October 13, 1861, from E. J. Blackshear to My Dear Daughter
Note:
In this letter, E. J. Blackshear writes to his daughter, Mary Pittman Blackshear,
a student at Wesleyan Female College (now Wesleyan College) in Macon,
Georgia. The transcription does not include some sections of the letter that are
devoted only to family matters.
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Froglevel October 13th 1861
My Dear daughter
I wrote you last Friday and was somewhat disappointed in not receiving a letter
from you, giving me a more full account of your position in College, the names
of all your room mates, their agreeableness, your present studies, how you think
you will stand in the class etc., etc., but I suppose at once that you thought the
Short note you wrote me in Macon was sufficient until you could write me more
understandingly. You must remember, however, your duty to your kind Aunt Belle
requires that you should not forget her. She has done so much for you, it would
be gross ingratitude in you to do so.
Your things arrived from Savannah yesterday, and I will send them up on Monday
(tomorrow). I have had a box made to put them in, and made it large enough to put
in a few potatoes, thinking they would be very acceptable. For what girl is it who
does not love Sweet Potatoes! The �Spread� I cut myself, and made Sarah and Rose
sew it together and hem it. Your Aunt Belle took out your hat, and we both thought it
very pretty, for war times especially. The hoops you must accommodate to your height
etc, it seems to be quite heavy, tho I do not profess to know what ought to be the
weight of a hoop Skirt, your Aunt Hamilton says that the supply of this article in the city
is not good; they are scarce and of a common quality. You will have therefore, to take
care of this one, as there may be none after a while for sale.
I forgot to ascertain if you were supplied with the requisite number of Towels, and a
sufficiency of other things. Take good care of all your things, for I can assure you that
�hard-times� are already beginning to be upon us. I paid my Tax yesterday and had 12
dollars and twenty cents left, 7 of which I loaned to
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Mrs. Clark to pay hers, and three to old Billy Flanders, so you see now if I can accomplish
much with only Two Dollars and 20 cents, I shall be entitled to some notoriety for my
proneness toward an art which has proven to have been successful heretofore, alone with
�Captain Simon Suggs,� formerly of the �Tallapoosa Volunteers.� After doing all this, I
determined to feel and be stingy for a time, but could not hold out, I gave one of my two
dollars to Neal Stewart to help purchase a Blanket for his brother Nathan, who is in
Appling County under Capt. Guyton, on the line of the Rail Road, held ready to defend
Brunswick or other portions of the Georgia Sea Coast. I felt that my daughter, and
indeed the other pretty girls at Macon College could proceed with their studies (in safety
and quietness, so far) through the patriotism, in part, of the aforesaid Nathan, who loves
his country perhaps, second only to a drink of �ball face whiskey,� and I mention this to
show or illustrate the fact that the advantages enjoyed in a Country are secured by the
exertions of those who are debased as well as by those also who are more exalted, and
therefore we should have the greater charity in our hearts.
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Ben and Ned have both been a little under complaint, but both seem to be well again.
Ned goes about singing to the air of �old Dan Tucker�
�Lincoln lives in Washington
In the breech of a �long tom� gun
Bye and bye as I�m a thinking
Off they�ll touch it and good bye Lincoln
Yaw, yaw, ye bold Bull runners} Chorus
Wait a wee for the Terrell gunners.�}
Two or three deaths occurred during my short absence, all in the vicinity of Mr. Holmes�
Store, Mrs Brantley was one, I do not know who were the others. I hope, my dear baby,
you will not forget the advice I have given you from time to time. An intelligent woman
who is also industrious, and skillful in useful employment, is intrinsically, valuable,
and if amiable will be lovable, but good character must crown all these else they lose
their value, and prudence is one of the steps in securing a good character. A woman
discreet and prudent can get along pretty well without a college education, but one
with the education and wanting discreteness and prudence is scarcely a gainer by
the education.
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To illustrate some portion of what has been written above, I will say, that you might
deport yourself after a certain manner which I might condemn as imprudent, but when
told that Mrs. Smith and Mr. Bonnell said there was nothing wrong in it, I would defer
to their judgment, having great confidence in those two individuals, formed at first sight.
But were you to dress yourself in the habiliments of a young man and take a �stroll
down town,� and then tell me that Mrs. S. and Mr. B. and all the Faculty said there
was nothingwrong in it, I would say that Mrs. S. and Mr. B and the Faculty were fools.
I should lose all confidence in them and scold you terribly for not knowing better
yourself.
The old copy says: �Modesty is a quality that highly adorns a woman,� there are
various other qualities which do the same, but all seem to be crowned by what we
call character, and the character of a young lady may be swept away by a breath,
when the qualities all lose their value. Is it strange then that parents should be
anxious about what is so valuable to their daughters? I think not. I am nearly at the end
of this sheet and must close. Be a good girl, as you have been to me always, be not
anxious or ill natured, do your duty carefully and trust in God. I may not write to you
regularly, it wearies me to write, but you should keep me advised. Present my kind
respect to your teachers, love to all the girls.
Your very affectionate Pa
E. J. Blackshear