November 9, 1864: Henry and Mary Warner to John Warner

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:

Allegheny City, Wednesday, November 9, 1864

Afternoon

Dear John, Mother & your dear little ‘ducky’ have just left the house, both in good health & Mary junior in excellent spirits and I cannot finish this letter until I know the result of their journey, this morning Mother put on an old frock to do the work about the house, and Mary told her she would cry and bawl out loud if she did not take it off, when going out now I asked her if she would leave me, yes, and the cat yes, and the chicken yes, oh well come back soon again, Oh yes I come back soon again; the new stockings you sent her just go on comfortable, are none too large.

It is now 3 oclock, & I feel so anxious to obtain even a partial account of the result of the election, that I cannot confine my mind to any thing else, I suppose by Saturday the final result will be known. On last Monday Mrs Lewis paid us a visit, is very anxious Mary would spend a day there on Saturday as there is no school on that day, well, on that day Jonnie & Sis A. wants her but we must try and make some arrangement so as to suit all parties, Mother will have to manage that affair the best way she can; As usual this season of the year, at this hour, the day is disagreeably dark; we are all in excellent health; Dr Clarke is home & preached last Sab. In forenoon, Mary heard him & behaved like a very good girl; Mother & Mary have just arrived safe & sound in the cars from town, were over to buy a winter hat for Mary, the lady they went to will not have her stock from the East until thursday next.

Yesterday Mary told Mother if she would be a good girl she would wash her and take her to meeting and put on her best dress, and if she did not behave well she would give her a good whipping when she came home and all the time she was delivering this speech, her head was going, as if she was laying down the law very serious, her little prattle never ceases, and all visitors seem to delight in listening to her telling how the ‘yebels burnt her best dess’ she seems to be coming more & more attractive every day

Your affectionate father & mother

Henry & Mary Warner

Citation: Henry and Mary Warner, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner.  Allegheny City [Pittsburgh], 9 November 1864. Moore VI:06:11