George W. Brindle to Mrs. L. Bolles, March 2, 1863

Dubuque Iowa

February Mch 2/63

Mrs. L. Bolles

Sand Springs [Iowa]

Dr. Madam & Sister,

Enclosed find five dollars sent me by your husband to pay expenses on securing accommodations for his chaplaincy and having it acknowledged &c. &c.

The expense was nothing to speak of and the trouble was freely taken – so I remit to you.

He spoke also of sending you groceries for the amt. In case there was no expense but in inquiring I learn that there is really no difference in the price of those articles worthy of [matter] between this place and the smaller towns around.

So here is it is.

My love to your little girl whom I met when her father was in camp here.

Faithfully yrs,

Geo. W. Brindle

SOURCE: This item was listed for sale on Ebay on July 15, 2013.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Lorenzo Bolles, Jr. was the Chaplain of the 21st Iowa Infantry.  He enlisted in Company K as a private on July 28, 1862, and was promoted Chaplain January 6, 1863.  He resigned July 16, 1863.

Rachel M. Bolles to her husband, Lorenzo Bolles, Jr., Co. K, 21st Iowa Infantry, November 8, 1862

Dear Husband,

I mailed a letter to you the morn before I received yours of the 24th but I was so bothered with the baby and the neighbors running in that I did not think of half that I wanted to write so I will try again.

In regard to the wheat that Marsh brought to us, it makes very dark flower and I have not made anything good from it yet he thinks it is the miller’s fault but I don’t. I told him that I was not willing to give him 75 cents. It is more then anybody else gives. Campbell pays 65 cents for first quality. You can do as you please about it. The Thresher thought yors very nice except small. I am not partial to poor bread. M says he is going to replace the corn that is fed to the horses from our crib. He sold the largest hog $2.15 a hundred. 200.88 pounds was what it weighed. There is $25 due him now. I hope we shall have it for him before he goes home. Mr Killpatrick has been here collecting his bills. He sold your note to Brother Bell on the note that he holds against you. Brother B called here a week ago Said he wanted to go to Ohio next spring to get a lot of sheep and if you can pay him all or a part of the note he should like it. Pay little at a time if you would like but he said tell Brother Bolles not to feel any anxiety about it if it is not convenient then let it go until you can pay. Charged me not trouble myself about it.

I wish I had a host of news to write but I have not been from the house since I went with you so I don’t get much news. I have been invited to Mr Byington’s twice but I do not intend to go anywhere this winter. Mr Byington’s folks talk of going East soon to spend the winter. Sell his place then come in the spring and build there. Boy is not well----child it very sick. Poor Mrs Huslam. I do feel sorry for her. She is very feeble.  Has had the Doctor once and ought to again. Mr Pope wants Devite to get a customer to buy his farm when he gets back east. I don’t know what he wants to sell for. Mr Clausland is going into his new house soon. It is not going to be lathed nor plastered this winter. Omsted is going into his one house. Our people keep up Sunday School and meetings yet. From that I hear I don’t think Brother B style of preaching Pleases the people. Youran has closed his business. Says he is going to war but I don’t believe it. Since writing the above I hear that you have left Salem. Now I shall feel more anxious about you. Suppose the regiment will have to go into battle soon. It is awful. I hope you will keep out of the way of the Rebels. Please write often for I shall want to hear from you more than ever. We are all well and as happy as we can be without you. We all send a great deal of love to you. Mrs Haslum had a letter from Mr H last night. What is the matter with him? I hope you will always tell me just how your health is. You did not speak of it in your last.

Yours with much love,

R. M. Bolles

Mansion House Nov 8th, 1862

Letter of L. Bolles, Jr. to his wife, August 20, 1864

Milford, Mass.  Aug 20th, 1864

My Dear Wife,

I have received nothing from you since the letter which I replied from Hopkinton. I did very well at Hopkinton in selling town lots. I worked quite hard and got quite warn out. I preached Sunday, lectured on the west Monday eve and on Tuesday on the siege of Vicksburg. The collections were very small amounting to about $6. But I sold 10 Town Lots making all together $201. so that I have nearly enough to vet $500 above expenses. I hope to make it up to this though times are harder for laboring people than I thought off. Everything to live is so terrible high that men who get good wages have to pinch hard to live. Warren has a nice peddling team and thinks he is closing pretty well selling dry good and Yankee rations about in neighboring towns. It is somewhat sickly here and they have two or three funerals a day. Mrs Saml Templeton died suddenly last night. She was miserably poor. Had been forsaken by her husband who you recollect used to be one of my special friends doing all he could to ---- me but never succeeding. He is now in State Prison for marrying four different wives. There appears to be a good deal of the Devil’s ----- these days.

I stopped at Parker Coburns some in Hopkinton and sold him 2 Town lots. They live a perfect Hell upon earth and it is difficult to tell which is the most to blame. She says that he is worth $300,000 and will let her have but little money to get by with and she has to work like a slave. She now had a green Irish girl and is expecting another. She has had a dozen different girls within a few months and can’t keep them. She complains bitterly of his treatment of her. Their quarrels are town talk. She says he has used personal violence on her many times and misused her in every possible way. She wanted my advise as she had more confidence in me than any other. I told her she had better be in a factory carrying her living than to be in such a Hell upon earth, that I would demand a settlement of $25,000 or an annuity for my support and if this were denied I would sue for a divorce. She says he had told her 500 times to leave him and her Webster says that Coburn has tried every way to get rid of her and offered to leave it to arbitration how they shall part and settle but she won’t do it. Mr Harris told me that May told his daughter that she overheard them talking last week and that she called him a --- old tyrant and said that all he wanted of her was to work like a slave all day and then ride her all night. I have not detailed this gossip because it is rich or palatable to you though this may be true but it is a good illustration of a good part of the legal marriage in high life. Wealth, lust and pride make a Hell which I thank God that he has not suffered us to fall into but I do hope that his spirit will lead us to the opposite result of a divorce unity which is higher and sweeter that the world or the flesh ever dreamed of. We shall find if we follow the truth in the Love of it, that Heaven is not far off as we used to imagine. I feel quite in a hurry to get home but you know the journey has cost a good deal and I want to do my work up faithfully.

