Hall Family Letters 1863-1869

Stowel's Corners, Jeffs Co. NY June 30th 1863

My Dear Son Ira,

I would inform you that we received your letters and were much gratified to hear from you. We hope that your health will improve, but we have been some afraid that your vessel will be taken and burned by the rebel [privateers?] but we hope not, we have heard of several being taken and burned since you left the port of Gloucester. I would inform you that we are all able to attend to our business concerns although my health for a fortnight past has not been as good as usual. There is not any especial news in this section except war news. Rufus Maxon got very badly hurt about the time you set sail, he was at M.L. Ward's to assist in raising his new house, one of the beams in the second floor broke and let him down with five or six others as I understood, hurt the others some but not so bad as Rufus was, it was a great wonder that it did not kill some. Rufus is improving some but it will be considerable time before he will entirely recover from his injury if he ever does.

The weather here is now very warm and the crops are growing very finely, we have had rains plenty since you left. --Your aunt Susan [___?] and Frankie are here from Cleveland, Ohio. They have been in Potsdam. We expect Edwin home in a few days, probably he will be at home before the first of July. The [35th] Reg of N.Y.V. have got their discharge from the [Army] and have come home, and some have already enlisted again. John Haddock for one, [Borbee?] formerly of the 94th Reg. They have gone to the war, which is now nearer than when you left home. Tell Reuben that cheese is up to $11 and 11 1/2 dolls per [--?]. Joel has agreed with [--?] Morrisson to make up his milk and has been delivering it for some time past. Tell Reuben that I will write him soon if I am well enough my health is not very good just now. Reynolds that belonged to the 35th Reg has got back from the war and is about establishing a law office in the Village of Watertown again. There is now exciting war news, the Rebels are in Pennsylvania now ravaging the country taking all the horses and cattle that they can get. There has been One hundred thousand militia recently called for, there has been a great gone from this State. 50000 called in State of Pa. [R--?] has had another fight with Bragg's army and has driven I suppose like chaff before the wind. Vicksburgh has not fallen or surrendered yet that we have heard, but Grant is besieging it severely, it must soon give up. Gen. Banks is still besieging Port Hudson, but enough of this at present. Write soon after receiving this.

Yours with Paternal regard,

Ira Hall

Ira Hall Jun.

Clarksburgh, Mo. June 18th/66

Dear Brother,

I received your letter last Saturday night and was not quite so much surprised as I should have been if I had not heard that you said perhaps you might visit us some time this month. We shall be glad to see you so come on as soon as you can. Clarksburgh or Moniteau Station as it is called in the R Road -is situated on the Pacific Road about 31 miles from Jeff City west from there. I think the best way for you to come would be to take the stage across from Mexico to Jeff City and then take the cars. The cars arrive at Clarksburgh about 5h32min P.M. We live nearly two miles north of the place. If I should not be at the Station, you can inquire in the store and they will give you directions where to come doubtless. We live in Cooper Co. the third house on the right hand side as you are going north from the R Road. I like it well here. Our children have the whooping cough. Lyman is better of it now and I have a sore mouth. As I am in a hurry and we can talk faster than write, I will leave the rest until you get here.

Yours Respectfully,

Hiram H. Hall

Stowels Corners Aug 8th /67

My Dear Daughter,

Pardon my delay in answering your very welcome letter. I was from home on a visit to my son's in the southwestern part of this State when it came, and we have had a friend visiting us from Wisconsin since my return who left us yesterday, about 5 o'clock P.M. I have likewise been very busy, and there has been sickness and death in the neighborhood. I attended two funerals last week. One was Mr. Hall's cousin Harry Ives the other a Mrs. Pierson.

Our folks are in usual health. The weather here is extremely warm and dry. We need rain very much. I suppose you have very uncomfortable weather in Missouri at this season of the year.

I had a very pleasant visit with my son and his wife. The country there looked splendid with its beautiful residences, large orchards, and fields of wheat ready for the harvest. I was there about two weeks. I suppose Edwin and his wife are now on their way to Kentucky. I received a letter from him last Saturday saying that he intended to start last Monday or Tuesday. I would have kept on my way west-ward gladly (if I could well have done so) until I looked upon a Dear face that I have not seen for nearly two years as well as upon one that I have never seen. --And still farther on to the lone grave of my Dear Hiram who so recently left us so full of life, and hope, only to find a grave among strangers far far from all that loved him best. The past winter has been the saddest of my life. Those dark days of sorrow are still casting their shadows across life's pathway. May God grant that I may never drain so bitter a cup again. But God is good. He has not left me comfortless. That my Dear Hiram was a Christian is my only consolation. I did not fear for him. I thought he would do well in Missouri. My fears were all for my Dear Ira whose health was so poor. I thank God who has thus far preserved a life so dear. Tell Ira that [Burleigh?] Salisbury's wife died on the 1st inst of consumption.

