I can't believe the family giving up these letters. I think they would be fascinating. One of my greatest treasures is a transcription of a diary my great grandfather kept in the Oregon frontier and the Idaho gold fields in 1863, as well as several letters written to him from one of his brothers between 1865-1880 about the Civil War and what had happened to the folks my great grandfather left behind in Missouri when he trekked to Oregon in 1861.
The letters and diary provide fascinating glimpses into a time long past and put life in the 1860s into a context that no history book has ever provided. I hope the Upton family kept transcriptions to be passed down to their descendants. I know my cousin has another diary that has not yet seen the light of day. I would love to get my hands on that! Boring indeed!
One of the things I learned about life on the frontier in 1861 is that my grandfather loved to dance and made it to a dance nearly every Sat. night. He'd spend the night at the farmer's home and drive the family to church on Sunday. If you think about it, giving a dance was a huge undertaking. First you had to have music and a place and then you had to invite the neighbors and provide food (and sometimes beds, or a hay loft). Yet the folks managed to do this quite regularly and my grandfather (who was single) really looked forward to those occasions.
Of course, I never knew him at all. My 92 year old mother never imagined him as a dashing young swain because she only knew him when he was a gruff old man.
I particularly found one entry poingent (sp?). That was when he was off seeking his fortune in the gold fields of Idaho and he received word that one young lady whom he'd courted had married someone else. He recorded that he went out and bought himself TWO glasses of whiskey and referred to her as "the idol of my heart!"
I also learned a great deal about the Border Wars in Missouri/Kansas from the letters and how they touched my family in particular. This was a subject never taught in my history courses.
Interesting history.
Thanks for that. (even x2)
"I also learned a great deal about the Border Wars in Missouri/Kansas from the letters and how they touched my family in particular. This was a subject never taught in my history courses."
Isn't it great when you find that your relatives were involved in something historically significant.