LETTERS OF JOHN D. MOLER, Letter from John Moler to his sister Hannah, cir April 1863 Transcribed and submitted by Marysue Eulitz, (c) 1999 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- KSGENWEB INTERNET GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY COPYRIGHT NOTICE: In keeping with the KSGenWeb policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (Written by John Moler, about April 1863) Cresco, Anderson County, Kansas Sister Hannah I have defered writing to you from time to time untill one and a half years has past away. I know I should have wrote sooner, but I have been too busy. The war continues to be the great theme to engage the attention of mankind in the United States. One year ago I thought I could see the end of it, but now in my opinion the end is yet afar off. The North and the South too have been egregiously dissapointed for neither party has been as easy whipped as their opponents calculated on. I have managed to keep out of the service so far and now I will be forty five next January, so I will likely escape imbrueing my hands in the blood of my fellow countryman. I am looked upon as being conservative in this country. I dont endorse the extremes of either party, that is the partys of the North. But am Uncompromisingly for the Union. Grif was to see us a few days ago, he seemed pleased with Kansas generally. Quite often in the course of the year our friends in Ohio call on us, and we are always pleased to see people from the east in our Prairie cabin. Our latch strings hangs outside the door, as it has always done before. Our children are quite large and healthy. Three of them go to school and the youngest (Albert) will go next summer. Cornelia and Allice are pretty fair scholars for children of their age and after a couple of years more we will send them off to coledge. I think of giving our boys a military education so that in case of war they need not go as private soldiers. Edward Cowling from Columbus, formerly a bucher in the days of Old Jerry Miner, Jack White and the Old school of Ohio Farmers, called on us a few weeks since, he thinks of going into the cattle raising business in this country, for which it is admirably adapted. He thinks we made a desirable move in leaving Jackson Township in Ohio, and settling in Kansas, and of course that is good evidence that he is a sensible man. Quite a number of men of about my age from Franklin County would do well to leave there and go west, for instance, John Cherry, Wm. L Miner, Daniel Moler and Grif, etc. I know Grif and Dan will come sometime too. Henry had done well by coming and will become well off in the world if he could be more economical, for he has a good opportunity in the State for the business that he seems by nature fited to follow, his store in Garnett is as good as any store in the State away from the large cities, and there is plenty of money in circulation so times are quite lively. And socially he has bettered his condition verry much, for he can associate with the high officers of State, and you know in Ohio it is hard to break over the established place in society in which a person is brought up. He and his wife appear to be well satisfied to forsake Columbus. I am well satisfied with this country for here I can follow the business I have always admired, Stock growing. We have a good many cattle and horses, and it costs almost nothing to raise them for our pastures are only limited on the west by the Rocky Mountains which are six hundred miles away. All we have to do is to take a horse once a day and collect them together. Almost every time I ride out to look for our stock I see wild deer a skiping around over the Prairie, and the number of wild chickens that I see is innumerable, they look at a distance like flocks of sheep. I shoot all the chickens we can make use of. The Indians call on us frequently hunting estray ponies, and to buy taties, chickanies and hoggymeat. They are very friendly and some of them are quite inteligent. The Rebellion has drove a great many of the Southern Indians to Kansas for protection. In civilization, education, wealth and manners they are far ahead of the Northern Indians. Indeed the Cherokees are not far behind there palefaced brothers in schools, semiarys and coledges and laws. They live in good houses and dress well and have large herds of cattle and horses, some have one or two thousand head of cattle, and they held slaves, but I understand they have now abolished slavery. There country lies west of Arkansas about two hundred miles south of here. You have no doubt heard of their chief as they call him, John Ross, he is elected every four years, but then he is not verry much Indian. I understand he married a Baltimore lady. Last summer the Rebels run him away from his country but he managed to take away with him over a hundred thousand dollars and a few hundred ....... But now there is a union army down there and Gov. Ross has gone back. The Indians that live about twenty miles north of here (Sac and Fox tribes) are the celebrated tribe of whom Black Hawk was the chief. The Wyandotts from Upper Sandusky in Ohio where Kirbys used to live, live about sixty miles from here North. You may recolect of hearing tell of them stealing a little white boy thirty five years ago from the neighborhood we used to live in in Seneca County Ohio, and after being away from his relations near thirty years roaming over the Prairies of Kansas, curiosity impelled him to return to the land of his childhood and seek out his kindred once more. The Wyandotts have now become in a measure civilized. There are large numbers of Indians now in the United States service as soldiers and have proved quite efficient too. The negroes dont seem to take to soldiering verry kindly and I believe the idea of raising a negro army is about abandoned. This war business bothers me verry much, sometime I think it never will be settled so as to get the union back ......... paper there is a probability of getting into a war with our ancient enemy, England, and if this rebellion was ended I would not care, but the present war is likely to keep us busy for sometime to come. I take four newspapers and one of them is Sammandarys Crisis. Sam is the same old demagoge he used to be when he used to publish the Statesman. I think likely that Vallindham will be the next Governor of Ohio. I see that most all the people in Franklin County are turning Democrat, but here is Kansas the Republicans have everything there own way. Good night now, I must go and attend to the cows and calves. May 22, 1863, I commenced this letter about six weeks since and now I will try to finish it. It is reported here quite currently that Richmond is in our possession, but I dont believe it. We have some little of the effects of the war in this state. There are roving bands of (thiever) from Missouri appearing in unexpected places in our state and robing stores and persons and as suddenly disappearing. They passed within twenty miles of this place two weeks since. This season is likely to continue verry favorable for farming, crops look quite favorable. Give my respects to Mr. Anderson and all the little Anderson, would be peased to hear from you soon. I remain your brother, J. Moler