I am very glad that you took to trouble of writing to me. It was more than I could expect - me being strangers. Your kind affectionate letter took the Citadel of our hearts at once. I am glad that my Dear Ira has won so loving a heart. May nothing ever come to mar your happiness. I was surprised to learn that Ira was married the 1st of January, but still I am glad for he needed a friend at hand as well as those afar off. I regret that you and Ira could not have visited us the past spring or summer, but trust the time is not far distant when we will have the pleasure of seeing you here. I think it is very doubtful about our visiting you this fall, we are expecting my brother and his wife from New Hampshire, and Mr. Hall's brother and his wife to visit this fall.

I am glad you sent me a plan of your house. I was much pleased with it. Please write often and tell me all the little incidents which are so interesting and which Ira would not think of writing. Don't forget to send the photograph. We will make all the allowance for it that Ira can ask. I send him some papers with this. Tell him I cannot excuse him from writing because he has found so good a Substitute. He must write too.

Love from all to you and Ira.

Affectionately Yours,

Mother, Mandana Hall

Stowels Corners, NY. Feb. 11th 1869

My Dear Son, It is a long time since I have written to you. I received a letter from you a few days since, you wrote that you were tolerably well. I have been sick and confined to the house ever since the 17th of Nov. last, some over 12 weeks, have not been out of the house till today. I have had the [Crysipelas?], it commenced on my great toe on my right foot, commenced swelling and paining me very severe, continued to spread all over the top of my foot, until it reached my ankle joint. That swelled very bad and began to go up my leg. An Doctor, W. Taylor, put a circle around my leg of Nitrate of Silver, and it stopped swelling any further up my leg. The Doctor ordered it poulticed and it was [castined?] a fortnight or three weeks, it [m--?] from my toes nearly a [--?] to my ankles and opened and discharged very much, and finally the flesh came off from the top of my foot, nearly down to my ankle, more than two inches wide, and left [c--?] here, it looked awful. I seemed as if I could never walk again, but it pretty much healed up. But there is quite a hollow on the top of my foot. I walked a while with crutches, but can now go around without crutches. I had to be driven out of my bedroom in a [rocking?] chair with my foot up, in another chair on a pillow, six or eight weeks. I am some lame yet, as it is very weak. I am expecting if I meet with no relapse, to be about to see to some things about the horses, as have been to any of them since the 16th of Nov. last. Your mother's health is rather poor as it has been for some few years, it worried her very much taking care of me. She is better than she was last fall, before I was taken ill, she was very bad off with a cold and cough, but got some cough medicine of C.W. Inglehart, which he obtained of one of relatives, Doct Wm [Wethers?], which Inglehart exhalted very much, said it cured some cases where the persons were nearly gone with the consumption. I told him I should like to try some of the lung syrup as I had tried some of Doct. Taylor's medicine some week or two and it didn't seem to do much good. He Inglehart sent for six bottles, which came by Express. I bought four bottles of him it seemed to do her more good than any lung syrup that she ever took. She has a bottle or nearly a bottle on hand now. I think it to be the best for her of any that I ever bought. The other members of the family Sam'l, Sophia, Ella & Winnie are in comfortable health, Joel's health is pretty good, Laura's health is not very good, but better than it was last summer and fall. She has a large baby, a boy, it is a little over five months old, it weighed 18 lbs when it was about three months old. The people are generally well in this vicinity, Reuben's health was not very good, sometime in Jan, as he said, he has now gone to Bridgewater. I don't know when he will return perhaps soon, as the man that is on his place is going to leave Reuben's as he has purchased a farm, and Reuben will need to look out and get another good tenant on his place as he has no wife unless he has got one since he has been gone, which is not probable. We had a mild Jan and so far in Feb it has been mild, pretty fair sleighing. Dec was pretty river weather, large quantity of snow and it was blowin and drifted very much, had to travel in the lots as the roads were filled with snow. But we had a [river thaw?] in Jan, so that people can travel in the roads. Jay Dimick as you are probably aware is in Albany this winter assisting in making laws, for the State of New York. He I suppose will be home next Tuesday the 16th inst. to attend the town meeting, as I was informed that he would be, by his wife, who is now in Albany with him. I have not seen much that the legislature has done, they have adjourned twice or three times since they commenced their session. Jay has been home twice since he first went which was the first of June. My brother Samuel & his wife came to visit us, about Christmas stayed and visited their friends nearly two weeks. After they went home, Jinnie and her brother George came and made a longer visit than their parents did. George is a fine looking fellow, don't look much like the relatives as I can see. He appears to be quite a pleasant agreeable fellow. I have not heard from Edwin for some length of time, I wrote to him some two or three weeks ago, and don't get any answer as yet. When he wrote, he wrote as though he should go to Misori next year, beyond you, up to [M--?] but whether he will go we don't know, perhaps he has changed his mind. Have you heard from him recently? Mother sends her love to you all, I also send mine to you, & to Helen, your companion and also to little Claron. Perhaps if your Mother and I live and enjoy usual health till next fall, we may come to see you, I would like very much to come, and would like to go and see where Hiram lived.

