Letter 66
report from post-war virginia
N. L. Look to Willard Stone Marion, June 13th, 1865
Brother Stone,
I left Louisville on the 8th of May and reached here in safety on the 15th, and had to walk only 25 miles from Johnston’s depot in Tenn. to Bristol. I found them all well at Charles’ and my wife at Chatham Hill, where I went the same day I reached here. We are now boarding with Charles, as my house had been rented for the year.
I have now been here almost a month and know very little that is going on outside the neighborhood as they have had no mail here since the fall of Richmond and the last news paper I have seen bore date the first of June. All that I have seen are rejoiced at the termination of the war, and a good many at the way it terminated, and I believe everybody would be perfectly satisfied if slavery had not been abolished. There are a great many blacks idling about the country who seem to have no idea what responsibilities freedom devolves upon them. Everything is at a standstill. There is no money in the country to operate with and no goods of any kind, very little stock or grain. We keep the grist mill running and are doing some sawing. Our buildings and fences are in a dilapidated condition. We have just gotten a stable framed to raise in a day or two, as soon as we can saw weatherboards enough to cover it. I don’t know what about making many plows this summer as there is no money and if we sell for grain I am afraid the freight on the road will be so high it can’t be shipped without loss. It will probably be six weeks before the cars will run to Lynchburg.
Brother Josiah has just returned from N.Y. by the way of Washington and Richmond. Mr. Palmer of the Saltworks went and returned with him. A good many of the most violent Rebels were the first to run to Richmond and take the oath to the hateful Yankee Government. They never found the last ditch.
I was in Knoxville one night but could hear nothing of Mr. Young. I think he is in London, Tenn. Think you had better write to him. I would write from here if there was any mail carried from here there. You speak of coming to Marion again. If we ever get to doing business enough so we can afford to pay you enough to justify your return, Charles and I would both be glad to have you come, but can’t say much about it at present. Business must revive here slowly. Mr. Goodall, Mr. Quaife’s partner, went with me and returned a few days ago.
Things are in an unsettled condition at present. We have no magistrates and consequently no law, and not much order, but a good deal of stealing, especially horses. I have bought two since my return, one at $40. and the other for $45. They would either of them have sold for a hundred before the war. One of them was stolen out of pasture and I could get no clue to the direction he had gone. As we had no railroad telegraph nor printing press to advertise, I could do no way but take it patiently. A few days after I heard of a horse being traded about 20 miles from here, I went and found my horse as good as ever. We had a fine pair of mules taken by the Federal army when Gen’l Stoneman was here last winter, that I expect we shall lose. I shall try to get Laura and Sarah home this fall, and if I can make enough to afford it I mean to send them north again to school after one year. I will leave the remainder of the sheet for Charles to write.
June 16th. I believe Charles isn’t going to write. They are all getting along finely. Alice and Alanson are going to school. I’ll send this to Washington by Mr. Gilmore. With kind regards to Sister Ellen and the children, I remain, Your brother,
N.L. Look
Letter 67
Additional Information
(Letter from N.L. Look to Mrs. Laura Lincoln, July 16th, 1865 omitted. See page 2, dated Marion, July 11,, 1866)
Nathan Loomis Look to Mrs. Laura Lincoln. Louisville, July 16, 1865
Dear Mother Lincoln,
I find myself again rather unexpectedly in Louisville. I decided on coming so suddenly that it gave Charles no time to write by me. He and his family are well and getting along smoothly. We are completely cut off from the outside world, not having any mails since last February. A few hours before starting, I heard the train would be on with the superintendent for the first time since the smash up. Not knowing when another opportunity would offer I embraced that and reached here last night. I shall start back tomorrow or next day. There is nothing going on with us in the way of business, as there is no money in the country and not much of anything else. But a fine crop is growing and people feel hopeful. As far as my observation goes, nearly all are willing to be good law-abiding citizens and feel disposed to make the best of their lot. The negroes are behaving as well as could be expected though a great many are out of employment, especially those with families, and I fear there will be an immense amount of suffering next winter.
