Letter of William Harmon Harden

to his wife Nancy Jane Jones Harden concerning the 
naming of their daughter, Willie Evalena Harden
Ophtholmic Hospital, Americus, Ga. Feb. 22, 1865

My dear Companion I seat myself to drop you a word in answers to yours of the 19th instant which I received yesterday and was made glad by the good news from home. I am well as usual hope these lines may reach and not find you sick. Still on the mend. I have no news this morning to write. You said I must name our Babe. Well here it is if you don't object. If you do you must name it yourself and I will be satisfied.. It makes no difference with me about a name. 

"Willie Evalena"

Way up in Pike County where willows do grow
There lives a little "Angel" no others do know
It's Willie Evalena that sweet little dove
The Queen of my heart and one that I love."

I will close for the present.

Yours
W. H. Harden

This is 23rd. I am well as usual today. I learn last night the "Sherman" has taken Charleston and Columbia S.C. and are marching on. If you have heard from any of the Boys write. I haven't heard from Wash since I left home.

W. H. Harden
Letter provided by Mrs. Seaborn James (Marguerite Willcox) Harden
Transcribed by Carl Jowers
Letter of Nancy Jane Jones

to William Harmon Harden
Georgia Pike County September 21, 1862 

Mr. William H. Harden 

Dear companion, 

I now seat myself to let you know that I am well at present, hoping when these lines come to hand they will find you enjoying the best of health. 

I received your kind and affectionate letter this morning and was truly glad to hear from you. I am glad to hear that you have got your shirts. I was afraid that you would not get them. I made you another one to send by Mr. Daniel, but I will not send it now that you have got them. 

Mr. Daniel starts to you Tuesday morning. I will send you a jug of syrup. Your Ma give me some butter and some flour to bake you some bread and ginger cakes. Aunt Varchus put in some flour, too, for Jimmy Short. I will put it together. Varchus says to divide bread with him. She never had no butter to send. I will put in some raw potatoes. I would cook them but they would mash all to pieces. 

Mollie is not well. She has the worst cold you ever saw. She had high fever last night and night before. Me and Ma never sleeped much with her. She haven't got but two teeth yet. I think that is mostly what ails her. She is the sweetest little girl you ever saw. 

Pa's folks is all well but Minda. We all think she has the yellow ganders. 

Mr. Lynch's family is all well except the children has the whooping cough. Mrs. Lynch heard from him the 20th of September. He was at Beans Station the 12th. 

James Harris is with him. Uncertain whether he dead or alive now. Cap is going to start after him Tuesday morning. 

I haven't heard from your crop and hogs since I wrote the last letter. 

I heard that Elihu is going to give me half of the tobacco. 

Mr. Brooks is got your syrup made. I don't know how much there is of it. I will try to get Pa to go with me down there this week and then I will tell you more about it. 

Pa says that he has nothing that will interest a suckling pig, let alone a man. He has no late news. 

We are all out of salt now. 

Ma is got a pig up fattening for the Association. You must try and come then. It commences on Friday before the third Sunday in October. 

I must come to a close. I am in a hurry now - Mr. Daniel is going to start this evening. I will write more in the morn. 
Letter of Nancy Jane Jones
to her sister-in-law Susan R. Harden
July 26, 1863 

Susan R. Harden 

Dear Sister, 

I take the present time to write you a line to let you know how we are doing well. Harmon is doing very well. 

I reckon we will start home tomorrow. The doctor let Harmon go as far as Macon. I think if he got there, we can get him home. 

He has had the measles. He said he was broke out last week, but sick as ever. I don't think there is any danger in catching them from him. I do not believe there is anyone else got the measles here. 

Sammy said to tell some of you to meet him at Milner day after tomorrow. 

If we don't get Harmon off from Macon, I may stay with him a while. I think maybe we will get him off from there. I had rather he would be there than here. I like to stay here very well. 

