Letter Number 28--From the Mary/Sue Collection--Sarah to Robert--5 January 1864 (Date Provided in Letter)

 

Letter 28 Original Front--Top Half

 

Letter 28 Original Front--Bottom Half

 

 

Letter 28 Original Reverse--Top Half

 

Letter 28 Original Reverse--Bottom Half

 

Letter 28 Enhanced Front--Top Half

 

Letter 28 Enhanced Front--Bottom Half

                                                  Letter 28 Enhanced Reverse--Top Half

 

Letter 28 Enhanced Reverse--Bottom Half

 

 

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 “28”—from Sarah to Robert

5 January 1864—Date Provided in Letter

Transcribed by William B. Bond—Sept., 2013

FRONT SIDE:

Lyndon Juneau County Wis, Jan 5^th 1864

Dear Robert having seated my self to write

a letter to you in the next thing is to know what to say in it

that will be interesting to you, But one thing I think you

would like to know that is how we all are and how we

are getting along this cold winter I am not verry¹ well Just

now but am better than I have been for a few weeks past I

have had a bad cold and been unable to do much for a

week or two but I am now able to work some the rest of

the family are as well as usual, We have been having and

are still having verry¹ severe cold weather, last thursday

night (that was the night before Newyears) day) I think was the

coldest night that I ever saw, and for two or three days after

it was dreadful cold, and has not got verry¹ warm yet,

we have heard that Pat Smiths mother that lived over by

the Station² was found dead in in her bed on

newyears morning froze stiff, I don’t know whither she

froze to death or died from some other cause Mrs Newman of

Delton³ died a week ago last sunday, Mr Walker has

been quite sick with Pleuri Pleurisy⁴ but is now

better I want verry¹ much to see you But have been

afraid you would come home or start to come now while

it is so cold and freeze to death on the way especialy as

it is so much colder here than there⁵, I dreamed you come

home last night on a furlough⁶ and looked as young

as when I first saw you and whilst I was dreaming

something awakened me verry¹ sudden and I thought

(though I was not awake enough to tell) it the noise sounded like

some one knocking on the door I listened a long time

but could hear nothing more, you remember how the

beams in the house used to crack on verry cold nights

and I suppose that was what awakened me, but I must

REVERSE SIDE:

tell you that it worried me considerable for I thought

I thought at first it might be you knocking on the

door that you had come to the Station² in the cars⁷ and

then walked over home but after listening in vain for

a second sound, I made up my mind you would

not be so foolish as to attempt to walk from the

Station² home on such a night, for if you had you

would have froze to death, I hope you will never

ate attempt so rash an act but wait till morning

or until you can get some one to bring you over

They say the cars⁷ have not been through the Station² since

last tuesday or had not since last sunday so I dont⁸

know when this letter will get started for Miss⁹ if I

ever get it to the Station² the going is verry¹ bad snow

two feet on a level and badly drifted, our fowls

are freezing so bad that we had to kill 9 to save them,

two have frozen to death and all those that we killed

were more or less frosted our coop is not verry¹ warm

and our basement is not verry¹ warm for our cow been

and the sheep but it is the same as it was last winter

it has been boarded up some a year ago last fall but has no

doors and has never been covered over with new

straw since you left home, But I could not get

any one to do any thing to it, so I have to do the best

I can I have just paid Jim Vail¹⁰ five Dollars for

Wood, I have about ¾ of a cord at the door we have

burnt over a cord a week ever since he begun

to get our wood Now I have written you all

these particulars I dont⁸ want you to worry about us

for as long as I am able to be about and the rest are

well I think we shall get along and I want you

to be careful of yourself and write to me as often

as you can from your own true wife Sarah A Bond

FOOTNOTES:

1.  very

2.  Lyndon Station—a railway station.

3.  Delton is a town in Sauk County in central Wisconsin.

4.  Pleurisy is an infection of the pleura—the lining surrounding the lungs—most commonly caused by a virus. This can cause a sharp pain when breathing.

5.  Robert was almost certainly in Natchez, Mississippi at the time this letter was written.

6.  The “Veterans” of the Wisconsin 12^th Infantry Volunteers were given a furlough to go home from the 13^th of March to the 3^rd of May, 1864. But there is no evidence so far that Robert ever went home on furlough since he was not of “veteran status.”

7.  Presumably railroad cars. 

8.  don’t

9.  Mississippi

10. There is a “J Vail” referenced in letter #8.

LIST OF INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED:

No family members were mentioned in this letter.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

NOTE 1:  This letter was written on the front and back of a large, single sheet of paper—7 ½ inches X 12 ½ inches.  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 letters 3, 26, and 27. The letter seems to be complete.

NOTE 2:  The writing in this letter is quite clear and the words are distinct. So the transcription should be very accurate. But 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 loose and not in an envelope.

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 Sarah mentions include a report of her health--which recently has not been good--and the health of their children which has been good. She mentions the cold weather and snow and the effect it has had on family life and on the lives of the farm animals. Sarah reports on the death of two individuals in the area, and the illness of a third. Sarah goes on to describe a dream she had of Robert attempting to get home from the Army in the cold weather and how she feared for his safety. She finishes with a report on the wood for burning she has obtained from Mr. Vail and a reassurance to Robert that he should not worry about the family.