Tallapoosa County AlArchives Military Records.....Zelphia Woodard Daniel Ellis and James L. Ellis January 5 1864 Civilwar - Letters ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Paula Sain pdsain1950@att.net September 19, 2003, 4:53 pm Jan 5 1864 Talapoosa, Alabama My dear husband I seat myself to answer your letter which came to hand the 3 of January. You don’t know how glad I was to hear from you. It seems like such a long time since I heard from you. Jimmy I have not got much news to write. These few lines leaves me and your little children all on foot but not well. We all have got bad colds. I have been past doing anything nearly now for several days. I have had three chills sin I taken this cold. They _ _ _ _ _ me up pirty bad though _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ now. The baby had a high fever last night though she is up playing about today. You said I must not let her forget you. There is no danger of that as long as I live for she is talked to about you every day. I ask her where is pa and she will say “dawn, dawn”. She tries to say “gone, gone”. O Lord how can I stand it? I study about you a many a time and it seems like I cant wait no longer. Sometime I feel like the war wont last long and that sorta puts me in heart. I would give everthing just for it to end so as my husband could come home and stay with me and his children. You wanted me to say how the wheat was doing, it looks very well considering the cold weather it has had on it. It came up plenty thick. Mr. Thornton said it was come up too thick. We killed 7 of our hogs 3 weeks ago. I expect we will kill the balance tomorrow. That little sow that was up in the pen when you went off was not fat, not any of account. I think it be not to kill her. Your stock is all doing tolerable well. Betty has go so _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ hearty. She got so she would not eat more than 4 or 5 ears of corn at a feed. We give the colts 4 ears at a feed. I want you to rite whether we must keep on feeding it to the hogs or not. You must rite how you want anything carried on and I will have it done. McMullin hired Henry out on the railroad _ _ _ _ weeks before Christmas though I should not of kept him nohow. He was too saucy and wicked to be with my boys. [?] It will not be worthwhile to rite the news of the settlement but I will try to rite a little more when we get up in the morning. It was raining and freezing so we could not kill hogs. I will kill them as soon as the weather settles. I study about you this bad weather and wonder if you don’t nearly freeze and of a night when I ly down on my bed. I think if you were just hear to ly on your bed how glad I would be. I hope the time is not long off when you can come home to stay. It is all the talk among the people that the wars most at an end. John wrote like he thought so to. Jimmie you come home as soon as you can. You must come at wheat cutting time if not before, though I hope you will be at home to stay before that time. I will try to have you some shirts when you come and something you can eat. I wont know how to behave I know when I see you coming. This is the 7th day of Jan 1864. The weather is moderating a little. Our hogs was mighty fat them that we have killed. Billy says that they was the best hogs that he has ever help us kill. Their a right smart of sickness about in the settlement. Mr. Thornton the old man is down now. Your connection are all well as far as I know. I have not seen none of them over the creek lately. I have not been over their [large omission of illegible hand writing] you left home on Saturday. I suppose Dick has bought a negro woman. I don’t no what he give for her or nothing about it. I saw Dick the next day after you started and I have not seen him since. I expected him and Bill and Betsy would of been to _ _ _ _ _ before now. They had the chills and fever some strong when _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ went off but I think it is about cooled off now. Well I will tell you something about the boys half soling shoes. They are busy now. Robert is half soling Whit’s and Joe is making pegs for him. Joe has mended them you gave him and Robert has mended one of his old ones. Well, my dear I have rote all the news I can think of and what I like [lack] Jim can tell you for he has been here 3 weeks. When this you see, remember me though many miles apart we be. Goodby my dear for the present. Z. W. Ellis to her dear husband. Feb the 26 1864 My dear husband I take my seat this morning to let you no how we are getting along we are all well at this time and I hope these few lines will find you well. this is fryday morning one of the boys will take this letter to the office this evening they have got to go to mill and they will take the letter to the office while their corn is grinding. we