Letter 46 Mary Elizabeth Moody Lockhart to Martha William Wright Moody

Date: 26 Jan 1862 [unknown]
Location: Columbus, Mississippi
Surnames/tags: Moody Wright January 26 1862

My Dear Mother

I received, Laura's letter yesterday, and was glad to hear from you all, I am staying with Aunt Mary, Willie had a chill and I thought it best to have him where Cousin Robert could see him often, he is much better to day and hope he will not have another one,. Cousin Robert is attending Sarah she is as low as she can be she Typhoid Pnemonia she was taken the week after she got here and I have had a hard time with her I think she will die as the Dr think so too, through he says with good attention she may get well, Jim Bill Sykes is dead he died with Typhoid fever he has been dead about ten day's, the family is very much distress.

Joe Leigh is at home but will leave to morrow for his Camp he is station in Columbus (strike-out - Kyntucky) Willie says I must tell you he is coming to see you & says tell his Harrie that she must come & stay with him, tell Cousin Harriet I miss her very much I would have written to her but did not know where to direct my letter I do not know any news to write and I feel so low spirited about Sarah for if she dies I do not know what I should do it seems to me if she had die at home I would not feel so bad, but I should miss her, I hope the Lord will spare her, I believe if Dr Johnson could be with her he mite that he mite cure her but she has had every attention that any one could have. I must stop my doleful scrawl hope it will not be long before I see you & Pa Aunt Mary & all join me in much love Joe sends his love and say's look in my short drawer to my bureau and get his tickets to Mobile they are either in there or in his short draw to the left side I must hope it will not be long before I shall be with you

Your own

VLR (Virginia Leigh Refo)

Mary Elizabeth (Moody) Lockhart, "Mollie", is writing from Columbus, MS to her mother, Martha William (Wright) Moody in Northampton, NC. She and her husband, Joseph Gray Lockhart, have apparently remained in Lowndes Co, MS, out on the prairie, either to oversee Moody interests there and/or they have purchased land there themselves. Aunt Mary is Mary Jane (Crump) Leigh, the sister of Mollie's grandmother, Martha Robinson (Crump) Wright Charlton. Joe Leigh is Aunt Mary's third son, Joseph E. Leigh. Willie, is William Barron Lockhart (25 June 1858 - 25 Apr. 1862), Mollie and Joe's son, and Martha Moody's grandson. Cousin Robert was Dr. Robert Emmet Lanier, a Sykes cousin. (His mother was Elizabeth Person Sykes daughter of William Sykes and Burchette Lundy (Turner) Sykes). Dr. Robert was a doctor in Columbus for many years. This family, father and later granddaughter, was always referred to in the Moody and Leigh families as "cousin". (See letter # 40). I believe Sarah to have been a servant or slave, probably much endeared to the family. Jim Bill Sykes is James William Sykes, son of Benjamin Sykes and Mary Rives, and married to Martha (Lanier) Sykes. He is mentioned in several other letter talking about Columbus, MI.

Cousin Harriet appears in several letters (letters # 60, # 62, and #63) and was evidently close to the family. I believe her to be Harriet Stoddert, b. 1833, daughter of Mary Jane Smith (Mason) Stoddert and William Stoddert, and granddaughter of Daniel Mason of the Western District and Dorothy Laurence Jane (Smith) Mason. Dr. Johnson is the physician in North Carolina mentioned in previous letters (# 29, #33, & # 34). Joe, mentioned at the end of the last paragraph, is Mollie's husband, Joseph Gray Lockhart.

Acknowledgement

• Many thanks to cousin Virginia Leigh Refo whose research and transcriptions added to this profile. The originals were donated to the Library of Virginia in 2004 by Liz Edens Vermillion with the help of Virginia Refo Moody Family Papers, 1750-1881. Accession 40535, Personal Papers Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.