I spent the winter here and returned home in May. My business now is to try and get a few thousand dollars to buy cattle for market. There are but few cattle left in that country by the army but the scarcity of money is so great as to make them cheap. I think I shall succeed.
Charles intended to go north as soon as the railroads were put in repair, but I think he has put off his trip until another year. Alice is a smart little girl. She and Alanson are going to school and learning well. They are all healthy and sprightly children.
With much love to all the connections and especially to Sister Olivia’s children I remain, truly yours son, N. L. Look
August 1, 1865
Dear Mother,
It is with a feeling of pleasure that I can now write and feel like you'll get my letters. For four years I have been cut off from you. We have a fine season for corn this year, but the wheat crop is very light. Poor people have had a very hard time, but have managed to live some way or other. We have no currency here except a few greenbacks and they are very scarce. It is hard to do any business here yet. We would like to go North this summer or Fall but don't know whether we will be able to make the trip or not. Alice and Alanson have been going to school all Spring and will start in again in Sept. Ann Eliza (m William Hale Fillinger) has not been any yet, don't think I will send her till next Spring.
One letter from Ellen and Willard is all that I have received from any of you for a little over four years. I hope you have gotten more of my letters. Have sent a good many in different ways, but don't expect you got all of them. The trains began running last week but the mails are not established yet. Hope some of you will write soon and let us know how you have gotten along. Who lives at the old place in Petersham and where is Lucius? Mr. Look thinks he lives near Worcester. What is his P.O.? What has become of all the friends in Petersham? We have been perfectly destitute of papers. Harriet sends her kindest regards and says she would like to become acquainted with all of you. Mr and Mrs. Look are boarding with us as their house was rented out and they can't get possessions of it till next January.
Accept this with much love to all,
C. F. Lincoln
Main St Louiisville 1846
Letter 68
getting back to some kind of normal
Marion, Oct 9th 1865
Dear Brother Willard,
Six of your letters have come to hand. 2 of June last, 2 of Aug and 2 of Sept. The mails commenced coming through last Sunday but we have no Post Master yet, but I see that one has one appointed so I suppose the mails will be regular after this. We are all well. Alice and Alanson going to school. We shall not send Ann Eliza until Spring. Mrs. Look has gone to N.Y. has been gone about 2 weeks. Mr. Sc will go after her sometime in Nov. I hardly know what to tell you about coming back to this country again. Business of all kinds is very dull at present on account of the scarcity of money. The merchants are bringing on a good many goods and take away what little money there is here. I think business will be good here in another year if the currency gets circulated pretty extensively. We have not much to bring money here now as the wheat crop has been an entire failure and none to send to market. But the corn crop is the largest that has been raised in this country for a good while and not many hogs to eat it and no markets for it.
I have been talking to Mr. Pepper of Bristol about putting up a Sash Blinds and Chair shop here and take you as a partner with your machinery. He is a carpenter by trade and a very industrious and clever Gentleman. Is anxious to go into that kind of business. The last time I saw him was before we received any of your letters, but I told him that I thought you would come back if I thought you could get into any business that would pay. He said he would talk to his brothers in Bristol and see if he could sell something that he had and would let me know. I have not heard from him since. They was like us put their Confederate money into Tobacco and the tax will take the biggest part of it.
We have about 8000 lb that cost us 30,000 in Confederate money and some of it is unused and I am afraid it will not amount to much to us as the tax is so high. While Mr. Look was in the north he kept writing to me to buy out all the money I could get in tobacco. If I had layed it out in something else it would have been better for us. I wish you had some of it with you so you could have the use of the money. Mrs. Ayers a friend of mine wished we to get a man from the north to go on a farm of his in Washington so I told him of you but that I did not know whether you were much farmer or not. l I don't know what kind of chance he would give you. If you could get a good chance on a good farm you could make money nowadays.
