Letter Number 8--From the Mary/Sue Collection--Sarah to Robert--PROBABLY February or March 1863 (Date Inferred From Context)

 

Letter 8 Original Front

 

Letter 8 Original Reverse

 

Letter 8 Enhanced Front

 

Letter 8 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 “8”—from Sarah to Robert

Probably February to March, 1863—Date Inferred From Context.

Transcribed by William B. Bond—Oct., 2013

FRONT:

N2 Dear Robert I sent your mittens at last I had conclud¹

not to send them as we all thought it so warm where you was consequen

tly knit but one pair but when I heard of the deep snow

storm you had there I concluded to send them and

hope Alvaro^A will excuse me for not knitting and send

ing his as I had promised I sent all the pills I could

get into a box in one of the mittens I must draye²

to a close I am so tired I cannot write

REVERSE:

Dear Robert I feel it my duty to ask you

to prepare for that great event which is so

soon to take us from this world the time is

short we may meet again on this earth if it is the

Lords will I pray that it may be so But if he wills

it otherwise then let us be prepared to meet wher³

there will be no more parting S A Bond

NOTES:

1.  concluded

2.  draw--from the Middle English “dragan“--to draw.

3.  where

LIST OF FAMILY MEMBERS MENTIONED:

A.  Alvaro N Griffin (1838-1916) who is away from home serving—along with Robert—in the 12^th Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers Company E during the Civil War. Husband of Louisa Maria Bond (1845-1896)—Daughter and oldest of the 4 children of Robert and Sarah to survive to adulthood.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

NOTE 1:  This letter is written on an undated scrap of paper and I am uncertain which side is the front and which is the back. One side has “N2” in the upper left, and in other letters this has indicated the front side of a second sheet of paper that was part of a longer letter. But it is possible that the “N2” refers to the reverse with the other side being the front. If the “N2” does indicate that this is the second sheet of a letter, it is not obvious whether or not the first sheet is part of either the Mary/Sue collection or the Billie P collection since both sides of this letter start with a new sentence. So this could be a second sheet that was included with a first sheet which appears to be complete.

NOTE 2: From the context, this letter or fragment was almost certainly written between January 30^th 1863 and March 8^th 1863. In Sarah’s letter of January 8^th, 1863 she writes: “I have had your mittens done some time But they say I cannot send them or any pacage to you with safly.” In her letter of March 8^th, 1863 she writes: “I have written two or three (letters) since I sent the mittens…” In this letter Sarah writes: “Dear Robert I sent you mittens at last…” This implies that this letter was written in between the January 30^th and March 8^th letters—perhaps this was part of one of the two or three letters she mentions in the March 8^th letter. Further evidence for this range of dates is provided when considering Sarah mentions that she intended to send pills in her January 30^th letter and that the pills had been sent in this letter.

NOTE 3: This letter was written on a single fragment of paper front and back. There no “embossed seal” indicating the paper manufacturer as was common on many papers of the time.

NOTE 4:  The writing in this letter is quite clear and the words are distinct. So the transcription should be quite 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 5:  This letter was found loose and not in an envelope.

NOTE 6: The spelling and grammar in this letter are reasonable so I do not believe an overall transcription is necessary.

NOTE 7:  This is an interesting letter or fragment of a letter. On one side, Sarah writes that she has sent Robert some mittens and pills and expresses regret that she did not send a pair of mittens to Alvaro—her son-in-law. She finishes this side saying that she is so tired, she cannot write more. On the other side, Sarah seems to be preparing Robert for the fact that she may die soon. Although the two sides seem to be unrelated to each other, considering the closing on one side and preparing Robert for her death on the other, I believe it can be assumed that Sarah is sick and/or exhausted—probably due to the chores at the home and farm which she must do on her own without help from Robert.