Poe Archive

April 8th 1864
Greentown, Howard Co. Ind.

Dear Son,

This is to inform you that we received a letter from you a week ago tonight with 2 dollars enclosed. I would have written immediately but could get no stamps here for they had been out for several weeks. We sent twice to Kokomo and last night we succeeded in getting them. Well Father has just returned from the office and brought another letter from you. I am always truly glad to hear from you but sorry you are so out of fix about not getting more letters. I have always answered your letters if you don’t get them it is not my fault. I think you ought to have had one or two from Knoxville and a package of paper and envelopes, pens, and pen holder and pencil and I sent one to Cumberland Gap but it appears you have not got them. Rosster was in your fix. I heard him say some time ago that he thought strange you did not write to him. He had wrote 2 and got no answer but how since [he] got one. I don’t know whether he has written since or not but you will have to make some allowance for him as he is kept very busy in the drug store. He has no one to help him and is there from sunrise to ten o’clock at night. Rachel has been sick but is about now. Yesterday their little boy was taken very sick with the lung fever. A good many children in town are sick so they keep Ellen busy, so that will account for her not writing. Charles wrote to me some time ago to ask you if you had ever got any letters from him if so why you did not answer them. I wrote to you but have not yet learned we got a letter from him last week. He wanted to know if I had made the inquiry, [he] said he was very anxious to hear from you, Mary, and Eliza requests me to write often and let them hear from you so I know they are all interested in your welfare. We have had no letter from Joseph since I last wrote to you. Well Doctor I. hope you will get over your fret by the time this reaches you and favor us with letters often and rest assured that I will answer all I get and if I get some I will still write while you and I live.

If you knew how uneasy I am about you, you would never think of withholding your pen from me. So enough of this, but I am very sorry your furloughs are played out. I was in hopes your turn would come next for I want to see you very much. I sometimes dream of seeing you come home and feel so rejoiced but alas it is all a dream. Well I don’t know as I have any news to tell you. Things remain about so; people complain of hard times.

The home guards have got orders from the Governor to keep the ourselves at readiness at a minutes warning to repel invasion. If they have to go it will deprive them of putting in a crop and corn being cut of last year it will bring a famine. How I wish the authorities would resort to a draft and take the lazy butternuts, but it looks like they are favored ones.

We got a letter last night from Aunt Betsy. She was well, still talks of coming to see us. We have got 2 dollars worth of stamps. Father thinks it best not to send more than 25 at a time. If you get this you can tell us whether you want them all sent in the next and I will do as you request. Father has been grafting apples all this week and haint near done. He has the Mo fever [desire to move to Missouri] and don’t work with a good will. Says if he could sell he would not stay here a week, but I would rather see this war over before we go back for want of people. I must stop, your Mother as ever.

Lydia Ware