A little girl writes her aunt and cousins to tell about a Fourth of July family camping trip on Caddo Lake near Oil City. They slept in tents and brought along ice cream, Coca Colas, and chickens to eat in case the fish weren't biting. What's remarkable about this tale? This could have happened this past Fourth, and be referring to the activities of likely several families.
In this case however, the occasion described by Susie Lee Guess of Oma, MS took place in 1923. The "aunt" and "cousins" were not literal relatives, but the author and and other readers of a column titled "Aunt Jane's Letter Box" that once appeared in a children's section of the New Orleans Times Picayune newspaper. The section contained cartoons, stories, games, and "Aunt Jane's" column. Here children wrote to tell of their accomplishments and experiences and receive acknowledgement and encouragement for their "aunt." It was a sort of social network in the days before the internet and smart phones, as children could "network" by becoming penpals with other children ("cousins") who read the column.
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