Howe Poetic! Sarah's Aunt Lou Winslow Howe of Carrollton, Kentucky, Says 'Merry Christmas' in Verse

Readers of this blog won't be surprised to know that at least one of Sarah Eva Howe's relatives – an aunt by marriage – wrote a poem about Christmas.

Louisiana Winslow Howe, c. 1940

The poet was Louisiana Winslow Howe, born 27 May 1852 in Carrollton, Kentucky, to local attorney and judge William Beverly Winslow and his wife Martha Jane Woolfork Winslow. In 1873, "Lou" married one of Sarah's paternal uncles, William Ficklin Howe. You can learn more about her and see another photo in a previous post: The Highly Accomplished Family of William Ficklin Howe. There's also a short article about her on the website Northern Kentucky Views. (Scroll to the bottom of that page.) It was written just five years before her death (1944) and details her family connection to several prominent Virginians.

By the way, have you ever gone to AbeBooks.com and searched for writings by your ancestors? Surprises may await you there. Just this morning I found a copy of Lou's published verse, Rambling Rhymes. I ordered it and hope to have it in my hands before the year ends.

But enough about Lou. It's Christmas! Grab some hot cider and enjoy her holiday greeting in verse. It's full of sentiment and is a pleasant read, but (dare I say it?) I think her verse pales in comparison to poems written by her niece Sarah.

 

Christmas Greetings 
From Carrollton

by Louisiana Winslow Howe

Northward, nearby, we see the hills,

Down which run many rippling rills,

United with "La belle riviere,"

Over which grand boats throughout the year

Steam swiftly onward to and fro

Through waters of the Ohio.

From windows, East and South and West,

Kentucky's hills, which I love best,

Stretch outward, upward, seem to try

By distant curves, to reach the sky;

As toward the South Land they extend

Greetings to far-off towns I send.

A Merry Christmas to all friends!

Our hope of real joy depends

On One, whose, heaven appointed, birth

Brought joy and peace to all the earth;

Foretold by prophets and by seers

Proclaimed by Angel messengers;

"Glory to God, on Earth be peace,"

(To trusting souls) which ne'er shall cease.

May peace and joy always abide

With each one as at Christmastide

When feasts are closing, we lift up

And pass along a Loving Cup;

Love lingers throughout all the year,

Love still abides, and grows more dear;

Soars on beyond the bounds of Time

Matures in a Celestial Clime.

                     

(Photo courtesy of Bill Davis, who posted it on Findagrave.com Memorial #31550920.)