There is so many sick here, it makes me uneasy to stay here. There is no man in this room very sick now. You can't imagine nothing about it, without you was to see it. The doctor is very kind here. 

I am sitting by Harmon, writing. Mollie keeps me straight, you better believe it. I can't half write, there is so many talking and in a stew. 

We haven't ate all of our victuals up yet. Harmon wouldn't eat any of them peaches, nor apple. He ate two or three mouthfuls just a little while ago. 

I must close, as Sammy wants to mail it and I need tend to Mollie. 

I will write more the next time. Farewell for the present. 

N. J. Harden 
Letter of Nancy Jane Jones
to her husband William Harmon Harden
Georgia Pike County October 6, 1863 

My dear companion, 

I seat myself with pleasure to drop you a few lines to inform you that I am well at this time, and I hope when these lines come to hand they will find you well and doing well. 

I received your letter and paper of needles. I was truly glad to hear from you and glad to hear you can stay up and about. I was proud to get the needles. I think they are the best I ever saw. They are the sort I love to sew with. 

I am glad you can stay there. Stay there as long as you can. It is bad enough to stay there and it is still worse where you will be exposed to the weather and all other hardships. You can be sheltered there and if you get down sick there, you will be nearer home. If you can't get to come home, stay there as long as they will let you. I hope the doctors will let you come home before long. I think they ought to. 

I am glad to hear you get plenty to eat now. I hope it will last. 

We heard they were fighting at Chattanooga last Friday again. We haven't heard what they have done yet. I do wish they would quit fighting and make peace, but there is no telling how long this war will last. We hear no talk of peace up here now. As you say, some don't care how long it last, so they get rich. 

The sick and wounded soldiers are constant coming in here at the Hospital in Griffin. They say there is a many a one there and they keep coming. 

M. O. Moore is mending. We heard he was not dangerous. 

Uncle Isaac Jones was buried this morning at 11 o'clock. He died yesterday morning about day. Poor fellow, he suffered a long time before he died. I hope he is gone to rest where sickness, sorrow, pain, and death are felt no more. Uncle Aron said he died very easy. Pa and Ma went down there last night. I wanted to go the worst sort, but there was no chance. 

We have some very cool weather now. 

Write if you don't want yarn clothes and socks. I have got you some socks done. I will make you some pants as soon as I can get the wool. You hadn't got none, only some old ones most worn out. I will make you some as soon as I can. 

Mr. Benson is sick in the hospital. Mrs. B. said last Sunday, soon as she got a letter and he was not better, she was going down there. I don't know whether she is gone or not. I haven't heard. 

Mr. Spencer started back yesterday. He told Pa he was going to see you when he got to Macon, if he could find you. I hope he found you if he went. 

I was sorry you couldn't get to come home to go to meeting last Sunday. There was meeting Friday night, Saturday and Saturday night, Sunday and Sunday night. They baptized down here below John P.'s house. It was a very pretty baptizing. Ellen and Champion Smith shouted. Sarah Ann waited until next meeting. She said she was going to write her Pa a letter and see what he said about it. 

Your Pa's family is all well as far as I know. They were all well last Sunday. 

You wanted to know if I had drawn any salt yet, or not. I have not drawn any yet, but I am a going to try to draw again when the time comes around. I want to get some salt and thread, too, if I can. It don't look like I ever will get any more thread, only what I spin. If I had good cards, I could spin what I want. 

Mollie is well and hearty. She eats heap more now than she did when she sucked. I wish you could see her. She won't nigh begin to suck now. She says it is hockey. She does heap better now. 

I must close. Write soon. I love to hear from you often. 

I don't know when I can get this off. If I can't get it off tomorrow, I will write more. 

Good-bye. 

May God bless you, my dear love. 

Write soon. 

