Central Texas Stories and Legends

Letters From Addie

Addie Barton, Missionary to Mexico
1884-1921

Preface

This is the story of Louisa Adeline "Addie" Barton, pioneer missionary to Mexico. The story is told through letters, many of which she wrote to her family back home in Salado, Texas.

It was in the year of 2005 that I first learned that Addie's letters were housed at the Bell County Museum in Belton, Texas. Upon learning this, a friend and I went to the museum every Tuesday morning for several weeks and hand copied Addie's letters. I then typed each letter just as Addie had written it. The numbers at the top left of each letter were written onto the documents by the museum.

The first of Addie's letters in this collection is dated July 11, 1884. In this letter she wrote of beginning her journey into Mexico. The last of Addie's letters is her retirement letter dated June 29, 1921. In the intervening thirty-seven years she wrote dozens and dozens of letters telling of her joys and triumphs, her worries and concerns, and of her unyielding confidence and trust in her call to the mission field.

As my friend and I copied each letter, we became more and more intrigued with Addie's story, and realized that if her letters were not made known, her work and her life would be lost to history. We are therefore, pleased and happy to present Letters from Addie.

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By Charlene Ochsner Carson
Page last updated: November 2, 2018