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| This is a letter written in 1860 by Samuel Whitsitt of Princeton, Indiana to the family of his recently deceased brother James Whitsitt in Lafayette County, Missouri | ||
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Samuel Whitsitt Letter of 1860 |
I received a photo copy of this letter from descendants of the Lafayette County, Missouri Whitsitt's in the early 1980's. Included was a photo copy of the envelope with its postmark and stamp. The letter is very faded and difficult to read but fortunately I was also supplied with a transcript. Using the transcript and some photo editing software I have, I was able to verify the text of the letter. I feel this letter is an extremely important piece of evidence for the descendants of the Indiana Whitsitt's and their kinfolk who removed from Indiana and Kentucky to Missouri. The letter was written after Lincoln's election and before he took office, which places it in 1860. I received a copy of this letter from Mrs. Pauline Maciejewski, Grand Island, Nebraska in the 1980's. Pauline obtained if from descendant Venita L. (Whitsitt) Bumgarner Perryville, of Lafayette Co., Missouri. Samuel Whitsitt was the son of Joseph Whitsett and Mary Lemasters and the grandson of Samuel Whitsett of Montgomery County, Kentucky. |
Envelope postmarked November 26, Princeton, Ia. (Indiana), addressed to Mr. Joseph A. Whitsitt, Rennick Mills, Layfayette (sic) County, Missouri. The letter is four pages, written on typical informal letter 5x8 inch stationary. The handwriting is very small cursive in the nineteenth century style. This is a verbatim copy. I have not corrected spelling or other errors. |
Princeton Ind. Nov the 26th. Dear Nephews, Sisters & Nieces: I have received the sad
tidings of the death of brother James a hard trial is to us to loose our
nearest friend I was in great hopes when I sent that medicine that he
would recover although I knew he was in a dangerous condition when I visited
him. The way I came to hear of his death was by your letter the postman
having heard of his death before starting the letter. I was sorry to hear
of sister Pollys sickness also. Your letter was only about 8 days on the
way from date. We received it on Wednesday. We are all well at the present
time and all relatives as far as I know and I hope that you will have
better health in future than you have had. We have had a very cold spell
for the past week. We have had snow and now it is raing and very cold.
It is the first of our winter. We will have cold wether for a month yet.
We have had clear pleasant weather for a month before this spell tho.
Health in this part of the country is very good this fall not such fever
and ague like there used to be. I think pork will be about six dollars
per hundred corn about 35 cents per bushell. I see an account of Montgomery
being in there killing up the people. I want you to write and give me
a straight account of it. There has been considerable said about Lincoln
election. I feel sure that Lincoln will do justice by all. You need not
fear I think we ought to submit to the majority of the people. Tell Arin
Shaw to write to me. Tell Rev Nance & wife to write to me. John says
for Joe to write to him and tell Beny to write and tell Beny to take Doctor
Williams medicine if he wants to get well and tell Sister Polly Summers
to write to me and we will answer all letters. Write in your next letter
and tell me what Brother James said about dying. I hope that our loss
is his gain and we ought to all try and prepare to meet him in better
world. There was eight brothers of us and there is seven dead. I am the
only one left out of eight. Brother Simeon Lemasters is still alive and
well he was a half brother. Sister Margaret is living and well all the
connection is well as far as I know my relations are nearly all dead in
this country. I want you and your mother and Joe to come in here. You
can come by the railroad in two days and stay all night in St. Louis or
come by water to Evansville come to Lexington and get on a boat and around
to Evansville and up on the cars from there in an hour. I know you can
all come if you will for you can get Beny to attend to you affairs while
you are gone. Tell Joe to be sure to come with you. Give my respects to
all the relations and friends. The children send their love to all of
the relations. No more but write soon and tell me all the news and please
answer all my questions from your affectionate Uncle |
NAMES IN THE LETTER Brother James: - James Stewart Whitsitt (b. Oct. 22, 1797, Montgomery Co., KY., d. Nov. 10, 1860, Lafayette Co., Mo.), married Sidney Noland Sister Polly Summers - Mary "Polly" Whitsitt Summers (b. May 31, 1802, Montgomery Co., Ky., d. April 12, 1869, Lafayette Co., Mo.; m. Caleb Summers, July 15, 1818, Madison Co., Ky. Montgomery - Rev. James Montgomery, a radical abolitionist and infamous Jayhawker. In the 1850's until the outbreak of the Civil War, Montgomery led bands of thugs into western Missouri from Kansas preying on farmers, usually slave owners but also others suspected of being southern sympathizers. They stole the property of their victims, often shot the men in boys down in their fields and liberated their slaves (which often meant kidnapping the unwilling). Arin Shaw - Unidentified Rev. Nance and Wife - Frederick Nance, husband of Elizabeth J. Whitsitt (1827-abt. 1862), daughter of Samuel's brother John W. Whitsitt and wife Unity Fielder. John - Samuel's son John S. Whitsitt (July 3, 1838 - Dec. 12, 1895); married Anna E. Archer in Gibson Co., Indiana Sept. 14, 1865. Joe - James' son and Samuel's nephew Joseph Anderson Whitsitt (June 7, 1827 - June 6, 1898), married Mary Catherine Powell, March 10, 1864 in Lafayette County. Beny - James' son and Samuel's nephew Benjamin Whitsitt; nothing more is known about him (he may not have survived the Civil War). Dr. Williams - Unidentified Simeon Lemasters - First son of Samuel's mother Mary Lemasters; Mary was apparently a widow with one child when she married Samuel's father Joseph Whitsitt. Sister Margarett - Margaret Whitsitt (b. abt. 1797), daughter of Joseph and Rebecca Stewart; m. William Powell in Harrison Co., Kentucky in 1814. Joe's mother - Sidney Noland Whitsitt (1801-1880), married James Stewart Whitsitt November 10, 1814, Madison County, Kentucky; applied for a pension for James' service in the War of 1812 after James' death. John S. Whitsett - (see John above) Nancy Whitsitt - Samuel's daughter Nancy J. Whitsitt, born 1841; nothing more is known of her. William B. Whitsitt - Samuel's son, born about 1844 in Gibson Co., Indiana, m. Margaret McClure Sept. 2, 1869 in Gibson County, Indiana.
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| Ronald
N. Wall Copyright © 2004. All rights reserved. Modified: 07 June 2011 |