April first is fast approaching. Those two words are borrowed from a composition written by Uncle Joe Campbell, when he was very young. I found it among some papers of my mother's, and of course Uncle Joe wanted it and I gave it to him, and now I have forgotten it

It seems to be that this has been an eventful year in the history of the Campbell Clan - so that no one need to keep silence for lack of news.

Most of you know that I had a vacation last fall in October, when I visited at Marshalls Falls, Pa.,(Footnote: Marshall Falls, the summer home of her 2nd cousin, Charlie Congdon. That home was the site of the previous fall's "Cousins Dinner.") Madison, N.J.,(Footnote: Madison was the home of Cousin George L. Buck, whose mother was Stella's 1st cousin.) Maplewood, N.J. (Footnote: Maplewood was the home of her 2nd cousin, Will Selph. ) and New York City.(Footnote: Will Selph's office was in NYC.)As I had never been out of Nelson, that is very far out, you can imagine what the trip meant to me, and it has been a great comfort to me all winter. I have not been away from home since I returned last fall, but I think now if Ann Owlett ever gets settled again, she will stay here and let me take another short vacation.

I have not seen the girls(Footnote: Her daughters, Eva HOOKER Hills and Treva HOOKER Hazlett.) as often as usual this winter. The roads have been bad, and are still almost impassable(Footnote: Most roads in the US were unpaved back then. Spring rains turned those dirt roads into deep seas of mud, in which cars would sink to their axles. Stella lived on south side Nelson's "main drag," which later became the original Rt. 49. She lived a few houses east of Depot St. and Charlie Blackwell, mentioned in the next paragraph, lived on the same road, but further east.) How good it will seem to get all the letters again. To hear from all the cousins great and small.

Some of you may not know that Charlie Blackwell has a granddaughter, Caroline M., daughter of Enoch and Cora. This is quite an important event, being the only girl ever born in Uncle Enoch's family.(Footnote: [Charlie and Stella's mother were 1st cousins.] Stella isn't counting Charlie Blackwell's adoptive daughter, Ruth Sarah BAILEY/BLACKWELL Partridge. It was quite common back then to exclude adoptees from list of people's children. Consciously or not, many seemed to think that only "blood" relatives counted.) Three grandchildren already,(Footnote: I'm not sure about who the 3 grandchildren Stella was referring to were. One was Enoch Delivan Blackwell, a son of Cora. Another was Lockwood Preston Blackwell, who died later that year, before he was a year old. Cora later had a second daughter, Mariam Frances BLACKWELL Bliss. ) and they are fine too.

I am wondering if Charlie Congdon has settled in California,(Footnote: Charlie Congdon's daughter Bernice convalesced for more than 2 years in AZ and CA, accompanied by Charlie's wife and by Bernice' sister, Louise. ) or will he walk in some day soon? I cannot think of any important events in my life lately. Aunt Eunice(Footnote: "Aunt Eunice" refers to Eunice LOOP Smith, half-sister of Stella's father.) and I have survived the long cold winter. She is fine, but I am pretty well used up this spring. Think I would like to join the Florida friends another winter.

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