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Not too long ago, a shoebox full of documents arrived at my house in Oregon. To my surprise, it contained more than 100 letters written by my great-great grandfather, Albert L. Harvey to his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Spencer Harvey during the Civil War. My sister, knowing my interest in Albert, made a surprise gift of the letters I hadn’t known existed. My first feelings about them was a sort of nervousness about their worn and faded condition. Some have unreadable passages. Others have ink that remains robust. Some letters are a bit tedious. Some are compelling, like the one from 1865 that describes his hilarious trip to see Lincoln in State. These letters begin at Camp Curtin in 1862 and continue for 3 years until Albert musters out. They offer a glimpse into a 19th century marriage with the War as a backdrop. Reading them, I came to know these two and their salt-of-the-earth struggles. I can picture Jenny, the family horse. I can feel the weight of his knapsack. I know what that flea-ridden woolen shirt might have looked like. Albert's sense of duty is humbling to me. His only real complaints come when the letters from home do not. Kate struggles with her brother-in-law, Jerome, who, much to my surprise, is having an affair. I believe it is mentioned only once or twice. Jerome is not as supportive to Kate during Albert's absence as he might have been. Albert is the mediator for these two throughout the war. Kate is a loving mother to her two little boys, but misses her husband terribly. She spends a lot of time on extended visits. Albert "runs the farm" from the field, and he and Kate plan the building of their house. It is good to know that the house became a reality, and still exists on Pusher Siding Road in Potter County. Interesting to me is the fact that Kate and Albert would, by the year 2000, have a descendant with Black ancestry. I often wonder where those of my grandson's ancestors were during the Civil War. So here, for any of you interested, are the letters from Albert to Kate written so many years ago. I sincerely hope you enjoy them. -Leslie Noxon, All Rights Reserved.
