November 5, 1862: 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 5^th 1862 11 ½ A.M.

Our Dear Children—On last evening, we received a short letter from Henry, in which he intimated that he expected he could obtain a furlough early this week to enable him to see you in Gettysburgh, and we think that in all probability, while I am writing this letter, he is seated beside you, and before you receive this letter he will be on his journey again for Fort D. We are all in excellent health; Next Sabbath will be our communion, consequently tomorrow will be preparation day for taking a seat at the Lords table; On last evening after receiving Henrys letter, if we had taken a seat on the cars at 8.20, we would be in Gettysburgh now, if no accident had happened, and we could help you to eat any provision you have in the house with which you might be overstocked. 2 P.M. Mother has just left to take a walk, said she was going to see old Mrs Lockhart, before she went, she said, tell them when Henry’s letter was received last evening bringing the news of his probable visit to Gettysburgh, she was very, very much rejoiced; Mother says she is afraid John was on that train on N.C.R.R. and would like this letter to be announced by return mail, if you put no more in the letter than just to say I Am Well says she cannot divest her mind of the idea that you are sick which is the cause of Henry going to see you Coal is Eight centers per bushel now, if I had my choice, I would rather see ‘a rise on tobacco’ than coal—we laid in our winters coal at six cents, and putting in same 64 cts, for 170 bushels; we think now we may soon look forward for a visit from you to the smoky city—I really do not know what to write about, that would interest you. We have fine weather, low rivers, & business, no business at all, we hope ‘rebel Stewart’ will keep out of this for we dont want to have any thing of that kind to write about—you never told us what Mrs Eyster thought of his raid to Cham. We hope our dear little Mary is well, & that she will be pleased with a visit from her uncle, kind remembrance to Jennie—

Your affectionate father & mother

Henry & Mary Warner

Citation: Henry and Mary Warner, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner. Allegheny City [Pittsburgh], 5 November 1862. Moore VI:05:12