A phrase from historical newspaper personal ads, explained with real examples from the archive.
Someone to exchange letters with. Wanting a correspondent could be the first step toward marriage, or simply a wish for letters.
| Type | Historical phrase |
|---|---|
| Earliest example in the archive | January 21, 1865, Soldier's Letter |
| Most common | 1860s to the 1920s |
Before telephones were common, a courtship often began on paper. During the Civil War, women wrote to soldiers' papers asking for correspondents in the ranks, and the archive's 1865 letter from two women in Iowa is one of them. Later ads use would like to correspond in the same way.
OSKALOOSA, IOWA, Jan. 5th, 1865. MR. EDITOR:—Misses Mollie and Nellie present their compliments, and hope this letter will not be considered an intrusion. We, each of…
A YOUNG LADY OF MEANS WILL BE pleased to correspond with a young gentleman of position and polished habits. Ultimate object, matrimony. Address E. A. S., Democrat office.
WANTED—A young man of moral habits wishes a young lady correspondent. Object matrimony. Address, S. Martin, Silver City, New Mexico.
AMERICAN GENTLEMAN, 40, with few thousand dollars, would like to correspond with a good kind lady of means. If interested, write Box 353, Manchester, N. H.
The pen pal and, later, the slow exchange of messages on a personals app both descend from the correspondent.
All dictionary entries · The Personals Archive · How to write a personal ad
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