will get done brakeing up the field along fifes in three days then all will be broke up _ _ _ _ the killpatrick field shabe [someone’s name] is gone up to the _ _ _ _ field this morning to begin burning logs she could of ben done but I was afraid to put fire in the field until the ground was brokeup. the boys says that your oats is up nice. your wheat looks sorry. ist come out mighty slow. I want you to come home just as soon as you can my dear. I hope you will bedt home before this letter has time to get to you for I want you to be hear in planting time and that is not long off and I want you to come and get some cloths. the _ ollies are going some up the railroad and were down. little gim alford and sanford and all of them is gone up the road and rufus reynolds and george burnsides and john cannon and their crowd is gone down to mobile. rufus george and john come by home an stayd one day an night. I did not see none of them the boys saw rufus an george I hear that they have enrolled sim and marshal tommy and ordered them to camps I don’t no whether it is so or not _ _ _ told me about it an I did not ask her how she heard it. Josiah said they enrolled mat smith and curry last saturday evening at realtown. they said they expected they would have to go this time. gess thornton says they will be sent off and the old men put in camps in their places. tell bud that his folks are all well as far as i no. eli baker started back last week. your relation is well as far as i no. i have not seen dick since the next day after you tented. [?] i have weaned your baby if you could be hear this morning to hear her talk how glad i wuld be. it looks like when i think about it i cant wait my dear husband. little jimmy sayd this morning that he dreamed last nigt that pa came home and road his iron gray horse an he said he thought pa shaved of his whiskers. i do hope an pray to God that my husband wont have to stay away from me and his little children much longer. tell bill that _ _ _ _ and the children is well. she went to _ orcker day before yesterday an got a order for two bushels an a peake of corn. she sayd that the cavalry was at bill johnsons. i dont no whether the government will take any of my corn or not. i think it will look hard for them to part of what you have left for me and the children. i got a letter from you last saturday that was the 3 saturday in february but it was wrote the 8 day of ganuary. i got the one you wrote chrismas day the 3rd of ganuary an the one you rote 26 of gan the 6th of febuary. your stock _ _ _ _ well [can not make out several words] _ell _arling is mighty busy. rite to me whether to keep feeding the hogs or not. we give them a half of a basket full twice a day and whether to keep on feeding the colts twice a day until grass comes or not. i hope though you will be home next weeke so you can tell me about every thing though i thought i would rite so if you did not get to come home you could get to hear from us. i will stop riting so Robert can rite some at dinner if he wants to. [the remaining lines are from son Robert] Deare pa. I seat my self to drop ya a few line to let you no that we are all well and I hope that this few lines may find yo in the same helth. old g _ ahen is slow but he is _ _ _ _ _ . pa here is some of the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in this letter. pa we are a most don the pus field. we will get all of our land broke up. well I will come to a close. R. T. Ellis to his pa. Z. W. Ellis to her husband. [Letters have been submitted to Paula from Willie Young Crisp. Letter 1 is a hand written transcription of the original letter but I do not know who has possession of either original letters. Letter 2 is transcribed by me from a photo copy of the original letter. Letter 1- Robert is Robert Thomas Ellis, born October 1850 and oldest child of Zelphia and James Ellis. Joe is Josiah E. Ellis, born March 1852 and 2nd child. Whit is William Whitfield Ellis, born May 1854 and 3rd child. Little Jimmy is James Lake Ellis, born September 1859 and 5th child. Letter 1&2 - The child mentioned of talking about her “Pa” being “dawn dawn” and being “weaned” Mary Elizabeth who was born in March of 1862 and 6th child. In October of 1864 the last child of Zelphia and James was born, Wright Ellis. Zelphia‘s beloved Jimmie did not return from the war but exact date of his death has been documented. James L. Ellis and Zelphia Woodard Daniel Ellis can be located in Realtown settlement in 1860 census records] Additional Comments: Two transcribed letters written from Zelphia Woodard Daniel Ellis to her husband, James L. Ellis who was away fighting for the Confederacy. Zelphia and James lives in the Realtown Community and are listed in 1860 census record for Tallapoosa County. This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/alfiles/ File size: 10.1 Kb