Letter Number 27--From the Mary/Sue Collection--Sarah to Robert--20 December 1863 (Date Provided in Letter)

 

Letter 27 Original Front

 

Letter 27 Original Reverse

 

Letter 27 Enhanced Front

 

Letter 27 Enhanced Reverse

 

THE CORRESPONDANCE BETWEEN ROBERT BOND JR. (1819- 1894) AND WIFE SARAH ANN (MAIDEN NAME “FISK”—1823-1909) BETWEEN 1862 AND 1868

 

From the Mary/Sue Collection

Transcription of Letter “27”—from Sarah to Robert

20 December 1963—Date Provided in Letter

Transcribed by William B. Bond—Sept., 2013

FRONT:

D__L__¹                                   Dec 20^th / 63²

Lyndon Juneau County Wis.

Dear husband having received a letter

from you dated Dec 5^th, I take my pen this evening to answer

it, the little ones^{A & B} are in bed and asleep Louisa^C and Sarah^D are

gone out somewhere I don’t know where, they have been to a meeting

today, We are as well as usual and I hope these lines may find

you quite well, or rather that you may be well when they

reach Vicksburg², but I prefer having you reach home before they reach there, to tell the truth I have taken new courage from the tone

of your letter and find myself looking for you But I will try

to keep down my anxiety, for after Cope³ came home my expectations

of seeing you were raised to such a pitch that I used to watch

for you untill⁴ nearly midnight and then go to bed and lay

awake half the night thinking of seeing you and I nearly

got down sick, But I could not help it I should be very

happy to have you spend Christmas and Newyears with us

next Friday² if I live to see the day I shall be forty years old²,

if you do not come home I hope you will think of me

on that day and be assured I shall of you, I have had

my butchering done two of my hogs the men thought would

REVERSE SIDE:

weigh over 2 hu⁵, 25 lbs apiece but the other was not so heavy

and had a verry⁶ bad swelled throat they thought it was

sick unfit to eat so I shall make it into soap if

it ever thaws out and I can get a big kettle to boil

it up in, I killed the heifer and took her to town she

weighed almost four hundred lbs I took 3 quarters of her to town

and could sell only 2 of them as the market was full

but the two came to $7,73⁷cts, find the King Note⁸ was

$5,72cts, the hide come to $3, 60cts, so that helped me a little

I talked with King about writing to me and to you that

the amount was ten and twelve Dollars he said he wrote

from recollection and did not look at the Note at the

time, I took up the Note and a mortgage, he wrote a short

satisfaction on the back of the mortgage and promised

to look up the record and write paid on the side of

that when he went to Lisbon⁹, I have spun and

sold over ten Dollars worth of stocking yarn this winter I

got $1,50cts, per lb so you see I am pretty busy Mr and Mrs Cowen

have broke up keeping house for the winter she and the girls is going

to Michigan and he into the Woods Be very careful of

your health, may the Lord preserve us to meet again

I must retire so good night Dear Robert

from your ever true wife                Sarah A Bond

NOTES:

1.  Cannot be clearly read. Appears to be a “D” followed by 2-3 letters and a “L” followed by 2-3 letters.

2.  The date is difficult to read. But the December 20^th, 1863 date is supported by the fact that Robert Bond Jr. was almost certainly in Vicksburg, MI in October 1863 and this letter being sent to Vicksburg is referenced in the text. Also in the text there is reference to the hope that Robert will be home for New Years on “Friday”. January 1^st, 1864 was a Friday. Finally, Sarah was born December 25^th, 1823, and she would be forty years old on December 25^th, 1863 as referenced in the letter.

3.  Cannot read this name with certainty. It appears to be a four letter name with the last two letters being a “p” and an “e”. But “Cope” is supported by the fact that Robert refers to a “Mr Cope” in letter 18.

4.  until

5. The letters are difficult to read. They must be an abbreviation for “hundred”.

6.  very

7.  This is probably the number “$7.73”. Sarah had an unusual way of writing 3’s.

8.  The term “King Note” seems to refer to a bill written by a man named “King” who purchased the family livestock.

9.  Lisbon is a small town in Juneau County in central Wisconsin.

LIST OF INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED:

A.  Luella Hortense “Leellie” Bond (1856-1893)—Third oldest child and daughter of Robert and Sarah

B. William Othello “Willie” Bond (1860-1928)—Fourth oldest child and only son of Robert and Sarah.

C.  Louisa Maria Bond (1845-1896)—Oldest child and daughter of Robert and Sarah Married to Alvaro N. Griffin who is away from home serving the Wisconsin Volunteers during the Civil War.

D .  Sarah Elizabeth Bond (1847-1912)—Second oldest child and daughter of Robert and Sarah

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

NOTE 1:  This letter was written on the front and back of a single sheet of paper. There is an “embossed seal” indicating the paper manufacturer at the upper left of the front side as was common on many papers of the time. The embossed seal is oval in shape and it looks like there is the image of the U. S. Capitol Building inside the oval. It seems to be the same as the embossed seal on letter 3. The letter seems to be complete.

NOTE 2:  In many cases the writing in the letter is difficult to read. In some cases I had to take a “best guess” as to what was written. If anyone who examines a scan of the original can better make out what the words are or can see anywhere that there is an error in the transcription, I would welcome their input.

NOTE 3:  This letter was found in an envelope addressed to Robert Bond Esq, Lyndon, Juneau County, Wisconsin. The handwriting on the envelope was not that of Sarah. The postmark on the envelope reads “South Killingly, Conn October 25”, and there is a postage stamp affixed to the letter that wasn’t issued until 1869. Clearly, this envelope is not the original for this letter.

NOTE 4: The spelling and grammar in this letter are reasonable so I do not believe an overall transcription is necessary.

NOTE 5:  This letter describes daily life on the farm of Robert and Sarah in Lyndon, Juneau County, Wisconsin while Robert is away serving in the Civil War. The major topics are the disposition of Robert and Sarah’s four children, Sarah’s anxiety for Robert to return home, a reference to Sarah’s 40^th birthday, the sale of livestock, the satisfaction of the mortgage, Sarah’s sale of spun wool, and the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Cowen “broke up keeping house for the winter” with Mrs. Cowen and the girls going to Michigan, and Mr. Cowan going “into the woods.” Mr. Cowan going “into the woods” is interesting since letters 45 and 49 are written by Robert to Sarah from “Wood Co” (Wisconsin) with letter 49 written March 12^th, 1867, and letter 45 probably also written in 1867. Is going “into the woods” the same as going to “Wood Co.?” If so, why would Mr. Cowen go “into the woods” for the winter of 1863-64, and Robert go to “Wood Co.” in 1867? This just seems a curious coincidence and further study may shed more light.