Al Murray
Sergeant
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2015
- Location
- West Virginia
Here are two letters I just transcribed (from the uncle's papers). The part of W. Va. Woodell was writing from is now best known for Snowshoe Ski Resort and the birthplace of Pearl S. Buck. The contrast in views here are interesting to me.
Al
-May 1866 Letter Stephenson to W. Kennedy, Parkersburg Portland, May 26th 1866 Messr Kennedy & son Gent enclosed you will find a draft for $6.50 which you will please be kind enough to pay Blair & Gibbons (I believe it is) of the Parkersburg Gazette $3.50 the amt of the a/c sent to me and direct that nary other (sic) copy be sent to my address as I blush to take it from the office. A city that boasts of upwards of 6000 inhabitants and a Southern City at that & could not produce a better sheet makes me shudder to think it the place of my nativity. I have had a few copies of your paper which suits me better and for which you will appropriate the balance of the draft and forward to Portland, Ore. There has been a very dark cloud hanging over Oregon for the last five years and light is appearing. The sun begins to shine and ere you receive this you will receive a dispatch that OREGON is the BANNER state of the union the first to throw off the shackles of fanaticism & Black Republican rule we have picked out best men to fill our offices & they will do it. Respectfully G. Stephenson PS we have with others ex governor wellen stumping the state and Beriah Brown assistant editor of the Herald published in Portland
-Jul 1866 Letter Woodell to Kennedy . "hope you and yours are in the best of health…& success crowning your labors … both socially, temporally, and spiritually… hope you … succeed in … hopes of seeing & experiencing the downfall of the wickedness of the wicked & of Radical rule and oppression in West Virginia. The "Democrat" is a welcome visitor here in the mountains.. it does not sometimes reach us until it is two or three weeks old … but I think in a short time we will get our mails more regular … the difficulty has been to get post masters … we have been sorely oppressed and imposed upon … by the grand Moguls holding the authority in our county. The men now in office … would never have been thought of for any office when justice had fair play. Many can neither spell, read, write, act or behave correctly … we had the hardest kind of a set for Registrars. … they generally had their offices in… obscure parts … the registrars swore every man that proposed to register unless they knew them to be Radical. They met (with their books) the county board at a retired place … to correct their books. The conservatives knew nothing of the meeting or their object. They secretly summoned or notified some Radicals to appear as witnesses … (it is believed that the Radical party all had been notified … of the policy that was going to be adopted) they met a few unscrupulous fellows preferred charges against all that they thought was conservative … they never notified any man that had … been stricken from the rolls until they came to the polls to vote. I expect to take my wife and little boy to Jackson County … expect to pass through your city … be so kind as to inform me what your best dentists would charge…" Signed J. Stewart Woodell. Greenbank, Pocahontas County, W. Va. July 10, 1866. 1 pg. Manuscript. Envelope addressed to Wayne Kennery, Parkersburg.
Al
-May 1866 Letter Stephenson to W. Kennedy, Parkersburg Portland, May 26th 1866 Messr Kennedy & son Gent enclosed you will find a draft for $6.50 which you will please be kind enough to pay Blair & Gibbons (I believe it is) of the Parkersburg Gazette $3.50 the amt of the a/c sent to me and direct that nary other (sic) copy be sent to my address as I blush to take it from the office. A city that boasts of upwards of 6000 inhabitants and a Southern City at that & could not produce a better sheet makes me shudder to think it the place of my nativity. I have had a few copies of your paper which suits me better and for which you will appropriate the balance of the draft and forward to Portland, Ore. There has been a very dark cloud hanging over Oregon for the last five years and light is appearing. The sun begins to shine and ere you receive this you will receive a dispatch that OREGON is the BANNER state of the union the first to throw off the shackles of fanaticism & Black Republican rule we have picked out best men to fill our offices & they will do it. Respectfully G. Stephenson PS we have with others ex governor wellen stumping the state and Beriah Brown assistant editor of the Herald published in Portland
-Jul 1866 Letter Woodell to Kennedy . "hope you and yours are in the best of health…& success crowning your labors … both socially, temporally, and spiritually… hope you … succeed in … hopes of seeing & experiencing the downfall of the wickedness of the wicked & of Radical rule and oppression in West Virginia. The "Democrat" is a welcome visitor here in the mountains.. it does not sometimes reach us until it is two or three weeks old … but I think in a short time we will get our mails more regular … the difficulty has been to get post masters … we have been sorely oppressed and imposed upon … by the grand Moguls holding the authority in our county. The men now in office … would never have been thought of for any office when justice had fair play. Many can neither spell, read, write, act or behave correctly … we had the hardest kind of a set for Registrars. … they generally had their offices in… obscure parts … the registrars swore every man that proposed to register unless they knew them to be Radical. They met (with their books) the county board at a retired place … to correct their books. The conservatives knew nothing of the meeting or their object. They secretly summoned or notified some Radicals to appear as witnesses … (it is believed that the Radical party all had been notified … of the policy that was going to be adopted) they met a few unscrupulous fellows preferred charges against all that they thought was conservative … they never notified any man that had … been stricken from the rolls until they came to the polls to vote. I expect to take my wife and little boy to Jackson County … expect to pass through your city … be so kind as to inform me what your best dentists would charge…" Signed J. Stewart Woodell. Greenbank, Pocahontas County, W. Va. July 10, 1866. 1 pg. Manuscript. Envelope addressed to Wayne Kennery, Parkersburg.
Bringing the