Leonard Stephens Letter, 29 Jan 1863

[Answered 13 Feb/63]

Beech Woods, Kenton County, Ky, 29th Jan. 1863

Dear Brother William,

Yours of the 7th of December came safe to hand, & I now seat myself to write you & perhaps I should have delayed writing for a while yet, But for a matter that will be explained. Albert Stephens a few days ago sold his home here, & is going to start to Missouri as I understand on tomorrow. He says he will call at your house as he returns to Kentucky. This I understood a few days ago, that is that he was going right off to Mo, & I sent him word that I very much desired that he would call & see you and that I thought you would come to Ky with him, & on this evening he sent me word back that he would certainly call & now my Brother won’t you please come with Albert. I do hope you will as we all desire very much to see you. You could not as you know have any better company & I repeat we shall all be delighted to see you in our midst once more. There are but five of us left & we of course cannot be spared a great while longer so do let us be together once more in time. I do sincerely hope you will come with Albert. Since last I wrote to you I have had a sore attack of disease of the lungs. It has been now about six or seven weeks ago, & I have been confined to the house pretty much since, the disease being partially removed from the lungs seemed to change to a billious attack, & I suffered a good deal tho never was too low to walk. I am not yet entirely restored tho am now so much better that I feel as if I was almost well. Yet I am still troubled with cough & pain in my left side. We have had quite an afflicted time here. Malinda, Jane & Henry have all been sick. Malinda is about well but Jane and Henry have neither got about yet tho they are much better & I hope will soon be about again.

We had a burrying here on this day week ago. Old Aunt Ginny Bristow, Reuben’s mother died, & they decided to burry her here. The old lady was quite old, being about 86. She died with disease of the lungs. So far as I know my children & their families are well. I understood on yesterday that Brother Edmund was poorly, tho I hope not seriously ill. He is however more feeble than you ever saw him, and the indications are that he cannot be with us much longer. He as you know is now of advanced age, being nearly 86 years old. His birthday is I think the 27th of March. Our two sisters were here at Christmas and were well then. I think too the other friends are generally well. I sincerely hope you are in the enjoyment of good health.

We have had the deepest fall of snow I ever saw. It commenced snowing on Wednesday night the 14th instant & snowed on until Friday morning the 16th & then the snow was from 18 to 20 inches deep. The Cincinnati papers state it was from 27 to 30 inches deep. It was very much feared that it would go off with a rain and that in addition to high water it would do a great deal of damage in the way of washing, but it went off gradually & I believe did no damage except to young stock. Reuben Bristow has been very unlucky with his hogs. They took cholera & out of 120 good hogs has but few left and he thinks they will all die. I have not seen Albert Stephens since he sold his land, but I understand he expects to move back to Missouri. His trip there is to make arrangements for a home there & will move as soon as he returns to Ky. I should think he would probably be at your house in about two weeks or by the 12th or 15th of February.

I am writing this letter by candlelight in order to have it mailed tomorrow so that you may be sure to receive it before Albert gets to your house & that you may be ready to come on with him.

So far as politics are concerned, everything is entirely quiet here & our prayers are that things may remain so. I have not seen any of our East Bend friends since Christmas. Thomas Stephens, Brother Ben’s son, was here & then reported all well & now as it is getting late & knowing that Albert can tell you all the neighborhood news, & as I am making a bad hand of writing I will close this scroll with repeating again my earnest wish for you to come to Ky with Albert & we will then if spared talk of many things. Remember me affectionately to all your children & Grand children, also to Benjamin Stephens & family & all other friends.

Your Brother affectionately till death,
Leonard Stephens

May God Bless You

Notes:

The five siblings were Edmund, William, Mary Herndon, Nancy Sanford, and Leonard. Return.

Malinda, Jane, and Henry were among General Stephens’ slaves. In 1850 the census takers tallied eight slaves at Beech Woods, including a 40-year-old female and seven males ranging in age from 57 down to 2 years. Ten years later there were twelve, of whom seven may have been present in 1850. Among the five newcomers were two little boys and a young woman of 19, who may have been their mother. Return.

Jane Shelton Clarkson (1776-1863) was the eldest child of Julius Clarkson and Elizabeth Sandidge; she had married James Bristow (1770-1855) in Bourbon County in 1795. Her death from tuberculosis was unusual only in that she had survived into her ninth decade. Consumption, as TB was known, was by far the leading cause of death. Return.

A viral disease, hog cholera is not to be confused with the bacterial disease so devastating to humans, though the symptoms are not unlike: fever, diarrhea, lethargy and loss of appetite. Return.

Whether William returned with Albert or not, he did spend some time in Kentucky during the summer & fall of 1863. Among their social calls was a visit to Reuben’s sister, Mary, on the 16th of September. Bristow, Diary, 112. Return.

Thomas Paine Stephens (1814-1876). His wife, Elizabeth Calvert (1819-1891) was the widow of his younger brother, Haydon Nelson Stephens (1819-1837), who had died two weeks after their marriage. Return.

Probably Benjamin Nelson Stephens (1836-1917), son of James Nelson Stephens. Return.