I feel very grateful for the success which I have met with and for the prospect of getting up a little church. This will be the finishing stroke of the colony job and then we will see what the Lord will lead us to. I know that the Lord has led us in all the past and his goodness has been wonderful indeed and I expect it will be even more clear to us hereafter. I am very happy in Christ and I do expect to continue to be forever and I hope you will be as much so. God is no respecter of persons. Make room for him and he will fill you with the Heaven of his own joy and the calmness of his security. To give all is to receive all, to loose all is to gain all. To die totally is to live completely. What beautiful paradoxes there are in the truth. I gave all my property to God and he has given me all things. The farther I go from you the nearer I am to you. When you give me altogether to Christ you will possess me as you never did before. He who said “Behold I make all things new” is infinite Love and he will not take away any old thing without giving us something for better to supply its place. But he will come on all the world as a ---- and I trust we are not of the world as he is not of the world.

I think I shall go to Albion to see your folks next week. I have a letter from Father that Caroline will be at home in a few days so I shall return that way. Elisha is a little shakey about going west. The draft is coming off and his town has made no provision and substitutes are $1130. and if he is drafted his family need all his money. The world is in a terrible fix these days. But it is all preparing the way of the Lord.

Oh! How I thank him that he has taken us to the mountain top and showed us his glory and set his seal upon my heart. He will do the same for you if you will open your heart toward Him and let Him in to keep with you and the feast will be Eternal Love.

Elisha says she won’t write now. Tell her you are all right and seeing she couldn’t come you are both one and you are visiting for both.

We are going to have cabbage for dinner by the smell.

I shall probably preach half a day tomorrow and lecture Monday.

Love to all.

Your affectionate husband,

L Bolles Jr.

Rachel M. Bolles to Lorenzo Bolles, Jr., March 28, 1863

Sand Spring [Iowa]

Saturday eve 28th March, 1863

My Dearest Husband,

I had made up my mind if I did not get a letter from you today to sit down and write you a good long old fashion love letter but yours came so loaded with love that I need pay extra on it but I don’t care for that. (I mean yours of 15th and 23rd) It expresses my own feelings so well and makes me feel so nicely that I think I will write until I feel low spirited. That won’t be a great while. I presume though I have done pretty well I think under the circumstances. Am in good health. So are the children. Anna has been unwell with a cold on her lungs. A bad cough. She has had a good many such sick spells since she had the diphtheria. She is nearly well now. Carrie wanted to know if you did they pay anything for the milk that we let them have? Don’t intend to say anything about it but have often thought I should like to know but don’t want to ask her.

Marsk is fencing in a lot for the sheep from the SW corner of the barnyard to Hubbard’s fence then from the corner of the pig pen to Bowen fence. We have eleven lambs now. Mr Campbell is quite sick with lung fever. Has been raising blood. They are boarding at Sherwood’s. Mr Greer has buried another child. Has 2 left out of 6. Mr Clines buried another this week, I had a letter from E Spalding this week with $3.00 to pay taxes. He know you are in the Army and yet writes as though you was at home. Has been to Eastbard. Saw your father, Mr Taylor called here today. Said he could do nothing about Mr Warner’s taxes. Should let it remain until you come home then you could attend to it with your own. So you see it must fall to your lot after all to take care of all these folks taxes.

I have an excellent letter from our old friend, Deborah will send it to read. Please send it back. You will see what she says about taxes in behalf of others perhaps you had better write to Doc Holding. I don’t know what to tell them. I will send you a stamp. You say you will answer somebody’s letter that I sent you. I have sent so many that I don’t know which you mean. Did you get Brother Patters letter?

Sabbath eve.

I must get this ready to go in the morning. Don’t know where it will find you but I hope in a good place, well and happy. Wish you was here tonight. It would be so pleasant to have your company. The children have all gone to bed. Anna is in the cradle by my side so I do not feel that I am all alone. She is a great deal of company for me both night and day. Carrie’s last request before going to bed was to send her love and Ann’s to Father and tell him not to forget Anna. I think she sent you a short letter in one of mine. She thinks it rather strange that you don’t answer it.

I have been to meeting today. It was rather hard for Brother Bell to get into the works but after he did he done very well. The largest half of the congregation was children. Saw Mr Boldin. Gave Brother Bell some money. They feel obliged to pay him and I am glad they do though nobody likes him. I wish they were obliged to give me something for the services that you have rendered them. Perhaps I shall get along just as well with out it. I never have suffered yet. Don’t think I ever shall. I hope not at least.

It is bedtime and I must go to bed. If you was not pretty good on reading writing also spelling I should not dare send this.

Are your old shirts and stockings worn out yet? If you have any old clothes that I can make use of when you come home take them along if you can.

I must close. Wish you a good nights rest and sweet dreams.

From your affectionate wife,

R M Bolles

Sand Spring, March 29th 1863

I have sent you all the Republicans that have come.