August 8, 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 Monday August 8^th 1864 11 A.M.

Dear John, Your interesting & welcome letter of Saturday 6^th inst, came duly to hand this morning for which we are truly grateful and sincerely thankful to a kind Providence for your health and safety during such times as we are all passing through, you have had a perilous time of it; so far we have been permitted to dwell in safety here, we hope and pray our safety may be continued to us. It cheered us up, on reading of your interview with Henry, we will anxiously look for the promised news papers; Anne, Robb, & the two children, are home again safe & well had a very happy time of it at Uncle Maxwell’s – we enjoy pretty good health, Mother is terribly afraid of not being able to secure your valuables and is deriving every plan imagination can point out. The people here remind me of the course pursued by the people previous to the flood – they were marrying & giving in marriage etc. etc. etc.The people, ride about, the ladies dress gay & all attending to their business, as if there was not a rebel within 10.000 miles of them – Mother says ask John if the house Mrs Eyster lived in was her own? We imagine we see you flying with that bundle on your back, and the trunk in your hand, we sympathise with Mrs Eyster very much, & wish we had our dear little Mary here, although we cannot tell what trouble of the same kind, may yet befall ourselves; You will be surprised when we tell you that Mother said last night “I wonder if John lost his gold pencil” and the first news we had this morning, was your letter giving us an account of the loss of it; Mother says keep up your spirits any how. May Our Heavenly Father bless you all is the sincere prayer of Your Affectionate father & mother Henry & Mary Warner

Citation: Henry and Mary Warner, autograph letter signed to John Riddle Warner.  Allegheny City [Pittsburgh],8 August 1864. Moore VI:06:8