This collection consists of a typed copy of the reminiscences of Mariette C. Crittenden, written in 1907 when she was eighty-two years old. Her parents migrated from Vermont to Saline, Michigan, in 1831, when she was 6. After a rudimentary education, Mrs. Crittenden began teaching school at age 16. She married in 1851, and raised a large family. In the reminiscences, written as a letter to one of her daughters, Mrs. Crittenden describes her family's trip from Vermont by canal, steam boat, and stagecoach. She also discusses neighbors in Saline, the schools she attended or taught, as well as the harsh and sometimes dangerous conditions pioneers faced. A separate part of the reminiscences, entitled "Housekeeping of 75 Years Ago," includes a discussion of cooking and housekeeping chores.