Mary Warner lived in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, now part of Pittsburgh. She was the great-grandmother of poet Marianne Moore.

Citation: Unidentified photographer, daguerreotype of Mary Riddle Warner. [Pittsburgh?, ca. 1860] 2006.7641

Rev. John Riddle Warner was a Presbyterian minister and the grandfather of the poet Marianne Moore. During the Civil War, he lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. His letters are preserved as part of Marianne Moore’s family papers.

Citation: Office of the Committee on Labor, Income, an  revenue, typed form letter to “Reverend and Dear Sir.” Philadelphia, 18 May 1864. Moore VI:06:05

Rev. John Riddle Warner was the grandfather of the poet Marianne Moore and during the Civil War, he lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. These letters are preserved as part of Marianne Moore’s family papers.

Transcript [excerpt]:

Rev J. R. Warner –

The draft was made in our district last week. Copperheads growl loudly about it, but are going to raise their money and save their men. It suits poor me exactly it took more than one fourth the men in our township but I am unpopular and was not elected.

Our congregation is falling very much quite a number moved away this spring, their loss is much felt in society. Our pastor is so bitter against copperheads that they will not attend church. He intends either going to the army in the Christian Comm., or as chaplain. He has been elected by two regiments but has not answered yet. […]

Most truly yours, J.W. Hill

Citation: J. W. Hill, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner. Monroe, Ohio, 16 May 1864. Moore VI:6:5

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 [excerpt]:

Allegheny City, Wednesday, May 4. 1864. Afternoon

Dear John, Hoping this letter may find yourself, and our dear little Mary in good health, we commence to write to you ‘our weekly’ and in the first place have to say, we are all in good health; last Saturday evening we received a letter from Henry, in which he said he had written to you lately, he was then in good health & spirits; and from everything we could learn there was no fear of him or the company leaving the Fort; Weather latterly has been cold, wet, & disagreeable, this day is cold and clear; All eyes seem to look forward towards the conflict likely to take place on the soil of Virginia between Generals’ Grant & Lee. May the Mighty God of Jacob favour us this time. […]

Your affectionate father & mother Henry & Mary Warner

Citation: Henry and Mary Warner, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner.  Allegheny City [Pittsburgh],4 May 1864. Moore VI:06:5

Rev. John Riddle Warner was the grandfather of the poet Marianne Moore and during the Civil War, he lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. These letters are preserved as part of Marianne Moore’s family papers.

Transcript [excerpt]”:

119 Harrison Avenue

Boston May 2 1864

Rev. J.R. Warner

Gettysburg Pa

My dear Brother,

On my arrival home I was very sorry to learn that your visit to New England had been so miserably unproductive. The truth is a singular stupor has suddenly come over the war spirit of this section. Here now there is indifference to all war matters, to a very strange degree, considering the eager interest that has always been manifested.

One of our most ardent war papers, Republican in politics, has come out with a strong editorial for peace without further bloodshed, and asserts that at any time during the past three years any half dozen influential statesmen could have secured a convention of all the states, and a settlement which would have been gladly accepted by the vast majority North and South. He states that we must come to that at last however long the struggle may be protracted.

Two years ago I predicted that New England with the Greely & Chase faction of the Republican party would ultimately become ultra copper head peace men – for peace and entire separation of the North from the South. And unless victory shall soon crown our arms, this prediction will be fulfilled. I know it has long been the secret sentiment of many who were led by certain revolutionary philanthropists so called. Indeed Horace Greely has avowed it more than once. And a Republican member of Congress introduced such a proposition into the House of Rep. at the Session before the present & then went to England to advocate his views there & attempted to negociate [sic] with the rebel Minister Mason or Slidell to that effect.

But I beg pardon for this digression from what I intended to say. I merely state what I believe to be facts bearing on the popular feeling.

[…]

Yours in Christian love & labor

Randolph A. DeLancey

Citation: Randolph A. DeLancey, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner. Boston, 2 May 1864. Moore VI:6:5

Rev. John Riddle Warner was the grandfather of the poet Marianne Moore and during the Civil War, he lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Mary Craig Eyster was his sister-in-law, who lived in Chambersburg. These letters are preserved as part of Marianne Moore’s family papers. 

  Transcript:

Pittsburg, April 26^th, 64

Dear Brother,

I will just drop you a line, in haste. I did not get here until Monday afternoon, and arrived with sick-headache, had to go to bed as soon as I got here. I did not get over to Allegheny until yesterday. I found them all well and very glad to see me. George Reed took me over, and I came home myself. I expect to go over on Sunday to stay. I thought you would certainly be there as you had not written us anything to the contrary. Do you expect to return the last of the week? Mrs. [illeg.]  will stay here until Monday, we are having a very pleasant visit. You must excuse this scribble. I promised your father to write you.

Yours as ever,
Mary

Citation: Mary Craig Eyster, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner. Pittsburg ,26 April 1864. Moore VI:06:4

John Riddle Warner was the grandfather of the poet Marianne Moore and during the Civil War he lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. George Eyster was his brother-in-law and lived in Chambersburg, where he served as Provost Marshal for the 16th district of Pennsylvania from April 1863 to June 1865. These letters are preserved as part of Marianne Moore’s family papers.

Transcript:

Sunday evening

Dear John,

I have spoken to Mary a number of times about the fact that she should write to you. Last week was Court and I was busy. Finding that she had not written, I concluded to write you a line to-day.

And first as to the baby: She is very contented and very well. She grows daily more beautiful and more interesting. All the fear I have for her is that her Aunt may spoil her by too much indulgence. Mary’s (my wife) tendency is towards indulgence and especially with this child. But she is conscientious and will try to do her duty I know.

I am anxious to hear about what success you are meeting with in New England. I love that section of the Country. It seems to me that there is the highest civilization and culture. There certainly have the people been truest to the principles of liberty and equality. O, the miserable men hereabouts, who prate of the rights of slaveholders and the freedom of speech. May they be confounded! There is a freedom of speech which leads to the most abject form of despotism. Our mutual friend disgraced himself this week in Court and did more to lower  that tribunal in the eyes of the multitude than any thousand previous indiscretions in bench or bar. He appealed to jurors to acquit a murderer, because his victim had been a black man. He asked them to acquit a man who had conducted the rebels to the store of another whom they robbed and whose right eye the villain struck out because [the other?] told him the truth – said he was a traitor and ought to be hung; this too in the face of the law that no ends justify an assault. I knew not.

If not to civil war at home, I know not whither we are tending. God preserve and defend the right!

John go on and deliver that “abolition” address. Give the disloyalists a shot whenever you can.

We succeeded after a hard, three days fight in convicting the Pittsburg Lieutenant of Manslaughter.

Very [illeg.]

Geo Eyster

Citation: George Eyster, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner. Harrisburg, Pa.; 17 April 1864. Moore VI:05:21