January 22, 1857. Ezra Cornell to Mary Ann Cornell: "I went with at the urgent request of a friend last night to converse with the spirits, He being a firm believer, and having had satisfactory confabs. The Spirit who conversed with me, the medium said was that of my Grandfather Reuben Barnard, who attempted to answer questions that I asked, but as no one of a dozen questions was answered right, I came to the conclusion that it was not the spirit of my Grand Father for he was a man of great truth, and would not answer questions in this shabby manner." Topics: Telegraph business correspondence: finances, office operations, western lines; Spiritualism; New York and Western Union Telegraph Company.; Ithaca farm; Minnesota State Telegraph Company. Personal names: Cornell, E.S.; Chester, E.W.; Curtiss, George; Cornell, D.B.; Wade, J.H.; Wood, O.S. Geography: Ithaca, N.Y.; Minnesota.