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Letter from Rebecca Powell (Prince Edward County, Va.) to Selina Powell (Kenmuir ?)

(Rebecca is teaching on the Dickinson farm in P. E. County)


12 January 1863


Powell Papers – 65 P875, Box III, Folder 4


- - - - -


Springfield, January 12th 1863


My dearest Mother


 


As we suffered at the


P.C. [?] on our way to Church yesterday your letter


was handed me and I assure you I was very glad


to get it, for as I had not seen your letter


to Nina it seemed right long since I had heard


from you.  I am so glad dear Mother to hear


that you & dear Father are so well.  I hope


Pa will find the situation at Mr. Haskins an a-


greeable one if he makes his arrangements with


him.  Every one seems to think Richmond so un-


comfortable this winter, board is so high, & there


is so much smallpox there, that I dare say he


will find it more agreeable teaching in the country


than he would in the Dept.  Then I shall be very


glad to have you near Sis, as I do not feel entirely


easy about her, though I hope the rest at Christ-


mas will refresh & strengthen her.  As you say I


really do not know where she would go if she


were to leave Mr. T’s.  It would be very pleasant


[2]


for her to be with Uncle Fred & Lute in Charleston


except for one thing, & that is they have no room


for her to sleep in with a fireplace.  Nina & I


had no fire in our room while we were there


& though we did not mind it, I don’t reckon


it would do for her to be without it.  If it were


not for this I think a month or two there could


be very good for her; they live very comfortably & pleas-


antly, though economically.  Mrs. Anderson does not


exactly board with them, but they keep house together di-


viding the expense, & Lute keeps house.  I have first


received a letter from Sis & she writes very


cheerfully, & says she thinks she feels considerably


rested by her holidays, though she had the prospect


of a cold in her head.  I am in hopes she is only


a little worried out & will recover when Mr. Tuckers


home & Maria behaves better.  I dare say the coffee


may have something to do with it, but I must tell


you that I only stopped drinking it for two weeks


& since then have been drinking it without feeling


any side effects at all.  I feel remarkably well now


better & stronger than I have done since last


summer.  I have no trouble at all in teaching


the children, & rarely feel tired much when


school is out, not near as much as I did at


[3]


Mr Overby’s.  As you infer I see much more com-


pany here than at Mr. Overby’s.  Indeed a week


rarely passes without some one here to stay a day or


tow. Last week Mary Foote, Mrs. Armstrong’s sister


stayed here two days & Henry Thivealt [?] & Willie Dupuy


spent one evening with us, so you see we have plenty


of society to keep me from feeling lonesome, & many


whom I see I find very pleasant & agreeable.  I


like Miss Jennie Michaux [?] very much indeed


but Kate is mistaken in thinking she was at


sis’s when she was, for I reckon she is abt 28 or


30 years old at least.  I am in hopes she will


be down to pay us a visit this week.  Mr. Dick-


inson & Mr. Armstrong went to Richmond a week


ago, & Vinnie starts back to the army on Wednes-


day, so we shall be quite destitute of gentlemen


then, but I reckon we shall get along very well.


I am truly glad to hear that  Uncle John’s child-


ren have reached him.  You ask me if I noticed


any likeness between John Tabb & dear Cha-


rlie.  Yes I did, he reminded me of him very


much, although his eyes & hair are very different


& I think that was one reason why I felt so


drawn towards him. You have been very industrious


dear Mother to knit so many pair of socks. I


[4]


have nearly finished my 6th pair, & beside have


knit 1 pair of gloves for myself, & 3 soldiers caps,


one for Mrs. Dupuy to send to her brother


in the western army, 1 for John Lewis, & 1 for


Capt. Braxton.  I sent both theirs to them &


know that Mr. Lewis got his, but do not


know abt Capt. Braxton’s yet.  You ask me how


Nina’s dress looks. Very nice indeed, & I think it


was very well she had it done as it will make her


a nice dress all next summer.  The sleeves are not


quite so full & long as I could wish, but I doubt


whether any one would remark it.  I am in dread


of my dresses giving out, I don’t know what I shall


do when they do, but the bombazine looks very nice


yet, & the old alpaca lasts wonderfully.  I do not


think Willy Booker has joined the army yet.  You


know he is so delicate his parents were afraid


of the effect on his lungs of exposure to the winter


weather.  I had heard that it was a mistake


about Judge Lee’s having killed himself.  Lute told


me.  I have not heard from Lute since I left


Charlotte.  They had a case of varioloid there


when we were there, a gentleman from Richmond


which alarmed the citizens somewhat, but I hear


that he is nearly well & no one else has taken it.


I have been vaccinated again but it did


[1]


not take.  I do not


know Ma what


salary Mr. Knight


offers & neither does


Mrs. D. all she knows


is that she heard


Mrs. Knight say they


wanted a teacher


& would rather


have a gentleman


but if Pa does not


make an engagement


with Mr. H I can


find out.  Give a


great deal of love


to dearest Father for


me & love too to all


with you especially


Aunt Fan & Kate.


I heard from Nina


this morning, she is


very well. I shall be


quite anxious to hear


from you of your ar-


rangements & to


know what Uncle


W & the girls have


to tell.  Goodbye now


my dearest Mother


May God be with


you & bless you.


Your devoted daughter


Rebecca Powell


(ed:  ‘Sis’ that Rebecca is mentioning early in the letter is Hattie who is teaching on the farm of Mr. Tucker in Brunswick County.  Rebecca and Nina both teach on farms in Prince Edward County, Virginia.


Coffee was used medically as a stimulant for patients and was generally not suggested for regular consumption in the 1860’s . . . certainly no more than a saucer full after a meal.  In the latter part of the war the Confederate Medical Department would issue orders instructing the hospitals to preserve their limited supplies of coffee for use by the medical staff as a needed stimulant for patients.


Variola, Varioloid, and Smallpox are all various levels and names for the same disease.  The smallpox vaccination was quite often unsuccessful because of either the quality of the vaccine or the dietary health of the patient.)