I have not seen Mr. Woodward yet to know about. His farm is in Mo. (Montgomery?) There is 240 acres of it. It lies 5 miles from Monticello and 150 miles from Staunton. If the Staunton RR runs 16 miles out, the place lies within one mile of its terminals. Most of it is good land but not much improvements on it. I think they would like to sell it but don't know what they would ask for it. I will talk to him about it the first time I see him. He lives in Rich Valley on Mrs. Suttons’ farm. I will not give you any advice at present what to do but will see further what the prospect for a good chance is. I will write again as soon as I see some of these men spoken of above. Yours with much love to all and from all.
C. F. Lincoln
Letter 70
something for christmas
LETTER FROM HARRIET LINCOLN TO ELLEN STONE.
Marion, Va Dec 25, 1865
Dear Sister,
Mr. Lincoln told me this morning before going to Church that he intended to write to Mr. Stone this afternoon, so I will for the first time in my life write to you. This is a very wet day, has been raining incessantly, so the children and I are at home. You enquire after the churches of Marion. Well, I can't say that they are in a very flourishing condition. We have three, Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian. The Baptist Church has been supplied during the war by a minister by the name of Huff. He is a fairly able man and I think a good man, preaches once every three weeks and teaches through the week, has some 50 or 60 scholars. The Methodist Church has been supplied by circuit riders, have a good preacher at this time. The Presbyterian Church of which I am a member has not been so fortunate. Their minister Mr. McMahon went into the Confederate service as Colonel the second year of the war. They next had a Mr. Leftrage who was too much of a rebel to stand his ground during the Yankee raids, consequently we were without a minister the last year of the war. We succeeded in getting a minister after the close of the war. I think he is a good man, but is not considered an able man. Mr. L thinks him a very strong rebel, and hasn't a very good opinion of the male members of our church, says he doesn't think there is but one honest man belonging to it, I tell him that is a good reason why he should unite with the church and set them a good example, for I think Mr. L is truly pious and that it is the duty of all such to unite with the church. I am willing to unite with any branch of the church that he prefers. Our Sunday School has gone down, our minister is trying to revive it. They are to elect a new Supt. next Sunday and I hope he will be good. We send all three of the children to SS, have not sent Ann Eliza to day school yet, she will start next session. Alice and Alanson go to a female teacher by the name of Miss Vanmeter. They both learn fast. Nearly everyone says Alice is the picture of her Pa. I think that Alanson looks like him too, but nearly everybody thinks he favors the Woodward Family. Ann Eliza looks like Maria Woodward(Aunt Missy) and I expect like her Ma. Mr. Woodward is now living in Rich Valley some 12 miles from here. Virginia is in Lexington with her grandfather and Maria is teaching school in Blancd Co.
Tomorrow is Christmas, the children are all wondering what old Kris will bring them. They have been deprived of candy and toys for so long that it is a great treat for them to get candy. Cotton material is some cheaper than last summer; calico is from 35 to 50 cents a yd, domestic from 40 to 50 cents. Money is very scarce. You wished to know if there were any of your things packed up here that had not been used. I fear that I can't tell as much about them as Mrs. W. could. I found packed in a box in the garret one new counterpane, five tablecloths and four or five pairs of pillowcases that have not been used. There was a box over the dining room that Mrs. Woodward told me belonged to you. I had it brought down and taken in one of the chambers when I first came here. It contained a pair of fine blankets, two colored blankets and two or three quilts. I expect we are using some of your comforts and quilts. I can't tell as they are not marked, can't find but one sheet and two or three pairs of pillowcases that have your name on that we have been using. Mrs. Look told me that Mr. Look had a list of all the things they had belonging to you. Can tell you more about things after I have talked to Mrs. W and Mr. Look. Your carpets and tableware I think are at Mr. Looks, your furniture and beds are here. We expect Mr. Look and family back the first of next month, they will go to housekeeping soon after they arrive. I hope that Mr. L may succeed in finding a suitable situation for Mr. Stone and that we may have the pleasure of seeing you all here in the Spring. The children join me in sending their love to all. Mr.. L and I wrote to your mother some time ago, but have had no letters from Mass since the war. Hope to hear from you soon and often,
Yours affectionately,
Harriet Lincoln
TO: 1866
