Wanted == Correspondence

Reconstructed Rebel

1st Lieutenant
Joined
Jun 7, 2021
The Wanted == Correspondence section in the want ads of the May, 1864 Chicago Tribune had the following interesting appeals. The first one is heartbreaking, the second one made me laugh - the Marine Brigade, of course!

From May 9
I am acknowledged to be agreeable, educated, accomplished and good looking, but though I am getting on in years, I have never had a lover or a gentleman correspondent. I am desperate. Will some pity the unappreciated? Direct to Box 24, Mishawaka, Indiana.
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Two good-looking, intelligent and refined young soldiers, of good standing in society, wish to correspond with any number of loyal and Union-loving young belles of the North, with a view to improvement or friendly intercourse. Now, ladies, please favor us with your letters, and receive prompt answers by addressing HARRY ? MONHOF or LEWIS MALVIN , Co. H, Inftry ? Marine Brigade, Flagship Autocrat, via Cairo.
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From May 8
The undersigned, a young man, agreeable in his manners, affectionate disposition and good moral habits, being in possession of more worldly knowledge than either good looks or riches, and a stranger in the city, desires to open a correspondence with a few young ladies congenial to his views, between the ages of 18 and 25. The object - mental, moral and social improvement. Or, if they prefer, fun, love, matrimony, &c. No objection to an exchange of "Cartes de Visite" Address HARRY LINDEN, PO Box 5716, Chicago, Ill.
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From May 7
A gentleman from the East, intending to spend some months in Chicago, desires correspondence with the opposite sex, with a view to fun or whatever may be agreed upon between parties. North side letters will receive especial attention. Address CHARLES G HARVEY Box 6589, Chicago
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And from the New York Herald, February 14, 1865, this somewhat suspicious personal ad. Sounds like a trap to me or something more than it seems.
Two Young Ladies, aged fifteen and eighteen, strangers in the city solicit the acquaintance of two gentlemen of means, with a view to matrimony. Call on or address Misses Blanche and Clotllda at 14 1/2 Cross Street, near Grand.



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Letter writing truly is a dying art. Back in my day, they didn't have newspaper ads (I don't think), but there was a place in Boston you could write to in order to be matched up with a penpal of whichever ages, gender, and nationality you preferred. I am probably unusual because I still write to my two penpals. The first one, who lived in Japan, and I will celebrate our 51st anniversary next month (we talked about meeting for a road trip, but well ... covid). The second one, who hails from Scotland, began corresponding with me in 1977. I've met the first one in person, but not the second. The Guinness book puts the longest correspondence at 78 years. I think we're gonna go for it!
 
Letter writing truly is a dying art. Back in my day, they didn't have newspaper ads (I don't think), but there was a place in Boston you could write to in order to be matched up with a penpal of whichever ages, gender, and nationality you preferred. I am probably unusual because I still write to my two penpals. The first one, who lived in Japan, and I will celebrate our 51st anniversary next month (we talked about meeting for a road trip, but well ... covid). The second one, who hails from Scotland, began corresponding with me in 1977. I've met the first one in person, but not the second. The Guinness book puts the longest correspondence at 78 years. I think we're gonna go for it!
My mom had a pen pal in England for a year during WW2, arranged by her school. They were both 13 yrs old. The English girl wrote that her father's ship had been sunk in the North Atlantic but she was still hoping her dad had survived, even though no survivors were listed. My mom never wrote back to the girl because she didn't know what to say, and the idea of losing a dad was too terrifying to her to discuss.
 
Letter writing truly is a dying art. Back in my day, they didn't have newspaper ads (I don't think), but there was a place in Boston you could write to in order to be matched up with a penpal of whichever ages, gender, and nationality you preferred. I am probably unusual because I still write to my two penpals. The first one, who lived in Japan, and I will celebrate our 51st anniversary next month (we talked about meeting for a road trip, but well ... covid). The second one, who hails from Scotland, began corresponding with me in 1977. I've met the first one in person, but not the second. The Guinness book puts the longest correspondence at 78 years. I think we're gonna go for it!
My mother started writing to her penpal in England during WWII when she was thirteen. They remained close throughout their lives. They visited many times. I called her penpal "aunt Diane" and I even attended her daughters wedding in 1994. Diane's grandson brought her to my fathers memorial service in 2014. Diane finally passed away in 2016, ending seventy some years of friendship. We kids are still in touch with her kids and my sister is working on transcribing their letters.
Letter writing is becoming a lost art. I still write letters and have actually been collecting letters for years now because I believe they are fascinating and beautiful windows into the human experience. I don't just collect ACW letters, I treasure them from any time period. I just read the book, "Bully for the Band," edited by James G Davis. It is the letters of four brothers in the 10th VT Infantry Band and I have to say I learned more about what it was like to be a soldier during the war from that book than any other I have read.
Congratulations on your long-term letter writing relationships. That is inspiring!
 
