Bone Letter, October 9, 1862 - Page 1 |
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Object Description
| Rating | |
| Title | Bone Letter, October 9, 1862 |
| Subject |
Correspondence Medicine Health Family Civil War |
| Description | Nacogdoches County, Texas. Levicey Hill to Dr. Bone; news about family and neighbors and feelings about how long the war will last. |
| Date | October 9, 1862 |
| Collection | Bone Family Papers |
| Collection Identifer | A9, Box 2, Folder 12 |
| 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 | October the 9, 1862, At Home Nacogdoches, Co, Dear son I have not received a letter from you since you left here, Minerva told me that you had written a letter to me but I have not got it yet; we are all well as far as I know, Foster and part of his family was here Sunday last, also Sam and his family; Isaac and Mary; with a good (illegible) others as Brothers, Priest and Copeland, had a two days meeting here at the school house, they are still preaching the same doctrine, they did when you left they opened a doore [sic] for members, old Mrs. Paine and Ruth Selmon [sic], Elenor [sic] Kyle, and Mrs. Nelson joined the church (Mat Nelson s widow) I supose [sic] you have heard of his death they are going to have preaching here and at Friendship, time about, Brother Means and Leaton [sic] also Dady [sic] Lee, had a two days Meeting at douglass [sic] Satturday [sic] and Sunday was a week ago; Minerva Winstead [sic] Martha and Samantha was all here they were well, Minerva got a letter out of the office writer to you from A. Jeffreys [sic] in which he said, that your brother Eliher C. Bone was dead; do not now remember the exact time, but I think it was in July, Minerva took the letter home with her, and I have forgotten the day of the Monta [sic] he says that funeral was preached at presbytary [sic] by the Rev. David Morrow in Mount Olive, I think, the first Sunday in August; he said that they two oldest boys was staying at home with the family that raised a crop, his place this year, but they had taken Levicey, Kerrey, and Robert, away and his mother was seeing to them; he makes no mention of what they intend to do further; I don’t know whether or not Eliper [sic] made any requests about they children or not; I feel verry [sic] uneasy about them to know what would be the best to do for them I want you if you can, to go and see them, and find out if you can, what their conclusion is, I expect your chance will be bes [sic] unless you should happen to pass near that way, in your March through the country, if you cannot go to see them, I want you to write to Mr. Jeffreys and try to learn their condition, and then let me know if you can; Bob it is a heavy shock on me, to hear of his death, when I was in such great hopes, that him and his children, would behere [sic] by this time; my hopes are now blasted, as far as his coming is concerned; now you are gone, and expecting Sam to have to go, I don’t know where; george [sic] gone and we all by ourselves; you don’t know how glad I was to see Foster get back, he stayed so long that we was afraid he was dead; but he come at last; Bob we can hear a great deal about the war, but but [sic] whether we hear the truth or not we can not tell it appears that our people have been victorious in nearly all the battles that they have had lately, but how it is going we cannot tell; but one thing I fear it will last till both sides will be in a bad fix, for it appears that wickedness is abroad in the land; I can hear of so much immorality in camp among they soldiers; as well as many other places, that I fear sometimes, for the success of our armes [sic]; I feel sometimes, almost miserable, when I think of the demoralizing influences of camp life, upon our young men, as well as some of our older ones, I do want you to keep your self unspotted, from anything that would tarnish you in the least, among your fellows; but more especially before your god; you must not think hard of me for being plain for it is my hearts desire, and prays to god that my children may be saved; I may not be permitted to see you again, we cannot tell, life is uncertain, tell Jim to be a good boy; Asenath [sic] intends to write to him I wrote a little by Harison [sic] Wade write whether you got it or not; fare well R. D. Bone Levicey D. 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, October 9, 1862 - Page 1 |
| Collection Identifer | A9, Box 2, Folder 12 |
| Repository | East Texas Research Center |
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