Letter from Mary Crane to the Peck family, October 24, 1864.
Creator
Crane, Mary
Subject
Scranton (Pa.)--History; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865;
Description
A letter from Mary Crane to her father Rev. George Peck about family issues and the Civil War. Mary Crane was the mother of novelist Stephen Crane, who wrote the Red Badge of Courage.
Date.Original
1864-10-24
Rights
Original document is in the public domain and was scanned courtesy of the Lackawanna Historical Society.
Publisher
University of Scranton
Physical Dimensions
19.1 x 25.4 cm
Coverage.Temporal
1860-1869
Type
Text
Source
Lackawanna Historical Society
Transcript
Morristown N.J.
Oct 24. 1864
Dear Father + Mother
It has been so long since
I have written that I hardly know
where to begin, I scarcely know
what it was that broke up my
habit of writing every two weeks
but I guess it was my sickness
and the moving in the spring
Ellen was away four weeks
and while she was gone my other
girl left so I was alone for a
few days, I got along better
than I thought I could, doing
the most of our ironing in one
day. I was down to Newark three
days, staying over Sunday, many
friends inquired after you both, There is a good deal of
excitement in business circles
about petroleum, R. M. Hatfield
was here last week at a great
union mass meeting, [gap]
Pierpont of Virginia + [gap]
were also here, Hatfield made
a grand speech, We are quite
enthusiastic, how are you
out there in the heart of that
old dutch state. Both sides
claim the victory, where does
it belong, the unionists are
hopefuly of redeeming N.J. -
from her disgrace, if we do
I shall be proud of her
There can be no halfway
folks this time, Our boys
catch the enthusiasm
and want to attend all the
union meetings, These are
great times to live in. May
we be brought out all right We have an invite to Edwin
Clyde's [unclear] to a ministerial party
to be given to Dr McClintock
next Thursday; we expect to
go, if we do I'll give you notes.
Last summer I wrote a letter
to Sis and sent to Honesdale to
Merritt's care if you see him
will you please ask him to
remail it as it contained a belt [unclear]
the letter is of no consequence
or if he will give it to you, you
can retain it till you are coming
on, [unclear] She had a very pleasant
visit at Haverstraw, we called at
Passaic to see Dr Howe's family.
Em Gardner was married to
a gent from New Orleans, while
Sis was there,
The juveniles go to school down
to Eddie,
I have been very busy this fall
but now the evenings are longer
and I'll try and respond to all
letters, I feel as if it was not
right for us to wait so long
for an answer but rather if
the looked for letter does not
come let's write again.
I dont correspond with any
of the family but you, and
sometimes I feel very lonely
about it. Can scarce believe
that I have three brothers the
same flesh as myself, Luther
writes at long intervals, but his
letters are very short and unsatis
factory. [unsatisfactory] I would not have thought
that it could be so perhaps it
is my fault. but if it is why
dont they ever [gap] me for
a letter? Do write soon,
We are very happy here but there
is great spiritual derth here.
Mr Crane and the children
join in love to you both, Pray
for us.
'Sis.'
NEWARK
OCT 25
1864
N.J.
Rev. G. Peck D.D.
Scranton, Pa
1864 UNIONIST LETTER
RE: FAIRFAX + OTHER NOTABLES
