Maria Hill Davidson

Born:

Died: February 12, 1906

Married: Alfred E Davidson

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The following information was received by HSL via e-mail from Suzanne McPhillips, June 8, 2020:

Maria (Minnie) Hill Davidson was a tb patient beginning in September 1904. She stayed at the Reception Cottage until January 1905. She then moved into Griffin Cottage where she lived until her death February 12, 1906. Minnie was my great grandmother. My grandmother was only seven when Minnie died but she kept 80 letters that her mother wrote to her husband Alfred E Davidson over the year and a half that she was there. Minnie was born in Great Village, Nova Scotia, Canada and lived with her husband and five children in New Rochelle, New York.

Mrs. Griffin (landlord) stayed in Saranac Lake until she eventually went back to her family in Nova Scotia after her husband passed in 1904. She talks about Mr. Miller bringing firewood and helping out generally. I believe he had a store in town or worked there. She also mentions Dr. Baldwin and Dr. Kinghorn making visits to her. In the letters she also mentions that Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Vincent lived in the house too. Nellie helps to take care of them for a while.

I have the letters and have been transcribing them so that we have the story of her stay. My extended family would like to see them and read the transcription. I am almost done with doing that. The letters are fragile and written in pencil so I would like to see them preserved.