1870 Malinda Roy Letter

Date: 20 Mar 1870 to 20 Mar 1870
Location: Pulaski County, Kentucky, USA
Surnames/tags: Pulaski_County_KY Richardson

INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS

This is a letter from Malinda Roy Richardson (and family) to her sons, William and Enos who moved to Illinois sometime in the 1860s.

Regarding language: I intentionally fixed a lot of grammatical and spelling errors to make the letter more readable to a modern audience. Rebecca Bobbit Rich has done an excellent job transcribing the letter into the words and dialect of the time and place.

LETTER

Illinois

[From:] Ky Pulaski co. March 20th 1870

[To:] Mr. Wm M Richardson

My Dear Son and daughter, I seat myself this morning with pleasure to drop you a few lines which leaves us all the living monuments of God’s mercy and the objects of his care and the most of us as well as common. Though there is some sickness among this connection myself and your mother is still up and about but Sarah, Henry’s wife is at this time confined to her bed and has been for some time and under the doctor occation [?] ^[1] from cold. She had a son born on the 18th of December last and was seemingly very smart for some to or three weeks and she began to go down gradually without any suffering much only a cough till at last she had taken her bed and she is there yet. The doctor says her disease is settled on her lungs. I hope she will get up again. She has a good appetite to eat and appears in good heart. They call their boy Isaac Linsy. Jacob Richardson is very low with something like the scarfelow [?]^[2] the doctor sees in his throat. I learn this morning that he is thought to be some better.

Green Cook has been confined to his bed nearly all winter with the rheumatics. He can just now begin to walk about. William Massey wife had a son dead born a very large fine child born on the 19th of February last. Rachel is very smart. There is no late letter occurred among the connection or old friends that you know, except old widow James Tandy’s wife. She was struck with the dread palsy and lived a few days. With these exceptions I believe that the health of all the connection is as good as usual although sickness seems to prevail a great deal at this time among us. I will now tell you that I lifted a letter from you of November the 30th which came to hand the 12th. Just the reason why we got it no sooner was that it was lifted by some other Richardson. I want you to address me at Thompsonville, Pulaski which is at Jugernot. We are certain to get them in a day or two. We have nothing more of interest, we are all trying to get along the best we can through the hard times. We have plenty to live on and good health to enjoy it, and I am so thankful to God for it; notwithstanding the times are hard. We have to lend a hand once in a while for the support of others whether it cooperates with our feelings or not.

We lost some 50 lbs. of bacon a few weeks ago. We have all sorts of people here and they are all well versed in all kinds of meanness, plenty of rogues stealing and Ku Klucks^[3] to steal rob drag many civil honest men out of bed in the night and whip and beat them nearly to death. There was man hung a few days back because he was deputized to take one of them to a place to try him for his conduct. On his return home, there was a man here whipped and finally killed by the Ku Klucks because he was conscripted into the rebel army and he deserted and came to the union army by the name of Cooper lived on Fishing Creek. He killed two of them and wounded some two or three more. This circumstance was reported to the regular soldiers and they sent a portion of them to Pulaski and there are 40 now in Somerset. You had better believe that there clucking is seldom heard now since the soldiers are about. The soldiers are after them constantly. I am truly sorry to have it to say I never heard a rebel the first time say ha' [?]^[4] of the other. Smells bad to me but it looks as it may. ^[5]

While I was writing this Henry slipped in with your last communication and a few lines in a separate peace from James Eliot it reached us well as above with the exceptions named. We desire only for this answer to both you and Enos to reach you both with your families and all the rest of the connection. Well I do not know what more to write at this time as Nicholas has given you the prices and worth of property in the past week. Give my respects to Mary Jane and Hariet. I want them to know that we received their little address shortly. Tell Mary Jane that their grandmother is a stepping about with her ring on her finger and her pipe between her teeth. Henry and Sarah send their respects to you all and want you all to write to them. Give our love to Wash and Fanny and to all the children and still reserve a portion for yourselves and families. We will write in the course of time or fifteen days again to Enos and let you know how we are all a getting along. I am in hopes there will be a considerable improvement in Sarah. Write and direct as above named to Thompsonville. Yours in love till death.

Wm Richardson

Jane Richardson

James & Malinda Richardson

NOTES

1. ↑ Unknown term, probably mean’s doctor’s care
2. ↑ I do not know what disease this refers to
3. ↑ Ku Klux Klan members, who ravaged the area after the Civil War
4. ↑ this word and much of the line is unreadable
5. ↑ I have a suspicion that a page is missing here