Dear Cousins:

"Good morning Cousins!" How, are you all? The idea of the "Campbell Cousins Correspondence" seems to be a good one and if carried out, will, I am sure, fill a long‑felt want. The combined reports coming in every three months will contain a wealth of information as to names, dates, history, current events, etc., etc., which we would not otherwise have and we must all co‑operate with our secretary, whoever he or she may be, to the fullest extent. To think of writing one letter and getting twenty‑five or thirty letters in reply and, from just the very ones who are so near and dear to us, is certainly wonderful,‑ and I for one am glad the scheme has been inaugurated and will promise right now to do my full share toward making the project a complete and permanent success.

As the Secretary for the time being, I, of course, have a slight advantage over the other Cousins in being able to see the letters first and combine them for our permanent record, and you cannot imagine hoes much real genuine pleasure has come to me in this matter.

I must of necessity write a letter of comment and suggestions on other sheets so will confine, this letter to personal and family history.

In some of our future reports, we will try and dig a little deeper into genealogy and family history, but will skip all this for the present report and simply tell you that I came to New York City on April 30, 1892,‑ a little over thirty‑one years ago and have been in business here ever since. For the past fifteen years, I have been identified with the oldest Life Insurance Company in the country,‑ The New England Mutual Life Insurance Company of Boston. I believe the selling of Life Insurance is one of the most laudable professions a man can be engaged in and that we are doing almost as much good as the ministers of the Gospel. The ministers are looking out for the spiritual welfare of folks, whereas we Insurance Agents are providing for the widows and orphans after the breadwinner has been called home.

During the thirty‑one years I have been in New York I have made a number of trips back to dear old Tioga County but have not gone every year, and have therefore missed seeing my own relatives as often as I should like. From now on however, we are going to try to visit the Tioga County folks at least once a year; in fact we are just now planning to leave New York about July 18th and be in

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Tioga County the best part of two weeks and hope to see many of our Cousins.

We are all usually well, and busy as beavers all the time and especially so this month. We moved up to our summer home at Mount Tabor [NJ] about June 1st. Of all the Cousins only Jud Seely and Mabel Shaw have seen our summer home.

The month of June in our Company is our special month of the year and I have been getting up at six o’clock every morning to take a seven of clock train and riding nearly forty miles to get to my office in time to do a big day’s work,‑ and have been meeting with good success.

Another important extent with us this month will be the graduation of our daughter, Doris Adele Selph [later Drake], who by the way was a Christmas present to us, having been born on Sunday, December 25, 1904. She was, therefore eighteen years old last Christmas Day. She graduates with honor June 28th; having been certified in all her four years work at the High School and expects to enter Wheaton College, at Norton, Massachusetts, when the fall term begins about September 30th. You mothers know how much fussing there is to be done with dresses and frills, preparatory for the graduation of a daughter; and,

Last but not least this month bas been the inauguration of our "Campbell Cousins Correspondence",‑ so you see with it all, Cousin Will Selph has been busy but I am happy to report that I am in fine physical shape and that everything has been moving along just fine.

After returning from Tioga County , the latter part of July, I expect to be busy for the first half of August, and then hope to start out on our fourth trip, New Englandward, first driving up the Hudson River to Albany, then up to the Adirondacks, then over to the Northern part of the Green Mountains, then to the White Mountains, then to Poland Springs, and on to Portland, Maine, and back by the Shore Route, taking in the Cape Cod trip on the way. We never tire of the wonderful scenery of the New England states and in a later report we hope to tell you something of out two vacation trips.

With much love to you all and hoping that the plan now. started will be carried down to our descendants for years to come, I am,

Sincerely,

COUSIN WILLIAM E. SELPH