LETTERS OF JOHN D. MOLER, Written by Emilia Cornelia Moler (Nelia) to her sister, dated 5 June 1864 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Garnett, June 5th 1864 Dear Sister As it is Sunday and I can not go to Church I will improve my time by writing you. I received your letter with the Photographs enclosed on Wednesday; we all think yours so natural and the children are very pretty. I think Lizzie soes look some like she used to, and Nelly is so much like little Julia. I would like to have had one of yours but I did not like to part with Susie. Mary says if you send her one of the childrens she will send you Lauras as soon as she can get one taken. She had some ambrotypes taken but they were not good. She is so wild she can not sit still half a minute. She goes out and pulls off all the rose buds and such things that are in her reach and they cant make her stop it no how. You must be getting young again going to singing school. I would like to attend your concert and hear you hold forth. Henry & I sing the Lute through nearly every Sunday but I have almost forgotten the notes. Henry is so anxious to have me learn music that he has hired a teacher for me. I am going to take lessons on the Melodean & Guitar both and when I get so I can play he is going to make me a present of a Guitar and if I will stay here all the time he will give me a Piano & a Pony (strong inducements aint they) but I have not fully determined yet. We have changed the programe since I commenced this and Henry & I went to church and heard a tolerable good sermon, it was in the Presbyterian church, the only church in town and it was neither lathed or plastered and had some boards for seats, the meeting are nearly all held in the school house. Since I left home I have been to church five times, twice in Princeton, twice here and once in Leavenworth. I suppose you have received my letter I wrote from there long ere this. I will tell you about my trip now. We started up there on Wednesday morning bright & early in a small buggy with no cover and only one seat, with two little Ponies to it. It was a miserable warm day and we got slightly tired, we got to Lawrence about sun down, a distance of fifty miles, met Capt. Johnson at the Norton House ready to help us out. He had been to Leavenworth and was that far on his way back (the fun of it was that where ever we went we was shure to meet him.) We staid all night. In the morning we started again and reached the Planters House about two o'clock in the afternoon, one of the hottest days I almost ever felt, went to our room, laid down & rested till evening, then went to the saloon and got Ice cream and from there to the Panorama I told you about, and had the unspeakable pleasure of meeting Ed Catlin there. I was very much pleased with him and felt acquainted with him from the start, he has changed considerable since Griff saw him for he belongs to the church now and is one of the head member in the Methodist Church there. He invited us to a Picnic they were going to have. We stayed till Monday afternoon, we met with a young man, Mr. Thompson, the same I wrote about who was very anxious very anxious we should stay over Sunday for he would be so happy to take us up to the Fort, he was certainly the most agreeable company I have met for some time. We went to the Methodist Church in the morning (Henry & I) and heard a delightful sermon, went back to the hotel and eat our dinner and about three o'clock started on the dreaded trip, got to Lawrence, a distance of thirty five miles by dark and met the Captain in the same spot ready to help us out again. He said he had been waiting ever since we went up to make up his mind to sacrifice himself by going down in the Stage and had finaly concluded to do so the next morning when we started. I was very sick that night and hardly able to travel the next day but we started, went about half way and stoped for dinner at a new town called Ottawa, the Hotel had just been built and was not plastered but was made into something of a block house with port holes in it. I laid down and rested till dinner was ready and felt better. We had a very good dinner, but did not see a woman about the house. Henry went to get his Ponies and found one of them sick so we had to wait for the Stage and Mary & I got in it and went the rest of the way in it. Capt. Johnson got out and came down with Henry; the Stage was cramed and Mary, myself and a young man had to sit one seat and Laura would sit on his lap in spite of us and kiss him too, a very hard rain came up and it just poured down; we did not get wet but Henry & the Capt. did, but he said he did not care for himself as the ladies were dry. That young man, Mr. Brewster, said the weather was so changeable in Kansas that a person ought never to leave home without taking an overcoat, an umbrella, & a fan. An old man wanted to know where we would stop and said he was sorry for he did not like to travel unless some ladies were along. They were all the livliest set of men I ever saw and kept us laughing all the time. You would have laughed to have heard their remarks about Kansas, they were passing their opinions on Garnett when the driver told them it had been laid out for a large town but all the trouble was it had been weaned to soon; when I got back I found four letters for me, one from Doug, John Donovan, Han & Griff & John Ransburg, he is still alive and well and says he will be at our house in July and will spend next winter there. I wrote for him to come here and I would go with him there. Griff did not say what Alfred intended to do. John was over here on Friday, his folks are all well. I gave him that likeness and he seemed pleased. He thinks it very good. Henry & Mary are much obliged for theirs. Henry is making Ice cream now and would like to have you help eat it. I had Green corn & Strawberrys for dinner, we have all the good things that are to be had. Mary & I were vaccinated a few days ago, there is considerable of Small pox around now, but the people do not appear to be much alarmed about it. I have written you all the news so I will have to bring this to a close, hoping to hear from you soon. Henry & Mary join me in much love to each one of you. I remain your sister E.C. Moler The wind does not blow any today for a wonder. That piece in Godeys is just as true as it can be, they came over just the same road I did when I came.