Kate Faulds (nee Ronberg) married Claud Faulds in Seattle in 1898 and returned with him to Tolt, Washington. They soon moved to Redmond, Washington where a son, William, was born in 1902. Kate concerned herself with raising William, keeping house, and working in the garden. Claud clerked in a clothing and dry goods store, worked on the home, and gardened. By 1909 the Faulds had moved to Wapato, Washington where Claud opened his own clothing and dry goods store. At the end of 1915 they sold the business and moved to Sultan, Washington where Claud's father owned property. There they raised chickens, pigs, cows, grains, and vegetables. Claud joined the Farmer's Union and in 1919 sold the business and began managing the Grange store. In the same year, the Faulds moved to Monroe, Washington.
The bulk of these papers are Kate Faulds' correspondence with her younger sister Elizabeth, who lived at the corner of 25th and Denny Way, Seattle, then moved to 1164 East Lake Avenue when she married Charles Gifford in 1902, and moved to 3928 Eastern Avenue in January 1917. The correspondence covers daily life: activities of relations and friends, childrearing, domestic work, marital relations, gardening, farming, health care, illness, social events, and leisure activities. A few references are made to world issues, such as the right of women to vote and the war.
The letters are arranged chronologically and include a few enclosures such as news clippings, an advertisement for Claud's store, and swatches of material from which Kate sewed clothing. There are also a few letters, arranged chronologically, sent to Elizabeth Gifford from relations and friends, including Claud and William Faulds. These can be found under "Correspondence: Others." There are no letters dating from 1906 to 1908 or for the years 1912 through 1914.
This collection is open for research use.
[Item Description]. Cage 530, Kate Faulds Papers . Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The papers of Kate Faulds were purchased from a New Jersey dealer in 1984 (84-32).
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The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.