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A Love for a Lifetime
by Julia Yount
This Valentine’s season, let’s look back on a love story over 125 years old. A young Branchport man, Orba Burtch, in love with a girl who grew up on the Bluff, Margaret Harris (better known as Maud). Their love takes place in a time where a snowy winter could mean weeks apart. Good weather meant a 30-minute ride, either on bicycle or horse and cart.
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| Orba Burtch |
Strange to think back then two people who lived five miles apart would be in a long distance relationship. It makes sense why so many of our ancestors married their neighbors. It was a lot easier to get to know the girl next door. The distance didn’t deter Orba. With no electricity or easy access to a telephone, he wrote Maud letters. He wrote at least 72, between December of 1898 and December of 1900. That averages to about a letter and a half a week.
These letters are a window to the past of a great Yates County love story that spanned over 62 years. They contain Orba’s longings, but also local intrigue, and even a villain, Alfred E. Hayes (referred to in most letters as Mr. H).
Our letters start during the cold winter of 1898/1899, but our love story begins the previous summer. Maud at 18 was briefly an assistant for Alfred E. Hayes, the incumbent Republican Town Clerk of Jerusalem. Spending her summer in Branchport for this job, she met 24-year- old Orba Burtch. The two begin a courtship, but soon find themselves fending off untoward gossip being spread by the much senior Mr. H around town. Now why Maud’s employer does this, our letters don’t reveal. Orba became fearful Maud’s family would believe this gossip and not approve of their relationship. Maud despaired that people in Branchport might think less of her as a young lady. However, in March 1899 Orba got his redress. He agreed as a favor to friends to be put up as the Democratic candidate for the Town Clerk position. With no idea of winning in such a strong Republican township, he wrote to Maud of his dislike for politics, but thanked her for such strong encouragement. Hayes used his campaign to further disparage Orba’s character. Orba, refused to bad mouth Hayes, he worked on his business, helped his neighbors, and wrote to his love. He beat Hayes 352 to 327 and put an end to the conspiring of Mr. H.
This victory brought great hope to Orba that he could build a life for his future bride with the clerkships extra $250 to $300 a year. At the same time Orba and his brother were in the construction of their general goods store which opened April of 1899. Orba and Maud worked here for most of their life. A later article in a 1950 edition of the Yates County Chronicle about their ‘Golden’ wedding anniversary describes them as, “Two of the best known people in Yates County.” Their store was a fixture in the Branchport community for decades.
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| Burtch Store |
The early days of their love story contain sleigh rides in winter, books of poetry, the first seeds of rose bushes being planted and p.s. I love yous. Set to the backdrop of life in this young, busy community where politics and business are bustling, trolleys and steamboats make travel easy, the dealings of neighbors make fair share of the local news, and residents remain wary of a rogue gang of drunks going around at night stealing chickens.
In the century and a quarter since these letters were written, much of our world and community has changed. Looking back on the story of Orba and Maud who stayed married from December 26, 1900 until Maud’s death September 30, 1962, it gives perspective to how much we gain and lose as time passes. In the age of technology where we expect to be connected at all times, are love stories like Orba and Maud’s a thing of the past? I think not. The beauty in these letters is, that even for those of us who believe we live simple unremarkable lives, we can make a great deal of difference in the world by how we treat one another. Orba and Maud are certainly shining examples of that to each other and to all those who will remember them thanks to this collection.
The Yates County History Center has these letters thanks to Maud who saved each letter Orba wrote her, and hid them away so they survived long after her death. Also, Orba and Maud’s son, Lauren, who discovered the letters after his father’s death, and generously passed them onto us. The History Center is always open to donations such as these that pertain to its Yates County residents.
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