Yours with Parental regard,

Ira Hall

Ira Hall Jr.

Stowels Corners, NY. Dec 17th 1869

Dear Son, Ira,

I acknowledge that I have been too negligent in writing to you but your mother and some of the children have often written to you, on that account I have excused myself from writing. I would inform you that my health has been pretty good during the summer and fall past, and is very good for a person as old as I am. I am able to labor, do most any kind of work, such as threshing with threshing machine, [husking?] corn, pitching [m--?] [draning?] wood &c, your mothers health is not very good. Her health is quite delicate, takes cold very easy, which causes her to cough very hard, she's not now so bad as at some times, she is always at work when she is able to be about the house. The rest of the family are in usual health. Samuel & Winnie are not very rugged & tough, hence many ill times, which last but a short time, a day or two at a time. Sophia is at home, this winter, not teaching school, taught some winters past. Ella has left her native home, is married and lives near Adams Center. Several of us, were at her house yesterday, your sister Sophia and her cousin Jennie Briggs, your Uncle Samuel's daughter she was married last Monday evening and came out here the nex day, she and her husband, his name is Wm H. Briggs, lives in Bridgewater Onieda Co. NY. He appears like a smart well informed man, his father is wealthy, they say. They expect to go home tomorrow, they [--?] a short stay, came on a wedding [trip?]. Reuben was with us at Ella's yesterday, he I expect will make you a visit soon. He thinks of starting for the west tomorrow, Dec. 18th. He thinks of visiting Edwin also, so you may anticipate a visit from him if Providence permits, if he does not change his mind, which I think he will not, he does not get married yet. Jay Dimick's family are well I believe, Jay has been again elected as a member of our State Legislature to help make laws for the government of the people of the State of New York. Our neighbors are generally well. You wanted to know something about Esquire [Begley?] I think, you mentioned something about him in one of your letters. I saw him sometime past and he was smart as a whip, said he could do more work than any of the boys, I think. J.T. Reynolds, your old chum, has been arrested and taken to Albany on a charge of pension frauds, he waived examination, gave bail in the sum of $10,000 for his appearance at January term, U.S. Court in Albany. I think that he is rather slippery. There was a trial last week in the City of Watertown for a murder, by one man stabbing another in the [Woodruss?]. Judge Ingraham, from New York City presided by order of the Governor of our State. The Attorney General of the State of New York also attended, it was said that he was very smart. There appears to be great dissatisfaction in the verdict of the Jury. They brought in a verdict of Manslaughter in the third degree, he was sentenced to State Prison for four years. It was thought by most all, as I understood, that they would bring him in guilty of murder, an ignorant set of Jurors, the intelligent Jurors were rejected and thrown aside, it was a pretty clear case of murder. I am sorry that your health is so poor, I hope that you will recover your health that you may enjoy yourself with your companion and two little boys -but it is getting late in the evening and I must close my letter. Give my respects to your wife. I should like to see you both in this country, come as soon as you can [--?]. Your mother sends her love to you & Helen and the two little boys. Yours with Parental regard,

Ira Hall, Sr.

Ira Hall, Jr