future will be like, with the written word disappearing in favor of e-mail and text messages.

“The letter, as a form of communication and documentation, is how we’ve tracked history over the years,” said Jane Glennan, public programs coordinator at the Millyard Museum. “How will we track history for future generations?”

Famous letters in history
• The feud of letters between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams: The birth of America is chronicled through this fierce and passionate exchange between two of American history’s great figures. For more, read “The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams,” by Lester J. Cappon, 1988.

• George Washington’s plea to the New Hampshire legislature: In 1777, General Washington sent the New Hampshire legislature a letter asking that more men be rallied and sent to Valley Forge. The letter includes some honest language about the shocking conditions of battle.

• Letter from Frederick Douglass to Mary Todd Lincoln: Following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, his widow sent the anti-slavery activist her husband’s favorite walking stick. Douglass sent her a tender, compassionate letter of thanks and consolation.

• The letters between Albert Einstein and Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Known by historians as “the letters that started the arms race,” Einstein implores the President to consider the dangers of atomic warfare.

• Eyewitness account of the sinking of the Titanic: Written on Carpathia stationery by a first class passenger on the Titanic, this letter is one of the earliest, most immediate and compelling accounts of the disaster.

Want to kick-start a letter-writing movement?
Books to read:
• “Literature in Letters Or Manners, Art, Criticism, Biography, History and Morals,” by James P. Holcombe, Kessinger Publishing, 2005

• “Webster’s New World Letter Writing Handbook,” by Robert Bly, Webster Publishing, 2003

• “Letters of the Century: 1900-1999,” by Lisa Grunwald, The Dial Press, 1999

Yet it is possible, in this season of joy, to send a family letter that doesn’t send shivers of fear down the receiver’s spine.

Science fiction writer Jim Kelly, a Nottingham resident, has been sending a family Christmas newsletter for several years, and it’s a big hit with readers. He starts coming up with ideas for the letter around Thanksgiving, and picks a theme for the letter’s overall style. Kelly then infuses his annual letter with funny photos and a touch of self-deprecating humor.

These two postcards are typical examples of turn-of-the-20th-century cards sent at the holidays. The greeting card of today didn’t come into common use until later in the century.

“You don’t want to appear to be bragging about the things you’ve done over the year,” Kelly advised. “That turns people off.”

For example, when Kelly and his family moved into a lakefront home a few years ago, his holiday letter informed people of his new address, complete with Photoshopenhanced pictures of his new digs – a picture of the Taj Mahal superimposed on the author’s property. Another year, Kelly used photos from a family trip to Europe as the basis for the letter’s theme.

“We went on the vacation in the spring, so to make it more festive for the holidays, I used Photoshop to add a few funny things, like a photo of Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’ wearing a Santa hat,” Kelly said.

You don’t have to be a computer whiz to make a good letter, according to Kelly.

“Just remember not to overwhelm people with information, and keep the tone fun,” he said. “Add a few photos to keep the reader interested. They don’t have to be anything fancy. Just ask yourself what kind of letter you’d like to read, and take it from there.”

Jim Kelly is the author of “Burn” and “Strange But Not a Stranger.” His newest play, “The Duel,” will premiere at The Palace Theater in January. Kelly is also chairman of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. For more information, go to jimkelly.net

Mirror Publications • Manchester Articles • Concord Articles • Single Cynic • Married Cynic