Two 1842 letters from Sarah A. Grinnell to Olive H. Grinnell, Union, Maine were sent from Newton Upper Falls where Sarah worked in a mill. Although the mill is not identified, the Pettee Mill was a major employer in Upper Falls and it is most likely that that is where she worked. The letters contain commentaries about the mill, working condition and pay. In October she writes

My health is quite good with the exception of sore eyes which are caused I think by the cotton dust and working by lamplight . . .

. . . Monday they gave notice that the wages would be cut down the first of Dec. I don't know how much it must be from nothing to less than nothing.

In the November letter, she writes

The cloth is very fine for Calico and tender so that it is very difficult to mend the ends . . . ..All the light we have is a large glass lantern suspended over each loom . . . .

These letters are in sharp contrast to letters in the Pettee Family Papers. Lousia, daughter of mill owner Otis Pettee, writing in January 1840, says

I feel rather dull this afternoon in consequence of being out rather late last night . . . This place is famous for sleigh rides, and parties this winter . . . We spent the evening in Concord - got home about three in the morning . . . . We had a grand good time I tell you...

Nothing else in known about Sarah A. Grinnell, but her two letters speak clearly about her experiences in the Newton mills in 1842.

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References:
Pettee Family Papers 1869-1901