Bone Letter, December 31, 1861, Page 1 |
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| Title | Bone Letter, December 31, 1861 |
| Subject |
Correspondence Health Soldiers Civil War |
| Description | Nacogdoches County, State of Texas. Minerva to Dr. Bone: is sending supplies he requested, news of deaths of acquaintances involved in the war, provisions, health, financial matters, respects from friends. |
| Date | December 31, 1861 |
| Collection | Bone Family Papers |
| Collection Identifer | A9, Box 1, Folder 10 |
| Collection Link | http://library.sfasu.edu/findingaids/?p=collections/controlcard&id=17 |
| Biographical Note | Robert Donnell Bone (1832-1892) was born in Wilson County, Tennessee, and came to Nacogdoches County in 1841 with his mother and stepfather. He and his brothers and sister moved in with his older sister when she married John Winstead Paine in 1846. After a serious illness of pneumonia, R. D. Bone rode horseback to Tennessee and entered the University at Nashville Medical School (which later became Vanderbilt University) in 1854 and returned to Douglass, Texas, to practice medicine after graduating in 1858. That same year he married Griselda Minerva Burk (1841-1912) who was also from Tennessee and had moved to Nacogdoches County, Texas, with her family in 1848. On November 25, 1861, Dr. Bone was appointed to serve as Assistant Surgeon of the 12th Texas Volunteer Infantry, Col. Overton Young's Regiment at Camp Hebert, Hempstead, Austin County, Texas. He felt it was his duty to serve the cause of the Confederacy and eagerly attended his post. As revealed in the following letters exchanged with his wife while on active duty in the Civil War, it soon became clear that he would have to contend with inadequate provisions, boring camp routine and confusing orders. "The Fever", dysentery, measles and exposure were Dr. Bone's patients' main medical problems; his regiment was not involved in any serious fighting. When he resigned his commission on March 7, 1863, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, he went back to Douglass, Texas, to practice medicine. Dr. Bone also bought cotton and cattle and took them to New Orleans each fall to be sold. Minerva was Post Mistress in Douglass from 1866-1867. Only six of the Bone's 12 children reached adulthood, and two of their sons graduated from the University at Nashville Medical School exactly 50 years after Dr. Bone did. At least eight of his descendants have followed him in serving the medical profession. (Aiken, Roy L. (Pete). "Bone Family." In Nacogdoches County Families, 172. Dallas, Tx.: Curtis Media Corporation, 1985.) |
| Scope and Content Note | Included in the collection of letters between Dr. Bone and Minerva are letters to the Bones from family and friends, report forms from the post office at Douglass, and two poems (probably written by Dr. Bone). Typescripts for most of the papers in the collection are in a booklet in Box 2. Several 19th century newspapers belonging to Dr. Bone are cataloged and shelved with the newspaper bundles. |
| Associated Dates |
1860-1869 |
| Type | Correspondence |
| Repository | East Texas Research Center |
| Repository Link | http://library.sfasu.edu/etrc/ |
| Transcript | State of Texas Nacogdoches Co Dec the 31 1861 My Dear Dr Bone, Your letter of the 23rd and the 24th has come to hand; one on last Saturday and one yesterday, which I was glad to receive. You know I and Sister Martha went over to Grandma’s last Sunday evening and come home yesterday. I saw Foster and Louisa and Ma. I rolled up one quilt, one pillow, four towels (two coarse ones and two domestic ones), such as they were, and your case of instruments and tooth forceps, those white handled instruments, half a dozen apples. And paper I forgot, but I will go out again when they go to start and put it in, if [it’s] not a bad day. Pa did not get those instruments at Linflat. I put in that thing you put on my arm to press it tight. I did not get a bible for you, but maybe you can get one to read somewhere. If you do, read for Ma too. Don’t forget you my Dear, take good care of yourself and don’t get sick. I think of you often. They are suffering in Virginia…they have brought Frank Taylor and another man back to Rusk and buried them, they died on the road. Sam Barron is coming back and several more. Some companies have died and are broke up. Our southern men can’t stand their Climate. Ben Murphy is dead, the one that went to Virginia, and Tom Erwin is lying low with the fever. Old Mr. Murphy got a letter last Saturday from there. Paint got to Douglass last Saturday. Pa sent to Linflat Sunday after him, he looks bad. I got your letter. Pa has killed about twenty-five hundred pounds of pork and has gone out, he and Warren, to kill more today. He let John Garnet have eleven hogs; he says they will weigh over two apiece. He thinks John is to pay when he takes them away. He gives six cents per pound. Warren will have somewhere about a thousand pounds when he gets through killing. We have one half hog [that] weighs 80 pounds. Pa will go out in a day or two and get it and kill our hog and bring it to his house. Pa says he thinks we will get a little meat, he says he has asked several about meat. We haven’t collected a cent yet, I have thirty cents left after paying Miss Clute. Clute and Ward are boxing up their goods; [they] won’t sell to anybody for money nor anything else. I haven’t bought anything at the stores since you left. Pa sold Jeff Reynolds your barley patch [for] two dollars-and-a-half; he did not pay down, but I reckon he will when we go out again. Mary is dead. Pa’s fine. More hard times here. I saw Amanda Parks’ baby the other day at Sam’s, it looked pale and sickly. Her breasts are running sores yet. My breast is well, it did not stay sore long. My ma said it was not sore like she had seen. I thought [it] was mighty sore the day I wrote to you, before I sort of scratched it with the lancet myself; [I] would not let no one else touch it. I am well, our little babe is well. Watson has some fever this evening; he has had several little fevers since you have been gone, but they don’t last long. I think he has light chills when he is well he look a heap better than he did when you was here he is fleshier and full in the face he is prettier Pa we have two as purty and as smart and good little boys as most anybody I think Watson is a very good little by little Winsted which we all called him can begin to laugh and notice me when I talk and play with him he is a lovely little babe all of our kinfolks is well as far as I know of give Jim Pain my best respects and tell him to take good care of self and be a good boy until he comes home where the girls is Ma is at Sam’s know will stay a while Samantha sends her and Warrens best respects to you Pa’s folks sends their best respects to you they say they would if they could I told Grandma Burk what you said in your letter she is going to live with Uncle John Burk children Uncle John come in and got her to promise to live there he is going back out west Uncle John Burk give Levy a dose of morphine for quinine he lost the use of his self Kitty Brigham says she wishes you would come home she is down with old complaint she says she won’t have no one else unless it is sharp she ses says she suffers a great deal she me this it take me all day to write a letter I have been day today I am a poor hand to write any how I believe I have told all the new I know anything about write to me often and write all news goodbye my Dear love May the good lord help us till meet again Goodbye G. M Bone January 2, 1862 at your house on my way home from Sam’s Martha had a daughter the 31 of Dec, as fine a looking child as I ever saw it is very large and fleshy, doing very well, Minerva and her Father Mother Samantha and some of the boys have just come they left Watson at home, we are in a hurry to go to the table I cannot write much write often your Mother Try to be useful be careful and prayerful R D Bone Levicey P Hill |
| Rights | This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is available for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the East Texas Research Center at asketrc@sfasu.edu. |
Description
| Title | Bone Letter, December 31, 1861, Page 1 |
| Collection Identifer | A9, Box 1, Folder 10 |
| Repository | East Texas Research Center |
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