Albert Arnold Corfu, 1847 to Amey Allin, Rhode Island

Letter is addressed to Mrs. Amey Allin, Providence, R.I., and is a three+ page 'Dear Mother' letter written by daughter Sarah, and also one page of writing from 'son' A.N. Arnold. He was actually son in law, but the usual custom in those days was to leave out the 'in law'.

The headline is Corfu, Jan 8, 1847.

Arnold did his writing on Jan. 21. A.N. Arnold would be Albert Nicholas Arnold.

Here's a bio I saw on the internet: "Albert Nicholas Arnold ARNOLD, Albert Nicholas, clergyman, born in Cranston, Rhode Island, 12 February 1814; died in Cranston, Rhode Island. 11 October 1883. He was graduated at Brown in 1838, studied at Newton theological seminary, and on 14 September 1841, was ordained pastor of the Baptist Church at Newburyport, Massachusetts. From 1844 to 1854 he was a missionary to Greece, from 1855 to 1857 he was professor of Church history at Newton seminary, and in 1858 he became pastor at Westborough, Massachusetts, where he remained until 1864. He was then chosen professor of biblical interpretation and pastoral theology in the Baptist seminary at Hamilton, New York, and from 1869 to 1873 held the professorship of New Testament Greek in Baptist theological seminary at Chicago. Dr. Arnold published, in 1860, "Prerequisites to Communion," and in 1871 "One Woman's Mission."

Some abstracts:

[Sarah]"My dear husband has enjoyed almost uninterrupted health, and has been permitted, after two years hard study, to commence the preaching of the gospel, in the difficult language of the Greeks, and has been favoured with very good audiences."

"About a fortnight ago we had an examination of our little Infant school. Seventy six children were present, others were kept at home from sickness and other causes."

"What a sad account you gave of Prof. Gale's voyage to the South, but this was not so dreadful as the loss of the Atlantic, if reports which have come to us are true. Did you know any of the passengers?"

[Albert]"While Sarah is having her Italian lesson on the opposite side of the table, I must write you a few lines."

"Sarah has not told you that we have two American sailors in Corfu, one from Providence, from Christian Hill, from High Street. At least his mother now lives, he says, on High St. His name is Nathan Crowell. His mother is married to David Coller, machinist. His family, he says, are all Methodists. The other is from Lowell. They were shipwrecked on the Albanian coast, about a day and a half's sail north of this island, and their vessel and cargo were lost."

Civil War: H. M. Parker, Illinois 1862

3 1/2 pp. letter on (US Army) Ordnance Department, Cairo, Illinois printed stationery, dated Oct 8 1862, from H. M. Parker, to his brother.

The letter reads, in part,

"Yours from the Seat of War was received this morning giving me a history of your trip together with your address. I was very glad to get your letter, as I had been looking for it for some time, though I was very patient, knowing how inconvenient it usually is for a soldier to write ... I am still in Cairo ... & am satisfied to stay here as long as I can ... I have had letters from home ... They all say that it looks very lonesome since all the boys all went away. But they try to be reconciled to their lot. I also received a papers from home. In one of which I saw your name as 1st Sergeant of Co. D ... There are soldiers coming and going all the while. Curtiss Division is arriving this evening from down about Helena, Arkansas on its way up the Mississippi River to strike across the country again ...[doesn't] How long will it take at this rate to put down the Rebellion, but live in hopes, they say & so I do. Yes, be patient is a good policy. But good or bad I will stand by the Stars & Stripes while they float ... I have no doubt about their outliving me ... If I ever do [read] of your battalion being in a fight, I hope to see it spoken of in high colored words. Remember, fighting is not play & very different from reading about it. Your position calls upon you to be some help in framing the minds of the men in your Co.. & I hope you will be equal to the task. Be cool, discreet & firm in all your actions & remember the maxim of, 'Consider, man, consider' ... Cairo is in somewhat of a fever concerning the late fight at Corinth [Mississippi], the news of which you get about as soon as we do ..."

John McNeill to James McNeill, Kentucky, 1854

This stampless letter doesn't have any postal markings and was likely hand carried outside of the U.S. Mails. It is addressed to Maj. James McNeill, Knox county, Ky, and is a one page letter written by John McNeill.

The headline is (at the bottom) Sept. 29th 1854.

Some abstracts:

"I want you to select three or four witnesses for us and have them summond to attend the Examoners office on Friday after the 2d Monday in Oct next in London. Jonathan & me has agreed to take all the debositions we want in Laurel on that day and have entered to a written agreement to that amount He says he must have yours & sister Janes Debosition. I would be glad Sister Martha Farris would be there as I would like to ask hir a few questons by his consent."

Holland & Betty Pitman to James McNeill, Kentucky 1854

This stampless letter doesn't have any postal markings and was likely hand carried outside of the U.S. Mails. It is addressed to Mr. James McNeill, Laurel County, Kentucky, London, and is a three page 'Dear Brother' [brother in law, I believe] letter written by Holland Pitman and Bettey Pitman.

The headline is Laurence county, Indiana May 11th, 1854.

Some abstracts:

"I have verry poor health and have all the spring, my complaint is in the liver and kidney which causes me to be verry feeble. Betey is in poor health at the present and has been for two weeks past the doctor thinks her complaint is in the liver too."

"Produce and property sell high .... horses sell from 75 dollars to $100-75 dollars, work cattle from $50 to 100 dollars ..."

"The Temperance cause in this country is gaining ground verry fast. Betey and myself took a ride on the cars to Bloomington about the middle of last month to coz John farris and staid a week with them."

"Haveing received a few lines a few weeks since from Mr. Wilson dated in January stating that suit was brought in court by the resident heirs of Thomas McNeill praying a decree of court to his lands ...."

"[Betty] thought as you was agent her farther's estate, you was artherized in that too ..."