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, March 30. 1864

Dear John. Hoping Baby & yourself are well, I now sit down to write you a letter as from Mother – Henry left us on Friday night, and his visit was a very uncomfortable one to us. The day after he came he prepared for Sewickly, I asked him where he was going? He said to Sewickly, it knocked me down so much that I could hardly speak. I asked him if he was engaged to her, he told me yes. I bursted out crying and told him that he said, in promise to me, that he would not do anything that would worry me; it is two years ago since he made that promise to me, then he left without making me one word of an answer, and did not come back until 12 OClock next day. I told him that I hoped, I would be quietly laid in the cemetery before that would take place; I told him that he did not do as his brother done, that he did not disgrace us, nor himself; Had we known that he was going to Sewickly, there would never be one invited into the door on his account; I went to a great deal of trouble & expense on his account but had I known that he was going to Sewickly I would not have honoured him that much. He went the second time, and staid that night and part of the second day. We never said one unkind word to him about it, but we were very cool and very broken hearted all the time he was here, and it made me so irritable that I could hardly speak a kind word to any one; We have but three, and you know the circumstances that one is placed in, now we bless God, that if Henry is lost, we still have you.

We expected a letter from you this morning, as you were to lecture on Monday night, we thought you would surely on Tuesday drop a line in the Harrisburgh P.O. which we would have this morning giving us to know what success you have had, let it be good or bad we want to know it if it had been only one line, it would suffice for the present. We are all in tolerable health.

Your affectionate father & mother

Henry & Mary Warner

Citation: Henry and Mary Warner, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner.  Allegheny City [Pittsburgh],30 March 1864. Moore VI:06:3

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, March 23^rd.1864 – 2 ½ P.M.

Dear John, your Welcome letter of Monday 21^st, we received this morning, just as I brought it in (8 1/2 o’clock) in came Dr. Rodgers, who was on his way over to Pittsburgh, and wished to see Henry before he would leave for the East; Henry will leave on Friday evening 25^th on 8 OClock train, so as to arrive at the Fort on 26^th it being the day on which his furlough will expire. On last Sabbath he attended meeting in our church three times, forenoon, afternoon, & night. Your father did not go at night, but Mother & Henry did; On last Friday we had a few friends to take tea and spend the evening. Rev’d J.B. Clarke, Lieut Lewis of Fort Delaware, from Birmingham, Mrs & Miss Eliza Lewis, Robert, Anne, & their two children, Mrs Lockhart, & Miss Mary her daughter, Miss Annie Curry next door neighbor, & Miss Agnes Stevenson & your Bro Hy. I think all told. We are glad to know, “Baby & yourself are very well”. Late in spring or summer will be a long time to look for, but if we only have the pleasure of seeing each other then, alive and well it will be a joyful meeting; there is quite ‘a stir’ here about a sanitary fair, which is to be held in either Pittsburgh or Allegheny, both cities contend for the honor, and it is not decided yet where it will be held. Uncle Maxwell still exists and is pretty well. Acy has had a young daughter, and all is well up there; Next Friday week, Anne will be moving, and as you say, we do sincerely hope mother will get through that operation without damage.

Your affectionate father & mother

Henry & Mary Warner

P.S. We were favoured with the Legislation Record sent us by Hans “Henon Esq.” H.R. for which we return thanks, under his motion in behalf of Lee, coal company, also Allegheny and Perrysville Plank & Road Co.

The Evening Chronicle has a correspondent, who signs himself ‘Amos’, we will look for his allusion to your lecture on next Tuesday evening anxiously.

H.W.

Citation: Henry and Mary Warner, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner.  Allegheny City [Pittsburgh],23 March 1864. Moore VI:06:3

Rev. John Riddle Warner was the grandfather of the poet Marianne Moore and during the Civil War, he lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He developed a lecture on the Battle of Gettysburg, which he gave widely. These letters are preserved as part of Marianne Moore’s family papers.

Transcript:

Chester Pa

March 17^th 1864

Rev. J.R. Warner

Dear Bro—

Yours addressed to Mr. Jno. Cochran, a ruling Elder in my church, I had the pleasure of reading on its receipt this morning. I was not aware of his writing to you and from the character of your reply suppose than he could not have been definite enough in specifying the object whose benefit he designed in the delivery of your lecture. It was his primary intention that it should be for the benefit of the Presbyterian Church—which at the present time is making a special effort to liquidate in whole or in part a debt which hangs upon it, and which is rendered the more necessary as an effort will be made before long to commence a new enterprise, which will more or less affect the present organization. I fear very much that the terms which you state may be beyond what we ought to undertake—knowing as I do the character of the Community. Of course I would hesitate to suggest a change—and yet interested as I am in the Church, and desirous as I am to promote the spiritual interests of the Community, untrammeled with debt, I could wish them different.

As Mr Cochran has advertised the lecture of Friday Evening 25^th we expect to hear it for whatever cause— I myself am anxious to hear the lecture

1. Because of its intrinsic excellence—

2. Because of the relation of that bloody field to my own personal safety, and to a disappointed foe

3. Because the scene of the conflict has been indelibly stamped on my memory by reason of the suffering witnessed there during 3 weeks ministry, in the service of the Christian Commission, among the wounded and dying—of wh. resulted in a lingering typhoid fever to myself

4. The Community I am sure will take an interest in the Lecture, as a number of our own citizens there offered up their lives as a sacrifice in the defence of their country

While I know your interest in the various organizations, now in operation for the supply of the temporal & spiritual wants of our noble soldiery—I do not suppose that your interest in Presbyterian is less, & therefore feel that you would not be unwilling that the benefits of your lecture should go towards the debt of our Church—

If you can modify your terms I am sure the act would be appreciated—but we abide your own decision.

Yours fraternally

A.W. Sprouall

Pastor of Pres Ch

Citation: A.W. Sprouall, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner. Boston, 17 March 1864. Moore VI:6:3