ALBINA8 JANE COBURN
ALBINA8 JANE COBURN (Tyler7, David6, David5,
Moses4, Moses3, Joseph2, Edward1)
b. 28 Dec. 1875 d. 1900, unmarried, daughter and youngest child of Tyler Coburn and
Elizabeth (Smith) Coburn.
Bina went to school across the road and attended Normal School in Fredericton to become
a teacher. She taught at Macnaquac and possibly at other places.
The following letter to her brother `Tyler is postmarked Keswick Ridge, N.B. Sp.29/99.
lt has a two-cent postage stamp showing the British Empire in red on a worldmap.
The reverse side of the envelope shows another postal mark of San Francisco rec’d
Oct. 9, 8:00 a.m.
Dear Brother,
I will write a few lines this morning but will not have time for very much,
but it will be better than nothing. We were pleased to hear that you think when making
another move, that it will be nearer home. Mother almost thought you might be on your
way to Boston, I only wish that you was. Laura Coburn intends to go to Boston the first
of the month, she is going to be book-keeper for Lijah, she has been looking around to
find some teacher to take her school off her hands. Poor little Bessie Albright is dead,
they took her to the hospital this fall you know and had an operation, took off a lot of
matter from her lung. I think that was about the middle of August, when Charlie was home.
She died yesterday morning at 3 o’clock, Mr. Albright went to town, I think he telegraphed
for the boys. I do not know whether they are coming home or not. Of course they must have
been expecting it, but it will be sad for them. We have not heard yet when the funeral will
be if the boys are to come of course it will not be so soon as it would have. Mother got a
letter or rather an invitation to a wedding, Charlie Kitchen’s daughter, you remember
seeing Charlie do you not? The girl lives at Mrs. Burt’s of Keswick and they wanted to ask
Mrs. Kitchen did not know where she was, so sent her invitation here and one for Father
and Mother with it. The Teacher Institute meets next week the 5th and 6th. I intend to
go down. It is in the new High School building this year. They had a wedding in Mactnaquac
this week Ella Currie and Jim Wilson. They had a chivara, and they say that it frightened a
horse to death, it fell right down dead. I never heard tell of the like. The horse belongs
to Chas. Currie, Queensbury or Big Charles as they call him. I will say Good-Bye and hope
we will hear from you very soon.
from your loving sister Bina
One of Bina’s friends was Florence Miller of Lower Caverhill. Her signature is in Bina’s
autograph album. Florence (Fanny) attended the Keswick Ridge Superior School. She became
Myrtle Coburn9’s mother-in-law when Myrtle married Fanny’s son Marshall Robison.
I recall my father telling about walking to Fredericton to get Bina some medicine.
It was late March and the road wasn’t passable for horses. He had to walk on the comb
of the road (the centre raised portion of a snow road). The snow was melting rapidly.
But the trip was in vain. Bina died in her twenty-fifth year.
