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, June 4th 1862, 3 P.M.
Our Dear Children, Your truly welcome letter, dated Gettysburgh 2nd and Post mark Chambursburgh June 3rd reached us this morning. I was glad to have it for mother who said she had a poor nights rest, at present she seems more lively, is looking over the newspaper beside me, we sincerely hope by this time Jennie is safe over all her trouble, be this as it may, there will always be a dangerous liability to take cold while nursing, and the consequence will surely be a similar attack, in that case a good sweat will give relief but the perspiration must subside gradually, some are more adicted to this than others. Cleaning house mother says will be a very dangerous undertaking and strongly advises you to let the house alone until fall of the year—When we do leave, we think we can reach you, without you putting yourself to the trouble of coming to Harrisburgh, we are all in excellent health & spirits Henry was with us last Sabbath & left on monday morning We had a goodly number of ministers in our community latterly they are all scattered and the two cities seem lonesome—we were glad to hear Mr. Paxton visited our U.P. synod with an address from the old school body, favouring an interchange of friendship between the two bodies—we are anxiously looking forward for the fall of Richmond—we think the rebels will have work enough to do without troubling either Locust Hill, Gettysburgh, or Pittsburgh—one thing is certain they cannot be every where!
Mother has got her teeth, she thinks they are a bad fit, but people who have had the same ordeal to go through, say, she will get accustomed to them.
Your affectionate father & mother
Henry & Mary Warner
Citation: Henry and Mary Warner, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner. Allegheny City [Pittsburgh], 4 June 1862. Moore VI:05:07