The frontier, lost teeth, wishing for cheese and worry about war.

tulip · #1 10-14-2002, 11:26 PM

 From the Wisconsin Frontier excerpts from letters written by Hannah Aldrich to her family in Massachusetts 

1858 We had quite a sick spell some time ago but since I wrote him last. Had a very bad sore mouth. Never saw anyone have such a bad mouth and a swelling face which I think was caused by an ulcerated tooth. We, H and I, have had teeth ache a great deal this fall. Our teeth are fast going. I expect by the time you see us again we shall not have any teeth left.
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I wish you would do and all the rest, if you can afford so much for our gratification that is, get all your miniatures taken, which I see by the papers you can for $0.25 in such a form as to send them in a letter without extra expense. It would be so much satisfaction to me to look at them when so far away.
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We have had a good deal of cold weather for the season and some of the hardest storms of wind I ever experienced. The woods are filled with fallen timber so that it is next to impossible to get about. The hardest wind took down six or eight trees right before our house, all at one sweep and also part of the chimney, laid the fence level with the ground and that was not the worst. It blew some large limbs from the tree on our cow, breaking three of her ribs and injuring her hip, so we are afraid we should lose her.
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I suppose you are now in the midst of haying now and making cheese. How often I think of you and imagine I am there eating cheese curd and then go to bed and dream ever so much, but then I wake and find it is not so. ***************************

Herman has a pretty hard time this winter to cut his wood and go so far to school through the snow. Has to break his own road most of the way. There are about 30 scholars. . . My work keeps me very busy; do not find time to lie down in the day time. Have to melt snow for water as our cistern is not yet plastered. . . Our cheeses came to hand safe and doing us a heap of good. Apple and dried berries too do not come amiss. . . I have just discovered that I have written this page wrong end up. Don't know as you will be able to cipher it out any way. Will try and do better next time. I have just broken off one of my front teeth. You can't imagine how bad I look.
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 1861  We have had a good many Secessionists about here. Have a home guard which they are a little afraid of though they are getting somewhat bolder since the battle of Bull Run. There are quite a number gone to the war from this town and there is to be a great war meeting next Thursday to get more volunteers. Oh dear, when will it be over? God speed the time. My cheese is just gone. You cannot imagine how much good it did me. Now when I get real cheese hungry all I can do is to smell of the box.
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A great many of our neighbors and townsmen have gone to the war. O this dreadful war. I wish it could be over. It troubles me night and day. I have such awful dreams in the night and then when I read of battles it makes me so nervous I can hold myself together. . . .You spoke of your cheese and said Vermont cheese was worth only 4 cents a lb. How I wish I could get hold of some. I would pay more than that and set up nights to earn something to buy it. . . .
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 1862  Times are very hard getting harder every day. Store goods are rising from one week to another so that I think we shall be able to buy nothing at all soon. . . Two of my front teeth gone and the rest going; by the time I see you again I do not expect to have any left. . . . There is considerable excitement here in regard to raising men for the war, every able-bodied man has been enrolled and there is considerable talk about drafting but I hardly think they will have to draft as two regiments are nearly full already. Mowry has been enrolled and talks quite strong of enlisting. Jerusha worried night and day for fear he will enlist. O how much sorrow and anxiety is caused by this terrible, terrible war. When will it end.
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Charles Sebastian came home a few weeks ago. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Bull Run one year ago and has been a prisoner until now. He said there were 500 of them shut in one room and fed with horse and mule meat together with a little rice and water. He suffered considerable while there but is anxious to go into the army again. . . . Yesterday I did my washing alone for the first time in a great while. The boys are wonderfully taken with their new sister. . . . I got me a calico dress a few weeks ago. Had to pay 25 cents [a yard]. I do not know what we are coming to. It seems now as if we could begin to live quite comfortable if the times were good, but if this war continues much longer we must with many others be in very destitute if not in a suffering condition for clothing. I do not mean to complain, as there are so many poor families who are worse off than we are an so many mourning the loss of husbands and brothers in this wicked war. O I do wish it could be over. It seems so wicked. I know that this wicked rebellion must be put down but it seems sometimes that the sacrifice is almost too great.
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We had a visit several days since that from a young man in the Army of the Potomac, that used to live near neighbor. He has been through several battles but he'd never been hurt. He said there were in good spirits, eager to be led on. We sent the Sylvan (WI) boys some sugar by him. Thought it would seem good to them to get some Wisconsin sugar away in Virginia. Mr. Wood has lost his oldest son. He died in the hospital of chronic diarrhea. The other one is in St. Louis. . . I lost another tooth in the back. Hard now to chew the tough meat we get. O you shall see me with an empty mouth. Hope you can send some cheese with the box. O how I hunger for cheese, long for it, dream of it. . . .
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We have many people about here that wear butternuts. Wonder if you any in Swanzey (NH). Think they will not carry their heads quite so high now they know that the Union cause is progressing, slowly but surely. They will finally see that right will prevail, that freedom must triumph over oppression. We are Union all over. We wear the red white and blue everywhere we go. . . I have not sold any butter. We use a great deal, having no meat. Then I have been getting some on hand so to make some cheese. Am going to make cheese tomorrow. I paid 20 cents a lb last spring for a little piece of cheese. I was so cheese hungry. I think of your cheese every day. . . .There have been 5 men drafted from this town. All Copperheads, makes them look black I tell you. . . It has cost us about 50 dollars to get our winter's clothing and you would think we were pretty thinly clad at that. I have but one calico dress. Do not think of having more than one at a time. . . We have had the coldest weather this winter we have had since we have been in Wisconsin. . . We had to stay shut up tight with the biggest fires we could make and not keep comfortable at that.
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 1864  I feel most discouraged sometimes, everything is so high, and goods are so poor. I expect Herman will be drafted and then I don't know what will become of us. There are about 40 enrolled and 12 to be drafted and he may be one of the number. I do not know what I could do here alone with the children and the way my health is. If I could go out and work and carry on the place like some there is here, I could get along but I cannot do my work in the house as it ought to be. . . How I wish I had some of your cheese, Mother. Mine has been gone a long time. Hannah Thompson Aldrich, Sylvan WI
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 Postscript  Hannah Thompson Aldrich and her family returned to Swanzey NH at the end of 1864. Both Hannah's and Herman's health declined sufficiently to force their surrender to the deprivations and uncertainty of frontier success. Hannah had three more babies. Herman worked for a time in the local factory and then went on to start his own insurance business. Finally he found success that had eluded him in farming and teaching. Aldrich Insurance remained in the family for 100 years in Keene NH. All of their sons went on to college. The letters, both Hannah and her parents, remained hidden in the family home until sent to the WI State Historical Society by a descendent in the 1980s. Hannah died in November 1899 and Herman in August 1913.

(Message edited by tulip on October 14, 2002)

blue_zouave · #2 10-15-2002, 11:10 AM

Connie, thanks for the glimpse back to the world of my ancestors. I remember my grandmother telling about losing her teeth after she started having children. She said it was just a given that you'd lose a tooth for every child you had.

Zou

unionblue · #3 10-15-2002, 10:47 PM

THis is what I think history really is and is so much ignored in our history books. The suffering and hardships of people in everyday life. For all those who wish for the "good old days" be careful what you wish for.

Unionblue