Undated Letter to Sarah Blain (3705) from Jenni Chesnut

Letter written in pencil on two sides of a single folded sheet. It is addressed to Sarah Blain (3705) from Jenni Chesnut. The letter is undated, but appears to date from the mid-1860s. A matching envelope is addressed to Sallie Blain, Present.

Cottage Hill

Dear Sallie,

We young folks propose having a picnic on next Wednesday so you must be on the grounds bright and early. --- be on Lunbecks Hill. You come up to Mary’s and Anna McCoy Tell her we are going to have a nice time. I expect near a hundred people some from Piketon and a few from town. I am going to cook light-bread, chicken, and --- some cakes. Sallie, if you have any chickens --- o bring them. I mean what you can, for they will be --- broiled or roasted. I think I will take four. We are going to wear calico dresses and sun bonnets. Sallie, be there by ten o’clock if you can at Mary’s. I hope you are well. Good bye. My love to your mother. If you have a nice new lawn dress, wear it. I am so busy I can’t come down but be sure to come.

Jenni Chesnut

If you walk up to Marys we will find a way for you to get the rest of the way

1862 Sept. 28 Letter to Sarah Blain (3705) from Hannah Blain (3565)

Letter written in ink on two sides of a single folded sheet. Dated September 28, 1862. From Hannah Blain (3565) in Ross County Ohio to Sarah Blain (3705).


Ross County, State of Ohio
September 28, 1862

Dear Sarah (3705),

We received you letter dated the 18th and was glad to hear from you. We got your letter on the 26th. We are all in common health at present. You say the doctor wants you to stay till frost comes. I think if we could get a good rain we would soon get frost. But the ground seems so dry the grass is burnt up. The pears are ripe now. Some of them are rite nice.

The doctor asks if you have got home. Rebecca Lunbeck was down a week or so ago. She was looking for a letter from you. She sends her love to you. Galet has not fetched Mike home yet. He is seeding with him, but they say it ain’t no trouble for a woman to ride him.

There is some ague about town and some deaths. William (3562) says that if you want any more money to write as soon as you get this letter so as you can get it before you start home. I shall be glad to see you at home again.

I must conclude these lines as the sun is down.

Hannah Blain (3565)

1862 Sept. 4 Letter to Hannah Blain (3565) and William Chandler (3562) from Sarah Blain (3705)

Letter written in ink on four sides of folded sheet, dated September 4, 1862. From Sallie (Sarah) C. Blain (3705) in Granville, Licking County, Ohio to her Mother (3565) and Uncle (3562).

Sept 4th 1862
Granville Licking County Ohio

My Dear Mother (3565) & Uncle (3562),

I received your letter dated the 31st of August on the 3rd of September. I am still improving in health, and feel almost well as I ever did. I think I have written more than four letters since I came here. The mails are not very regular. Sometimes I get your letters the next day after they are mailed - and one letter I got was eight days coming. You now I always was neglectful about writing, and I have not improved much in that respect.

But I surely have improved in walking beyond expectations. I can walk three miles every morning before breakfast. I think when I get back, Uncle (3562), I can climb over the hills with you. The Doctor is a great advocate of walking and being outdoors most of the time.

Our Quaker friends are here yet. Only one of the ladies is taking treatment. Her brother, Mr. Walker, and sister are staying with her. Mr. Walker drives the patients out when we ride. Last Friday we had a grand excursion to the reservoir 11 miles from here. Some 15 of us - we started early in the morning. We got there about 10 o’clock. There is two - the old and new reservoir. The new one is five miles around and the old one .25 miles. I went out in the skiff riding and got a credit mark from the doctor for being the only lady that would venture out on the water. He thinks I am getting to have considerable of self reliance and energy. He soon finds out any ones weak point and tries to strengthen them. I have not been to church but the first Sunday since I came. The Doctor says it is the worst thing for Friends. He says we can go up on the hills and get the pure air.

I cannot tell when I will get to come home. I feel well enough to come pretty soon, but I have not gained any in flesh yet. I do not way as much by 7 pounds as I did when I came here. The Doctor says he wants to pay me back with interest what I have lost. He says that I have lost that much badness.

By the way he treats the other patients, I am very well satisfied he will not keep me here a day longer than is necessary. He says he wants to learn me to doctor myself for the next five years to come. I will have to diet for one year before I get entirely clear of disease. You will all get water cure diet when I get home. I do love the brown bread. I think it is the best thing I eat.

I must finish now. You will see my shingled head some of these times. You do not know how glad I will be to get home. Write soon as you get this. I am in a hurry to get my letter before the mail closes. Take good care of yourselves and do not forget me.

Your affectionate
Sallie C Blain (3705)

1862 Aug. 27 Letter to Sarah Blain (3705) from T.C. Giles

Letter written in ink on three sides of a folded sheet, paper deteriorating with many holes. Dated August 27, 1862, from T C Giles, Paint Mills to Sallie (Sarah Blain) (3705).


Paint Mills August 27th 1862

Dear Friend Sallie (3705),

I do suppose you think I have forgotten you, but such is not the case at all, for I think of you very often. Well then, you ask in the name of common sense, why did I not answer your letter sooner? Why, I will just try to tell you why I was so neglectful in the first place.

I was waiting to see a certain somebody you know. And I have seen him, but did not get the opportunity to ask him anything about those things we talked of. One thing I am sure, he has nothing against you. For when I told him you had gone to Granville he said he had intended time and again to have come down to see you. And something would always happen that he would not get to come. But he said if he had known you was going away he would have come anyway. He says when you come home then we will take the ------------ that we talked of a long time ago.

