The St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad Company
To Augustus A. Blumenthal Dr.
1864 October 1st
To have my --- Time, thru there carelessness demolished and to totaly destroyed and my driver killd. ----- $200.00
To Dr. Karnsby ---- attendens on the man runnet over $10.00
To Dr. Starkloff for the same $10.00
$220.00
my Attorney John N. Stra-t is hereby authorized to recipt this Bill in my name Aug. A. Blumenthal
One letter, autographed, signed, and dated 26 January, 1867, from John Botts; American congressman, lawyer, and author. Leader in the Whig party, called to Washington by Henry Clay to aid in the Constitutional Compromise of 1850.
Envelope addressed to Mrs. Cynthia E. Barns of Washington, New Hampshire. In the upper left hand corner is a drawing of Ulysses S. Grant surrounded by a laurel wreath. Under Grant are two American flags. Beneath the picture is text reading "We'll fight it out on this line if it takes all summer". On the back of the envelope, "1869" is written in pen.
Letter from Maria Moore to her friend, also named Maria, describing the house they lived in. The letter is four pages long, and goes into great detail from the rug and the color of the curtains, to the yard and the books on their shelves. She described that her daughter, Mary, had whooping cough but was getting over it. She described a trip to Niagara Falls and signed the letter back on the front page upside down.
Letter from Samuel Moore to Enos B. Moore. He was worried as he had not heard from him or William, and thought someone in the family may be sick. He mentioned receiving word in Cairo that Captain Young had died. He asked to hear back as soon as the letter was received.
Letter from a woman to Maria Moore (author mentions addressee's daughters Mary and Fanny). The author made mention of her "dear husband", but the signature is not legible. She wrote about being ill with a cough, and that she was taking cod liver oil and other medications recommended by friends. She declined an invitation to Iowa stating her political views would be in conflict with the people there. She mentioned being bed ridden and that her children (Louis, Jeffie, and Millie) were helping around the house. The author spoke about not being able to have negro servants any more, and how she would rather see them put in their place and be "delivered from these negro equality". She mentioned even with some schooling, they did not speak like white folk. The author changes the subject to her family and that war had destroyed a lot of Yazoo City. She concluded with a desire to visit her mother and the orchards near where she lived.
Letter from Enos B. Moore to his brother about his move to Minneapolis. The family was well. He found Minneapolis to be a very dull place and the newspapers were not interesting to read. Went on to describe differences in carriages and compared to trucks on a railway.
Letter from Enos B. Moore to his brother discussing the war and investment prospects. He believed Duvall was wavering now to the success of the Rebellion. Things seemed to be quieting on the river, and there had not been disturbances by guerillas. He mentioned that if people would leave Uncle Abe alone, he would settle the question of coercion. Moore heard of farmers now desiring to raise sheep as a wool factory was being completed. There was now a market for mutton in Chicago and St. Louis, and that it might have benefited him to invest a few thousand into that business, if William thought it was a good idea.
Letter from Enos B. Moore to Miss W. Moore. He had found as many men as she had sent for. He did not believe their physiognomy was to his standards, but thought if she saw them they would be fine.
Letter from Maria Moore to Enos B. Moore. This letter has 3 parts. In the first, she described how much she missed him while he was on business in New Orleans taking care of the boat. The second part of the letter was written the next day. She received a short communication from him and mentioned the family would be heading to Yazoo City if there was no fever in New Orleans. She also said she may travel to Portsmouth by the time he left. In the third part of the letter, she briefly wrote that she wanted him to send full letters as opposed to just a "line", but even that is better than nothing.
Letter from Enos B. Moore to his brother William. He stated that he received William's letter of May 25th and read it by the steamboat Morrison. All was well and he was with Duvall and Samuel, the latter of which intended to return home in a few days to possibly take Ellen to Niagara Falls. At that time Moore did not plan on doing anything to the boat, and would not until there is something for her to do in sight. Maria wrote to Lizzie regarding the death of Mary Young and a baby. They were living in Sulphur Springs which was cheaper than other areas. He planned to send the letter by express to William as paper mail in the South is closed at that time.
Letter from Enos B. Moore to his wife to assure her she was not forgotten in his absence. He spent the previous evening at Captain Young's and found all of them well except Captain Young, who was ill but improving. Mary and Harry had just returned from a visit to Mrs. Hollingsworth. She was getting along well, and had received his wife's letter. Moore, along with William, Lizzie, and Duvall, would attend the Opera that night and the next day would leave for St. Louis. Mary and Harry would stop at Vicksburg and make a visit to Yazoo. He expected a fair trip considering recent low prices. Mr. and Mrs. Runole had not yet called on the bride. The letter ends with, "Yours Affectionately, EBM".
Letter from Enos B. Moore to his brother about canceling their trip. He mentioned making this decision after a council of war, and decided he would not continue to Vicksburg. Maria appeared to have a matter to settle that required him to be in town, as it would be illegal if he was not. Moore then discusses expenses for the boat. He warned his brother that it would not be a good place to buy a boat. He referenced the Illinois River and the Upper Mississippi River, and described how people are losing money on trips right now.
Letter from Enos B. Moore to his brother discussing the effect of the war on business. He discussed how there was no cotton trade or passengers to have, and that he could not travel south of Cairo, IL. Moore mentioned that even sending letters to the South was not an option at that time. Mention is made of looking for a farm, but that that also would not make sense until the war ended.
Letter from Enos B. Moore to his wife discussing his trial. Moore mentioned having met with lawyers and having to have stayed in town until the case was tried. He does not mention the details of the case. He also wrote of concerns that the banks may announce that they were all out of money, and there was a possibility of their boats being confiscated. But it was only property and not their dependence for happiness.
Letter from Enos B. Moore to his brother after Scarlet Fever affected William's children. He was glad that they were recovering. Moore mentions Fanny had been recovering from her eye being sore and Maria was doing well. They expected to travel home soon and stop to stay with Uncle Jos. He would make a short trip to Lake Minnetonka before they left.