N. J. Harden to William H. Harden 
Letter of Nancy Jane Jones
to her husband William Harmon Harden
Georgia Pike County 

August 28, 1864 

Dear and affectionate companion, 

I seat myself this morning with pleasure to drop you a few lines which will inform you that I am well now, also the rest of the family. I truly hope when these lines comes to hand, they will find you well and doing well. 

I received your kind letter dated the twenty-fourth instant, and was truly glad to hear from you, but sorry to hear you was sick. I hope you are better now. 

I hope you will be treated well and get plenty to eat. I wish you could get a furlough to come home. I hope you will get to come soon. 

I am sorry to hear you have got so far from home. I do hope you will be attended to well there, so you can get home soon. Keep in good heart. 

I am sorry you can't hear from home. I hope you have received my letters before now. I had written one while you was up here at the front and one while you stayed at Macon. 

Mrs. Benson went down to Macon last Friday. She said she was going to see you if there was any chance. But you was gone. She wanted me to go with her. I wouldn't have went and missed you there for nothing in the world. 

We have very fine weather now, fair and pleasant. I have no news of any importance to write you this time. No war news, only we hear they keep fighting up here. I am glad you are out of it, so you do well which I hope and trust you will. 

There is a great deal of sickness about here. Some with the fever and some the measles. They are in your Pa's family. None of them has had them yet but Susan. I heard from there yesterday. She was getting along very well. 

I was afraid me and Mollie would take them. We had as good a chance to take them as we ever will have. Susan was taken last Tuesday, was a week ago. Me and Mollie was there when she was taken and stayed until Friday evening. We slept with her and she had high fevers. I left there Friday. She broke out on Sunday morning. They did not know what was the matter with her until she broke out. I hope me and Mollie will escape this time. 

It will soon be such a busy time pulling fodder. Pa began to pull fodder this morning. 

Wash is still mending. He haven't got his furlough, yet. I am afraid he will not get it. He is uneasy about it. He is not able to go back yet, if he can help himself. 

Johnny and Archie Smith has got the measles. They have been very bad off, but was on the mend yesterday. 

William Harris is at home now with them. He is most well. He was well enough to go to church yesterday. 

Sarah and Mollie is well. 

Sarah received a letter from Sammy some two or three days ago. He was not well - had the chronic diarrhea and was at the division hospital. Sarah and the old man Bankston is trying to get him in the hospital at Barnesville as a nurse. 

Mr. Orear is in the hospital at Milner, yet. 

Mr. Benson is at home. Yet, he is trying to get his furlough extended. 

We have a very good meeting going on up here at Friendship, now. Mr. Cooper had meeting Saturday and Saturday night, yesterday and last night, and again tonight. I think it is going to be an interesting meeting. There is a great many soldiers comes to hear Mr. Cooper preach. You ought to have been there last night to hear Ellen Harris holler. They have put off James Harris' funeral until the first Sunday in October. 

Susan Whidby and John Connel was married yesterday evening. Mr. Cooper married them in the road, sitting in the buggy. Her Ma nor sister never knew a word about it until last night, after they got to the meeting house. 

Uncle Riley's boys and all their company is up here. At the front, the boys was well the last time he heard from them. 

Henry Cook has got his furlough extended 30 days longer, so I heard. Some has good luck in getting their furloughs, and others have bad luck. 

I like to had forgot to tell you the news. At last, Nancy Ann has got a fine son. It is going on three days old. I never have seen him yet. They say it is a mighty ugly little fellow. 

Well, I believe I have written all I know. 

Mollie is well and hearty. She says she wants her Pa to come home. She wants to see you. She talks about you a heap. 

I do hope this cruel war will soon close, and we may meet to part no more until death separate us from each other. 

I will close for this time. Write soon and as often as you can, which I know you will. I hope I will see you soon. Do all you can for a furlough. Write if you get plenty to eat and what you have to eat. 

I hope you will get this soon, I want to get it off today. 

Yours as ever. 

N. J. Harden 

To William H. Harden 

Good-bye, my dear for this time. Remember me.