My mom had a pen pal in England for a year during WW2, arranged by her school. They were both 13 yrs old. The English girl wrote that her father's ship had been sunk in the North Atlantic but she was still hoping her dad had survived, even though no survivors were listed. My mom never wrote back to the girl because she didn't know what to say, and the idea of losing a dad was too terrifying to her to discuss.
My Scottish penpal's husband died when she was in the middle of writing a letter to me. He had cancer, and she was writing for something to do while sitting by his bedside.
 
Two good-looking, intelligent and refined young soldiers, of good standing in society, wish to correspond with any number of loyal and Union-loving young belles of the North, with a view to improvement or friendly intercourse. Now, ladies, please favor us with your letters, and receive prompt answers by addressing HARRY ? MONHOF or LEWIS MALVIN , Co. H, Inftry ? Marine Brigade, Flagship Autocrat, via Cairo.
The missing word after "Infty" is "Miss.", as in Mississippi Marine Brigade.
 
The missing word after "Infty" is "Miss.", as in Mississippi Marine Brigade.
I thought that too, but why are they looking for correspondence from Northern belles? Could it be Minn? Was there a Union Mississippi unit serving on the flagship Autocrat? Maybe someone with access to records could look that up. I'd also like to know if the two guys gave their real names 😒
 
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The "Correspondence Mania" apparently arose during the winter of 1863/4, and appear to have been largely a mid-Western phenomenon. Hundreds of these "personals" ads appeared in newspapers from Ohio to Wisconsin. Doubtless a few such schemes led to happy outcomes, but there were also tragedies.

The Louisville Democrat of August 18, 1864, includes this cautionary tale:
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And, in October, we read:
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The fad appears to have burned itself out early in 1865.
 
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The Wanted == Correspondence section in the want ads of the May, 1864 Chicago Tribune had the following interesting appeals. The first one is heartbreaking, the second one made me laugh - the Marine Brigade, of course!

From May 9
I am acknowledged to be agreeable, educated, accomplished and good looking, but though I am getting on in years, I have never had a lover or a gentleman correspondent. I am desperate. Will some pity the unappreciated? Direct to Box 24, Mishawaka, Indiana.
----------------

Two good-looking, intelligent and refined young soldiers, of good standing in society, wish to correspond with any number of loyal and Union-loving young belles of the North, with a view to improvement or friendly intercourse. Now, ladies, please favor us with your letters, and receive prompt answers by addressing HARRY ? MONHOF or LEWIS MALVIN , Co. H, Inftry ? Marine Brigade, Flagship Autocrat, via Cairo.
-----------------


From May 8
The undersigned, a young man, agreeable in his manners, affectionate disposition and good moral habits, being in possession of more worldly knowledge than either good looks or riches, and a stranger in the city, desires to open a correspondence with a few young ladies congenial to his views, between the ages of 18 and 25. The object - mental, moral and social improvement. Or, if they prefer, fun, love, matrimony, &c. No objection to an exchange of "Cartes de Visite" Address HARRY LINDEN, PO Box 5716, Chicago, Ill.
----------------


From May 7
A gentleman from the East, intending to spend some months in Chicago, desires correspondence with the opposite sex, with a view to fun or whatever may be agreed upon between parties. North side letters will receive especial attention. Address CHARLES G HARVEY Box 6589, Chicago
---------------


And from the New York Herald, February 14, 1865, this somewhat suspicious personal ad. Sounds like a trap to me or something more than it seems.
Two Young Ladies, aged fifteen and eighteen, strangers in the city solicit the acquaintance of two gentlemen of means, with a view to matrimony. Call on or address Misses Blanche and Clotllda at 14 1/2 Cross Street, near Grand.



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I will say that the "call for gentlemen of means" put me back into an experience I had at a "watering hole in hole Nashville" once. I was enjoying a beverage and saw this bar fly lock in on a lady down the way, I overheard the lady explain to the bar fly that unless he had a Master's degree or higher-- "don't bother".

Memories...
 
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