The Courtship of Nora Babcock

Nora Babcock Cass

Franklin Smith Cass and Nora Babcock were married in 1879.  They would live to celebrate 53 years of marriage together and have two sons,  Allen, their eldest and author of the journals transcribed here at The Checkered Chicken and Rollin his younger brother by a decade.  Frank Cass was a farmer but also a community leader.  And in this position of authority he took to write a most important letter to a young woman whom he had met and could not forget.  Below is a copy of the actual letter and a transcript.  The wooing is subtle but the hope is there.


Carroll Oct 9th, 1878

Miss Babcock
                     As it falls on me to employ a Teacher for the coming term of school in this district and if I am not mistaken you have made application for it before when it was taken.  I drop this note to you to see if you are intending to teach this coming winter.  If so, would you like this school, + what would be your price per week + could you board around the district?  This is something that I hate to ask a Lady to do but as it is practiced in the dist I do not wish to violate their rules.  The school will probably average 18 or 20 (small) scholars.  Please reply as soon as convenient as I have plenty of applications at present.
                                     Yours Respectfully
                                     Frank S. Cass
Dist. No.5                               Frewsburg, NY

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Five months later they were married on March 12, 1879.  Talk about a whirlwind.

Frank S. Cass*

 * I realize I have posted this photo previously in relation to the horse but I ask you, doesn't it bear another viewing?  Frank cuts a helluva fine figure.