The Clara Ballou papers contain correspondence Clara and her traveling companion, Florence, wrote to their aunt, Carrie Miller, while traveling throughout Europe. The collection also includes love letters Clara received from her future husband, Joshua W. Nichols of Hathorne, Massachusetts. The first 3 letters in the collection, from December 1900 and January 1901, describe their travels in Jamaica, and provide detailed descriptions of scenery, local fashion, and social life around the island. The rest of the letters relate to their extended tour of Europe, which occupied most of 1902, and includes correspondence from the travelers and from Clara's beau, whose letters often reveal details of her adventures. Throughout much of their trip, Clara and Florence toured England, though they also visited Ireland and Norway. Some of their destinations were Oxford's Bodleian Library, the city of London, and Blarney Castle; they also intended to view the coronation of Edward VII in June, but it was delayed when the future king became ill. Though Clara and Florence are well represented, Joshua Nichols wrote most of the letters, and filled them with proclamations of love and daily news; he frequently attached newspaper clippings. A photograph of Clara in Venice, a newspaper clipping, and a small woven bag are also included.
Clara Louisa Ballou was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on January 30, 1869. During her early 30s, she traveled extensively throughout North America and Europe, and when she returned in 1903, she married Joshua W. Nichols of Hathorne, Massachusetts, with whom she had two children, John and Florence. She died in Danvers, Massachusetts, on June 1, 1916. Her Aunt Carrie lived in Newton, Massachusetts, with her husband, George W. Miller.
