Henry and Mary Warner lived in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, now part of Pittsburgh. They are the great-grandparents of poet Marianne Moore. By the 1860s they had three surviving children: John, Henry, and Anne. Their letters to John, a Presbyterian minister living in Gettysburg, are preserved as part of Marianne Moore’s family papers.
Transcript:
Back Bed Room
Allegheny City Wednesday September 11th 1861, 3 P.M.
Our Dear Children—Another Wednesday has arrived & I find myself writing to the folks at Gettysburgh. Am happy to inform you we are all in good health & spirits. Mother has just laid down to take a rest, Robert Anne & Sis are in room over the kitchen, Jonnie at School & Henry at Titusville—have not heard from him since I wrote you last. As usual have no news to tell you; Tommy Mitchell had a son married about a year go—to a miss Susan Young a niece of Eliza Dickson—of Dr Bruca’s Church—the bridge is dead, consequently Mitchells son is a widower; We have a pretty good harvest of grapes this year, they are a large size & sweet, our markets are very abundant and as for potatoes they are as good as any I have ever seen, one consolation, we are under no apprehension of starvation here plenty to eat, drink, & wear, expect to get in our coal next week—about 300 Bushels at 5 ½¢ amount of $16.50—Taxes all paid for this year—City 9.23, Poor 92, Water 792, School 673.100, County 7.30 & State 218—Total $34.100 28 for the year 1861. We owe no man any thing, and feel that we can get along very comfortable for another 365 days except something adverse should occur that we cannot at present foresee; Your Welcome letter we received in due time, and we suppose by this time it is in Titusville, we feel grateful for it and are glad to know your brother in law is in a fair way of recovery. You never mentioned our old friend Mac, Emma, or Mary; Our old Friend C. Zug, says he will come himself for me when he wants me, there is a good deal of unfinished work of mine there, that we can do nothing with until we can conclude what rents are to be on the Lindsay Estate &c&c; We can say or do very little here any of us until we see some definite prospect, as to the result of this war brought upon us by very bad people, especially as the great battle, seems to be so near at hand.
We are informed here that the rebels are summoning all their forces from the South, Tennessee, & Missouri, to their assistance on the Potomac. We hope our people will be a match for them, should the struggle end in our favour it will give a death blow to them rebellion. The burning of the Supports under the Rail Road in Missouri, was a hellish plot, to destroy the lines of unsuspecting men, women & children.
One thing certain, we can match any people on earth, in this beloved country of ours, for the essence of atrosity—but it is no use to comment on the thousand and one occurrences daily taking place, it would fill volumes—kind remembrance to Jennie.
We are very well satisfied you put off your visit until the beginning of October, our communion will be last Sat of September, we think it will suit all parties better, and it may be, by that time, momentous events to our beloved country, may take place by that time.
Your affectionate father & mother
Henry & Mary Warner
Citation: Henry and Mary Warner, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner. Allegheny City [Pittsburgh], 11 September 1861. Moore VI:04:22