So much for the first reason. The next one was I did not have any paper (and this is very poor stuff that I am writing on).
So much for excuses. No, I well ------------. Last but not least one is --------------boy has enlisted and gone to Camp Denison. And that is the last excuse.

And if there is a good many mistakes in this letter I hope you will excuse them. And also in consideration of my many excuses and trouble, I hope you will forgive my tardiness in writing and answer this as soon as you get it. And I will promise to do better hereafter. And write as soon as I get yours if nothing happens to prevent me. Oh, Phil Renick is at home; and Rick, Will, and Hat has gone to Columbus at last.

Well Sallie, I have wrote everything I can think of at present & will come to a close now as ever your friend.

T C Giles

Sue sends her love to you.

1862 Aug. 20 Prescription for Sarah Blain (3705)

Written in pencil on a scrap of paper and dated August 20, 1862. Believed to be a prescription for a "water cure" treatment while a patient of Dr. Bancroft in Granville, Ohio.


Miss Blain (3705) Aug. 20, 1862

Bath – 5 A.M. Pour 1 pail
4 P.M. dripping sheet

Diet and exercise as usual.

1862 Aug. 17 Letter to Sarah Blain (3705) from Hannah Blain (3565)

Letter written in ink on one side of a folded sheet, dated August 17, 1862.
From Hannah Blain (3565) to Sarah (Blain) (3705).

August 17, 1862

Dear Sarah (3705),

I take my pen in hand this Sabbath evening. The day is beautiful and calm and there is no one at home but myself. We are all well at present and have been looking for a letter from you the last week, but have received none. I want you, when this comes to hand, to write and let us know how you are getting a long.

The early apples are ripe now and there is some peaches on your tree yet.
Sarah Blain was up to see us with her children. Effa can walk but seems a good deal like she was last summer. As this is Monday morning, I must conclude with my love to you, as Jake is to take it to the office.

Hannah Blain (3565)

1862 Aug. 9 Letter to Sarah Blain (3705) from R.A. Lumbeck

Letter written in ink on four sides of a single folded sheet, dated August 9, 1862. From R. A. Lunbeck at home to Sallie (Sarah Blain) (3705).



Home Aug 9th 1862

Dear Sallie (3705),

I received your kind letter Tuesday evening. Was truly glad to hear from
you. I had almost begin to think you had forgotten your promise to me. I am truly glad that you like the place so well & are so well satisfied there. & also that your health is improving. By the way Sallie, it is reported in Massieville already that you & the Doctor run off Mrs. Giles. & I had a good laugh over it. Well we must have some fun at your expense any way, but you must be careful how you run of with the Doctor hereafter, for there is no telling what will happen.

I have not seen your Ma (3565) since you left. I have not been down to see her yet. We have been very busy putting up fruit. We have put up 1.6 gallons & made 3 gallons of jam. & it is such awful warm weather. It has been so very warm & dry for some time. We have not had but one good shower of rain since you left. It looks some like it is going to rain this evening. It is thundering. Oh! I do hope it will rain a good shower. I wish it would just pour down for a while. Everything is so dry that it is almost burned up for the want of rain.

Well, Sallie (3705), we have not gone to Columbus yet but are still talking of going. It is so very warm that I don’t want to go until it rains & is yet some cooler, for it is so very dusty. I think if it rains & gets cooler that probably we will go next week some time. I should like to go to see you if I could, but it is most too far for us to go there with such warm weather.

So if you don’t see us you must not be disappointed. I expect you will get so high minded whilst staying there that you will not have anything to do with your old friend when you return home again, will you not?

Well Sallie, have you seen any nice looking & good looking beans yet? You must tell me when you do & if you fall in love with any of them. John & Ettie & Jim & Annie Chestnut were here & spent the day yesterday. Little Frank is as pretty & smart as ever. Oh! I do think he is such a sweet child. Little Ida is a good deal prettier than she was last winter when Annie was up on a visit. I had a letter from Sue Scurlock this week. She writes she is very busy now putting up blackberries & say she has been cooking hurried hands and milks two cows. I sense she doing wonders, don’t you think? Nary anything else yet so she says.

Well Sallie, it is beginning to rain now, so I hope I will get my wish. You say you have had nary dried apples yet – well I think they have slighted you not to give you nary one. By the way, I have had roasting ears - had some yesterday & the day before. Oh it is such a treat to have corn again. It is so nice. Do you have such a treat where you are? I think that the roasting ears are better than usual this summer.

By the way Sallie I forgot to tell you that Joe had been at home. He came the next day after you went away. He was home better than a week – he is going to remain at Charleston for some time yet. They are trying to raise more volunteers in Chillicothe. They have got some - I don’t know how many yet. Cash Giles talks some of going. I don’t know whether he will or not.

Sallie, Joe Trigo has not gone yet. I don’t know whether he has any notion of going or not. Have you heard any thing from him yet Sallie? I don’t think he is good enough for you. I think you had better look out for someone up there. I think there must be some nice young men there. Now keep a sharp look out while you are there & see if there isn’t a good chance.

Well I will have to close as my paper is filled. Please excuse all mistakes & write soon to your friend.

R A Lunbeck
Goodbye my dear friend. Write soon.

Well Sallie, this is Sabbath morning & I thought I would add a line or two more. There is a basket meeting commenced yesterday & today over the river where we all went last year. But I think they will not have a very pretty day for it, for it is raining this morning & looks like it will rain all day. I didn’t care any thing about going this time. I don’t think there are much enjoyment there.

A Chandler family photo album from Chillicothe in the mid-1860s identifies this woman as Rebecca Lumbeck, believed to be the author of the above letter.